Jaguars - Year 4
Welcome to Jaguar Class :)
Spring 1 Newsletter 2025
Welcome back Jaguars, I hope you have had a fantastic Christmas holiday!
This page will give you an outline of all the topics we will be studying this half term. I have planned lots of fun and engaging lessons this half term and all I ask is that you work hard and get stuck in! Parents - If you have any questions/queries about anything then please e-mail me on jaguars@parkgate.cheshire.sch.uk.
Reading:
The children will be given a levelled book from Oxford Owl and this will be changed once a week. It’s important to re-read the book once finished as it will help to build reading skills like being able to summarise. Please ensure reading books are brought into school every so that children can be listened to and work on their reading targets throughout the school week.
English:
This half term we will be focusing on a book called Escape from Pompeii. I have chosen this book because it will link nicely with our volcano theme this half term as well as looking at an important historical event. The video links below will help us to build scientific, geographical and historical language into our writing so please take a look ……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dY_3ggKg0Bc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMySiG_P6q4
Guided Reading:
For Guided Reading, we will be reading The Firework Makers Daughter by Phillip Pullman.
Blurb: A young girl called Lila wants to become a firework-maker, like her father Lalchand. Despite her talents, Lalchand believes this is an unsuitable job for girls. Lila disagrees, and journeys to get Royal Sulphur from Razvani the Fire-Fiend at Mount Merapi, as all aspirant firework-makers must do.
Maths:
This half term, we will be starting our multiplication and division unit.
In our Multiplication and Division unit we will look at:
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Divide by 10
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Divide by 100
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Multiply by 1 and 0
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Divide by 1
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Multiply and divide by 6
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6 times-table and division facts
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Multiply and divide by 9
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Recall and use multiplication and division facts for multiplication tables up to 12 × 12.
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9 times-table and division facts
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Multiply and divide by 7
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7 times-table and division facts.
Times Tables:
Times tables are really important and by the end of year 4 it is expected that you should recall your times tables up to 12 x 12. In school we will be playing daily times tables games and there will be a weekly times table challenge called Rainbow times tables (This is a timed test. You will progress through the colours once you achieve full marks on each colour) To help you achieve full marks ensure you practice your tables at home too.
Click on the times tables icon at the bottom of this page for some useful websites and games.
Here is a link with more information about the times tables test:
Here is a link to Maths Frame. https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check
This website gives you an example game of what the test will be like so you can practise one here as much as you like.
You will have to get used to the time element - I do understand that the time element can upset some children and make them anxious but if we start now and practise as much as we can, we can build up their confidence for when it comes to the actual test.
Science: States of Matter
The skills you will be learning this half term are:
I can compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases.
I can observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C).
I can make systematic and careful observations and where appropriate take accurate measurements using standard units.
I can identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature.
I can begin to raise relevant questions using scientific experiences.
I can use different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, set up simple practical enquiries, simple comparative and fair tests.
PE:
PE will be taught by Mr Hall and Mr Kelly every Tuesdays and Wednesdays. You can wear your full PE kit on these days. Can you also please remember to bring in spare socks and shoes/trainers in case we go out onto the field where it can be set and muddy, and swimming stuff on Wednesday.
Geography:
Our Geography topic this half term is called: Volcanoes
The skills that you will be learning this half term are:
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I describe and compare the main physical and human features of a country.
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I can explain why people are attracted to living by a volcano
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I can describe how volcanoes have an impact on people’s life.
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I can use an atlas to find some countries on the Eurasian, African and Pacific plates?
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I can use an atlas to find a country or city that is close to or on a plate boundary
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I can show the ring of fire on a globe.
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I can describe how volcanoes are created.
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I can locate and name some of the world’s most famous volcanoes.
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I can locate the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
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I can use appropriate symbols to represent different physical features on a map
Art: Fabric of Nature
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To understand starting points in a design process.
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To explore techniques to develop imagery.
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To explore using a textile technique to develop patterns.
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To learn how to create a repeating pattern.
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To understand how art is made for different purposes.
PSHE: Healthy Eating
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To understand the sugar content in our foods and create a leaflet to raise awareness and investigate how different drinks will have an effect on our teeth.
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To gather data from our class about our favourite healthy foods and create a bar chart/pictogram to show our results.
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To research healthy foods from around the world and write up healthy recipes.
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To understand how we can keep our bodies healthy and create a leaflet to raise awareness for a younger audience.
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To create an exercise program for the class and evaluate its effectiveness.
RE:
Our focus for this half term will be Indigenous Faiths and we will be doing lots of activities and discussions around our big question: How are the spiritual beliefs of the indigenous peoples linked to our understanding of religion?
Computing: Website Design
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I can explore the features of Google Sites.
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I can plan content for a collaborative webpage.
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I can create a webpage as part of a collaborative class website.
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I can plan and create a website.
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I can create and evaluate a website.
Music: Rock and Roll
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I can understand the history of rock and roll music.
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I can stay in time to a piece of rock and roll music.
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I can sing a rock and roll song and perform in the style of rock and roll.
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I can play a rock and roll baseline.
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I can play a rock and roll baseline.
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I can play and perform a rock and roll piece of music.
Homework
English homework will be set on Google Classrooms every Wednesday and expected to be completed for the following week. Maths will be set on My Maths every Wednesday and expected to be completed for the following week. Your child will come home with a letter with their login details.
Miss Raissis :)