Sunday 2 April 2017

Week Beginning 3rd April

Only a short time left and we will all be celebrating Easter.  We may have given some things up over the past few weeks but we are still working hard in Year 3/4.  Some of this week will be used to complete some assessment which we need for the end of the term whereas other times will be back to normal sessions.

English

Year 3

For the next few weeks we will be learning about instructions.  We will read some instructions based around Roald Dahl’s Revolting Recipes.  We will identify the layout features and look at the language used (imperative verbs, adverbs, connectives, prepositions).  Then we will take part in our own cookery show called, ‘The Great British Cook Off’ where we will make our own sandwiches and write a set of instructions for them.  Finally, we will evaluate our writing to see if we have included all the right features.

Year 4

This week children will be completing an extended piece of writing which they started last week.  Children have also been working hard on creating their own mini sagas.  These are short stories which must be 100 words or less.  They have created their own ‘Crazy Creature’ and come up with a short story.  We will be finalising these this week and submitting them to a competition.  Let’s see if any of our Year 4 writers win ...

Maths

Year 3


Learning Area –            Geometry - angles

Learning Concept -          Recognise angles are a property of shape or a description of a turn.
Identify right angles; recognise that two right angles make a half-turn, three make three quarters & four a complete turn
Identify whether angles are greater than or less than a right angle

Teaching sequence -      Know that the space between two lines joined at a point is known as an angle and can be measured in degrees
Know that the measurement in degrees is greater when the space is wider
Understand that angle can be used to describe a turn
Be able to identify right angles in the environment
Know a right angle as having 90ยบ and use the degrees symbol
Know that two right angles effectively make a straight line and is equivalent to 180
Know that two right angles make a half turn
Know that three right angles make a three-quarter turn
Know that four right angles make a complete turn
Identify angles smaller than a right angle
Identify angles larger than a right angle



Year 4

Learning Area –            Geometry – 2D shape

Learning Concept -          Identify lines of symmetry in 2D shapes presented in different orientations.
Complete a simple symmetric figure with respect to a specific line of symmetry

Teaching sequence -      Define and show understanding of symmetry
Show lines of symmetry in an equilateral or isosceles triangle (in different orientations)
Show lines of symmetry in a quadrilateral (in different orientations)
Show lines of symmetry in circle
Create simple symmetrical figures and show lines of symmetry
Recognise lines of symmetry in given shapes

Topic


This will be our final week and a half working on our Romans topic.  It has been a fantastic topic with the children learning lots of new things and taking part in creating shield formations and of course the fantastic trip a couple of weeks ago.  We know want to fil in any gaps of knowledge and answer any more questions that the children may have about the Romans.

Sunday 12 February 2017

Week Beginning 13th February

Is it the final week of the term already?  Can I just mention that I was on the Warrington Guardian site tonight and there are some great pictures of our Year 4 children when they attended the opening of the new Penketh Fire Station.

English

Year 3

This week in English we will be focusing on spelling, grammar and punctuation.  We will look at spelling rules when adding prefixes and suffixes and we will learn some of the key words from the Year 3 statutory spelling list.  We will correct unpunctuated sentences and revise speech punctuation.  In our sentence work, we will look at improving sentences with conjunctions.  We will also practice our reading comprehension this week, with a focus on looking for clues in the text to improve our inference skills.  When we answer our questions, we will aim to go A.P.E.  (answer, prove and explain).

Year 4

Children will be spending this week recapping and learning some new information related to grammar.  This is important so that our children understand what it is that we can put into our writing to make it even better.  This week will also see children having an opportunity to write their own extended pieces of writing to demonstrate what they think makes a good piece of writing for us to read.

Maths

Year 3


Learning Area –            Measure – Length/mass/volume

Learning Concept -          Measure, compare, add & subtract:
-lengths (m/cm/mm)
-mass (kg/g)
-volume/ capacity (l/ml).

Teaching sequence -      Use measuring apparatus to measure length, mass and volume
Measure accurately to nearest mm, cm, m
Measure accurately to nearest g, kg
Measure accurately to nearest ml, l
Know and use equivalence, e.g. 10mm = 1cm; 50cm = ½m; 100cm = 1m
Know and use equivalence, e.g. 1000g = 1kg; 500g = ½kg
Know and use equivalence, e.g. 1000ml = 1l; 500ml = ½l



Year 4

Learning Area –            Fractions

Learning Concept -          Add and subtract fractions with the same denominator.

Teaching sequence -      Add two fractions with the same denominator that add up to more than one whole.

Subtract one fraction from another with the same denominator crossing one whole.

Sunday 29 January 2017

Week Beginning 30th January

This term seems to be going very quickly.  Can we remind Year 4 parents that the year group is going to the new Penketh Fire Station this Thursday.  Can you all please make sure that permission slips have been returned.

English

Year 3

In English we will continue our work around the book Eacape from Pompeii.  We will revise powerful verbs and consider what makes effective description.  We will then plan and draft our own story in the same style as the book.  The children will be given the opportunity to edit and improve their work too, independently and in pairs.  We will be looking for good description, the use of speech punctuation, different sentence starters (e.g. as soon as, over the hill, that evening) and conjunctions to join sentences (e.g. when, if, because, although).

Year 4

Children will be finishing off their non-fiction unit this week.  After writing their own newspaper report last week, children will now be writing one report from a range of viewpoints.  This will have them considering what we mean by the term ‘bias’ and see if they can write from the point of view for, against and from a neutral perspective.

Maths

Year 3

Learning Area –            Division

Learning Concept -          This week children will be recapping on division and looking at calculations which involve remainders.  Children will be using a number line to help them.

Year 4

Learning Area –            Fractions

Learning Concept -          Recognise and show, using diagrams, families of common equivalent fractions.

                                            
Teaching sequence -      Know all equivalent fractions of 1/2 up to and including the denominator 12
Know all equivalent fractions of 1/4 up to and including the denominator 12
Know all equivalent fractions of ¾ up to and including the denominator 12
Know all equivalent fractions of 1/3 up to and including the denominator 12
Know all equivalent fractions of 2/3 up to and including the denominator 12

Topic

This week children will be continuing with our new topic of ‘The Romans’.  This week children will look at a rebellion which took place against the Romans in Britain which was led by the well-known historical figure - Boudicca.

 RE


Children will be completing their RE topic - Journeys.  This week will see children remembering, celebrating and responding to a journey through a year and the Christian family’s journey with Jesus.

Sunday 22 January 2017

Week Beginning 23rd January

Ready for another week 3/4?  Lots of things to get through this week...

English

Year 3

We will focus our next few week's lessons around the text, "Escape from Pompeii" by Christina Balit. The children will read and listen to the story, engage with the text through discussion and drama.  They will have the opportunity to articulate ideas about the text using an increasingly varied vocabulary.  There is also a grammar focus on using powerful verbs and a chance to develop thesaurus skills next week.

Year 4

Children will be continuing with the non-fiction unit this week.  This week they will be recapping on the features of journalistic writing and the type of language that is used in the media to encourage readers/listeners to pay attention.  Children will be looking at how to present information in the format of a newspaper report.  They will draft the content of the report and then write it up in a final piece.

Maths

Year 3

Learning Area –            Fractions

Learning Concept -          Recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators.
Recognise, find and write fractions of a discrete set of objects: unit fractions & non-unit fractions with small denominators.

Teaching sequence -      Know that 1/2 is the same as 2/4
Be able to show 1/3 and 2/6 of a square
Know what fractional values are, e.g. ¼ is one part of four, etc.
Know what a unit fraction is
Know what a non-unit fraction is
Use fractions to solve problems
Use a fraction wall diagram to solve problems

Year 4

Learning Area –            Place Value – Roman Numerals

Learning Concept -          Read Roman numerals to 100 and understand that over time, the numeral system changes to include the concept of zero and place value.
                                               
Teaching sequence -      Read Roman numerals from 1 to 10
Read Roman numerals to 50
Read Roman numerals to 100
Write Roman numerals from 1 to 10
Write Roman numerals to 50
Write Roman numerals to 100

Topic

This week children will be continuing with our new topic of ‘The Romans’.  This week children will be gaining an understanding of why the Romans built new roads in Britain, where some of the main roads ran from and how the roads were made.

 RE


Children will be continuing with their RE topic - Journeys.  For the next couple of weeks children will be working through the Reveal section of this unit.  This second week will have children looking at the feasts of Our Lady, the pilgrimage psalms and the Christian’s life journey.

Sunday 15 January 2017

Week Beginning 16th January

Another week full of opportunities to learn new things and practise what we have already covered.  Children also have the Friends of St Vincent’s Film Night to look forward to this week.  Can we take this opportunity as a phase team to thank all parents and grandparents who came along last Thursday to help with the pantomime and to thank all others who offered to help too.  We all had a great time and Mr Hughes has now fully recovered from the experience.

English

Year 3

We will continue our topic on myths and legends this week, which the children are really enjoying.  Having read a variety of Roman myths and identified their key features, we will go on to plan and write our own myths.  We will use the story of Romulus and Remus as a model, changing elements of it to make it our own.  We will incorporate speech into our writing, using the correct speech punctuation in our conversations between characters.  The children have been looking at synonyms for said too, so we will expect to see some of these in their independent writing.

Year 4

Children will be continuing with the non-fiction unit this week.  This week they will be looking at the features of journalistic writing and the type of language that is used in the media to encourage readers/listeners to pay attention.  Children will also be thinking about interview processes used to gather information for journalistic writing and will be devising their own interview questions.

Maths

Year 3

Learning Area –            Place Value

Learning Concept -          Compare and order numbers up to 1000
Recognise the place value of each digit in a 3 digit number

Teaching sequence -      Know which number in a set of 3 digit numbers is the greatest
Know which number in a set of 3 digit numbers is the smallest
Order a set of 3 digit numbers from smallest to largest
Order a set of 3 digit numbers from largest to smallest
Identify the hundreds, tens and ones in any 3 digit number
Partition a 3 digit number identifying the value

Year 4

Learning Area –            Statistics

Learning Concept -          Interpret and present discrete and continuous data using appropriate graphical methods, including:
-bar charts
-time graphs
                                               
Teaching sequence -      Tell the story’ of a bar chart with no scales on the axes
‘Tell the story’ of a bar chart with scales on the axes
‘Tell the story’ of a time graph with no scales on the axes
‘Tell the story’ of a time graph with scales on the axes
Construct a bar chart with correct labelling of both axes
Plot information on a time graph

Topic

This week children will be continuing with our new topic of ‘The Romans’.  This week children will be learning about who the Romans were and where they lived.  They will also be exploring who their leaders were and what family life was like for the Romans.

 RE


Children will be continuing with their RE topic - Journeys.  For the next couple of weeks children will be working through the Reveal section of this unit.  This first week will have children looking at the liturgical year, the seasons of the Church and what Ordinary Time is.

Tuesday 10 January 2017

Week Beginning 9th January

Welcome back.  We all hope that you had a very happy and holy Christmas.  We had a few days last week to settle in and so we will be getting straight back to work this week.  Just a point to make about this Thursday 12th January: children will be having an early registration at 8:30am and so the school gates will open from 8:15am.  This is so that we can have everyone registered and ready to leave for the pantomime!

English

Year 3

Our English lessons will be focused around myths and legends.  We will read a variety of Roman myths and identify their key features.   We will then focus on the story of Romulus and Remus, using drama to understand the events.  We will also discuss the characters, make predictions, draw inferences and compare endings to show how myths can be written as different versions.  Lastly, we will begin to look at speech punctuation in the text and synonyms for said.  There are many online versions of the story of Romulus and Remus as well as other Roman myths, if you wish to research and read together at home.

Year 4

Children will be starting another non-fiction unit this half term.  In this unit, the children explore the Big Question: What is the world’s most incredible sport? They will read the interactive eBook, find information whilst distinguishing between fact and opinion. Their aim is to answer the Big Question with the final target of planning and writing their own newspaper report.

Maths

Year 3

Learning Area –                Geometry – 3D shape

Learning Concept -          Make 3D shapes using modelling materials; recognise 3D shapes in different orientations; & describe them
                                               
Teaching sequence -      Make 3D shapes from a range of materials (including modelling materials and construction)
Accurately describe the properties of 3D shapes

Year 4

Learning Area –            Measures - Perimeter

Learning Concept -          Measure and calculate the perimeter of a rectilinear figure (including squares) in cm and m.
                                               
Teaching sequence -      Know the formula for calculating the perimeter of a rectangle (2 x length plus 2 x breadth)
Know that the perimeter of an irregular shape can be calculated by $adding the length of each individual side together


Topic

This week children will be starting to look at our new topic of ‘The Romans’.  We are all excited to start this unit.  This week will see the children creating some display work in a style which is very much related to the Romans.  We will also be considering what we know about the Romans already and what we want to find out with the aim of being able to write about what we have learnt at the end of the unit.

 RE


Children will be starting a new unit in RE called Journeys.  Through this Explore week children will reflect on the celebrations which took place over the Christmas period and consider what the year to come might bring.  They will think about planning  a journey throughout this new year of 2017.

Sunday 11 December 2016

Week Beginning 12th December

Well here we are again, the final week of the half term and the first term in school this year is coming to a close.  A few reminders for this week:

·        The children will be having their Christmas lunch this Monday.
·        The KS2 Christmas parties are taking place on Tuesday and all children have been placed in groups and have been allocated something to bring in for their party.
·        We have some special visitors coming in on Wednesday ...
·        Friday is our Carol service

The Year 3/4 Production

Well to quote Ceasar from the play, “you were fabulous darlings’.  The staff in the 3/4 team are so proud of all of the children.  The performances which they put on were brilliant and many comments have been made about how ‘professional’ the shows were.  Every single child in Year 3 and 4 should give themselves a pat on the back because they made this year’s Christmas production unforgettable.  Well done everyone - but don’t rest yet because Year 3/4 will be performing one of the songs from our production in the Carol Service on Friday!

Core sessions this week will be based on a Christmas theme as we want to make sure that the children are all smiling during the exciting build up to Christmas.  We will still be working hard though and will be having a very productive week.

 RE


Children will be finishing off their RE topic based on the time of the Church’s year which is currently Advent.  They will continue to prepare for the coming of Christmas and remembering the true meaning of the season.