Sedgefield Primary School

Year 4

Welcome to Year 4

We hope that you all had a lovely Easter with plenty of rest and relaxation, ready for the year ahead. This term is once again jam-packed and we’d like to take this opportunity to give you some information about what your child will be studying, what they will need for school and how you can help.

During the Summer Term, our History focus is ‘How has Sedgefield Changed Over Time?’ where the children will investigate similarities and differences between Sedgefield now and in the past. Much of our English work will be linked to our History topic using the novel 'Magic Mobile' written by local author Norma Neal. Further details on this and everything else your child will be learning can be found in the letter below. The newsletter also includes more on what your child needs for school and how you can help at home.

From Monday morning until Wednesday lunchtime Mrs Gibson will teach Year 4. From Wednesday lunchtime onwards, Mrs Wearmouth will teach Year 4.

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Summer term Y4 Trip - Teesmouth

We have a trip planned for Tuesday 6th June 2023 to visit Teesmouth Field Centre. This visit will support both science and geography work this term.

Below, you will find a presentation 'Meet the Teacher'. This includes further information about Year 4 and our routines.

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Information on the Multiplication Tables Check for Year 4

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Open Afternoon

During our open afternoon, parents, grandparents and careers helped the children to solve mathematical problems and puzzles. It was lovely to see so many adults in school.

Conductors & Insulators

In science, we set up an enquiry to identify and sort electrical conductors and insulators.

Disability Sports Day

To celebrate 'Disability Sports Day', Year 4 took part in some 'New Age Kurling'. The pupils worked in teams, competing to see who could score the most points. Take a look at some of our curling superstars below!

Au cafe

As part of our French unit, Au cafe, we used role play to interview other pupils, asking them what they would like for breakfast. To finish off the unit, Madame Bats, very kindly brought ‘des biscottis’ into school for us to try (but the children first had to order in French, saying whether they’d like it with butter and/or jam).

Year 4 Class Assembly

Year 4 performed a fantastic assembly in front of a large audience of pupils, parents and carers. They have had lots of fun learning about the Romans and the Celts this term. They entertained the audience with a range of songs, drama, photos and videos. Well done Year 4! You made us all proud! We hope you enjoy looking at some of the photos from the performance.

Ripple Effect Creative Workshop

The children have been undertaking 'Water tracker training' as part of a 'Ripple Effect Creative Workshop'. For this, we looked at the difference between using water, wasting water and saving water. During the afternoon, the children enjoyed lots of fun games and drama activities to learn more about 'The Water Cycle' and how we can save water. We were very impressed with their knowledge and performance skills. They were absolutely fantastic! Well done Year 4! Photos and videos to follow :)

Sound Carousel

In Science we are learning about 'Sound'. We have been experimenting with different instruments to see how sounds are made. We have also tried lots of different activities which help to show that sounds are made due to an object vibrating. Our favourite was hitting a tuning fork against a desk and then placing it in the water. This caused much amusement among the class.

DB Primary

DB Primary is our school's brand new 'Primary Learning Cloud'. It is a safe area on the internet for pupils and members of our school community to share information and access a wide range of learning resources, anytime, anywhere and on any device connected to the internet.

Practical benefits for pupils:

DB Primary will enable pupils to:

Access learning materials outside lesson time and from any location
Store work and notes online for use in homework and revision
Work at their own pace and with a wider choice of learning styles
Improve their ICT skills and online management
Participate in live discussions and forums with other students and teachers

Practical benefits for parents & carers:

DB Primary will enable parents and carers to:

Support children with learning which takes place outside school
Access their child's personal home page to keep track of their work and the curriculum
Engage with wider school issues through online communication tools
Become active partners with the school

If you do not have a computer with internet access, please let your child’s teacher know.

Please note that DB Primary does not filter the internet. You need to have your own internet firewall and parental controls set up.

Log into DB Primary

You can find our school’s DB Primary login page on the school website, or via this address:

http://sedgefield.durham.dbprimary.com

DB Primary- Parent Information Leaflet

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DB Primary - A guide for parents

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Spelling Overview for Autumn 1

Below, is a copy of our Spelling lists for the first 7 weeks of the Autumn term. Each week we will focus on a different spelling pattern. These will be rehearsed daily in class through investigations, games and puzzles. Please note we no longer carry out weekly spelling tests.

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Speak out. Stay safe Assembly

Year 4 have been watching a safeguarding assembly led by Buddy from the NSPCC called ‘Speak out. Stay safe’. This assembly reinforced key messages about abuse and neglect and that all children have the right to be safe. We discussed how we could get help and who we could talk to if needed.

Visiting Author

We have started studying a historical novel called 'The Magic Mobile' by Norma Neal. The book takes the reader on a time-travelling trip through the history of Sedgefield. To make it extra special, Norma introduced the book to the class and explained where she gained her inspiration for the story.

Modern day parables

As part of our RE unit, pupils worked in small groups to create a modern day version of the parable, The Good Samaritan.’

Afterwards, we discussed the messages behind familiar parables.

Exploring Viscosity

We have been exploring viscosity in science. In groups, we set up a test to compare how long it took for liquids to flow down a ramp. The children were very surprised at how long some of the liquids took. We also found out more about density and created our own lava lamp.

Science Eggsperiment

Year 4 have been setting up a science experiment to find out which drink causes the most tooth decay. We placed a boiled egg in water, milk, orange juice and Coke and will be examining each one every day, noting down any differences in appearance.

Our Calendars

Year 4 have been making a ‘Four Seasons Calendar’. We’re so pleased with their artwork.

Christmas Yoga
Year 4 have enjoyed taking part in some Christmas yoga.

Yoga and well-being.

Year 4 have been enjoying yoga and well-being sessions to aid relaxation and improve mental health.

Quidditch Day

Year 4 had lots of fun during our Quidditch Day. Firstly, the class were spilt into the 4 Howarts houses:

Gryffindor - red (fire)

Hufflepuff - yellow (earth)

Ravenclaw - blue (air)

Slytherin - green (water)

Next, they took part in games of Quidditch, Dodgeball, 'Jumping on broomsticks’ and 'Fly away.' It was a fantastic morning and I'm sure we'll remember it for a long time to come.

Maths lessons

Our Maths lessons follow a 'Mastery' approach where there is an increased emphasis on children being able to explain how and why. In the summer term, all children in Year 4 are required to undertake a national assessment of their multiplication knowledge so continuous practise is essential. Further information can be found: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiplication-tables-check-information-for-parents

Useful websites

Many academic resource websites have useful resources to support learning in Year 4. We've listed a few of our favourites below:

Cross-curricular

Woodlands Junior is a website with lots of resources for all areas of the curriculum: http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/

Classroom Secrets: www.classroomsecrets.co.uk

BBC Bitesize is a really useful page for lots of areas of the curriculum:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/z63tt39/year-4-and-p5-lessons

Reading

www.readingeggspress.co.uk
www./worldbook.kitaboo.com/reader/worldbook

www.storylineonline.net

Maths

Topmarks https://www.topmarks.co.uk/Search.aspx?q=year+4+maths&p=8