WELCOME TO YEAR 4 KESTRELS

Kestrels are enterprising and creative, and they approach all their endeavours with focus, commitment and enthusiasm, so they can soar above the land. As the older members of the Year 3 and 4 team, Kestrels use all these skills to be positive role models.

THIS TERMS THEME

'Be Curious'

Please scroll down to see our curriculum map to find out all about this term's learning. This term in Year 4, we will be exploring people who have made an impact close to home, such as Isaac Merritt Singer.

P.E AND DANCE DAYS

 P.E and Dance are on Tuesdays.

Please ensure that your child has the correct kit in school all week, which is clearly labelled. For more information about kit requirements, please visit our 'Physical Educaton &School Sports ' page.  We will ensure that PE kits are sent home at the end of every half term.

HOME LEARNING DAYS

Home Learning will be handed out on a Friday and collected in on a Wednesday. This will give you the opportunity to explore aspects of your child's learning if you wish.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday 16^th April 2024 – First day of Summer Term

Thursday 18^th April 2024 – Rocksteady Assembly and Workshop

Tuesday 23^rd April 2024 – RNLI Water safety assembly

Monday 29^th April 2024 – Bikeability – Group 1 and 2 – Years 3 and 4

Tuesday 30^th April 2024 – Group 3 – Bikeability

Monday 2^nd May 2024 – Kingfishers at Dewerstone

Monday 6^th May 2024 – Bank Holiday

Thursday 9^th May – Kestrels at Dewerstone

Thursday 16^th May – Kites at Dewerstone

 Friday 24^th May 2024 – Last day of Summer 1

Monday 27^th May 2024 – Friday 31^st May 2024 – Half Term

Monday 3^rd June 2024 – First day of Summer 2

Monday 3^rd June 2024 – Kites Residential

Wednesday 5^th June 2024 – Kingfishers Residential

Monday 10^th June – Kestrels Residential

Friday 7^th June 2024 – World Ocean Day

Monday 24^th June 2024 – Friday 28^th June 2024 – RSHE Week

Wednesday 24^th July 2024 – Last day of Summer Term

MEET THE TEAM

If there are any issues or concerns, please feel free to come in and see your class teachers (Miss Thomson) or alternatively please contact our team lead (Mr Passmore).

sthomson@whiterockprimaryschool.co.uk

bpassmore@whiterockprimaryschool.co.uk

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

SUMMER TERM

Summer Term Curriculum Map

Monday 29th April 2024 – PSHE

In PSHE, we have been learning about and celebrating the world's diversity. We took part in an activity to explore how we are all interconnected, despite being unique and having similarities and differences. 

Wednesday 26th April 2024 - Spanish

Year 4 had lots of fun this week . We learned different countries in Spanish and played lots of interactive games to practise the new vocabulary. We also re-capped colours so we could describe the flags! iQue fantastico! Señorita Head was really impressed with the pronunciation of the new words. 

Here is the vocabulary to practise at home.

Inglaterra= England 

Francia= France

Escocia= Scotland 

Gales= Wales

Irlanda= Ireland

Italia= Italy 

Alemania= Germany

Espana= Spain 

Thursday 25th April 2024 – Computing

In Computing, Year 4 have been learning about information gathering. In today's lesson, we recorded the temperature, sound and light of different locations in school using the data loggers. We then used this knowledge to answer questions about which areas were the brightest, coldest and quietest locations in school. 

Tuesday 16th April 2024 – Science

In Year 4, we have been learning about the stages of the Water Cycle. We learnt about the key vocabulary of 'accumulation', 'precipitation', 'transpiration', 'evaporation' and 'condensation'.

Tuesday 16th April 2024 - Dance

In our Dance lessons this term, we are using the Royal Ballet's Alice in Wonderland to inspire us. Today we worked with a partner to show falling down the rabbit hole and had to include different ways of turning, including changes of level. We also had to try to link arms and support our partner when landing.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

Spring TERM

Spring Term Curriculum Map

Monday 26th March 2024 – Design and Technology

In Year 4, we have learning about levers and linkages. The children researched a variety of designs which help them to incorporate moving parts. We then used this knowledge to design our own Easter cards. Have a look at our designs below!

Friday 22nd March 2024 – Geography

In Year 4, we have been exploring the school grounds in search of physical features. We looked for rocks, plants, trees and any other physical features which would help us understand more about biomes. Through our fieldwork and prior learning, we concluded the biome we live in is a deciduous forest. 

Tuesday 19th March 2024 - Gymnastics

We have been enjoying our Gymnastics lessons this half term and this week were creating sequences that involved a roll, a balance and a jump. We had apparatus at some of the stations, so were able to jump from a height, remembering to land with bent knees. We practised the rolls we know from Year 3, which were egg rolls, log rolls, teddy bear rolls and rock 'n' roll, as well as learning a forward roll.

Tuesday 12th March 2024 - Science Week

This week is British Science Week and Year 4 have been investigating the research question - 'Can taller people do more star jumps in 30 seconds?'. We worked in small groups to discuss how we would test this, what resources we would need and how we would record it. As a class, we discussed how some variables were difficult to control, including how the size of the star jump will differ from person to person. We learnt how a pattern-seeking enquiry isn't a fair test because certain variables cannot be controlled. 

Thursday 7th March 2024 - World Book Day

Today, we celebrated World Book Day. We took part in lots of activities linked to reading, including: conscience alley, reading to nursery children and a quiz. During conscience alley, we explored how we can view different scenarios and discussed the right choices we should make.  

Friday 1st March 2024- Spanish

Year 4 had lots of fun today learning different parts of the face and body in Spanish. iLa cara! 

We played lots of interactive games and learnt how to sing Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes in Spanish. iQué maravilloso! We also described an Alien in Spanish. iQué interesante!

Wednesday 28th February 2024 - Geography and Paddle Boat

Today, Year 4 went to Goodrington beach to take part in a beach clean. Hattie, from Paddle Boat, and some of the educational team from the Wild Planet Trust joined us and answered questions about different objects we found. We all had a great time helping to look after the environment! 

Thursday 22nd February 2024 - Art and Design

In Art, Year 4 have created Anglo-Saxon pots. We started our journey by exploring different types of Anglo-Saxon pottery before designing our own using a different variety of patterns. We then used clay to create these different designs. 

Friday 9th February 2024 - Music

In Music, Year 4 have been learning to play the glockenspiels, another percussion instrument. The children have developed their skills to play a range of notes, understanding the different pitches. For our final piece, the children learnt to play Mamma Mia, displaying their amazing singing skills alongside!  

Thursday 2nd February 2024 – Writing and Spoken Language

This week, we have been immersing ourselves into our new writing unit, Paint Me A Poem. As part of our learning, we discussed our likes and dislikes of two different poems. We also used ‘hot seating’ in groups to put ourselves in the shoes of the poet to answer questions about the poet’s intentions.

Tuesday 6th February 2024 – Dance

We have been creating dances based on the film Rio 2 as we have been learning about Brazil. Our dances needed to include a start and end position, as well as 3 of the 7 core actions we have been learning (gesture, jump, stillness, turn, balance, fall, travel). We performed our dances wearing our beautiful masks that we had made at home.

Friday 26th January 2024 – Religious Education

Today, Year 4 had a virtual visit from Rashmi, who spoke to us about her religion and beliefs, which linked to our current learning about Hinduism. We learnt about the Gods and Goddesses, as well as learning about prayer and celebrations.

Tuesday 16th January 2024 - Science

In Science, Year 4 have explored using equipment to create a complete circuit in our new unit on electricity. The children learnt the battery pushes electricity along the wires from the positive terminal, through the wires, through the bulb and back to the negative terminal. This creates a circuit. To turn out the light, the circuit needs to be broken. Some children also incorporated a buzzer and motor! 

Friday 12th January 2024 – Maths

In Maths, Year 4 have been learning how to divide a 2 digit number by a 1-digit number. We have explored using concrete manipulatives to support our understanding before applying this to a range of calculations.

Wednesday 3^rd January 2024 – Bikeability

Today, Michelle from Bikeability came into school. She took assembly and got us to think about why it is important for us to learn how to be safe on the road, when we ride our bikes. Michelle talked to us about what to expect if we take the course and we watched some videos to show what the children were doing, from signalling, shoulder checking and completing a u-turn.

If you would like to sign up, there is an online form which has been sent, via email, to parents/carers.

ACADEMIC YEAR 2023/2024

Autumn TERM

Autumn Term Curriculum Map

Wednesday 15th December 2023- Spanish 

Year 4 had lots of fun in Spanish this week. We learnt all about typical Spanish foods at Christmas time. (la comida de Navidad)

The children were really interested in how Tamales and the El roscon de Reyes cakes are made. iMuy bien!

We ended the lesson singing 'Feliz Navidad'. Have a go at singing this popular Spanish Christmas song.  iMaravilloso!

Friday 15th December 2023 - Music

In Music this term, Year 4 have been learning to play boomwhackers. We have been learning about how the sound changes depending on the length of the boomwhackers and used this knowledge to play a variety of different songs. 

Tuesday 12th December 2023 - Physical Education

This week, Year 4 have been orienteering, with a focus on using map skills. They have learnt to orientate a map correctly, following routes around the school and can locate objects at specific points.

Monday 11th December 2023 - Poetry Day

Today we celebrated Poetry day! In Year 4, we explored how to perform poetry in front of a live audience, highlighting key skills and tips to help improve our presenting skills. We discussed out use of tone, pace, body language, gestures and confidence as effective techniques to use to help perform our poetry.

Friday 8th December 2023 - Geography, Paignton Zoo Trip

As part of our Geography learning, we explored Paignton Zoo to learn more about exotic animals from the Brazil, as well as discovering first hand what the climate and weather is like in the Amazon Rainforest. During our trip, the class were guided around the Zoo using their teamwork and map skills, leading us from the tropical Rainforest Reptile House, to the grassland home on the Red Maned Wolf. A unique keeper talk at the Sumatran Tiger enclosure gave us insight into how Tigers survive in rainforest conditions in East Asia. Whilst we explored the Zoo, we studied how endangered each animal was, making a list of the most critically endangered animals and classifying them into Mammals, Reptiles, Birds, Fish or Amphibians. 

Tuesday 5th December 2023 - Reading

In Year 4 today, we had the opportunity to explore a variety of books which will be on sale as part of the book sale. The children loved being able to explore the different types of books and their blurbs. 

Tuesday 5th December 2023 - Dance

In Year 4, we have been learning about why we need to warm up and what three elements need to be included in a warm up, which are: a heart raising activity; a stretching element and an activity related to the lesson. We have also been learning about how we can tell a story through our dance linked to emotions by our choice of dynamics (how we dance). In today's lesson, we used dynamics to show how we felt about the music and also had to include contact shapes and repetition.

Wednesday 24th November 2023- Mandarin Club 

Year 4 who attended Mandarin club this week had lots of fun learning numbers 1-10 in Mandarin Chinese. We discussed pin yin and the chinese characters. The children produced number  wordclouds in chinese for their plates.

Can you say the numbers below in Chinese! 

Friday 24th November 2023 - Design and Technology and Computing

As part of our Design and Technology and Computing learning, we have used Lego Wedo sets to build a mechanical structure that imitates a prosthetic arm.  They have demonstrated great teamwork skills to successfully build and program the structure so that it is able to grab a variety of objects.  They have designed their own objects to see if the structure is robust enough.  They have discussed any changes that they needed to make to ensure it met our set design criteria. Throughout our learning, we have used a lot of our White Rock values including teamwork, leadership and innovation. 

Thursday 23rd November 2023 - Indoor Climbing

Kestrels had our second session today with Reach Outdoors. We had so much fun indoor climbing at Parkfield and had a fantastic time learning new skills and we each challenged ourselves to go even higher each time we went up the climbing wall! Take a look at the following pictures below...

Wednesday 22nd November 2023 - Writing

In Writing today, we have been immersing ourselves into our next writing text 'I Am Not A Label' and have learnt about this term's artist, Frida Kahlo. The book includes biographies about 34 disabled artists, activists, thinkers and athletes from the past and present. We used 'hot seating' to encourage children to put themselves in the shoes of Frida Kahlo to answer questions about her life. 

Monday 13th November 2023 - PSHE - Anti-Bullying Week

Today marks the start of Anti-Bullying Week. This morning, we listened to Mrs Tomkinson's assembly and watched Andy and The Odd Socks. Lots of us wore our odd socks to encourage people to express themselves and to celebrate individuality. This afternoon we discussed the importance of being kind to everyone.

Monday 6th November 2023 - Maths

In our current Maths learning, we have been learning about our times tables. We have been using resources to explore different multiples of 3 and then using this knowledge to answer reasoning and problem solving questions. 

Wednesday 1st November 2023 - Spoken Language

In Year 4, our new writing journey is a persuasive letter. The modelled text is a letter from the RSPB encouraging people to donate. In class, we have role played calling our learning partners with the aim of convincing them to join the RSPB. Have a look at some of the pictures below! 

Tuesday 17th October 2023 - Religious Education

In today's Religious Education lesson, we have been making links between stories and the beliefs Hindus have about God. We have learnt about the story of Rama and Sita and how it relates to the belief of light over darkness. 

Wednesday 11th October 2023 - Design and Technology

We have finished our term with our Design and Technology unit.  We researched different pizzas and looked at the main ingredients in a pizza and the different toppings available.  We used this information to make our own yummy pizzas following our own personalised recipe.  We then got the very important job of taste testing our pizzas which smelt and looked absolutely delicious! Afterwards, we evaluated our pizzas discussing what we liked about them and how we would adapt it next time.

Take a look at our creations!

Thursday 5th October 2023 - African Dance Day

We had some African visitors in school and Year 4 were very lucky to have a chance to learn some African dances and sing some African songs using call and response. The visitors were very impressed with how well the children learned the dances and songs in such a short time.

Tuesday 26th September 2023- Science

For our Science learning this week, we have investigated the digestive system. We have built upon our previous learning about the function of teeth and started to think about what happens to our food once we swallow it. During our investigation, we found out that we have stomach acid to help break down our food before it is moves along to the intestines. Inside the intestines (which we replicated with tights), we learnt that nutrients (orange juice) gets absorbed from the food we have eaten (bread) and that we are left with a waste product. Finally, we investigated the final stages of digestion with the waste product exiting our body (plastic cups). Have a look at our investigation below...

Tuesday 19th September 2023 – Paddle Boat Theatre Company

We were very lucky today and had a visit from Paddleboat Theatre. They put on a Murder Mystery themed show about the many crimes of Constance Shadows. During the show, the lead investigator, Rufus Capers, was wrongly accused for murdering Constance Shadows. With our help, Aggie, his assistant, released Rufus from prison and it was discovered that Constance Shadows had escaped through a secret door in the Mayor's Manor House during his party!

Monday 11th September 2023 – History

This week, Kestrels have been learning about our new topic 'Anglo Saxons and the Scots'. We have been exploring the word 'chronology' and have been ordering historical periods in chronological order from the Stone Age to Modern Britain. Have a look at some of our pictures below! 

Friday 8th September 2023 – Let's Think In English

Kestrels have enjoyed their first week back at school. Everyone has settled into class extremely well and have already enjoyed a variety of subjects. We started the week off with a 'Let's think in English' session which is child-led and helps children to improve their inference, deduction and analysis of unfamiliar texts. The text we focussed on was called 'Not Now Bernard' by David McKee. The children were able to share lots of ideas about how the characters were portrayed throughout the story.