Fractions, Noises and Vikings, oh my!
We have had another lovely week in Year 4 and as always, the children have been hard at work producing some great pieces of work.
In maths, we have been continuing our exploration of fractions, particularly fractions larger than 1 represented as mixed numbers. This involved plotting them on number lines as well as ordering and comparing these fractions with others using the symbols <, > and =. The children seem to have a good grasp of these concepts now and are in a good place to develop this understanding further by exploring improper fractions.
In English, we have been developing our work on free verse poetry. After planning and writing some poems based on the lovely images referenced in last week’s blog, we moved on to some poems based on our class book ‘The Boy at the Back of the Class’. The goal this time was to write two poems about the titular boy, each one from a different perspective. The first was written from the view of the Narrator, who we agreed thought very highly of Ahmet and therefore would be very positive about her new friend. The author of our second poem on the other hand, Mr Irons, was much more negative towards Ahmet and this affected how the children would have to write. We had some really lovely examples of both poems and I think the children showed a good understanding of how perspectives can change depending on the person involved.
In science this week, 4SN began to explore how they could change the volume of a sound. There was some excellent investigating throughout this lesson, with the children considering how they might be able to either increase or decrease the volume of their chosen instruments. They also had the chance to use the dataloggers to more accurately measure these sounds in decibels.
Meanwhile, 4L were busy wrapping up their history work on the Vikings by asking the question ‘Did the Vikings really deserve their violent reputation?’ We had some really interesting discussions about why the Vikings had such a negative reputation but also what other things they could be known for beyond being agressive warriors, such as their roles as traders, farmers and craftsmen. The children were then each asked to decide whether they agreed or disagreed with the inital question, providing evidence for their decision and I have to say, there were some very interesting arguments being made for both sides!
General notices
The children have been set some maths and spelling homework this week. This work will be due in on Wednesday 2nd April and as always, if anyone is finding the work tricky or is unsure what to do, they can come see a member of the Year 4 team on Monday or Tuesday.
On Thursday 3rd April, we will be having a go at making their own musical instruments based on the instructions provided by Sam the Sound Man. The children have all chosen an instrument based on the resources they hae available and we would appreciate parents/carers support in helping their children gather the necessary materials. We can also provide a checklist on Monday for anyne who needs one. It is also important to note that no prep work needs to be complted prior to this lesson as all cutting, measring and drilling will be done in class.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
Miss Levett, Mrs Sykes and Mrs Newsome
Thank you for the update, it would be lovely if the staff at the school would acknowledge and to wish the muslim children in your classes and the rest of the school children and their families that are celebrating Eid next week.