Class Teachers – Mr Rosser

Term 1 and 2

Our enquiry is: Why do people invade and settle?      

This term, the children will be exploring the big question: Why do people invade and settle? To help us investigate this, we will work through a series of mini enquiries: Romans: Who were the Romans? How did Britain resist? Where can we still see impact? What else was happening? Vikings: Who were the Vikings? Why did they invade? How did Britain resist? What impact did they have? To answer these mini-enquiry questions, students will draw upon a range of skills and apply their understanding of key concepts across multiple disciplines, including History and Geography. They will also visit Caerleon, allowing them to deepen their understanding through first-hand experiences and develop a stronger connection with the past they are studying.

English

Students will complete daily handwriting practice, focusing first on ensuring accurate letter formation and that they are joining letters correctly. Students will also participate in daily spelling sessions to ensure they consistently improve their spelling accuracy and apply their phonetic knowledge confidently. The reading lessons this term are based on three books: ‘Riddle of the Runes’ by Janina Ramirez, ‘The 1000 year old boy’ by Ross Welford and ‘Odd and the Frost Giants’ by Neil Gaiman. These lessons will develop children’s retrieval skills, help them to understand new vocabulary and enhance their inference skills. The class writing lessons this term will be based upon two books: ‘Saving the butterflies’ by Helen Cooper and ‘Varmints’ by Helen Ward. These lessons will explore literary techniques as well as grammar, and will provide opportunities to create fiction and non-fiction pieces of work.

Maths

Across the term, the children will continue to develop as mathematicians by building their understanding across a range of mathematical concepts. They will take part in daily Mastering Number sessions to help consolidate key concepts and strengthen their mathematical fluency. Year 4 and 5 pupils will be split into two groups for Maths. Myself and Mrs Ladd will each take responsibility for teaching a unit at a time, alternating between us throughout the year.

Year 4 children will also complete daily multiplication check practice to support their times table knowledge and ensure they are prepared for the end-of-year multiplication check. Families can support learning at home by encouraging children to complete short, regular practice sessions on Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRockstars).

R.E

In R.E., we are exploring how different religions and world views are connected, recognising that beliefs are not all the same. We will investigate how people with different beliefs can live together in harmony and show respect for one another. We will also explore what makes a text sacred, what scripture can teach us, and how sacred texts guide the beliefs and lives of religious communities.

PSHE

In Citizenship and Economic Wellbeing, we are exploring how to respect and connect with others, developing skills to build positive relationships. We will learn how to show respect, build trusting friendships, solve challenges, respond to bullying, and understand how stereotypes can affect the way we see others.

PE

Our P.E. days are Monday and Wednesdays
In P.E., we are developing our movement skills through coordination, balance and agility. We will improve our footwork, static and dynamic balance, and jumping and landing techniques while developing teamwork and control. We will apply these skills in football and gymnastics, building confidence and performance across different physical activities.

Science

In Science, we are exploring the properties of different materials and how they can be changed. We will investigate how materials can be grouped based on their properties, explore dissolving and separating mixtures, and use practical investigations to understand reversible and irreversible changes. Through scientific enquiry and testing, we will discover how materials are chosen for different purposes in everyday life.

Art

In Art, we are exploring architecture and developing our skills as artists and designers. We will practise observational drawing, experiment with printing techniques, and learn how architects create designs. We will explore the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser and create our own architectural designs inspired by buildings and monuments.

DT

In Design and Technology, we are exploring the digital world and developing skills in engineering, programming and design. We will learn how navigation tools work, create programmed solutions, and use 3D CAD modelling to develop our own product ideas. We will present and pitch our designs, considering how technology can solve real-world problems.

Music

In Music, we are exploring how musical motifs can be created, developed and adapted. We will learn about motifs through the theme of the Romans, explore links between music and mosaics, and develop our own musical ideas. We will combine and perform motifs, building confidence in creating and sharing compositions.

Computing

In Computing, we are developing our online safety, collaboration and programming skills. We will explore what happens when we search online and learn how to work together using digital tools such as shared documents, presentations and spreadsheets. We will also develop our coding skills using Scratch by creating, testing and evaluating our own games using variables, conditions and sensors.

Home learning

For home learning, children should be doing the following every week:

• Reading as often as possible - ideally 5 times a week. Please make a note of which book and which pages your child has read (older children can do this themselves)
• Practising times tables on TT Rockstars (go into Garage to practise at the right level)
• Spelling Shed - complete the assignment (specific words) set each week by Mr Rosser. Students ideally should aim for at least 7 games per week. Students that do will get a sticker on Friday.

TT Rockstars: https://ttrockstars.com/

Spelling Shed: https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/

Children have logins for the websites above in their reading records. Please let Mr Rosser know if the children need another copy of their log-in details.