Hello, I'm Miss Spellward, and I am excited to be teaching in Year 4, Goldfinch class. I absolutely love teaching in KS2 and I cannot wait to carry on the rest of the year with the lovely Goldfinches.

When I'm not in the classroom, you'll catch me out on a walk with my dogs Martha and Mabel, exploring at the beach or wandering through the woods. I also love experimenting in the kitchen, testing new cake recipes (flour inevitably ends up everywhere!) or making lego flowers.

Hello, my name is Ms. Horgan and I teach in Goldfinches on Thursday. Maths has always been my favourite subject to teach – I love helping pupils to discover patterns, logic and problem-solving skills that make Maths so rewarding. Outside the classroom, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love spending time at the beach with my family, creating memories together. 
 

Other staff working in our class are:

Miss Porter - Class TA

 

Our weekly timetable:

Important dates for the diary this term for Goldfinch Class:

27th - 29th April - Parent Consultations

Wednesday 20th May - Carnival

 

Our Learning This Term

English

​This term, our new class book is Varjak Paw by SF Said.

Varjak Paw is an adventure novel that follows the journey of a young cat as he ventures beyond the safety of his home into a dangerous and unfamiliar world. By the end of this term, we will have developed our reading comprehension and writing skills, while gaining a deeper understanding of Varjak Paw and its themes of courage, identity, and adventure.

We will start the term by writing a detailed character description of Varjak and other key figures. This will involve analysing their personalities, motivations, and development, supported by evidence from the text. We will then write a letter from the perspective of a chosen character, focusing on voice, tone, and emotion. We will also create our own narrative inspired by the novel.

Reading

While reading our class book, the children will be building on their inference skills and justify their answer using information from the text. Year 4 will continue to read independently every day and use Accelerated Reader to complete quizzes about the book.

 

Curriculum

This term we will be moving on to a Geography Topic of 'oh I do like to be beside the seaside'. In Geography, we will identify key features of coastlines, including Herne Bay and the Kent coastline. We will compare past and present maps to see how land use and features have changed over time. We will also learn how natural forces shape coastlines and consider the effects, benefits, and challenges of living near the coast.

 

Maths

This term, all of Year 4 will continue with decimals, moving onto money and statistics at the end of the term. We will practise applying decimals in different contexts to build confidence and accuracy. Later in the term, we will move on to money, learning how to add, subtract, and solve real-life problems involving costs. Finally, we will study statistics, including how to read, interpret, and present data using charts and graphs.

 

 

Science

This term we are exploring sound. Year 4 will be learning how sounds are made, linking them to movement and vibrations through practical activities such as outdoor sound exploration and a balloon-and-rice experiment.
We will investigate how sound travels and observe how it becomes quieter as the distance from the source increases. Through these experiments, we will develop a clear understanding of how vibrations create sound and how sound behaves in different environments.

 

 

RE

This term in RE, Year 4 will be exploring the big question: 'What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today’? We will explore Hindu Dharma beliefs about how the world works and the duties people have in life. We will learn about key ideas such as dharma (duty), karma, the cycle of rebirth, and the four goals and stages of life, considering how these guide Hindus to live well. We will also look at daily life for a Hindu and understand how their beliefs influence their actions, choices, and responsibilities.

We will then explore how Hindus express their faith through worship at home and in the Mandir, including the use of shrines and prayer. We will learn about Hindu beliefs in one God with many forms, and why deities such as Ganesha are worshipped. Finally, we will compare different ways of worship and consider the importance and impact of faith in the lives of Hindu people.

 

 

Learning at home for Goldfinch Class

• Reading expectation for year group : 10 minutes daily
• Spelling shed
• TTRS (Times Tables Rock Stars) : 3x per week for 10 minutes
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Be ready for learning! In Goldfinch Class, your child will need to have these items in school:

• Full uniform to be worn everyday, including black shoes
   
• PE kit (to be worn on PE day - Tuesdays) 
   
• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 

• Small rucksack (big enough to hold lunchbox and reading books) 

• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 

• Coat (weather appropriate) 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store these, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged.

Highlights from Term 4

We made torches from scratch and learnt how to fix a broken circuit. It was hard, but EVERYONE made a working torch. 

 

We had our own year 4 Olympic Games - in the rain! 

 

Highlights from Term 3

We had a busy term. We had a class competition to see who could make the funniest potato. I think you'll agree they are all brilliant.

In D&T we made our own Greek pots. 

During our hook day, we made our own Greek masks and built models of the Parthenon using spaghetti and marshmallows.

Highlights from Term 1

We've had a lovely start to Year 4 - here are some pictures of our learning.