It’s been wonderful to have the children back after half term and we are delighted with their attitude to learning. We are looking forward to a busy but exciting period as we turn our attention to the first assessments of year 4 and 5.
Since finishing our shorter topic about the painter L.S Lowry, we will be learning all about the Victorian era! We shall focus on the difference between the poor and rich society. Children will be writing setting descriptions and planning their own diary extracts of a child in a workhouse. We will also be investigating Victorian holidays and entertainment including Punch and Judy shows. In addition to this, children will create their very own puppet character based on a Victorian Christmas. We are pleased to announce that we will be creating our very own Victorian Christmas experience. More details to follow in the near future.
At the end of November, we will start to study Charles Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. This is great for characterisation and developing a deeper understanding of using language and vocabulary for effect. Also, the children love the ghosts and scary bits!
Children will soon be bringing home books from their 30 great read box in the classroom. These are a range of books selected for the children to enjoy reading at home either on their own or with a member of their family. When the children return their book they can then swap it for another one. As there is only one copy of each book it is really important that they are returned to school when finished so other children can enjoy them too. As with home reading books lost books will be charged. We hope you enjoy reading these books!
Year 5 children are starting to work on Multiplication and Division in Maths, including factors and multiples and new concepts such as squared, cubed and prime numbers!
Year 4 children will be focusing on times tables, multiplication and division facts. They will be multiplying and dividing using written methods which will be followed by problem solving.
It is crucial that children have an excellent knowledge of times tables as this is key to many Year 4 and 5 maths concepts. Please encourage your child to learn them at home and use Times Table Rock Stars! They will use a range of mental methods for multiplication and division.
Homework will be sent out on a Friday and we will expect it to be returned the following Friday (if not before) each week.
As you will be aware, we have given out reading books. Please ensure your child reads at least three times a week and sign their reading diary. Children know to bring their book in each day to be checked and signed. We are continuing to monitor and reward children with stickers- towards buying a book from the shop.
PE will continue to take place on a Thursday morning each week. The school PE kit required consists of a plain white or blue t- shirt and navy blue or black shorts. Please be aware that PE sessions will still be outside weather permitting. Therefore, it is vitally important that your child has a pair of trainers, a plain navy or black zipped top without a hood and plain bottoms or a plain dark tracksuit. We have noticed a significant dip in the number of children remembering to bring their kit and we have very limited spares available, so please ensure that your child’s kit is in school every week.
We would like you to create a Victorian Christmas decoration that can be used to decorate our Christmas tree for the Victorian Experience that we are planning in December. Try to be as imaginative as possible, we would love to see a variety! You may find it useful to use the internet to research your work. There are lots of inspirational ideas on you tube. We would like to see as many decorations as possible so that our display will be as authentic as possible. If you require any paper, card or other resources please just ask. We would like to remind you that we have a limited amount of space for display purposes as they will be hanging on a Christmas tree, so please be mindful of this when completing the project.
We kindly ask that you bring your completed homework into school by Friday 2nd December.
We are all looking forward to an exciting half term with the children.
Thank you for your continued support.
The Year 4/5 team