Year 4 News

Year 4 have had another excellent week of learning.  We started a new book in our reading lessons - A Dangerous Game by Malorie Blackman.  We used the reading dog Inference Iggy to help us draw conclusions from the text using clues and our own experience.  Our sentence work in English had us learning about subordinate clauses and listening to a very catchy song about the conjunctions (based on Vengaboys).  We then got to write a character description of Shrek. In Maths we've been using all kinds of physical and digital tools to help us partition numbers.  In Computing we looked at what the internet is made of and discussed how we use it in our lives.  Science saw us finding out about our internal organs and thinking about what they do.  We rounded the week off by building shelters in Forest School, trying to make sure we didn't get wet when the adults tested them with a watering can!

IIt has been an absolute pleasure to teach Year 4 this year and watch their confidence, resilience and independence grow. They have had a fantastic year and should all be incredibly proud of the progress they have made, both academically and personally. We hope you all have a wonderful summer filled with fun, relaxation and lots of happy memories. Thank you for all your hard work and enthusiasm throughout the year. We wish every one of you the very best of luck as you begin your exciting Year 5 journey!

We have had a busy and productive week in Year 4! In English, the children worked hard on their 'Star Write', showcasing their fantastic writing skills to produce some brilliant pieces about the Tudors. In Maths, we have been exploring the concept of negative numbers, learning how to count backward past zero and apply this to real-world contexts like temperature. Finally, we brought our history and local geography together by comparing traditional Tudor houses found right here in Cheam, looking at their unique features and how they differ from modern homes. Well done for all your hard work this week, Year 4!

This week, Year 4 enjoyed taking part in No Pens Day, which gave us lots of opportunities to develop our speaking and listening skills. As part of our Tudor topic, we played a range of traditional Tudor games and discussed which ones we enjoyed the most. The children demonstrated excellent oracy skills as they explained the rules, shared their opinions and discussed different strategies for success. It was wonderful to hear so many thoughtful conversations and well-reasoned ideas.

In Maths, we focused on mental subtraction strategies. The children worked collaboratively to explain their methods, compare different approaches and justify why certain strategies were more efficient for particular calculations. Their mathematical vocabulary and confidence in discussing their thinking continue to improve.

During the afternoon, we became scientists and carried out an investigation to explore the importance of toothpaste. The children observed how toothpaste helps to protect our teeth and discussed the role it plays in maintaining good dental hygiene. They made predictions, shared observations and drew conclusions from the experiment, showing excellent scientific thinking throughout the session.

Year 4 have been working incredibly hard as they prepare for their Multiplication Check, and we are so proud of the effort, determination and positive attitudes they have shown throughout. Many children have already completed their checks, with the last few pupils finishing next week. It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they have practised their times tables skills. Alongside their hard work in class, the children thoroughly enjoyed Sports Day, showing fantastic teamwork, resilience and enthusiasm throughout all of the events.

This week, Year 4 have been learning about the famous . The children explored the key events of the story, including the role of the Trojan Horse and how the Greeks used clever tactics to defeat Troy. We discussed the important characters involved and thought carefully about whether the story is history, myth or a mixture of both.

To show their understanding, the children created fantastic comic strips retelling the events of the Trojan War. They worked hard to sequence the story clearly and used speech, illustrations and captions to bring the characters and battles to life. We were extremely impressed with the children’s creativity and historical knowledge throughout the lesson.