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Phoenix - Year 3/4

Mrs HV

Teacher

My most memorable read as a child was a book called Mr Meddle's Mischief by Enid Blyton. Perhaps I was taken in by the thought of mischief! Mr Meddle is a pixie who can't get anything right. He's always meddling in other people's business and making dreadful muddles. From then on I went to read many of her books but my favourite was the series of The Magic Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair. I loved these stories so much I would read them over and over again. They whisked me off to wonderful places of elves, gnomes, talking trees and so many other wonderful things.

Miss Freight

HLTA/TIS practitioner

 Autumn 2

Welcome back everyone, we hope that you have had a relaxing half term. Please find below an overview of our plans for the remainder of autumn term.

Our Pathways to Write literacy unit for this half term focuses on the book ‘The Silence Seeker’ by Ben Morley. This is  a beautiful and moving story about acceptance and friendships; innocence and compassion and will promote lots of thoughtful discussion around the refugee crisis. Our writing outcome is to :Rewrite the story ‘The Silence Seeker’ using the 3rd person, including details of the setting and with some dialogue.

 

When a new family moves in next door, Joe's mum explains that they are asylum seekers. Joe hears that they are silence seekers, especially as Mum adds that they need peace and quiet. When he sees a young boy from the family sitting disconsolately on the steps, Joe decides to help him find a quiet place in the noisy and chaotic city.

Children will practise their spoken language, building on vocabulary and asking relevant questions. They will be encouraged to articulate and justify their answers by giving well-structured descriptions, explanations, and narratives. Children will study the text closely and discuss words and phrases that the author uses to capture the reader’s interest and imagination. They will draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and motives from their actions and make predict from the details stated and implied. Children will plan their writing by discussing the structure, vocabulary, and grammar of the book. They will discuss and record ideas and compose and rehearse their sentences orally before writing their own version of the story.

In Maths this half term both year 3 and 4 will be finishing the White Rose Maths Units Addition and Subtraction before moving on to Multiplication and Division.

Year 3 in addition and subtraction children will be introduced to more formal approaches of recording such as using the column method for adding and subtracting 2- and 3-digit numbers. For multiplication and division, we will look at equal groups and the use of arrays to represent these. We will practise using multiples of 2, 5 and 10 in sharing and grouping. We shall be learning to multiply and divide by 3 and 4 securely before moving on to the 8 times table. Children will gain a good understanding of the relationships between the 2, 4 and 8 times-tables.

In Year 4 Children will be able to work with up to two 4-digit numbers and conduct calculations involving more than one exchange. They will be able to check the strategies they have used. In Multiplication and division lessons involve lots of practise of facts for firstly 3, 6, 9 and then 7, 11 and 12 times-tables. Children will also gain a sound understanding of what happens when they divide a number by both 1 and itself. Children will then go on to multiplying 3 numbers.

In Science this term our topic is Light. Children will understand what light is and how it travels. They shall be able to identify light sources and understand that we need light to see, and that dark is the absence of light.

Children will know that light travels in a straight line and understand that a shadow is formed when a solid object blocks light. Children will investigate which surfaces reflect light and use mirrors to reflect light and explain how they work. Children will know that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways we can protect our eyes. They will explore which materials are best for blocking out the sun and look for patterns when investigating how shadows change in size.

 

In working scientifically,  we shall ask relevant questions and use different types of scientific enquiries to answer them such as setting up simple practical enquiries, comparative and fair tests and in making systematic and careful observations taking accurate measurements. We shall be gathering, recording, classifying, and presenting data in a variety of ways to help in answering our questions. We will be recording our findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams, keys, bar charts, and tables and forming reports from these, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions. We shall use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support our findings.

 

In RE this term our key question is ‘What do Hindus believe God is like?’

We shall investigate some Hindu symbols and read stories which show us what Hindus believe about Braham (God). We will learn what the Trimurti represents and what Hindu deities show about Braham. Children will find out how Hindus worship in the home and how the story of Diwali links to a Hindu deity. Children will explore the Hindu idea that everyone has a spark of God in them. Key vocabulary for this unit :Hindu, Hinduism, belief, worship, Diwali, Gods, Goddesses, deities, Trimurti, Braham, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesh, Puja

 In ICT our focus will be on mastering the computer programme Logo. Children shall explore how procedures are used in computing. Children will learn to use logo to create a repeating procedure. Child will learn what the following terms mean and how to use them to perform procedures. Debugging, grid, LOGO, LOGO commands (FD, BK, RT, LT), multi line mode, pen down, pen up, prediction, procedure, repeat, run speed, SETPS, SETPC. Children will be able to create letters using logo. They will understand the function of the repeat button and how it works.

In history this half term we will be learning about British history beyond 1066 and looking at the changes over this time. Children will continue to develop a chronological knowledge of British, local and world history and gain an understanding of this significant turning point in British history when the  Church of England became established. Our unit, entitled Riotous Royals explores the era of William the Conqueror and King John & Henry VIII. Children will use a range of primary sources to find out about the past and use their evidence to reconstruct an important event in history. Children will use a family tree to sequence historical events and be able to make connections, looking at  contrasts and trends over time, developing their use of historical terms. Children will address and devise historically valid questions such as: What can we learn about Henry VIII from his portraits? Why did Henry VIII have so many wives? They will use primary sources to look at similarity, difference and significance and gather evidence and identify reasons for people’s actions.

 

In music this half term children will be focusing on musical performance. They will learn to use and understand musical language such as lyrics, harmony, unison, verse, vocals, chorus. perform, control, dynamics, and pitch. Children will practise singing in tune. They shall experiment with breathing techniques enabling them to breathe well,  they will practise pronunciation and clarity with words, they will experiment in changing pitch and dynamics. Children will be able to perform with control and awareness of what others are singing.

In PHSE this half term we will follow the Jigsaw unit Celebrating differences. Year 3 will focus on families, understanding that everybody’s family is different and important to them. They will understand that differences are acceptable and that conflicts sometimes happen among family members. Children will know what bullying is, how it can be recognised and know how to help if someone is being bullied  Year 4 children will understand that, sometimes, we make assumptions based on what people look like  and the importance of trying to accept people for who they are. They will discuss how it might feel to be a witness to or to be a target of bullying. They will be able to problem-solve a bullying situation with others. Children will be able to identify what is special about themselves and value the ways in which they are unique.

Children will use Languagenut  for our French lessons this term. Year 3 will be able to give their age and ask others their age. They will learn to recognise and pronounce the sounds EU and AU in French. Children will be able to say their nationality and describe which language they speak. They will begin to make sentences about themselves. They will also learn 10 words related to Christmas in France.

Year 4 will continue to practise their existing French language skills and talk about your hobbies in French. They will revise the days of the week and give the time. They will be able to say when they like doing different hobbies. They will learn and recognise and pronounce the sounds CH and J. Children will produce a cartoon strip in French to describe their hobbies over a timeframe. They will also learn how the holiday season is celebrated in Canada.

 

In art children will explore creating with different media. To tie in with our history unit children will investigate art from that period. Children will learn about the history behind the Tudor rose. They will use sketching techniques, such as cross-hatching, to create their own Tudor rose design. They will investigate the artists Leonardo Da Vinci and Vincent van Gogh. Children will decide which different types of clay modelling techniques are most effective and apply the clay modelling skills they have learnt to make a Tudor rose, making links to the artist Antony Gormley. Children will use paint to enhance their artwork. Children will become familiar with the vocabulary: clay, sculpting, sculpture, 3d art, artists, craft makers, designers, modelling, Tudor rose, Antony Gormley.

In PE, this term our PE Unit is Hockey. We shall be able to play a game of hockey applying the skills we have been taught and show a good knowledge of the rules. We will learn how to pass and receive a ball effectively and in diverse ways. We shall practise how to move past opposing players and how to tackle fairly. We shall learn about effective shooting strategies. We shall practise and apply all these skills in playing games of hockey. Key vocabulary for this unit includes passing, movement, space, attack, defend, control, hand eye coordination, flat side, reverse pass.

 

We hope you find the resources below easy to access for supporting your child's learning at home and understanding the key objectives being covered. The list below includes:
 
-Knowledge Organisers
This explains the key information and facts your child needs to know by the end of their topic unit with some visual aids and key vocabulary we will learn too.
 
-Calculation Policy 
This provides you with information about the key mathematical concepts and how these are taught during this Key Stage. 
Autumn 1 
Autumn 2