SEPTEMBER 2007

To the parents/guardians of children in Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

The purpose of this letter is to let you know the kind of things your child will be doing this year and how you can help. We hope you find it useful.

Subjects taught

The children will be taught all subjects of the National Curriculum, plus Religious Education and French. Most time will be spent on the Core Curriculum subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and Information & Communication Technology). The rest of the time they will be taught the foundation subjects of Music, PE, Art, Geography, History and Design and Technology.

Here is an outline of the topics we intend to cover this year.

Science: Friction - Keeping Warm - Moving and Growing - Electricity - Separating Solids and Liquids - Habitats

RE: Hinduism - Christmas Journeys - Life of Jesus - Celebration of Easter - Religions in our Neighbourhood - Life and work of St Paul

Geography: Village Settlers - The Island - Improving our Environment - Sustainability Island - St Lucia

History: - Anglo Saxon Case Study - Viking Case Study – The History of Evesham


Mathematics Targets

These targets are intended to give you an idea of the kind of things your child should be able to do by the end of this year.


Targets- Year 4


* Use diagrams to identify equivalent fractions, e.g. 6/8 and 3/4 , or 70/100 and 7/10; interpret mixed numbers and position them on a number line, e.g. 3 1/2
* Derive and recall multiplication facts up to 10 x 10, the corresponding division facts and multiples of numbers to 10 up to the tenth multiple
* Add or subtract mentally pairs of two-digit whole number, e.g. 47 + 58, 91 - 35
* Develop and use written methods to record, support and explain multiplication and division of two-digit numbers by a one-digit number, including division with remainders, e.g. 15 x 9, 98 divided by 6
* Know that angles are measured in degrees and that one whole turn is 360 degrees; compare and order angles less than 180 degrees
* Choose and use standard metric units and their abbreviations when estimating, measuring and recording length, weight and capacity; know the meaning of kilo, centi and milli and where appropriate, use decimal notation to record measurements, e.g. 1.3m or 0.6kg
* Answer a question by identifying what data to collect; organize, present, analyse and interpret the data in tables, diagrams, tally charts, pictograms and bar charts, using ICT where appropriate



PE lessons are timetabled for Monday and Tuesday (Mr Arnold) and Wednesday and Thursday (Mr Scorer) After October half term Pe for Mr Scorer’s class will be Wednesdays and Fridays

The children must have their kit in school. If for any reason your child is unable to do P.E. a letter is required to explain the reason.

They need a white T-shirt (which can be purchased from school), navy blue shorts, black plimsolls (elasticated if possible)
During cold weather a track suit or sweatshirt and jogging bottoms may be worn in addition to the normal PE kit when working outdoors.
All items must be clearly named.

Homework

The work we ask children to do at home is very closely related to the work they will be doing in school. If the work is carried out on a regular basis and supported by parents, it will help the children to make good progress.

Homework tasks at Swan Lane First School

* Regular daily reading from reading scheme book/library book with an adult
* Weekly spellings to be learnt.
Spellings given are a mixture of: -
Swan Lane Target words; i.e. High Frequency words split into manageable groups known as targets.
Groups of words with the same phonic element/letter string
Topic words
* tasks to consolidate and practice skills taught at school
* Request that parents take their child to Evesham Library on a regular basis
* Learn specific multiplication tables as per numeracy strategy
* Practice numeracy skills in line with weekly tasks
* Teachers will periodically set specific tasks to support learning in other curriculum areas.

“Big Writing” by Ros Wilson is a new approach to the teaching of writing which we are using in our school from this September. It consists each day of lively teaching of the four basic principals for successful writing, vocabulary, connectives, openers and punctuation and culminates in “Big Writing” on a Friday. This is when the whole school writes for 45 minutes to 1 hour on a writing topic that has been introduced to them earlier in the week. It would help your child if you could discuss the topic for the week with them at home, helping them to think of some ideas for their writing. These ideas will then be shared as a class prior to the “Big Writing” session on Friday.

Spellings

Each week the children will be given spellings to learn ready for a test the following week.

The best way for the children to learn how to spell the words is to :-
LOOK at the word and say it out loud
COVER the word
WRITE the word
CHECK the word. The help of an adult to check they know the words is very useful.

We are trying to get the children to learn how to read and spell the most frequently used words in the English Language. We have arranged these high frequency words into targets. When a child can spell all the words in a particular target, he/she will receive a special certificate.
The children will need to spend between 5 and 10 minutes each evening learning their spellings, preferably with the help of an adult.


Reading

The children are expected to bring home their reading book each day and read with an adult. This should take about 10 minutes each evening, however the more they read, the greater benefit the children will recieve. We ask parents to hear their child read, and comment on the reading record card. Your child will need a reading bag so that school books are not damaged. These can be purchased from the school Office price £3.00. They are very durable and are also useful for making sure that newsletters such as this get home safely!

With the introduction of the Literacy Hour, it will not be possible for teachers to listen to individual children read from their own reading book as frequently as we have done in the past. Progress through the scheme will, however, be monitored.

If your child is not already a member of Evesham Library please take them along to join. Encourage them to choose a wide range of books which interest them. Remember that children enjoy having stories read to them at bedtime.

Parental Consultations

During the year there will be the chance to discuss your child’s progress during a 10-minute consultation. These sessions take place in October and February. Towards the end of the summer term you will receive a comprehensive written report on your child’s progress.

Worries or Problems

We hope your child does not encounter any difficulties during the year. If any problems do arise please come and talk to us. Often if a problem is dealt with quickly it can save a lot of worry and upset for all concerned.

Want to help in School?

We’re keen to encourage parents to help in school. This might involve hearing children read, helping a small group to play a game or helping with art.
If you would like to help, even for just an half an hour, please contact us.

All helpers need to complete a Disclosure form which has to be checked by the Criminal Records Bureau. Once we have received notification of clearance you will be able to help.

We hope your child will have an enjoyable and successful year in Year 4