A guide to your child’s learning this half term.

‘Who’d live in a place like this?’

Autumn Term 1 – Year 3 and 4

 

Silver Birch

 

Miss Pattison, Mrs Patterson and Mrs Ridgeway

English

 

This term we will be learning how to write amazing adventure stories, which will be linked to out topic on the Stone Age. The purpose of our stories will be to entertain and enthral, allowing the reader to escape from reality. In our writing, we will be looking at openings that include a setting or character description, a build-up of events, cliff hangers, conflict, resolution and endings. Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation will also be taught to aid in writing stories. We will look at connectives to signal time, shift attention or inject suspense. We will also look at dialogue, first and third person as well as language effects used to create an impact on the reader.

 

Spelling

 

Each fortnight, children will be given up to 15 words to learn for a test.

The patterns covered this term will be:

• Homophones or near homophones
• The suffix –‘ly’ (3 weeks – 1. The common rule 2. Root words ending with –‘y’ 3. Root words ending with –‘le’)
• The prefix ‘sub’- meaning under
• The prefix ‘super’- meaning above

Reading

 

Children will be given opportunities to develop their reading as part of their English lessons. In class, our book study will be ‘Stig of the Dump’ by Clive King.

You can help your child at home by-

• Listening to your child read each day.
• Ask your child to talk about the book they are reading and talk around the story (using skills of inference and deduction)

 

Maths

 

In maths we will be learning about:

 

• Place Value
• Addition & Subtraction You can help your child at home by-

 

All aspects will be taught in line with the new curriculum with an increased focus on reasoning and problem solving, as well as teaching mental and written methods and strategies.

 

• Practising times tables skills
• Practising basic mathematical facts such as doubling and halving common numbers.

 

History – Stone Age to Iron Age

 

Your child will journey across millions of years of prehistory with this topic ‘The Prehistoric World’ series of lessons will spark their interest and get them questioning how palaeontologists and archaeologists find out what the world was like millions of years ago. They’ll discover and explore dinosaurs, early man and Ice Age animals, as well as investigating what life was like in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.

 

Geography – Somewhere to settle

 

In this unit, children head back in time to find out how the towns and cities of the UK first developed. Children will learn about the needs and requirements early settlers had when choosing a place to build a home. At the end of the unit, children draw together all their learning about settlements to design their own new settlement!

 

Science (Animals including humans) – Children will learn about why food is important to living things, food groups and their importance and skeletons and muscles.

 

Design Technology – Designing, building and evaluating Stone Age shelters.

 

Art – children will complete art projects linked to our topic work.

 

RE – What can we learn from religions about deciding what is right and wrong?

 

Music – Wider Opportunities to teach musical theory and practice through games, singing and the ukulele.

 

French – Children will learn how to introduce themselves in French, as well as other basic conversational skills.

 

Useful Websites: (copy and past into browser)

 

https://www.bbc.com/education/subjects/zcw76sg

https://www.purplemash.com/sch/curbar

https://www.purplemash.com/#app/premium/french

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button

https://ttrockstars.com/login2

 

Homework

 

Children will be given one piece of English and one piece of maths work that will either develop or consolidate our learning in class. They should spend at least 20-30 minutes completing it to the best of their ability. They will also get a longer project linked to our topic, which will be due in during the last week of term. They could spend a little bit of time each week, or complete the whole project in one week. Completed work should be handed in every Tuesday and will be returned on Wednesday. The children will also bring home weekly spelling words to practise.

 

Reminders!

 

• Named PE kit needs to be in school everyday
• Help your child to practise their weekly spellings.  Ask your child to…  

 

Look at the word. Say the word. Cover the word. Write the word. Check the word. Put the word into an accurate ‘Five Star’ sentence (correct punctuation at the beginning and end of the sentence, correct spelling and fluent and legible handwriting).

 

Please do not hesitate to contact staff at school if you have any questions regarding your child’s learning. Thank you for your continued support!