Year 4 Curriculum Letter - Autumn 2025

Road to Rio

Year 4 Autumn Term 2025

Dear Families,

Welcome back and welcome to Year 4.  This newsletter gives an overview of our curriculum plans for the Autumn Term and some additional useful information. 

Uniform

Please send your children into school in uniform except on PE days.  On PE days, please send children in wearing their PE kits. PE days are: Monday and Thursday for 4MP, Monday and Wednesday for 4P. As the weather changes, children will also need a spare change of trainers/appropriate shoes for outdoor play. 

English

This term, we will be using a range of texts to support our writing.  The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan, the story of a mysterious ‘thing’ found at the beach one day, will be used to write a diary.  The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry, an environmental fable which links with our learning on Rio, will be used to inspire our own environmental fables.  We will also be using what we learn this term to write a persuasive travel brochure for Rio de Janeiro, which will include lots of research on a trip abroad! 

Class Reading and Home Reading

Reading continues to be taught each day, using fiction and non-fiction texts. This term we are reading The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, an adventure story where technology meets the natural environment.

Please continue to read with your child at home. Afterwards ask some ‘how’ or ‘why’ questions to help with their understanding. Once your child is a fluent reader, begin to talk about why the writer has chosen particular words, sentences or text features and the effect these features have on the reader. There are some guidance notes in the back pages of the reading scheme books which you may find helpful.

Please ensure your child’s reading record is filled in at least 4 times a week and signed by an adult.  If your child reads his/her school reading books quickly, they may also select other reading materials to add to their reading record book. 

Homework

Homework will be sent out on Fridays.  It will be collected in on Tuesdays at the start of the day. It is the responsibility of the children to tick off their name on the homework sheet when they return their work to school.

Spelling

Spellings and handwriting will be practised each day.

Spelling homework: Your child will have spellings to practise, including patterns taught in spelling lessons and challenging spellings from their work. This term’s spelling list is:

Autumn 1

complete

island

de + cide

differ + ent

ordinary

peculiar

believe

ex\pe\ri\ence

favour + ite

popular

Some children will have a select number of spellings from this list to practise. 

Maths

This first half term’s work is all about Place Value and Properties of Shape. The second half term’s work will cover Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication and Division. Each week we will revisit the number objectives to consolidate key maths skills. Please ensure your child practises their multiplication and division times table facts using TTRockstars.  It is expected that all times tables should be fluent by the end of the year. Please ask if you need a reminder of your child’s login details. 

Science

This term’s science unit will be Sound.  We will be investigating vibrations, finding patterns between sounds and the materials that produce them, and using data loggers to investigate how sound travels.   

Foundation Subjects

In Music, we will be learning to sing Mamma Mia by ABBA. A Samba workshop will be held on Wednesday 10th September. We are looking forward to welcoming parents to a performance in the hall at 2:45pm.

Our Geography focus for this term is Brazil and the Amazon Rainforest.  We will be learning about Brazilian culture and comparing life in a big city like Rio de Janeiro with life in the rainforest.  We will also be creating artwork inspired by favelas and the Austrian artist Freidensreich Hundertwasser. 

In advance, thank you for supporting your child this term.

Miss Parker, Mrs Mackie and Mr Price

Weekly timetable:

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

4MP/4P Swimming*

 

Year 3/4 assembly

 

4P PE Lesson

 

4MP PE lesson

 

KS2 assembly

 

 

*Swimming dates are not yet confirmed.  Please send your child in with their PE kit until they have been finalised.

Lions at Large

10 Apr 2025

Our final design has been created by school Mum, Noush Duroe-Richards, Thank you Noush!

Supporting the Little Princess Trust

04 Apr 2025

Flossie Masters, a thoughtful and compassionate Year 5 pupil, has selflessly cut 11 inches off her hair to support the Little Princess Trust....

Dunalley Pantry

02 Apr 2025

We would like to remind our families about Dunalley Pantry.
Set up to help families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis.

Lions at Large - Cub Lion Design

31 Mar 2025

Our final design has been created by school Mum, Noush Duroe-Richards by  amalgamating our favourite entries and the themes that arose throughout...

Winter Coats - Does your child need one?

03 Jan 2025

We have warm, winter coats for children of families struggling with the cost of living.
Please contact us for more details.

Celebrating Exceptional Learners

20 Dec 2024

We have enjoyed celebrating children from across the school who have consistently demonstrated outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning. 

Positive Play Partners

06 Dec 2024

Our PPP children are relishing supporting our OPAL play initiative, ensuring children have role models to help resolve issues and have happy...

Coffee, Cake, Cheese & Wine - Thank you

18 Nov 2024

Thank you for joining us to discuss the work of Jonathan Haidt and his book The Anxious Generation, more information can be found HERE.

Donations for OPAL

25 Oct 2024

If you are thinking of having a pre-Christmas sort out please keep OPAL in mind for the usual donations.

OPAL Stay & Play

27 Sep 2024

We would like to invite all of our families to join us for an OPAL Stay & Play on Saturday 5th October from 10am - 12pm.