🏛️ Year 4 Autumn Term Learning

Year 4 have had a fantastic start to the school year! This term, we have been exploring Carpe Diem and the fascinating world of The Roman Empire, while developing our knowledge and skills across a wide range of subjects.

We have been busy learning, creating, discussing and challenging ourselves, and it has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm Year 4 has shown throughout the term.

📖 English – Escape from Pompeii

Our English lessons have brought our history learning to life through our class book, Escape from Pompeii.

We have followed the dramatic story of Tranio and Livia as they experience the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and try to escape the destruction of Pompeii.

The children have developed their reading skills by making predictions, exploring new vocabulary, discussing characters and events, and using evidence from the text to support their ideas.

We have also used the story as inspiration for our own writing. The children have been developing their use of descriptive language, expanded noun phrases and powerful verbs to create vivid descriptions and bring historical events to life.

The eruption of Mount Vesuvius has provided some fantastic opportunities for imaginative writing, with the children describing the sights, sounds and emotions of experiencing such a dramatic event.

🔢 Maths – Place Value, Addition and Subtraction

In Maths, we have been developing our understanding of place value and working with numbers up to 10,000.

We have explored the value of each digit in a number and practised representing numbers in different ways, including using Roman Numerals. We have also been comparing and ordering numbers and developing our understanding of rounding.

We have now moved on to addition and subtraction, where we have been developing our written methods and applying our skills to a range of increasingly challenging problems.

Alongside our calculations, we have been developing our mathematical reasoning and learning to explain how and why we have reached an answer. We have also been practising checking our answers and considering whether they are sensible.

We have also begun regular times tables practice, helping the children to develop greater speed, accuracy and confidence with their multiplication and division facts. This regular practice will continue throughout the year as we prepare for the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check at the end of the year. We are encouraging the children to practise regularly at home too, as little and often can make a big difference to their fluency and confidence.

🏺 History – The Roman Empire

Our history learning has taken us back nearly 2,000 years to discover the fascinating world of The Roman Empire.

We have explored who the Romans were, why they invaded Britain and how the Roman army helped the empire to grow. We have also investigated what everyday life was like for different people living within the Roman Empire.

The children particularly enjoyed learning about Roman soldiers, exploring what life was like in the Roman army and discovering the impact the Romans had on Britain. We enjoyed practising different army formations using the wonderful Roman shields and swords the children made as home learning. 

We have also considered the question:

“What did the Romans ever do for us?”

Through our learning, we have discovered that the Romans left a lasting legacy. From roads and buildings to language and laws, many aspects of Roman life have influenced Britain and can still be seen today.

✝️ RE – Are All Religions Equal?

In RE, we have been exploring the thought-provoking question:

“Are all religions equal?”

This topic has encouraged us to learn about and compare different religious beliefs and practices. We have discussed what religions have in common as well as the ways in which beliefs, traditions and practices can differ.

The children have had opportunities to ask questions, share their ideas and listen respectfully to different viewpoints. We have focused particularly on understanding that people may have beliefs that are different from our own and the importance of treating everyone with respect, kindness and understanding.

Our discussions have encouraged the children to think critically and explain their own ideas while being respectful of the views of others.

🎨 Art and Creativity

Our Roman topic has also inspired our creative learning. We have explored Roman-inspired art and considered how colour, pattern, shape and texture can be used to create artwork. The children have enjoyed experimenting with different techniques and using our history learning as inspiration for their own creative ideas.

We are looking forward to getting our hands dirty when using clay to create Roman busts, which the children have sketched beautifully so far.

🏐 PE – Bowls

In PE, we have been developing our skills through bowls.

The children have been learning how to control the direction and speed of the bowl, developing their accuracy and learning to think carefully about where they want their bowl to finish.

Alongside these physical skills, we have been developing our ability to work as a team, communicate effectively and demonstrate good sportsmanship.

The children have really enjoyed the challenge of trying to improve their accuracy and strategy as they play.

🌍 Bringing Our Learning Together

One of the most exciting parts of our learning this term has been the way our different subjects have connected together.

Our Roman history topic has provided inspiration for our English, Art and classroom discussions, while our work in RE has encouraged us to think deeply about beliefs, differences and respect.

Year 4 have shown curiosity, enthusiasm and a fantastic willingness to learn throughout the term. We are incredibly proud of how they have settled into their new year group and the progress they are already making.

We can't wait to see what the rest of the year brings!

Well done, Year 4! 🌟