Dear Parent/Guardian,

Welcome to Year 4! We are looking forward to an exciting year filled with new experiences, opportunities to learn and plenty of adventures along the way. Throughout the year, we will encourage the children to become increasingly independent, responsible and confident learners, whilst developing our school values of kindness, honesty, respect, responsibility and resilience.

In the Autumn Term, we dive into our ‘Water World’ topic. The children will explore the importance of water and consider how we can use and conserve this precious resource. We will discover the different oceans and seas around the world and learn about the fascinating creatures that inhabit them. The children will also investigate the water cycle and develop their understanding of why water is essential for all life on Earth. 

During the Spring Term, we travel back in time to explore ‘Invaders and Settlers’. The children will learn about the Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, developing their understanding of how these groups shaped Britain and left their mark on our history. We will explore what life was like during these different periods and investigate the evidence they left behind. The children will also have the opportunity to take part in a special Viking Day in school, supported by a visiting expert, bringing their learning to life through an immersive experience. .

In the Summer Term, we will be exploring ‘To Russia with Love’. Through our geography and history learning, the children will investigate the similarities and differences between Russia and Britain, exploring landscapes, climate, settlements and ways of life. We will also learn more about Russian culture, heritage and history, as well as exploring the work of famous Russian artists and using their ideas to inspire our own creative work.

We will also visit Castleshaw, where the children will develop their understanding of either the journey of a river or the Roman fort and its significance, depending on our focus for the visit

Swimming is another exciting part of the Year 4 journey and an important element of our PE curriculum. Once a week, the children will travel to Saddleworth Swimming Baths for their swimming lesson, where they will develop their water confidence, swimming skills and knowledge of water safety.

We are excited about all that Year 4 has to offer and look forward to seeing the children grow in confidence, independence and resilience throughout the year. We hope they enjoy every challenge, discovery and adventure along the way!

Here’s to a fantastic year of learning and new experiences!

Your Year 4 Teachers

At Knowsley Junior School, we know that children achieve their best when home and school work together. This year, we have developed our approach to home learning, informed by research from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).

Our home learning activities are designed to be purposeful, manageable and enjoyable, reinforcing classroom learning, encouraging regular reading and helping children practise key skills. We encourage children to complete activities little and often, developing their confidence, independence and positive learning habits.

Please encourage your child to take part and use their school planner to record, share and celebrate their learning at home.

Learning happens everywhere. By working together, we can help our children develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive.

• Year 3/4 Spelling Challenge – practise 5–10 Year 3 and Year 4 statutory spelling words. Can you explain their meanings, use them in sentences and find another word with a similar meaning?
• Word Detective – choose an interesting word from your reading. Find out its meaning, synonyms and antonyms. Can you create a sentence using the word correctly?
• Weekly Journal – write about something you have enjoyed, learned, wondered about or achieved during the week. Try to include interesting vocabulary, different sentence openers and accurate punctuation.
• Proofreading Challenge – choose a piece of your own writing and become a proofreading detective. Check your spelling, punctuation, grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary. Make at least three improvements.
• Picture Prompt – find an interesting photograph or picture. Write a short description or story inspired by it. Can you include expanded noun phrases, fronted adverbials and ambitious vocabulary?

• Stay Safe Online – create a poster, leaflet or short guide explaining how children can stay safe online. Include advice about passwords, personal information, chatting online and what to do if something makes you feel worried or uncomfortable.
• Healthy Choices – keep a record of some of the food and drinks you have over two days. Think about how you can make healthy choices and maintain a balanced diet. Can you identify different food groups?
• Kindness Challenge – carry out an act of kindness for someone at home, at school or in your community. Write about what you did, how it made someone feel and how it made you feel.
• Ready, Respectful, Safe – choose one of our school behaviours and show how you have demonstrated it at home. Can you give a real example of how you have been Ready, Respectful or Safe?
• Resilience Challenge – have a go at something that you find difficult. It could be learning a new skill, completing a tricky puzzle, trying a new activity or practising something you are not yet confident with. What did you do when it became difficult?

This topic follows the chronological history of Britain and combines both in depth and overview study of the Romans, Anglo Saxons, Scots and Vikings. It allows children to make connections, contrasts and note trends over time. The myths examined from across the societies are familiar due to the examination of such narratives in year 3. Locational knowledge of British counties is extended via the discussion of historical place names’ and the discovery of Oldham being an Old Norse name. At the beginning of the Spring term, our additional close proximity to the Roman Fort at Castleshaw provides children with a deeper knowledge and awareness of the history of Oldham. Children will develop an appreciation of a wide range of cultural influences and can compare the legacy of the Ancient Greeks to that of the Romans and Vikings and debate which has had the most impact in their lives. The Roman Empire is revisited when learning about Cleopatra in year 5, providing children with the opportunity to appreciate the full scale of the realm and support their chronological understanding

	School Learning Zone - Raiders and Settlers
	School Learning Zone - Roman Britain
	School Learning Zone - The Anglo SAxons
	School Learning Zone - The Vikings
	School Learning Zone - The Celts
	School Learning Zone - Ancient Greece

•   Waterworld Learning Outcomes [pdf 210KB]
•   Waterworlds Skills and Knowledge Mat [pdf 235KB]
•   Invaders and Settlers Learning Outcomes [pdf 209KB]
•   Invaders and Settlers Skills and Knowledge Mat [pdf 230KB]
•   To Russia with Love Learning Outcomes [pdf 212KB]
•   To Russia with Love Skills and Knowledge Mat [pdf 239KB]