Dear Families,
Russet Class have completed some amazing work so far this year! In our ‘Invasion’ history topic, we had so much fun learning about the Anglo-Saxon and Viking invasions and it was awesome to be able to end it off with a reenactment of the Battle of Hastings! We were all so lucky to be able to go to the Avalon Archaeology Centre where we met Richard, one of the lead archaeologists who designed the site and learning experience.
Our first science topic of the year was about how sound travels and how we hear sound. It was fascinating to learn about soundwaves and how the human ear detects vibrations in air molecules and turns this into electrical signals which our brains interpret as sound. We have also been learning about food and the digestive system in science. In this topic, we learnt about food chains and webs, how our body digests food, tooth types and structure and how to care for our teeth. During the learning on the latter, we conducted an investigation which explored the effects that different drinks can have on our teeth. We used eggs to represent human teeth and left the eggs in different liquids (milk, cola, orange juice and water) for one week and observed the effects. Ask your child to see if they can remember how the liquids affected the teeth!
This term, we have also learnt how to read and take four and six figure grid references, researched the physical geography of the UK and discovered North and South American ecosystems and cultures. The build up to Christmas was extremely fun and I hope that you all have lovely rests over the Christmas period.
Russet Class will be focusing on Geography after Christmas. In the Misty Mountain, Winding River project, your child will learn about the characteristics and physical processes of rivers, including how they shape the landscape over time, their significance around the world and the impact of flooding. They will learn how to use the eight points of a compass, four and six-figure grid references, symbols and a key to locate and plot geographical places and features on a map, as well as how contour lines are used to show the topography of an area. They will have the opportunity to learn about the stages of the water cycle and about mountains and their different formations, studying mountain ranges in the United Kingdom and around the world. They will also learn about habitats and how human and natural influences can have an impact on the environment.
In science, two projects will be covered. In the States of Matter project, your child will identify and classify solids, liquids and gases. They will learn the properties of solids, liquids and gases and discover that some materials have properties of more than one state. They will learn that particles make up all matter and how their arrangement determines whether the material is a solid, liquid or gas. They will find that materials can change from one state to another and learn about how materials can change state. They will use thermometers to measure the temperature of water and observe what happens when water changes state. They will investigate melting ice and record their data on graphs. They will also learn about melting and boiling points, researching various materials’ melting and boiling points. In the Grouping and Classifying project, your child will learn why we sort and group things and the important classification skills of observing and questioning. They will learn what classification keys are and how they identify living things. Your child will learn the characteristics of the five vertebrate groups and the six main invertebrate groups. They will learn how to identify vascular and non-vascular plants and sort vascular plants into the three main groups. They will also examine and classify real plants and create a classification key based on their observations. They will learn about some newly discovered plants and animals and use a classification key to classify each discovery.
Parental experience:
On Monday 8th January, parents are invited to join the class as we study the river Brue (weather permitting). Parents can meet the class at the churchyard at 1:40pm as we walk to the river. Once we arrive at the river, we will be observing the human and physical features of the river and its depth, width and flow rate. This learning will be part of our Misty Mountain, Winding River geography project and will provide an amazing opportunity for the children to frame the rest of their learning within a real-world experience. It would be great to have you along for it!
Class trip:
During the second half of the Spring term (term 4), we will be taking the children on a trip to the zoo! This will be an experience to complement our Grouping and Classifying science project and will enable the children to observe a range of different animal classifications that we will have been studying in class. More information on this trip will be available soon.
| Maths Skills It is important that the children continue to practise their times tables. Children are expected to know all times tables facts and related divisions by the end of year 4. So continued practice is absolutely crucial to all new mathematical content. We use TT Rockstars to practise tables recall. Please ask if you need logins to be sent home again. | Spellings Lists will also be put onto our class story on Class Dojo and can be sent home as paper copies if that helps. The vocabulary development is as important as the spelling part so please look at and discuss the words we are learning. | |
| Values Assembly Our Christian Values this term will be Perseverance and Justice. We will be awarding leaf awards to celebrate those children who have demonstrated thankfulness. We will also be preparing for Easter. Class assemblies Class assemblies this term will focus on Healthy Living. Please ask if you want to know more about what we will be covering. | PE Tuesday and Thursday are our PE days next term. Please ensure your child has the correct kit in school for both indoor and outdoor PE. We are swimming for the second part of the term on a Friday. Home Learning Expectations Please read with your child at least 3 times a week and record it in their reading log. Children who achieve this will receive a raffle ticket per week, which is entered into a draw at the end of the half-term. Your child will receive spelling, maths and reading homework each week. |
Sourced from Curriculum Maestro (Cornerstones Education)
