Welcome back! I hope that everyone had a well-deserved break over half term and for those who celebrate Halloween I hope you have had a Happy Halloween! This week we have completed lots of fantastic learning. Take a look below to find out more about what we have learnt about.
Grammar
This week in Grammar we have learnt all about using apostrophes for omission. We recapped how we can use apostrophes to omit letters in certain words to create contracted words. For example, we could use an apostrophe to replace the letter 'o' in the words 'did not' to create the contracted word 'didn't'. We then practised the opposite of converting contracted words into their expanded form (converting didn't into did not). We particularly discussed how the contracted word 'should've' becomes 'should have' in its expanded form as we often get confused and assume the answer is 'should of' which is grammatically incorrect.
Arithmetic
In Arithmetic this week, we have been practising our times tables to build our fluency. Times tables are crucial to been successful in Maths as they can be used in lots of different areas. Please support your children at home by practising times tables wherever you can to help them become even more confident in recalling all of their times tables.
Maths
In Maths this week, we began the week by learning how to calculate the perimeter of rectilinear shapes. This was a particularly tricky lesson as it involved two main steps: finding any missing lengths and adding all the lengths together to find the perimeter. We then recapped this in Arithmetic the next day to ensure we were secure in calculating the perimeter of rectilinear shapes. On Tuesday, we looked at finding the area by counting squares. Y4 Manatees absolutely flew this lesson with most children reaching Platinum Challenge! We learnt about the formula 'A = w x h' to help us to calculate area and we applied this really well to our learning. On Wednesday, we learnt all about turns and angles. Yet again Y4 Manatees excelled in this lesson and produced some really high-quality work. In particular, in this lesson we focused on identifying acute angles, right angles and obtuse angles. We then used our knowledge of different angles to compare and order them on Thursday. We then finished the week on Friday by looking at the different types of triangles and their properties.
Writing
On Tuesday we were introduced to our new class text for our second Autumn term. Our new class text is 'Charlotte's Web' which is fantastic story with some really important themes running through it. On Tuesday, we completed a 'Gallery Walk' in which we moved around the classroom looking at 'context clues' which link to the text. We also learnt about where 'Charlotte's Web' is set and what life would have been like for a farmer in Maine in the 1930-1950s. On Wednesday, we read Chapters 1 and 2 of Charlotte's Web. We were introduced to the characters Fern and Wilbur and focused on these characters by considering their thoughts, feelings and emotions. Later on in the week, we read Chapter 3. After reading Chapter three, we learnt about some more high-level, context specific vocabulary which we then used in complex sentences. In this lesson in particular, Y4 Manatees produced some fantastic work which they should be so proud of. On Friday, we began to prepare for our first independent write that links to Charlotte's Web. We shall be writing a '3rd Person Narrative' so we created a narrative checklist to help us to focus in on what to include in our writing.
Science
In Science, we started our brand-new topic entitled 'Electricity'. You can see our new Science display below! This week we learnt what electricity is. We also discussed where we might see electricity in our homes. Y4 Manatees were also shocked to learn that we have electricity in our body as our brain sends electrical signals to our organs. We then created static electricity by rubbing a balloon on our hair! We then learnt all about how some items use mains electricity whereas others use batteries. Finally, we finished the lesson by learning all about why electricity is dangerous and what we can do stay safe when using or being around electricity.
History
In History this week, we started our brand-new topic entitled 'The Roman Republic'. This week we learnt all about the legend of Romulus and Remus. Romulus and Remus were twin boys who could not decide who would be the first king. They looked for signs from the gods called an omen, but these signs still didn't help them to make the decision. Ultimately, there was a battle between the twins in which Romulus killed Remus meaning he would be the first king of Rome. Y4 Manatees engaged really well with this lesson and wrote some absolutely fantastic extended pieces of writing retelling the legend. It was fascinating to learn where the word Rome came from, according to legend, and this lesson has set us up nicely for the rest of our learning within the topic.
Geography
In Geography this week we started our brand-new topic entitled 'Climate and Biomes'. We started the lesson by learning about Neil Armstrong who was the first human to land on the moon. We used this learning to consider how he would have seen where we live for the very first time! We then recapped the 7 continents of the world before focussing in on the continent of Europe. After learning about the different bodies of water in Europe we then looked at the different countries within Europe. We worked in pairs using an atlas to locate different European countries and considered whether or not the countries were landlocked. Y4 produced some really high-quality work in this lesson, so a huge well done!
We have had a very busy yet fantastic week in Y4 Manatees. We hope that everyone has a lovely weekend, and we shall see you all on Monday.
Miss Selman and Miss Marsh
Manatee WC31.10.22
