Welcome to Class 4

Class 4 is made up of 22 Year 5 children and 9 Year 4s. We are taught by Mr. Hammond with help from Mrs Hounslow and

Mrs Oddie.

Mr. Hammond loves the outdoors and even lives on a boat to be closer to wildlife. He loves to feed his swans, geese and ducks breakfast, every morning. Mrs Hounslow is an amazing baker and organiser which helps us, especially when we do food in DT. We hope you enjoy looking at what we have been doing during this year.

Amazon rainforest Music lesson (write your own song)

We were pleased to welcome Steve Brown in to the school today to help us with our song-writing relating to the Amazon Jungle.

The children all inputted the language that we should use before investigating synonyms that would help us in the creation of our rhyming couplets.

I am sure you will agree the results were fantastic, although the howling monkeys it hard not to laugh out loud.

Habitat investigation

As part of our field research, we have been investigating the Green urban habitat around our school in order to identify the types of LIVING THINGS that can be seen. We asked the question, "are there more living things to be seen in this season, why?"

Art work

The children have been through the creative process of using materials that will emulate a cave wall in the amazon Jungle, using sand aggregate, glue and other minerals that may be found in South America. Once ready, the children used fruits and other natural materials to create images that a Prehistoric hunter gatherer from the Amazon would use to inform others of the nature to be found in that part of the Rainforest. The children were extremely brave in their non-traditional approaches to art-work, showing resilience if the art went in a different direction than they wished. They all looked superb!

Science Plants

In our science lessons we have been investigating plants. Our investigations have been linked to the Amazon Rain Forest which is our Key Question for our Autumn Term.

We have carried investigations/experiments to find out structures, parts, purpose relating to plant life. The children have particularly enjoyed naming the plants that we have used in our experiments include poor old Ivy, who is mummified.

I think the most amazing experience for the children has been the speed that a dehydrated plant can transport food dye up in to the petals and create new beauties of nature enhanced by their human interventions.

Geography River investigations.

The children spent time looking at the features of a river (connected to our Rainforest Topic) before they headed out in to the rain to see how the river features develop over time. We were amazed at how they all seemed to develop the same way until we in putted obstacles that were harder than sand which created meandering rivers, like in the Amazon.

Google Classroom - As well as our web site, Class 4 will be using Google Classroom's site for links to homework for monthly creative curriculum challenges.

Please make sure that you can connect to Google Classroom as we will be using it much more this year to track our out-of-school activities. If you are struggling please let us know so that we can help you.

Other important information 

P.E. - Please have P.E. kits in school all week.  We will aim  to have  P. E. twice each week on Monday and Thursday Afternoons. In case of chilly weather, please include in your PE kit bag a plain sweatshirt/fleece and plain, long black leggings or jogging bottoms for outdoor lessons (we will be aiming to have most of our PE lessons outside).

Swimming - In the Spring Term (20th February) we are hoping to be going swimming so swimming costumes, towels, swimming hats and goggles (if wanted) will be needed. More information on the afternoons we will be going will be given later in the year. This year swimming will be every afternoon for a 2 week block.

Homework - English and Maths Homework will be posted weekly on Google Classroom on Monday evening (unless it is a bank holiday) and must be completed by the following Monday. This will be evidenced and assessed through Google Classroom. 

Spellings - These will be posted on the website on a Friday, children will be tested on the following Friday on word selections from the appropriate National Curriculum spelling lists. We will be giving spelling guidance using The Spelling League Program while children will be completing daily start of day spelling grid activities to support learning completed at home.

Multiplication tables - will be enhanced through a weekly paper Multiplication challenge. Children will be tested on their multiplication tables knowledge every Friday. During the week, children will also be receiving several Timestables Rockstars online sessions to enhance learning. This should be supplemented at home by accessing this site using your log in (this will be supplied).

Keep checking our web page to find out what is going on in our class this year.

If you have any concerns or questions at all, please feel free to ring us at school or come in and talk to us (after school is usually best).

Autumn's Key enquiry question

What is Happening in our Rain forest?

Maths

Links for Maths Multiplication