Good afternoon everyone,

It is the start of a new year at Little Heath and I am very much looking forward to what we have planned ahead. It has been lovely getting to know the children even more in their first two days in Year 4 and they already seem completely at home in their new classroom.

Over the last two days, we have been completing a range of team-building and art activities to help them settle in and prepare for the year ahead.

This term, we will be covering the following topics within our subjects.

In English, we will be reading the text Tar Beach by Faith Ringgold. In the story, the main character, Cassie Louise Lightfoot, has a dream to be free to go wherever she wants for the rest of her life. One night, up on "tar beach," the rooftop of her family's Harlem apartment building, her dreams come true. The stars lift her up and she flies over the city, claiming the buildings and the city as her own. This beautifully written text will provide opportunities for a wide range of writing activities, including exploring imagery and rhythm through poetry, developing descriptive writing to create rich settings, and using dialogue to bring characters and events to life. We will also use the story as a stimulus for discussion about hopes, dreams and identity.

In maths, we will begin our topic on place value. The children will be learning to read and write numbers up to 10,000, recognising the value of each digit. They will compare and order numbers beyond 1,000, round numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1,000 and use number lines to represent and estimate numbers. As part of their number fluency, they will also be practising counting in multiples of 6, 7, 9, 25 and 1,000. We will introduce negative numbers in context, exploring how they can be used in real-life situations such as measuring temperature. Later in the unit, the children will look at Roman numerals up to 100 and understand how the number system has changed over time. These skills will form the basis for their work in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division as the year progresses.

In computing, our topic will be the internet. The children will begin by exploring how networks are connected and how this allows devices to communicate with one another. They will learn about the role of servers and how information is shared across the internet, including what happens when we search for something online. A key focus will be on developing their understanding of internet safety, such as recognising reliable sources of information, knowing how to respond if they encounter something inappropriate and learning about respectful communication in online spaces. This unit is designed to help children become confident and responsible users of technology.

In geography, our topic will be ‘Where does our food come from?’ The children will investigate the journey food takes from its origins to our plates, starting with locally grown produce before looking at foods that are imported from around the world. They will explore how climate, soil and location affect what can be grown in different countries and compare farming practices in the UK with those elsewhere. Through this topic, the children will also develop their geographical skills by using maps, globes and atlases to trace food journeys. We will also think about the environmental impact of food production and transport, and discuss how people can make more sustainable choices.

In PE with Mr Mills, the children will have their lessons every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this term. They will begin with football, where they will develop their passing, dribbling and teamwork skills. In gymnastics, the focus will be on balance, control and creating sequences of movements. Later in the term, they will move on to basketball and netball, learning to play both competitively and cooperatively, with an emphasis on tactics and fair play.

In music with Mrs Lawrence, the children will be exploring rhythmic patterns. They will use body percussion and instruments to create their own patterns, as well as listening to a range of musical examples to identify rhythms. Alongside this, they will be preparing songs for our Harvest celebration, which will allow them to practise singing with control, expression and confidence.

In art with Mrs Edwards, the children will begin with the theme of ‘light and dark’ using painting and mixed media. They will learn how artists use contrast, tone and shading to create mood and atmosphere. The children will experiment with a variety of materials and techniques to develop their own pieces, building on their understanding of how light and shadow can transform an image.

In RE with Mrs Edwards, the children will explore festivals, traditions and key events in life. They will discuss the importance of celebrations in different religions and cultures and how these events bring people together. They will also consider symbolic expression in prayer and worship, looking at how different faiths use objects, words and actions to show their beliefs.

In Spanish, the children will begin the topic of dates. They will learn the days of the week, months of the year and how to say the date in full. This will give them opportunities to practise pronunciation and sentence structure, as well as using the language in simple conversations.

Each Monday, I will be sending out the children’s spellings for the week, and these will be tested on the Friday. In the next couple of weeks, the children will also be set their half-termly project once they have been properly introduced to their topics.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all more in the weeks ahead.

Thank you for your continued support.