WC23.01.23

This week has absolutely flown by! Take a look below at some of our amazing learning from this week!

Grammar

In Grammar this week we have looked at verb inflections. We learnt how to use 'was' and 'were' in sentences to ensure that we write using Standard English. We discussed how often when we speak we use the incorrect verb in sentences, but that it is important to use sentences that are grammatically correct in writing. We learnt that 'was' is a singular verb used in sentences with a singular subject and that 'were' is a plural verb used in sentences with a plural subject.

Writing

In Writing this week, we have started a new genre of writing. For our next independent write we shall be writing a biography all about the life and achievements of Nelson Mandela. On Wednesday, we learnt what a biography is and why people write them. We then looked at a WAGOLL biography of Nelson Mandela and created a feature checklist to help us understand what makes a biography a successful piece of writing. On Wednesday, we also conducted some research into the life of Nelson Mandela using the categories 'Early Life', 'Apartheid and Segregation', 'Jail' and 'Presidency'. Y4 Manatees were really interested in the life and achievements of Nelson Mandela and showed enthusiasm when researching all about his life. On Thursday, we practised using the skill of past tense to write about the Early Life of Rosa Parks who fought for the rights of Black people just like Nelson Mandela did. On Friday, we then used high-level context specific vocabulary to describe the racial segregation in America

Arithmetic

In Arithmetic this week we have consolidated our learning based on converting improper fractions to mixed numbers and mixed numbers to improper fractions. These can be quite tricky skills, however we have built our fluency throughout the week and it was great to see that some children had continued their learning at home to really help consolidate their learning. A huge well done!

Maths

In Maths this week, we have continued with our Y4 Maths topic of 'Fractions'. We began the week by learning all about equivalent fraction families using fraction walls to support our learning. We then learnt how to find equivalent fractions by multiplying the denominator and numerator by the same number. On Wednesday, we learnt how to add fractions with the same denominator this is a relatively easy skill, however we discussed the importance of understanding what is means when we add together two fractions. We also approached some tricky problem solving questions to help deepen our understanding of adding fractions. Towards the end of the week we then moved onto subtracting fractions with the same denominator.

History

In History we continued with our topic all about 'The Roman Empire'. This week we learnt all about the achievements of the different Roman Emperors. We recapped our learning about Augustus and learnt that during his reign there was a time of peace. We also learnt all about the emperor Claudius who had a limp and had trouble speaking. This meant that the senate thought they could control him because they assumed he was weak when in fact Claudius was very cunning and even expanded the Roman Empire successfully adding Britain where Julius Caesar once visited. We then learnt all about the last member of the Caesar family who became emperor and his name was Nero. Nero loved singing and games, but he was very cruel and violent. When he was singing no one was allowed to leave until he had finished. Whilst Nero was Emperor, The Great Fire of Rome swept through Rome killing thousands and leaving many homeless. This was Nero's opportunity to rebuild Rome. We then finished the lesson by learning a little bit about Titus who was the emperor who completed the construction of the very famous monument the Colosseum.

Geography

In Geography this week we continued with our topic entitled 'The Rhine and the Mediterranean'. This week we learnt all about the Rotterdam port. We learnt that the Rotterdam port is the largest and busiest port in Europe and this is why it is sometimes called 'The Gateway to Europe'. We learnt that every day, thousands of goods are imported and exported from around the world into Rotterdam port and why this makes it such an important place. Y4 Manatees engaged really well with this lesson and they developed a good understanding of how goods travel around the world to get to Europe. Well done Manatees!

Science

In Science this week we learnt all about how temperature is measured. We learnt that thermometers are used to tell us how hot or cold something is. We then practised the skill of reading thermometer scales. After learning all about thermometers, we then measured the temperature of different objects and places around school including the playground, hall, classroom and even the water from our classroom tap!

Art

In Art this week we continued with our topic entitled 'Insects'. This week we made some amazing shadow puppets. Take a look at these pictures from both Y4 classrooms in which we tested out our shadow puppet!

Thank you for taking the time to read this weeks blog! Enjoy your weekend and we shall see you all on Monday!

Miss Selman and Miss Marsh