Spring B
Week 5
The Easter countdown has truly begun this week but there's been plenty more to keep Year 4 busy! In their reading lessons, they loved visualising the text of Sam Wu Is Afraid of Sharks- ignore their teacher's efforts! It was a delight to welcome so many of their adults to the Reading Awards and Spring Craft Fair, giving the children the chance to be the teacher for once. On Friday, many of the children marked the holy festival of Eid al-Fitr, celebrating the completion of thirty days of fasting in Ramadan: celebrate they did, with wonderful music, games and the most delicious festive treats! Finally, they put their artistic skills to good use, designing Eater Eggs for the chance to win an Easter Hamper from Vision for Education- fingers crossed!
Week 4
Spring has sprung and the upturn in the weather has provided Year 4 with far more opportunities for outdoor learning. As part of their Personal Development, they went litter picking and thought about the many things we can do everyday for our shared environment. In science, they turned up the heat by demonstrating the behaviour of molecules in different states of matter when we add and withdraw heat, while this month's Star Scientist led an experiment in evaporation- watch this space! Their ceilidh practice goes from strength to strength, and they enjoyed some cardio and gymnastic exercise out on the track. To round off the week, Year 4 enjoyed a variety of Comic Relief activities, putting the fun into fundraising. Fingers crossed the sun holds out!
Week 3
What an incredible week it's been in Year 4! Having got their heads around the movement of tectonic plates, they caused some Earth tremors themselves by practising their dribbling and passing skills in basketball, learning how to use the inner square of the backboard to make their throws more accurate. The highlight of the week came in the form of their visit to the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House Museum and Tynemouth Aquarium! The volunteers and staff were so generous with their time and expertise, and all were impressed with the children's breadth of knowledge, intelligent questions and lovely manners. The children met many denizens of the deep (as well as a couple of cheeky monkeys!) and got hands on, thanks to a starfish session with guide Sophie. Congratulations and thanks to everyone involved!
Week 2
It's been an exciting week in Year 4! Monday kicked off with a session focussing on teamwork in sport, showcasing the different ways working together can improve problem solving skills and achievement by recognising everyone's talents and building communication strategies. World Book Day saw the children don their comfy clothes and head down to Reception, proving themselves to be excellent story-tellers and mentors to the younger children- definitely more than a few future teachers there! In PE, Year 4 went back to basics, practising those balance skills, hand-eye coordination drills and target games that benefit every sport in short drills to improve fitness and boost success. On Thursday, the children were delighted to rehearse their Ceilidh steps, running rings around each other and reeling at their new-found footwork. They rounded off the week by animating their split-pin art, using stop-motion animation to bring tropical islands and seascapes to life. Let's hope for the same weather!
Week 1
Year 4 have made a terrific start to the new half term! For DT Week, Year 4 have investigated the importance of seasonal eating; they were quite surprised to learn the distance some of their food has to travel, and the impact on the environment it has. Rolling up their sleeves, they learnt the rudiments of chopping and peeling, and put their newfound skills to the test: preparing puff pastry apple tartlets and making use of seasonal produce closer to home. As you can see, the proof of the pudding was in the eating! Always ready to put their best foot forward, they had great fun learning some of the basic steps of the Ceilidh in their PE dance lesson. Well done all!
