Welcome to the Year 4 Welcome to the Year 4 CurriculumCurriculum Meeting Meeting

Friday 9Friday 9thth October October

Welcome to the Year 4 Welcome to the Year 4 CurriculumCurriculum Meeting Meeting

Friday 9Friday 9thth October October

The Year 4 Team• Mrs James• Miss Shepherd and Mrs Wright• Mrs Morton• Miss Long

• LSA – Mrs Smoothy and Mrs Simpkin

Expectations and Routines

• Punctuality and attendance.

• Red Hill Stars - Responsibility for own learning

• Pride and effort in work and presentation

• New curriculum – higher expectations

Being prepared• All children should come to school prepared to learn.

This can be helped by having school week routines at home.

• The children need to bring in their reading book and record everyday as this is a useful method of communication between home and school

• A small pencil case is allowed including a pencil, ruler and rubber. Handwriting pens will be issued when the children receive their pen licence.

• Named PE kit should be in school everyday and consist of t-shirt in team colour, navy shorts, plimsolls, outdoor trainers, and tracksuit for the colder weather.

Your children in Year 4 2015 -2016

• Ofsted June 2015

• We are totally committed to ensuring that we address the recommendations.

• Although lots of things are being introduced this term, these were already planned prior to the visit.

Assessment – ‘Life without Levels’

• A new National curriculum was introduced in September 2014 and the existing system of assessment levels has now been removed. This change applies to all children in the school from Y1 upwards.

• The Government has left it up to schools to design their own assessment framework.

• Red Hill is using the ‘STAT Sheffield‘ assessment approach.• The children will now be assessed using steps which describe

their attainment against the National Curriculum statements for each year.

• The new curriculum has increased expectations for all year groups.

• Teachers will talk to children about their next steps so they know what they need to do work on.

• Attainment and progress will be discussed at parents evening.

EnglishAt Red Hill, our English curriculum covers a range of narrative, non-fiction and poetry genres. We will include opportunities for speaking and listening, grammar, punctuation and written tasks.

This term we are very excited to be introducing ‘Talk 4 Writing.’

This was written by children’s author Pie Corbett and evidence shows that it has made a real impact in other schools, giving children the opportunity to hear, re-tell and create stories.

The purpose is to inspire children to want to write and engage in their writing.

Guided Reading• In year 4 – individual reading with teacher as

well as Guided Reading sessions • Guided reading is taught everyday in class.

Each child is in a group and the activity rotates over the week.

• The emphasis is placed on inference and deduction from the text, finding information– not just reading the book.

• Questioning is key to the child’s understanding.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday

Thursday Friday

Guided reading

Listening station

Spelling sentences

Non- Fiction book facts

Free writing (e.g.- poem, story, diary entry)

Skill focus: Making inferences

Opening night

Tim took another deep breath. Inside his chest, he could feel his heart pounding like a bass drum. Again, he took slow, deep breaths and picked up his script. Flicking through the pages, he read through his lines quietly to himself, mumbling under his breath. All his hard work over the last few months had been for tonight. Crossing his fingers tightly, he wished for good luck.

“Tim, are you ready? You’re on in 2 minutes,” said Mr. Smith.

“I think so, Sir,” said Tim in a shaky voice.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine, Tim. Break a leg!”

Slowly, Tim stood up and made his way towards the heavy, red velvet curtain. He pulled it to the side and stepped through.  

1.How do you think Tim is feeling at the beginning of the text? 

 2. What clues told you what Tim

might be doing? 3. Who do you think Mr. Smith is? 

Spellings

•Learning needs to happen in school and at home. There is little evidence, though, that the traditional practice of learning spellings at home and being tested on them is effective in helping children understand ‘spelling’ and apply it in their writing.

•Therefore, Red Hill Primary School will not be holding weekly spelling tests.

•However, there is a high expectation within the new National Curriculum that pupils will learn many increasingly complex words.

How will it be effective?• Within the programme, learning and the

assessment of spellings is built into each six-week block.

• Within the sessions a range of strategies for learning spellings are introduced and practised.

• This enables pupils to choose the strategies they find most effective for learning different words.

• They will be assessed regularly through formal testing, dictation and error analysis of independent writing.

• To give children word work strategies that will enable them to become fluent readers and confident writers.

MathsMathematics including Mental Arithmetic

Areas of study •Handling data •Money & real life problems •Mental calculations. •Measures •Number •Shape Main Concepts •Applying their knowledge: multi-step word problems •All times tables •Explaining reasoning and calculations •Setting out work independently

Mathematics including Mental Arithmetic

Non Negotiables •All times tables up to 12x12 and the corresponding division facts. •Number bonds to 20, 50, 100 and 120.•Multiply and divide whole numbers by 10,100, 1000. •To tell the time to the nearest minute on digital and analogue clocks.

Maths Passports

• Numeracy Passports are designed to develop children’s mental maths skills.

• Develop confidence in their own mathematical recall ability and ‘know by heart facts’ such as times tables.

• Build confidence doing sums in their heads.• Ability to apply their mathematical knowledge

to real life.• The children will then be travelling to different

continents/countries around the world, collecting their passports as their maths skills develop.

How can you help at home?

• Homework is set each week on a Friday and consists of either one English task with a handwriting practise or a piece of Mathematics work. Homework is then due in by the following Wednesday.

• We encourage the children to read to an adult daily and record this in their reading record.

Reading with your child

Read around the subject… Look out for books or magazines related to any of the topics your child is studying at school in science, history, art and so on.

Newspapers, magazines, leaflets and other text types are great to read too!

Recommended Authors Dick-King Smith Anne Fine J. K. Rowling Roald Dahl Michael Morpurgo Jeremy Strong David Walliams

Questions for reading Talk to your child about what they are reading,

ask questions and make comparisons.

Have you read other books by this author? What do you think about the character? Why did the character react that way?

What do you think this book will be about? Can you guess how it will end?

Times Table Practice

• Regular practice of multiplication tables and their related division facts will greatly aid your child in many aspects of mathematics in Year 4.

Curriculum Overview and Year 4 clubs and

opportunities2015 -2016

• See Curriculum Overview Handout• After school clubs• Opportunities

Kind Hands, Kind Feet, Kind Words!

In PSHE, Year 4 pupils will learn about the following areas;

• Feelings, friends and friendships• Me and my relationships• Anti-bullying• Separation and relationships• Lifestyles and culture• Personal safety• E-safety • Educate and Celebrate

Important dates for the diary. These are on the

websiteIndividual photos – Wednesday 21st October ( in school day)

Parents Evening – Wednesday 21st October (3.30pm – 5.30pm)Parents Evening – Thursday 22nd October( 4.00pm – 7.00pm)

•A Roman Day in school (children are invited to come dressed as a Roman) 22nd October •Half term – Monday 26th – Friday 30th October•Inset Day - Monday 2nd November (children return to school on Tuesday 3rd November.•Open Morning – 11th November•Children in Need – Come dressed in Spots – Friday 13th November (4J’s class assembly)•4A ‘s class assembly –Friday 20th November•4M’s Class assembly – Friday 27th November•4L will be in the Spring Term•Christmas celebration dates will be confirmed shortly•Last Day of Autumn Term – Friday 18th December – school closes at 1.30 pm•Children return to school on Monday 4th January 2016•Forest School – Spring Term

Recommended Websites• www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/numeracy.shtm• www.kids.nationalgeographic.com Kids games, animals,

photos, places, stories and more

• www.funbrain.com Reading resources, puzzles and games• www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Games/Index.html• www.nrich.maths.org Maths problems and investigations• www.howstuffworks.com Excellent for those with an• interest in science• www.brainboxx.co.uk Parents advice section and children’s

puzzles.• www.boffinsquad.co.uk Games and puzzles• www.teachingtables.co.uk games and apps that can be

downloaded• www.topmarks.co.uk Maths and English games

We are always grateful for the support you give your children and by working in partnership your children can achieve their full potential.

Any questions?

Thank you for coming