Blackbirds 2024 - 2025

Welcome to Blackbirds Class

We are a Year 3/4 class taught by Mrs Mckenzie and Mrs Armitt.

This is what we will be learning in the Autmn term:

Maths:

YEAR 3

Number and place value; addition and subtraction; multiplication and division

YEAR 4

Number and place value; addition and subtraction; measurement; multiplication and division

English:

We will develop our reading and writing skills across a range of genres and text types using high quality texts.

The children will write a setting storm narrative and a newspaper report of a sighting of a marine mammal inspired by The Whale by Vita Murrow.

Then we will be creating a narrative of an outsider making a journey and an information report on polar bears. These will be inspired by the book Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann.

We will be focusing on prepositions, subordinate clauses, direct speech and the use of inverted commas.

In addition, we will have regular ’Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar’ sessions and we will have weekly Guided Reading and Handwriting sessions following the ‘twinkl’ scheme of ‘continuous cursive’.

Science:

Electricity

The children will learn about common electrical appliances and how to construct simple series circuits. They will become familiar with the key words linked to the topic and how to apply them appropriately. Blackbirds Class will learn about cells, wires, bulbs and buzzers and about the different types of switches. They will be able to troubleshoot and identify whether or not a bulb will light in a simple series circuit and be able to identify a complete circuit. The children will also learn about conductors and insulators and know that metals are very good electrical conductors.

Living Things and Habitats

The children will explore a variety of ways to identify, sort, group and classify living things. They will learn how animals are split into 'vertebrates' and 'invertebrates' and begin to consider the differences between living things within these classifications. They will use and create classification keys to group, identify and name living things from the local habitat and beyond.

History:

Vikings and Anglo-Saxons

The children will about the raids and invasions by Vikings in Anglo-Saxon Britain, who the Vikings were as well as when and where they raided and settled. They will learn about significant events from the period and order these chronologically on a timeline. The children will find out about the Anglo-Saxon kings who ruled during the 'Viking Age' and examine their influence and significance in British history. In addition to this, they will learn about the Anglo-Saxon justice system, explore everyday Viking life, houses, clothes and food they ate.

Geography:

Water

The children be learning about the water cycle and the processes of evaporation and condensation through a range of practical activities. By considering water as a finite resource, they are introduced to the ideas of conservation and consider some of the issues surrounding supplying clean drinking water to a growing global population.

Computing:

Branching Databases

The children will learn about what data is. They will begin to recognise examples of data around them in their classroom and home. The children will revisit personal data and begin to think about the different types of personal data that can be used to identify them. They will understand the importance of keeping personal data safe. Data science will be introduced and the children will think about different ways in which data is stored. The children will learn that large amounts of data can be stored in a logical way in a structure known as a database and they will consider everyday examples of databases. Finally, the children will be introduced to a branching database. They will look at examples of databases in the real world.

Online Searchers and Surfers

The children will learn about what the Internet is, how the Internet works and the three different types of connections that can be used. They will then have the opportunity to explore web browsers and search engines, learning how to detect if a web page can be trusted whilst also ensuring that they know how to stay safe online. Finally, they will learn how to copy and paste images from the web and complete their own scavenger hunt project at the end of the unit.

Art:

Autumn

The children will use pencil, colour, paint, print, collage and paper to create quality art work that shows progression in skills. They will also have the opportunity to explore works by Matisse and by Cezanne.

Design and Technology:

Battery Operated Lights

The children will be using their knowledge of electrical systems, understanding about series and parallel circuits and different types switches. We will be designing and making a battery-operated light which will be controlled by a homemade switch.

Religious Education:

Islam

We will be learning about how special Allah is to Muslims and Allah’s 99 names.

Christianity

The children will be learning about incarnation and whether Christmas has lost its true meaning.

M.F.L:

Family and Friends

The children will learn how to identify and introduce family and pets and spell their names. They will also learn the names for places in their own home. 

Music:

Poetry, Environment and Sounds

We develop performance and rhythm of poems. We will look at composition using the seasons as a stimulus, then moving on to how sounds are produced and classified.

P.S.H.E.:

Y3:

TEAM

The children will identify the impact their actions have on the team they are working in. They will learn about successful teamwork skills, being considerate of others in the team and how to positively resolve any conflicts that occur.

Money Matters

The children will be encouraged to think about where money comes from and how it can be used. We will discuss how we spend money, why people might need to borrow money and the consequences of this.

Y4:

Be Yourself

The children will explore the idea that it is important to have confidence to be yourself. We will encourage children to identify their strengths and achievements as well as help them to recognise different emotions they experience.

One World

The children will learn about a case study of a fictional girl called Chiwa, who lives in Malawi. They will explore different aspects of her life in each lesson exploring the idea that people’s life experiences and opportunities differ throughout the world and that our actions can have both positive and harmful effects on people living in different countries.

Physical Education:

Outdoor P.E. days are on Mondays and indoor P.E. is on a Tuesday.

Strike and Field Cricket and Invasion Games

The children will learn the fundamental skills of both batting and bowling, developing their ability to hit and strike a ball towards different areas of a cricket ground, as well as learning the technique for bowling overarm from a standing position. Children will develop their fielding skills by learning how to catch balls travelling along different trajectories or pathways and will be introduced to the different ways of stopping a ball travelling along the ground.  

The sessions will be led by a Sport’s Coach.

Gymnastics and Dance

For gymnastics the class will learn how to perform a variety of floor and vault movements while developing their understanding of the necessary flexibility, strength and control needed to perform the movements successfully. In Dance sessions, the children will learn a variety of dance techniques, taking inspiration from the topic of the Romans. They will learn to dance in unison and in canon and will discover how to use expression in their dancing in order to fit the mood of a performance.

On these days, the children will need to come to school dressed in their P.E. uniform: navy shorts and light blue t-shirt; navy tracksuit and light blue t-shirt. No logos or football kits. Trainers should be plain black or plain white. All long hair should be tied back and earrings should be removed.

Homework:

Maths: Maths homework will be set via Class DoJo on a Friday to be completed by the following Wednesday. It is so important to practise Times Tables Rockstars as this will really help your child with later Maths topics of Fractions, Perimeter, Money and Time. Our aim is to improve instant recall of key multiplication and related division facts.

English: English homework will be set via Class Dojo on a Friday to be completed by the following Wednesday. We ask that the children also engage frequently with Spelling Shed to practise their spellings.

Reading: At Weston, we encourage children to develop a lifelong love for reading. We ask for children to read regularly at home to adults and to themselves. Reading is fundamental to the wider academic and personal development of children and the need for children to read widely from a broad and challenging range of texts is crucial. Children will be able to select from or will be provided with quality texts appropriate for their age and ability.