Years 3 & 4 – Kestrels Class

In this half term the children will be writing a portal story. We will be using our Guided Reading work on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe to help us to generate ideas.
During the second half of the term our guided reading text will be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. A smashing text! Writing will see us looking at the technique of persuasion.

Year 3 will be continuing to work on addition and subtraction, particularly concentrating on use of formal written methods.
Year 4 will start the term with some addition and subtraction problem solving before moving on to work on perimeter and area

We will begin by studying light. This is an interesting topic with plenty of chances to work practically and build skills in scientific reasoning.
We then move on to study plants. Our studies will include a trip to the Botanical Gardens in Cambridge to help cement the learning.

The topic for History this term is The Anglo Saxons, The Scots and The Vikings. The children will be learning about where the Anglo Saxons came from after the Romans left Britain and how they lived here. We will be looking at the people who lived in Scotland at this time also and how the similarities and differences with Anglo Saxon life. The children will then go on to study the Viking invasion, settlements and their eventual defeat ending with a brief look at the Battle of Hastings.
Our Geography topic for the first half term is Rivers. We will look at the structure of Rivers and then study various Rivers from around the world. In the second half term we will be looking at the South West of England. The children will study the area looking at erosion, tourism and the history of the area.

Art will begin by looking back at last terms topic on the Ancient Egyptians. Concepts will include the power of the Pharaohs represented in art and what is a bust? The children will concentrate on sketching skills, modelling in clay and creating patterns as well as drawing in profile.
The second half of the term will look at Anglo Saxon art including Sutton Hoo treasures, art from Lindisfarne and the Bayeux Tapestry. The children will create drawings, collage and paintings.

During the first half of the term we will consider what Christians can learn from the creation story. In the second half of the term we will think about what it is like for Christians to follow God.

We will think about ‘working together’, in particular with regards to developing good listening and communication skills. The children will also be introduced to financial management and will learn about how money may be obtained and how you can pay for items in different ways.
Sex and Relationships Education.
The children will learn to name external body parts, understand the differences between male and female bodies as well as appreciating that everyone is unique and valued.

PE will continue with Premier Sport and Kick.
Premier Sport will be working on a dance unit with the children.
OAA (outdoor adventurous activities) will be the focus of the PE sessions during the second half of the term.

Data Logging is the topic for the first half term and the children will be asking questions and using the equipment to log and plot information to help answer their questions. This leads on from last terms Science Day. The children will be learning how to record and edit audio recordings on the computer and will attempt to create their own podcast.

French will take place in the first half of the term. The children will learn how to vocalise their food likes and dislikes and to talk about healthy and non-healthy foods. A pizza restaurant will be the focus of role play activities.

During the second half of the term the children will concentrate on music relating to their class production. This should be great fun and allow budding actors, actresses and singers to spread their wings.

This half term we will be studying non-chronological reports alongside our class reading book Beowulf. Children will write a report about their own mythical beast.
The children will be writing their own mythical story based on Beowulf and creating a poem based around the poem “The Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll.

Both year groups will be continuing their work on Fractions before moving onto looking at Charts and Graphs. Children will also be looking at shapes.
This half term children will be studying time and money.

Our summer 1 science topic is rocks. In this unit the children will learn about rocks including their appearance and simple physical properties. They will learn to recognize different types of rock and study how they were formed. Fossils will also be studied.
In the second half of the term ‘Forces and Magnets’ will be the focus of our studies. The children will learn about how some metals (but not all) are attracted to a magnet and about attraction and repulsion. They will also begin to learn about the forces of gravity and friction.

The topic for this half term is Law and Power. We will be looking at monarchs King Richard, King John and King Henry II and how they started to change the justice system in England.
In the second half of the term our Topic is The Wars of the Roses. Children will look at the monarchs and the battles involved in this period of history.
We begin the summer term by looking at the Geography of Western Europe. The Children will be learning about France, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and The Netherlands. We will be doing lots of atlas work looking at political maps of the area.
The topic this half term is India and China. Children will be looking at the political and physical geography of both countries and comparing the two.

The children will be learning about the Parthenon which is an Ancient Greek temple to the goddess Athena, and how this is considered one of the most important pieces of architecture in the Western World. The children will also be learning about symmetry and line in architecture and comparing various buildings to see if they are symmetrical or asymmetrical. We will be looking at Gaudi’s work and how his work was inspired by nature. Here we will be looking at the Sagrada Familia and looking at some of its features and the mosaics Gaudi is well known for.

We will study Judaism for the first half of the term. We will learn about synagogues and the Torah scrolls. Shabbat will also be discussed, and we will compare and contrast Judaism with Christianity.
During the second half of the term the children will study a Christian unit on the Pentecost. They will learn what the Pentecost was, why it needed to happen and its impact on Christians.

Managing safety and risk will be our focus for the first half of the summer term. This will include thinking about safety around water, calling for the emergency services and what to do in the case of a fire.
Healthy Lifestyles- as part of this unit the children will learn about making healthy lifestyle choices. They will think about how stamina, strength and flexibility can be improved through physical activity. Healthy eating and dental hygiene will also be discussed.

PE will continue with Premier Sport and Kick.
Premier Sport will be working on striking and Fielding during the first half term
During the second part of the summer term PE will focus on athletics and sports day preparation.

This half term the children will be building on their programming skills from last half term. We will be programming shapes in scratch.
The children will use new software this half term to edit audio that they have recorded themselves as they work together to create a podcast.

For the first half of the summer term children will be learning about the Future Tense with reference to travel and where they will go in the holidays. We will be using the simple future – I am going to go…je vais aller…
For the second half, the children will be learning Italian they will write to their pen pals about what they have learnt!

Modern music with a focus on The Beatles will be central to this terms music study. Beats and rhythm will be part of the unit.