Class 4 at Appleton Primary School

Dear parents and carers,
The Year 4 children have enjoyed writing their stories set in imaginary worlds this week. I have been really impressed with the quality of their writing. They have looked to improve the description and detail in their writing by using adjectives, and they have also made sure that their story has a suitable conclusion. The stories aren’t quite finished, and rather than rush we’re going to finish them off next week. After we have finished the stories we will be looking at transferring some of our narrative writing skills into poetry.
In maths this week we have looked at methods for division. For most the year 4s this is their weakest calculation area, so I thought it was worth spending a little bit more time looking into division methods in more detail. It is very important that children don’t just learn their multiplication tables, but also the related division facts (for example, 5×6=30, but also 30÷5=6 and 30÷6=5). Rapid recall of these multiplication and division facts is crucial in developing strategies for multiplication and division. We will be looking into this in class next week.
The children very much enjoyed our bread-making on Wednesday morning. It was a little rushed to get it all in before swimming but the children worked really well and managed with a few minutes to spare! Next week we will be designing our own bread products.
In geography the children have been working really well on their incinerator projects. In the next few weeks they will finish preparing their presentations and they will be ready to try and convince the rest of upper KS2 that their site is the right one for the waste incinerator.

Mrs B

Three things to ask your child this week:
1 What is it that makes bread rise?
2 What do you like about the Learning Platform?
3 Do you think that waste incinerators are a good idea?

Dear parents and carers,
In our English lessons this week, the Year 4s and I have been continuing our work on stories set in imaginary worlds. They have enjoyed thinking about their settings and using adjectives to describe them. The children have all used a storyboard to plan a simple story which includes a “magic door” to an imaginary world. Our next task is to write the first draft of our stories, using the storyboards to help us organise the writing. The children will be using adjectives and other descriptive language to add interest and detail to their writing.
In maths this week the Year 4s have been looking at decimals and money, including converting money from pounds to pence. We have also recapped our mental addition and subtraction strategies, which can be supported by jottings. Next week we will be looking at rounding, as well as recapping our mental and written strategies for multiplication and division.
In science the class have been exploring the solar system- well, figuratively speaking. The children have looked at how long it takes the Earth to turn on its axis, how long it takes the Moon to orbit the Earth and how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. We have also looked at how the tilt of the Earth causes the season, rather than the distance of the Earth from the Sun. The children are very excited about the upcoming visit of the Explorer dome, which is a wonderful opportunity to experience the night sky without leaving the school hall.
As part of our current geography project we are looking at a planning issue in Oxfordshire. The children are very aware of the impact that landfill sites have on the environment. One way that we could reduce the amount of waste going to landfill would be to build a waste incinerator, as Oxfordshire County Council are keen to do. There has been much discussion locally on the issue of where the council should build this incinerator. The children are playing the part of waste incinerator developers who are looking for a suitable site. They will research what a waste incinerator is, and what it needs (for example road access and so on). The children will then research suitable sites in the Oxfordshire area. Next they will create a presentation to convince a group of local residents (the rest of the class!) that the waste incinerator should be built at their chosen spot.
In DT this half term we are looking at bread products. The children have tasted a wide variety of breads, and next week we are planning to make our own bread rolls. I’m not looking forward to the washing up!
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 What is the ending of your story set in an imaginary world?
2 Why does the shape of the moon seem to change?
3 What was your favourite type of bread, and why?

Dear parents and carers,
In English this week, the Year 4s have continued working on their persuasive film trailers. All of the groups have written and recorded a voice over to use, and have carefully selected clips to make up the trailer. The children have considered the emotional impact of the clips, and have used editing software to trim them down to the exciting/scary/sad/funny bits. The trailers are mostly completed, so look out for them on the Learning Platform soon! This week we will just be finishing off the trailers, before moving on to looking at play scripts to finish off the term. We will also be peer marking the last Big Write and looking for areas where the children have improved, and what their next steps need to be.
In maths we have looked at a couple of things this week. We looked at telling the time to the nearest minute, as well as solving some simple time problems. We also looked at describing the position of a square on a grid, also known as Battleships! At the end of the week we recapped our favourite addition methods, and practiced using our favourite methods on a few sums. Next week we are going to look at using our known multiplication facts to derive division facts (for example if we know that 3 x 4 = 12, then we also know that 12 ÷ 4 = 3 and 12 ÷ 3 = 4). We’ll also be looking at our favourite methods for multiplication.
In science this week the children looked at how light is reflected from different surfaces. We were very lucky to be able to use a new set of LCD torches, which were much brighter than some of our older torches, making the experiment much easier to see. Next week we will be looking at transparency and shadows.
We have a very busy few weeks between now and the end of term. Your child should have brought home a piece of paper with all of the important dates on it (including school plays, panto trips, parties etc). If you didn’t get one, please let me know.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 Which is your favourite song from the Christmas play?
2 How do mirrors reflect light?
3 What is your favourite method for addition? How does it work? Why do you like it?

Dear parents and carers,
In our English lessons this week, the year 4s and I have been continuing with our work on persuasive texts. The children have studied voiceovers and looked at how they persuade people to see a film, by using tone of voice and word choice. The children have written their own voiceovers for their film trailers and have practised saying them with the right tone of voice. Most of the children have now recorded their voiceovers and are busy integrating them into their trailers using Windows Movie Maker.
The English homework for this week is for the children to use their knowledge of persuasive texts to create an advert for a children’s comic, advertising their favourite film coming out on DVD. They need to think about the choice of words, pictures and colours that will have the right persuasive effect. It doesn’t matter if the film is already out on DVD!
In maths this week we have been exploring measuring weight. The children have estimated the weight of some common household objects (with some interesting results!) and have taken part in a range of problem solving exercises, including being a post office! We also spent a really exciting lesson making weights from plasticine. The children had to create all of the weights that are multiples of 10g, from 10g to 100g, using a set of balancing scales and just a 20g weight to help them. As an extra challenge, they also had to create weights such as 35g or 83g, again just using a 20g weight to help. I was really impressed with their thinking skills, as well as their ability to measure weight accurately. Next week we will be looking at time and duration, as well as describing the position of a square on a grid.
In science this week we explored reflections, and the children carried out a simple investigation to describe what made a difference to whether you could be seen in the dark. Some children wore dark coats while others wore high visibility jackets with reflective tape and carried reflectors. The children then created a poster to help other children in school know how to stay safe when travelling to or from school in the dark.
I have had a very high proportion of children poorly this week, which means that some have missed quite a lot of lessons. If you have some time over the weekend and would like to try some of the things we have been looking at in school, here are a few ideas for things that you can do at home…
Maths: weighing
1 Bake a cake/biscuits together. Ask the children to weigh the ingredients, using whatever sort of scale you have at home.
2 Ask your child to estimate the weight of a few common household items, and then to weigh them. Were their estimates accurate?
English: Persuasive Texts
1 Do the persuasive text homework! Talk about how the advert should make the reader feel, and then how your advert could achieve this, using certain words or pictures.
2 Now that the Christmas adverts are on the TV, what emotions are they trying to make the audience feel? How are they doing it? What impact does the music have?
Science: reflections
1 Ask your child to find surfaces in the house which give reflections (spoons, pans, taps etc). What type of surface gives the best reflection?
2 Why do we wear reflective clothing when we are travelling by foot or by bike in the dark?
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child about this week:
1 Why is it important to wear reflective surfaces if we’re out walking or cycling in the dark?
2 What are you looking forward to most about swimming?
3 What do you know about Victorian clothes?

Dear parents and carers,
This week in our English lessons, the Year 4s and I have been continuing with our work on persuasive texts. We have been starting to create our own film trailers for “Finding Nemo”, by deciding on the emotional impact that we want our trailers to have and deciding how to achieve this. The children are now beginning to decide on which clips to use in what order, and to write a voice over. Next week we will be editing our clips using Windows Movie Maker.
There is no English homework this week because of the Big Write. The next Big write will be on the 25th of November.
In maths this week we have looked at using data gathered during an experiment to answer a question. I asked the children whether an object nearer a light source would give a bigger shadow than an object further away. This has a cross curricular link to our current work in science. The children and I planned an experiment, and in groups of 3 they carried out the experiment and gathered the data in a table. The children have now chosen an appropriate way to describe the data in a graph, and tomorrow they will be drawing their conclusions and explaining their results to the rest of the class.
The maths homework this week is to answer some questions about data in a graph, and to put the data into a table. This homework is due in next Tuesday (16th November).
In science this week we have looked at how light travels, and how that allows us to see. We have carried out a very simple investigation that shows how light travels in straight lines, and built a simple periscope to prove it. Next week we will be looking at reflections, and as the nights are now quickly drawing in, we will be investigating how reflections can help you to be seen in the dark. It would be great to have some reflective clothing to test, so if your child could bring in something suitable that would be wonderful.
In a couple of week it will be Class 4’s turn to go swimming. It’s probably worth making sure that your child has a suitable swimming costume and goggles if they need them, ready for when we start swimming at the end of the month.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 How do we see?
2 What do you know about Victorian street traders?
3 How do you tidy your bedroom in PE?

Dear parents and carers,
This week the Year 4s and I have been exploring adverts, as part of our new English topic about persuasive texts. First we looked at print adverts, and looked at the techniques that they use to persuade us to buy their project, such as the words that they use (ultimate, stunning, awe-inspiring) and the way that they use photographs. We paid particular attention to how adverts try and manipulate our emotions. Next, we watched a film trailer for “Legend of the Guardians”, looking at the persuasive techniques used in this medium. The children studied the voice over, moving images, sound effects and music to come up with a list of techniques. Finally, we watched some more children’s film trailers to help us to come up with a list of everything that a really effective film trailer needs. Next week we are going to move on to beginning to build our own film trailers. I will be looking for the children to use the persuasive techniques that we have discovered this week in their own work.
There is no formal English homework this week as we know that some children haven’t yet completed their Victorian projects. However, if you want to discuss adverts and how they work with your children, that would be great.
In maths the Year 4s have been practising their data handling skills. We have looked at tally and frequency charts, as well as block and bar graphs. The children have been drawing their own graphs as well as creating them using software. We’ll be continuing and extending this work next week. The maths homework this week is to do the “Football results bar chart” sheet. Everyone should do the circle sections, and then if your children feel confident, they can continue to do the triangle section on the squared paper I provided.
In science we have started a new topic- light. This week the children explained to me what they knew about light sources, told my why you can’t see in the dark, as well as defining reflections and shadows. The answers were illuminating, if you’ll pardon the pun! This now gives me a chance to build on their knowledge and to start to correct their misconceptions.
In our topic lessons this week we have been looking at simple wooden Victorian toys as part of our DT project. In the next few weeks that children will be designing and building their own cam toys. We have also been finding out about other aspects of Victorian life, including conditions in the Bryant & May match factory.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 Why can’t you see in the dark?
2 What were conditions like for the match girls?
3 How do adverts persuade you to buy things?

Dear parents and carers,

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to the Black Country Museum on Monday. The children were impeccably behaved all day and the guides commented on their great listening and general good behaviour. I was very proud of them all. During the trip we experienced what it would have been like to be a Victorian miner, as well as having a short lesson in a Victorian school. We also explored a Victorian era house, chapel and shops. The children have written some wonderful writing about their experiences. Some have written recounts of all or part of the day, and others have written diary entries as if they were Victorian miners. Some of the writing is available to view on the Victorians wiki on the Class 4 interest space on the Learning Platform.

We have done a “maths afternoon” this week where we explored building 3d shapes. There were some very inventive ideas, particularly the cuboid periscope and an enormous pile of dodecahedrons (a 3d shape with pentagon shaped sides)! After half term we will be looking at data collection and interpretation.

Year 4 maths homework is a short set of sheet to test their measuring skills, as well as some problem solving. This homework is due in on the Thursday the 4^th of November (to give your children a little bit more time to complete them if they are going to have a busy half term).

The English homework for the Year 4s is to log in to the Learning Platform (I have checked that they can all do this!) and take part in our discussion about the differences between life for Victorian children and life today. If your child forgets their log in or password, please don’t worry, I can sort it out after half term. This homework is also due in on the 4^th of November, to give those who are going away over half term a chance to participate. Children can answer more than once if they would like to comment on someone else’s post. I expect this writing to be at the same standard as I would expect in their books, so no text speak or abbreviations like they might use on other forums.

Our class work on the learning platform is going well. I’m not ready for parental access yet but the children are really enjoying it so far. We’re building up a collection of things to show you so that once you do have access, there will be something to look at! So far we have a wiki and some discussions, but I’m hoping to be able to share photos and videos with you on a secure blog.

Have a fantastic half term!

Mrs B

Three things to ask your child this week:

1              What was the best thing about the trip to the Black Country Museum?

2              What have you learned so far about the Victorians?

3              What are you looking forward to at school after half term?

Sorry this update is a little late!

Dear parents and carers,

This week has been our first assessment week (we do one every term) so our normal timetable has been suspended. The children have all been working really hard and putting lots of effort into the assessments. I will be marking the assessments over the coming days and discussing the results with you at the upcoming parent/teacher meetings.

On Tuesday I attended a training day about our learning platform (a piece of software that allows secure access to an online environment). I am going to be using the learning platform in a variety of ways. Firstly, the children will be using it to make an e-portfolio of their work. We will also be using parts of the platform in our topic work, especially the discussion and wiki (user edited pages) sections. You will be able to securely log into the site at home I will also be producing a “fly on the wall” blog, including photographs/videos and examples of the children’s work to allow you to have a greater understanding and experience of what happens in class 4. This isn’t all up and running yet but once it is I will contact you all with further information.

Please remember that the children need to be at school at 7.50am for our trip to the Black Country Museum. We won’t be able to wait for any latecomers so please ensure that your child is at school, with all of the things that they need (packed lunch, comfortable shoes, pocket money, coat) at the right time.

Mrs B

Three things to ask your child this week:

1              What is your talent?

2              Why do we have assessment week?

3              What time do you need to be at school on Monday morning?

Dear parents and carers,

In English this week we have continued to explore Jim’s story, as his life continues to spiral downwards. The children have used evidence from the story to draw and describe a character, and used their knowledge of the story to construct a story map.

After marking the last Big Write it is clear that most children are still slightly confused about speech marks, so I have set a piece of homework to give them a little bit more practise in this area. I have written out a short piece from “James and the Giant Peach”, but without the speech marks, other speech punctuation or capital letters. The children need to copy it out (in their best handwriting!), putting in everything that is missing. Speech marks need to go around all of the text which is said out loud, and they need to start a new line every time someone new speaks. They also need to put in commas at the end of the speech before the closing speech mark, if there isn’t a question/exclamation mark there. So, for example,

where is my pencil? asked the little girl. i don’t know said Mrs Barker have you looked in your pencil case?

Would become:

“Where is my pencil?” asked the little girl.

“I don’t know,” said Mrs Barker, “Have you looked in your pencil case?”

In maths the Year 4s and I have been looking at 2d and 3d shapes. On Monday I gave them a whole lesson to tell me everything that they knew about shapes, which was fascinating. From that I’ve been able to work out what areas they need more support in and have planned this week’s work around their needs in this area. For the Year 4 maths homework this week the children have a short shape investigation to carry out. Firstly they need to draw all of the lines of symmetry onto the shapes at the top, using a ruler. Then, they can cut out the shapes at the bottom and fold them to find as many lines as symmetry as they can, before filling in the table. This should give them the information they need to tell if the statement in the speech bubble is true or false.

In science with my Year 4s and 5s we have been investigating how the size of a sugar grain affects how quickly it dissolves. For homework this week the children have a short, fun experiment to carry out at home. They need to sort the materials into two groups: those that dissolve in water and those that don’t. The water only needs to be room temperature so the children should be able to carry this out with only a little supervision- although it could get quite messy!

As usual, all homework is due in next Tuesday (the 12^th).

Congratulations to the children in my class who took part in the cross country competition yesterday.

Mrs B

Three things to ask your child this week:

1              What does “dissolve” mean?

2              How did Jim feel when he ended up working on the Lily?

3              What common 3d shapes can you find around the house?

Dear parents and carers,

This week in English we have continued our work on “Street Child”. My Year 4s have been exploring a character’s motivations for lying and have written a diary entry in role. We’re going to continue with this next week, looking at Jim’s story map and exploring some of the new characters that he meets.

We have also completed our second Big Write. I will be particularly looking at punctuation when I mark their stories. My Year 4s should be becoming confident with full stops and capital letters, and be branching out into using other punctuation, especially speech, question and exclamation marks. I have also been talking to the class about their handwriting, and how this can affect their work. Many of the children are not using a neat, cursive script and are using capital K and S throughout their work. I’m planning an in depth handwriting session for next week so that the children are fully aware of what I expect from their handwriting. This is not just in their English books, but in all of their work.

In maths we have looked at ways that we can learn our times tables. Rote repetition doesn’t work for some children, so they have invented their own times table games. They’re really good! My Year 4s should be confident with their 3 and 4 times tables now, and some are working on their 6 and 8s. Please continue to practise times tables with your children at home. You can ask them quick fire questions during your walk/drive to school, play games that they have created or play games online. Here are a couple of websites that have really good multiplication games:

www.tutpup.com

www.sumdog.com

We’ve also moved on to looking at some one and two step word problems. I’ve found that children normally find these quite difficult so I have set some for homework this week. The children need to read the question, work out the operation and number sentence (what we would have called the “sum” when we were at school!), work out the answer using their favourite method and then translate that into an appropriate answer (e.g. into money).

There’s no English homework for my Year 4s this week because of the Big Write.

In general this week I have been talking to the children about the effort that they put in during class and their listening skills. I expect the children to show me that they are listening when I ask so that I don’t have to repeat instructions numerous times. As for effort, I have asked the children to be really careful with their work and to strive for quality, not quantity. They are a lovely group of children and do want to do well, but on the whole I find they tend to rush their work and this doesn’t give the accurate and careful results that I’m looking for from them. I have been rather firm about this and have asked children to redo work which I do not feel is up to the level that I am expecting from them.

Next week please don’t forget our Harvest Festival in church. It would be lovely to see some of you there.

Mrs B

Three things to ask your child this week:

1              What’s the difference between a suspension and a solution?

2              Why does Rosie lie to Jim?

3              What is your design like for your printing?