Class 4

Welcome to Class 4 ! I am Mrs Chandler and I teach class 4 full time. Mrs Webb is with us every morning. Mrs Nocera is the class teacher on a Wednesday afternoon, whilst I have my PPA time.

This is my second year at Aldbury but my 20^th year of teaching.

I enjoy building relationships with children and ensuring that they feel supported and nourished. I maintain a calm and positive atmosphere in which children feel able to take risks with their learning and build up their confidence. 

My passions are art and history. I am also a professional face and body artist and a tutor for A level history. Outside of work, I enjoy travelling and spending time with friends and family. 

The fastest way to contact me is through Dojo messaging; I will respond quickly. I am happy to make appointments to discuss any issues face to face after school.  I hope that this page will keep parents and carers up to date with all the exciting things that are happening in Class 4. 

I am looking forward to another wonderful year with my class 4 superstars and sharing all the adventures that are part of the UKS2 experience

Autumn 2024 Subjects/Topics

English

The first book we will be looking at is The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. In 1974, French aerialist Philippe Petit threw a tightrope between the two towers of the World Trade Center and spent an hour walking, dancing, and performing high-wire tricks a quarter mile in the sky. This picture book captures the poetry and magic of the event with a poetry of its own: lyrical words and lovely paintings that present the detail, daring, and the vertiginous drama of Petit's feat. This tale of daring, written in lyrical prose by Mordecai Gerstein is based on the true exploits of daredevil Philippe Petit. Children will be enthralled by the poetic language used to portray this magical feat, as well as by the detailed illustrations – including two foldout spreads of the New York skyline.  The book was the winner of the 2004 Caldecott Medal and the Boston Globe-Horn Award for Picture Books. There are links to the history and DT curriculums and will spark discussions around the themes of justice, recognition and following your dreams. 

After this book the next one we will be exploring is The Promise by Nicola Davies.  Through the sequence of learning, children will discuss the concept of promises, making their own and exploring how a seed can hold a promise within.  Children will investigate the impact of using a range of modal verbs and specific punctuation choices, as well as building their vocabulary to create figurative phrases to write poetry.  The Writing Root will culminate in children writing their own sequel in the form of a narrative poem to continue the story cycle. This engaging picture book presents a cyclical tale of life, growth and repair which continues its journey beyond the last page of the book.  Laura Carlin’s illustrations and use of colour to depict particular moods and emotions, tell deep layers of the story and children will develop inference skills as they read both the text and images alongside one another.  Nicola Davies is a prolific children’s author who focuses on important themes around the environment and conservation. 

After half term we are also exploring the books Rain Player and The Tempest.

Computing

Our first topic this term is called 'We are architects'. In this unit, students will explore art gallery architecture and use Trimble SketchUp to design their own virtual gallery. They will start by researching existing galleries and sketching their ideas. Next, they will build their virtual gallery, create 3-D sculptures, and design furniture and fixtures. They will then hang their own artwork in the gallery and finish by creating a virtual tour. This project integrates research, design, and technology, allowing students to showcase their creativity in a digital format.

After half term the unit is called 'We are VR designers'. In this unit, students will delve into virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) using Google Street View and CoSpaces. They will start by exploring various locations in VR with Google Street View. They will then create a 360° photo and add it to Google Maps. Next, they will record and link book reviews using QR codes. Students will be introduced to CoSpaces, where they will design their own scenes and write programs to control VR or AR objects. This unit provides hands-on experience with creating and interacting with digital content.

Maths

The term starts with a unit which will develop their understanding of place value with larger numbers. They will start by learning Roman numerals up to 1,000 and move on to working with numbers up to 10 million. Students will read, write, and partition these large numbers, as well as explore powers of 10. They will use number lines to 10 million, compare and order both positive and negative numbers, and practice rounding numbers within 100,000 and any integer. Finally, they will learn to count through zero and calculate with negative numbers. This unit builds strong number sense and prepares students for more complex calculations.

After that unit Year 5 and 6 move onto a short addition and subtraction unit. In this unit, students will focus on building mental strategies for addition and subtraction. They will begin by developing techniques to mentally add and subtract integers, which will enhance their calculation speed and accuracy. Next, they will explore inverse operations to solve problems and find missing numbers. Finally, students will use reasoning skills, drawing from known facts, to solve more complex problems. This unit emphasizes mental math skills and logical thinking to improve overall mathematical fluency.

Rounding of the first half term there is a unit on multiplication and division. In this unit, students will strengthen their understanding of multiplication and division. They will begin by identifying multiples and common multiples, then move on to factors and common factors. Students will learn the rules of divisibility and explore prime numbers, square numbers, and cube numbers. Additionally, they will practice multiplying and dividing by 10, 100, and 1,000. This unit helps build a solid foundation in number properties and prepares students for more advanced multiplication and division concepts.

After half term the focus shifts to fractions. Students will begin by recognising and simplifying equivalent fractions, as well as identifying them on a number line. Students will then convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers. The unit progresses with comparing and ordering fractions based on both the numerator and denominator. Students will also practice adding and subtracting fractions with various denominators, including mixed numbers, and learn to handle more complex multi-step fraction problems. This unit enhances their ability to work with fractions in a variety of contexts.

We return to multiplication and division before Christmas. In this unit, Year 5 and 6 students will build advanced multiplication and division skills. They start by multiplying two-digit numbers together and progressing to four-digit numbers by two-digit numbers. Students will then apply multiplication to solve problems. The focus shifts to division, starting with short division and dividing four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers. They will be introduced to long division, including dealing with remainders. The unit concludes with solving complex division problems, multi-step problems, and using efficient division strategies. Additionally, students will explore the order of operations, mental calculations, estimation, and reasoning from known facts.

Music

We will start the term looking at the song What shall we do with the drunken sailor? This is a type of song called a sea shanty. Sailors would likely have sung this song while hauling up the sail or the anchor on seafaring vessels. As well as providing an opportunity to find out more about the context, history, and purpose of sea shanties as work songs, the activities in this unit provide inspiration for pupils to create rhythm games (possibly for younger pupils to learn) and a class arrangement using their voices and instruments. 

Most children will be able to:

• Compose body percussion patterns to accompany a sea shanty. Write these out using rhythm grids.
• Keep the beat playing a ‘cup’ game.
• Sing a sea shanty expressively, with accurate pitch and a strong beat.
• Sing in unison while playing an instrumental beat (untuned). 
• Play bass notes, chords, or rhythms to accompany singing.
• Talk about the purpose of sea shanties and describe some of the features using music vocabulary.

We then will start learning about song writing. Song writing can sometimes appear daunting. This unit of work aims to give some straightforward starting points and simple ideas to help children feel confident about creating their own songs. 

Most children will be able to:

• Improvise and compose, ‘doodling’ with sound, playing around with pitch and rhythm to create a strong hook. 
• Create fragments of songs that can be developed into fully-fledged songs. 
• Listen and appraise, identifying the structure of songs and analysing them to appreciate the role of metaphor. 
• Understand techniques for creating a song and develop a greater understanding of the songwriting process. 

Physical Education (PE)

Game On Sports Coaches come into school on Fridays to work with Class 4. They are focusing on tennis and football throughout the Autumn term. 

Mrs Chandler also leads a PE lesson on a Monday. This half term is all about dance and we are hoping that we will be able to start swimming after half term.

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)

This half term our topic is called 'Being Me in My World'. In this unit, students focus on developing social and emotional skills to contribute positively to their school and global communities. They will start by setting personal goals and understanding their fears and worries for the year, learning to use their Jigsaw Journal to express these feelings. Students will explore what it means to be a global citizen, comparing their own wants and needs with those of children in different communities, particularly in Ghana. They will understand how their actions impact others both locally and globally.

The unit also emphasises understanding and following the Learning Charter, including making responsible choices about behaviour, recognizing the impact of rewards and consequences, and empathizing with others. Students will learn how individual behaviour affects group dynamics and the importance of collaboration. Finally, they will explore how democracy and having a voice benefit the school community, and how to model and promote the Learning Charter to help others follow it.

After half term the unit is 'Celebrating difference'. In this PSHE unit, students focus on understanding and appreciating differences among people. They will begin by exploring perceptions of what is considered "normal" and learning to empathise with individuals who have different abilities or disabilities. Students will also discuss how differences can affect someone's life and their own attitudes towards others.

The unit addresses power struggles, including the dynamics of bullying and strategies to manage feelings and solve problems in such situations. Students will learn about the reasons behind bullying behaviours and how to use kind words and actions. They will also celebrate differences by recognising the achievements of people with disabilities and understanding the value of diversity. By the end of the unit, students will be able to explain how differences can be both a source of conflict and a cause for celebration, fostering a more inclusive and respectful environment.

Religious Education

This term we are looking at two Christianity units. The first has a focus on God, we hope to answer the question 'What does it mean if God is loving and holy?' After half term we will be building on this learning and exploring the question 'Was Jesus the Messiah?'

Science

In Science we are looking at Earth and Space which will cover the shape and movements of objects in space. Following this, we will be studying forces such as gravity, friction and pulleys.