Year Four

English

In Year 4, we continue with a traditional approach to the teaching of English with weekly lessons in grammar, spelling, creative writing, comprehension, handwriting and verbal reasoning. The children begin the year working in pencil but when the formation of their letters and joins is correct, they will begin to work in pen – initially during handwriting lessons. They love working towards their ‘pen licence’ which means they can use a pen instead of a pencil when writing in their English books. In Grammar lessons, they follow a programme of study based on the National Curriculum requirements and they continue to be presented with a variety of genres when writing. Playscripts are important in Year 4 as they become more proficient at writing direct speech. Verbal reasoning skills are consolidated and reinforced this year, in preparation for the practice papers which begin in Year 5, and the children are given 16 weekly spellings to learn and be tested on.

Reading continues to play an essential part this year as success in this area can lead to greater success in all areas of the curriculum. The children continue to read aloud to an adult, both in school and at home, and are encouraged in their independent reading with the Junior Awards as part of the Highfield Reading Stars (continuing from Year 3). Weekly reading sessions in the school library also take place, along with class readers where the children take turns in reading aloud to the class. We introduce increasingly challenging texts to entertain and stimulate the children in their comprehension lessons. They read and discuss a wide variety of fiction, poetry, plays and non-fiction and gain a greater awareness of the purpose of each text. They look at how the language, structure and presentation of a text can contribute to its meaning and its enjoyment for the reader. We encourage challenging questions and lively discussions as the children work to gain a deeper understanding of character and plot. In Year 4, children work hard to extend their vocabulary through wider reading so that they can use interesting and appropriate words with confidence in their written work.

Mathematics

Our Maths curriculum aims to help our children to become confident and independent thinkers, computers and problem solvers. We dedicate a double period each week to dealing with one and two step real-life word problems and mathematical investigations. We also dedicate a weekly lesson to both timed Mental Arithmetic tests and Times Tables. We teach our children the formal methods for addition, subtraction, multiplication and division and Year Four focus their attention on the following mathematical skills:

• Counting and understanding number (including decimals and fractions)
• Calculating (including money)
• Position and transformation
• Measuring
• Data Handling

The children practise non-verbal reasoning tests and they sit a CATS paper in March to assist with pupil tracking, progression and development.

They also sit a formal Summer Exam in Mathematics.

Humanities and General Knowledge

At Highfield, we aim to teach a curriculum that helps children to make sense of the world around them. We dedicate time each week to discussing current affairs, world affairs and world geography. We want to ensure that children know who the major political leaders are as well as who the great historical leaders and thinkers were. We want them to know the names and locations of rivers and mountains as well as countries. We want them to be able to understand a basic chronology of historic events. In short, we want our children to have a knowledge of the world and not just a curriculum. We encourage our children to take note of the news and the newspapers and in HPSED they take this further and become news reporters.

Religious Education

Throughout Year Four, our children explore the religions that are practised in our neighbourhood. They also focus on developing a greater understanding of Hindu worship, Christmas journeys and the celebration of Easter. Once again, our aim is to help our children to be aware, knowledgeable and tolerant of all faiths that are practised within our community.

Science

The children enjoy their Science lessons in our Science laboratory and their study of living things in our outdoor classroom: Highfield Haven. We are looking to develop their curiosity and their investigative skills as well as teaching our pupils the tools they require for accurate observation and recording of data. In Year Four, the children study the following topics:

Living things and their environments
Animals (including humans)
Materials – properties and changes
Sound
Electricity
The children sit end of topic assessments throughout the year in Science.

French

Our children are taught French by a native French speaker which really helps them to speak with the correct accent from their first introduction to the language. The focus for the Year 4 topics is Home. The children learn about the family and pets and enjoy creating a family tree. They also learn the vocabulary for the house and furniture and create a blueprint of their own house. The theme also includes looking at the map of France and its neighbouring countries.

PHSE

As an essential part of the curriculum, PHSE is covered through circle time sessions which allow the children to ask and answer any questions and discuss any problems the children may be struggling to deal with in the appropriate way. The children also have a dedicated lesson each week. There are 3 core themes to the curriculum which cover a variety of topics within them. These are:

Health and Wellbeing - Health, Healthy Lifestyles, Nutrition & Food, Aspirations, Emotions, Safety, Growing & Changing and First Aid

Relationships - Communication, Collaboration, Bullying, Similarities & Differences and Healthy Relationships

Living in the Wider World - Rules & Responsibilities, Diversity, Discrimination, Economic awareness

These core themes are supplemented with work on the Fundamental British Values (FBV)

• The Rule of Law
• Mutual Respect
• Individual Liberty
• Democracy
• Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs

ICT

Internet safety is a core topic of Year 4 and is focused on online communication through both apps and online games. Scratch programming is a core topic that the children really do enjoy. This software allows the children to explore how simple commands can be used to create exciting games and animations. Bitmap images are covered and a focus on designing for a target audience is explored.

Music and The School Choir

In Music, our children explore the History of Music and famous composers. They also develop an understanding and appreciation of music from different times and different cultures. Their exploration of musical elements and musical notation helps them in their practical work and in their private instrumental lessons.

All children are encouraged to audition for our very popular school choir which meets each Friday lunchtime to rehearse. We are very proud of our school choir and we enjoy hearing it perform for a variety of events at many different venues throughout the year.

Each term, Miss Macklam produces a Musical Assembly which gives our budding musicians a chance to perform in front of an audience. It is always very rewarding to see how our musicians progress and gain confidence from year to year.

Highfield Public Speaking, Elocution and Drama (HPSED)

In Year Four, the focus in the first term is on preparing for a dramatic performance which will take place on The Landmark Theatre stage in Preston. For many, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and one that they will never forget. Every child is given lines to perform and a great deal of focus is spent on building confidence and self-belief. We join together with Ms Burns’ dancers from Reception through to Year 6 so that the finished performance is a real spectacle to behold. The children are involved in the whole process of staging a production and help with the decision making in lighting, costume, sound and special effects. They have a tour of the theatre and their favourite part is being shown to their dressing rooms which have lights around the mirrors and make them feel like stars…which of course they are!

At Highfield we have created our own brand of Speech and Drama exams which are tailor-made to equip our children to speak with confidence and purpose throughout their lives. In the Spring Term, the children become news reporters and are examined in “Speaking to Inform” as they present their news bulletins. In the Summer Term, the focus is on “Speaking to Persuade” as the children learn how to present an argument for or against a given topic choosing their words carefully. They learn when to deal in facts and when emotive language is more effective. They are once again examined in this discipline. At the end of the year, the children are presented with a medal to wear on the lapel of their blazer which bears the level they have achieved across the three disciplines.

PE 

In Year Four, our children enjoy a double games lesson and a morning of swimming each week. They are all given the opportunity to take part in competitive fixtures against other schools as well as valuable time spent learning key skills in the following disciplines: Gymnastics, Dance, Invasion Games, Striking / Fielding Games, Athletics and Net/wall games. Fixtures are played in Football, Netball, Hockey, Rugby, Rounders and Cricket as well as inter-school competitions in Swimming, and Athletics.

Homework

Year Four pupils are given two pieces of homework each night and it is expected that a child will work for 20 minutes on each piece.

Weekly spellings are given out on a Friday and are tested on the following Friday.

Children are encouraged to read each night.