Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Year 4

Miss C Honore
Class Teacher
Mrs S Parr
Class Teacher
Mrs P Manning Teaching assistant

Welcome to Year 4! Here we love exploring and learning together. We have high expectations of our pupils and we always give our best to every subject. Children in our class are polite, kind and thoughtful towards others. We are passionate about learning and we love to celebrate success with our peers. When we do not understand something, we work together to find the solution.

During the Autumn term, we study the fascinating Anglo-Saxons and explore what life was like for them. This includes understanding how the Angles and the Saxons influenced and shaped life in Britain, as well as learning about significant individuals who contributed to their way of life, including religious men like St Augustine who played a key role in converting the Anglo-Saxons to Christianity.

In the Spring, we learn more about the continent of Europe, building upon what we know of the UK. During lessons, we identify geographical similarities and differences between different cities and countries within Europe. We recognise different biomes and weather patterns, as well as explore the important political role the EU plays in governing laws in Europe.

During the summer term, we are transported back to ancient Egypt and discover what life was like for the ancient Egyptians, including understanding the ancient ritual of mummification and identifying how life revolved around the River Nile. We learn about Howard Carter’s exciting discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. We even learn to write our own names in hieroglyphs! 

In Year 4 we aspire not to have more but to be more.

Year 4 Curriculum Overview
Spring Term 2024

Curriculum Intent

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a unique and special place where our faith is at the heart of all we do. Our children     learn to live the Gospel values of love, forgiveness and peace.  Within our federation of Aspire London we use the National Curriculum and believe that our children deserve for it to be tailored to their needs.  With this in mind we have prioritised the things we want our children to enjoy, experience and remember during their time with us. 

Our curriculum at Aspire London has a set of ‘drivers’ developed from the deep knowledge of the pupils and their families within our School community.

The drivers which shape our curriculum ensure we give our pupils aspirational opportunities throughout their primary school years.  We provide our children with the wealth of knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community and wider world.  The breadth of our curriculum encourages pupils to be ambitious, develop an inquiring mind and a life-long love of learning.

Curriculum Drivers

Significant People:
Aspire London will:

Develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and people, past and present, who shape itProvide identifiable role models to raise ambition and aspiration

Community:
Aspire London will:

Immerse the children in the historically rich and diverse nature of LondonGive pupils an understanding of the positive impact of migration and a cultural appreciation of our community

Equality & Justice:
Aspire London will:

Empower pupils to be advocates who address issues of prejudice and discriminationEnsure pupils value fairness and resolve differences through positive discussion
Environmental Responsibility:
Aspire London will:

Educate children of the need to protect God’s planet from environmental damageCreate eco- friendly citizens who are aware of the impact of their individual actions and those of the wider world.

Spring Term 2024

English
We will read the texts ‘Arthur and the Golden Rope’ by Todd Stanton and ‘The Ice Palace’ by Robert Swindalls. We will write narratives, considering how authors have developed characters and settings in what we have read, listened to or seen performed. We will use a wide range of devices to build cohesion within and across paragraphs, using further organisational and presentational devices to structure text and to guide the reader and use correct subject and verb agreement when using singular and plural, distinguishing between the language of speech and writing and choosing the appropriate register.

Maths
During our Maths lessons we will use place value to multiply and divide mentally, including multiplying up to 3 numbers. We will learn to recognise and use factor pairs and multiply two-digit and three-digit numbers. We will solve problems including multiplying and adding to multiply two-digit numbers by one digit.  We will learn to count up and down in hundredths and recognise that hundredths arise when dividing an object by 100 and dividing tenths by ten. We will recognise equivalent fractions and add and subtract fractions with the same denominator. We will know what non-unit fractions are and calculate quantities. We will measure and find the area of rectilinear shapes.

RE
When learning about Jesus The Teacher we will consider when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple and what that trip means for us. We will learn about the Baptism of Jesus and remind ourselves of what Baptism represents for us. We will discuss how Jesus travelled to see people and teach them about the Good News.
In our topic of Jesus, The Saviour we will look at Jesus as being God and human and what this means for us. We will focus on the importance of Holy Week and the events included in this; Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Sunday. We will consider why Jesus needed to die on a cross and celebrate the importance of his resurrection.

Science
In our study of States of Matter, we will learn about solids, liquids and gases. We will experience materials changing state when they are heated ie ice, wax, water. We will look at how evaporation and condensation work and how this plays a part in the water cycle.
We will also study Sound this term. In this topic we will learn how sounds are made and how sound travels. We will experiment using a wide range of musical instruments.

History/Geography
We will be looking at the continent of Europe and its significant physical and human geographic features. We will look at weather patterns across the continent and the role of the European Union. We will focus on the European area of Spain looking at its main cities and historic landmarks.

Computing
We will learn about animations and how to create them using appropriate software.

PE
In Dance we will focus on dance sequences with a partner, improvisation and begin to develop precision and control in response to stimuli. We will be taught rhythm and spacial awareness and will use simple dance vocabulary when comparing and improving work.
In Cricket we will continue to learn rules and develop our skills.

Art
We will be working on collage and painting, using a range of brush techniques, mixing water colours and reproducing painting as a piece of collage using chosen materials.

DT
We will research a traditional European dish and create a dish based on this. We will use a range of techniques such as mashing, whisking, crushing, grating, cutting, kneading and baking and will cut, peel and grate ingredients, including measuring and weighing ingredients using measuring cups, jugs, scales. We will understand that to be active and healthy, nutritious food and drink are needed to provide energy for the body. We will understand how to prepare and cook savoury dishes safely and hygienically.

Music
We will be learning about the production of sound through the vibration of instruments. We will also investigate how the voice produces sounds and how to control our breathing when singing in order to produce the highest quality sounds.

PSHE/RSE
In learning about Keeping Myself Safe children will explore strategies for managing risks considering online safety as a priority. Children will also focus on how to limit the spread of germs.
In our topic Rules, Rights and Responsibilities we will look at how people in our school and local community stay healthy and safe. We will look at rules and those which apply across the country. Children will begin to learn about wages and payslips, looking at vocabulary such as income and expenditure, income tax, VAT and National Insurance.

Spring Term Knowledge Organisers

For speech and language resources and advice and tips for parents working at home with children who have SLCN visit:

https://speechandlanguage.info/parents

BBC Bitesize and Purple Mash are excellent resources for you to use. Click on the icon, have a look and see what you can learn!

KS2