Welcome to the Autumn term everyone! I hope that you all had a wonderful Summer break and had lots of quality family time together.

We are really looking forward to teaching Red Squirrels class this year. The children have already begun to settle into the new routines and are enjoying our lovely new classroom.

Our learning this term

The children will be developing their reading and comprehension skills through our ‘Reading for Meaning’ sessions and weekly comprehension lessons. During Reading for Meaning we will read a whole class text and explore the book together. The children work in groups to answer quiz questions and collect as many points for their team as they can.   

In English we will be looking at the story ‘A Crow’s Tail’ by Naomi Howarth, and focusing on accurate punctuation and extended sentences using subordinate conjunctions. The children will then write their own story using the skills that they have been taught during the unit.

In Maths this term, the children will be focusing on place value of number. Place value is very important because it underpins all aspects of mathematical work. The children will also be deepening their knowledge through problem solving and reasoning activities.

In Science the children will learning about ‘States of Matter’. They will learn about how which objects are a solid, liquid and a gas and will complete a variety of scientific experiments.

Our topic in history is ‘Ancient Egyptians’. We are looking to teaching this topic and can’t wait to see what home learning the children have been getting up to!

In Geography we will be learning about longitude and latitude. The children will be developing their map skills using a range of globes and atlases.

We hope your child has a wonderful year in Red Squirrels and we are looking forward to working in partnership with you.

Our door is always open so please feel free to come and talk to us about any further questions or queries that you may have.

Mrs Homer and Miss Corbin

Supporting learning at home

Reading – it is of utmost importance that children read regularly at home in order to apply and cement the knowledge they get at school.  The children should be reading their school reading book at least three times a week. We encourage the children to read their own texts in addition to the school reading books to help develop a love of reading.  

It is also important the talk to the children about what they have read, to make sure they understand what they read rather than just decoding it. If you would like some example questions to support your child with this, please just ask. Countless studies have shown that this is the single most important thing that you can do to aid your child’s academic progress.

Please sign your child’s reading diary every time that they read. Your comments in their reading diary are also greatly appreciated!  We will hear the children read their reading book at least once a week and count up how many times they have read during the week. We will be continuing with Rainbow Readers. Every time your child reads 5 times in one week at home they will receive a certificate. Once they have reached five certificates they will be able to choose a prize from the wheelbarrow.

Times tables - Please help your child to practise their times tables at home. By the end of Year 4, the children should know all of the times tables up to 12x12. The Year 4 pupils will sit a statutory Times Table Check in June to test their knowledge. The Multiplication Times Tables Check is an online test where the pupils are asked 25 questions on times tables 2 to 12. For every question, you have 6 seconds to answer, and in between the questions, there is a 3-second rest. Questions about the 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 times table come up more often. 

Spelling – Your child will have weekly spellings for them to practise. These spellings will help your child during our Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar (SPaG) lessons. As well as practising the spellings please complete the second sheet where they write the words into a sentence. This ensures that the children understand the meaning of the words, allowing them to apply them to their writing.   

Please Don’t Forget…

P.E. will be on a Monday and Thursday this term; please ensure the children have a full school P.E. kit in school so they can take part. Long hair must be tied up and earrings must be removed or covered up.

Bookbags are expected to be in school each day, and taken home each night; this is to enable staff to read with children, and change books when appropriate.

Please ensure all belongings are clearly labelled to avoid loss!

Healthy, nut-free snacks can be bought in from home each day, and children can eat them at breaktime.