In English this half term, the children will be exploring the book Arthur and the Golden Rope by Joe Todd-Stanton. This story will link with our history learning about Anglo-Saxons and Scots.

"Imagine a vault so cavernous that it could contain all the world's greatest treasures and relics, from mummified remains of ancient monarchs to glistening swords brandished by legendary warriors. Who could be in charge of such a vault and how did he come into possession of such a unique collection? Who is...Professor Brownstone?"

The children will be drawn into this beautifully illustrated book which is a cross between a picture book and a graphic novel.  It is a highly engaging book that offers an introduction to Norse mythology. Through the lessons we will work on building our sentence accuracy and developing new skills to make our writing more interesting.  We will use the techniques demonstrated by the author to write our very own myth narrative.

Reading

Children will take part in guided reading sessions each week in which we explore and respond to a variety of quality texts, including activities which will build our verbal and written comprehension skills.  Those children who are still learning the fundamental skills of decoding will continue to take part in Read Write Inc. phonics sessions and will take home books linked to their development and learning from these sessions. Children who are fluent and confident readers will have access to a wide range of books to choose from for their reading.  Every child will visit our wonderful library and take home a book of their choice to read independently or share with their family each week.

Reading is an integral part of our learning in Dolphin Class. We love our class story time as it is really cosy when we all sit together and share a story.  We like thinking about the characters and plots and discovering new vocabulary that we can use in our own writing.  We have a wonderful reading area full of a wide range of quality texts outside our classroom that children are encouraged to explore freely, voluntarily and with delight.  We use Wise about Words techniques to share and explore stories and to promote a deeper love of stories amongst our children. It helps us to develop a richer vocabulary, build confidence and increase emotional literacy. Immersing our children in stories and drama will help them to overcome barriers to their learning.  We want our children to love to read and explore books because reading is an adventure that never ends.

This half term we will be learning about fractions.  The children will use concrete and pictorial methods to understand what a fraction is in terms of equal parts making up a whole.  We will learn how to identify fractions of shapes and of numbers and how to add and subtract fractions.  We will make links between fractions, decimals and percentages. We will also continue to develop our mental multiplication and division skills through our daily practice on TT Rockstars.

This half term we will have a history focus and will be learning about the invasions of the Scots and Anglo-Saxons in the 5th century. We will find out where the invading troops came from and where in Britain they managed to settle and then will go on to investigate how life in Britain changed as a result. We will broaden our horizons by learning how the Anglo-Saxons influenced the English language, with an emphasis on the origins of some English place names, and learn what life was like in a typical Anglo-Saxon village, what jobs people did and what the houses were like. We will also explore the Pagan beliefs of the early Anglo-Saxons and learn about the many gods they worshipped. 

This term we will be exploring the topic of Living Things and their Habitats. The children will learn to recognise the variety of ways that living things can be grouped, sorted and classified and to identify similarities and differences between living things. They will recognise and classify vertebrate animals into mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish and describe the characteristics of different invertebrate groups, using and creating classification keys to help group, identify and name living things.  By the end of the unit the children will be able to explain how environmental changes can impact living things, identify why certain species have become endangered and explain what humans are doing to help.

This half-term we will be focusing on the question, 'Where do Christian beliefs come from?'.  The children will have the opportunity to explore different sources of authority to look at how different religious beliefs can be influenced. They will learn about how Christians use the BIble as a source of truth and belief. 

Pupils in Dolphin Class will be learning about 'My Beliefs'. We will learn about challenging gender stereotypes and about how differences and similarities between people can arise from a number of factors including family and personal identity.

This will also be a focus in our Wise About Words sessions where we will explore different social situations through drama and role play and discuss the best courses of action and the possible outcomes.

In Art, the children will be focusing on collage. They will learn to investigate the nature and qualities of different collage materials and processes systematically. They will be able to experiment with a range of collage techniques such as tearing, overlapping and layering to create images and represent textures.

In D.T., children will be focusing on making. They will learn to identify and select appropriately from a range of tools, equipment, components and materials. They will learn the importance of using equipment safely and accurately and how to follow hygiene procedures.

This term, children will have the opportunity to build upon the knowledge and skills gained in KS1 and compose different rhythm patterns and transfer these to tuned instruments. They will learn to rap and play rhythmically and explore dynamic contrast. They will also be developing their listening skills by identifying the notes in a simple melody. They will listen to music by different composers, broadening their horizons outside the music they may usually listen to.

We will be continuing our learning how to use Google Classroom this half term. This is a very important skill as Kittiwake Class use Google Classroom for learning, as do the high schools.  We will learn how to access Google Classroom, how to access and complete assignments and how to hand in work. We will also learn about how to use Google Docs so that children are able to complete tasks confidently and independently.

We will continue our MFL journey into learning Spanish this half term.  We will be studying the unit 'People Around Me'.  We will learn how to identify and introduce some of their relations, name some common pets and recognise some of the letters of the Spanish alphabet.

Outdoor learning will take place on Thursday afternoons. It is important that your child comes dressed in long sleeves and trousers and has a change of footwear.  We are so lucky to have our own woodland on-site and so the children have the opportunity to access outdoor learning every week.  Having our own woodland gives children the opportunity to develop their respect for the natural world, which ties in with our core values.  They develop resilience and problem-solving skills through challenges and wild play in the woods, as well as broadening their horizons by learning and developing their outdoor survival skills such as shelter building and fire lighting.  

P.E. lessons take place twice a week, with Tuesday afternoon sessions being led by Miss Clarke (Mrs Morrell will be leading these this half term) and Wednesday morning sessions led by Mrs Morrell.  The units this half term are fitness and basketball.  Over the course of this term, children in Dolphin Class will have the opportunity to go for swimming lessons at Alderman Peel High School.

Class Dojo is our main form of communication with parents. If you have not yet signed up for Class Dojo and would like to, please do not hesitate to come and see us.  We are more than happy to help if you are having difficulty accessing this.  It's a great space where you can view photos, videos and information about all the amazing things that are happening in our classroom and around the school. It gives you the chance to see what your children have been learning in school each week, giving you the opportunity to talk to them at home about what they have been doing.

Home learning in Dolphin class is about reading every day either to an adult, a sibling or to themselves.

The year four children will be undertaking the National times table check in the summer term and it is essential they practice their times tables regularly (they can use TT Rockstars for this).

There is a pick and mix homework menu which enriches the discovery learning we are doing in class. Pick a task, complete it and post your work on Dojo by Wednesday.

Please make sure all of your child’s possessions are labelled. Children do not need to bring toys or pencil cases into school. Children should wear PE kit to school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Woodland is on Thursday and children need to wear sturdy, outdoor clothing.