Hawthorn Class Learning
English
In English this term we are learning about:
We are going to be moving our learning forward in English via some new and exciting texts. We’ll read ‘The Most Magnificent Thing’ by Ashley Spires, ‘Flat Stanley and the Great Egyptian Grave Robbery’, by Jeff Brown ‘Malala’s Magic Pencil’ by Malala Yousafzai and watching a short story called Marshmallows which will inspire our writing. We will also welcome a poet into school – Ray Douglas – to help us write a poem about Winter. We will develop our knowledge of grammar by learning how to successfully use inverted commas when a person is speaking and how to include prepositions of time, place and manner. Year 3 will be introduced to headings and subheadings to support them writing a leaflet about Ancient Egypt and Year 4 will continue their understanding of using exciting vocabulary and using further fronted adverbials to make their writing cohesive.
Foundation Subjects
This term the foundation subjects we are learning about are:
Computing: Emailing
We will be learning what an email is, how to send an email and how to add an attachment. We will be writing emails to our classmates and learning about appropriate use of email.
Art: Ancient Egyptian Crafts
Linking with our History study, children will develop design and craft skills taking inspiration from Ancient Egyptian art and pattern and paper making.
D& T: Pneumatic Toys
We will be looking at the history of pneumatic systems and mechanisms. We will then design and make a pneumatic toy and evaluate it.
Music: Singing and Pentatonic Melodies
We will be singing and moving as a group and will learn about minims, crotchets and quavers. Children will be matching music to movement and accurately notating and playing a pentatonic melody.
PSHE: Families and relationships.
The areas we will be studying in particular are: healthy lifestyles, belonging, communicating feelings and happiness. As we move through the term we will also look at spending choices, money and wellbeing, jobs and careers and gender and careers.
RE: What do different people believe about God?
(Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Muslim)
We will learn about stories from sacred texts belong to those from the Hindu, Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith. We will look at how these religions describe God. We will identify some similarities and differences between ideas about what God is like in different religions.
PE: Hockey, Yoga, Orienteering (Y3 only), Dodgeball and Swimming (Y4 only)
In hockey, children will learn how to pass, dribble and shoot. They will begin to understand tactics and be able to play effectively as a team in a game of hockey. In Orienteering, children will learn how to follow a map of a familiar route, solve problems work as a team and communicate effectively. Edstart will teach Yoga and Dodgeball.
Spanish: Spanish culture, colours, instructions and classroom items
We are learning to use simple Spanish words and phrases, recognise colours and sizes, and explore Spanish culture and landmarks. We are learning to follow instructions, name classroom items, use un/una, form short sentences with tengo/no tengo, read simple Spanish, and write about a rucksack.
Geography: Settlements
In Geography, we will be learning about different types of settlements and land use, locate the regions of the UK, and identify key physical and human features. We will explore how places change over time, compare regions, and understand how physical features and environments affect how people live.
History: Ancient Egyptians
Children will investigate ancient civilisations and learn about the location of Ancient Egypt. They study the interesting gods and goddesses of this ancient civilisation and the process of mummification. They will learn about the importance of the River Nile.
Maths
In Spring term, we are going to begin with multiplication and division. In this unit we will cover, recognising and using factor pairs and commutativity in mental calculations for the year 4s, multiples of 10 for the year 3s and multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100 for the year 4s. The year 3s will learn how to reason about multiplication and the year 4s will learn how multiply 3 numbers. We will also look at efficient multiplication methods for the year 4s and scaling for the year 3s. The short multiplication method is going to be introduced for the first time, initially in expanded form and then in the formal short single-line form. Later in this unit, the children will explore calculations related to known multiplication and division facts. Finally, we will look at dividing up to a 3-digit number by a 1-digit number for the year 4s and a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number for the year 3s. We will begin with no exchanges and introduce exchanges as the children show understanding.
The second unit is length and perimeter. We will explore measuring objects around the classroom in millimetres and centimetres. The year 4s will be introduced to kilometres and the abbreviation km. They will begin to understand the appropriate units of measurement for objects and be able to convert between units of measure. The children will learn how to measure, compare, add and subtract lengths, mass and volume/capacity. We will measure the perimeter of simple 2-D shapes for the year 3s and measure and calculate the perimeter of a rectilinear figure (including squares) in centimetres and metres for the year 4s. The year 4 children will learn how to find the perimeter of regular and irregular polygons.
Next, we will look at fractions. The year 3s will learn how to recognise, find and write fractions of a discrete set of objects: unit fractions and non-unit fractions with small denominators as well as comparing and ordering unit fractions, and fractions with the same denominators. The year 4s will learn how to count beyond 1 whole and use number lines with mixed numbers. The year 4s will also partition a mixed number. They will also begin to understand improper fractions and how to convert mixed numbers to improper fractions. The year 3s will recognise and show, using diagrams, equivalent fractions with small denominators and the year 4s will recognise and show, using diagrams, families of common equivalent fractions.
We will learn about mass and capacity. The year 3s will learn how to measure mass in kilograms and grams. They will also learn about equivalent masses in these units. The children will learn how to compare, add and subtract mass. From here, we will revisit fractions. The children will start by adding fractions. The year 4s will add and subtract fractions with the same denominators. The year 3s will add and subtract fractions with the same denominator within one whole.
Science
This half term we will be exploring how sound is made using different musical instruments from around the world and recording observations in a results table. We will look at how sounds travel through different mediums to the ear and investigate how vibration strength and distance affect the volume and pitch. Finally, we investigate which materials make the best insulators.
In the second half of the spring term, our topic will be living things, classification and habitats. We will explore the different ways that living things can be grouped and create keys. Children will explore different habitats and their inhabitants as well the impact the humans have on habitats.
