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.

Other staff working with our class are:

Miss Keyes - Class Teaching Assistant

 

Our weekly timetable:

 

Important dates for the diary this term for Goldfinch Class:

14th October - Flu Immunisations 

 

Our Learning This Term

English

​In English, we’ll be diving into our new Year 4 curriculum with some exciting texts. We’ll start with The Midnight Fair, a beautiful wordless book that encourages children to develop their inference skills, describe settings in detail, and explore characters’ emotions through creative writing. Later this term, we’ll delve into the classic Anglo-Saxon myth of Beowulf, where we’ll learn to write vivid descriptions, create tension in our narratives, and explore the features of myths and legends. Alongside this, we’ll continue developing our grammar, spelling, punctuation, and comprehension skills to become confident, independent writers and readers.

 

 

Curriculum

Our History topic this term focuses on The Anglo-Saxons. We’ll investigate who the Anglo-Saxons were, why they came to Britain, and what life was like during this fascinating period. Through studying artefacts, maps, and historical sources, we’ll explore their culture, beliefs, and everyday life, as well as how their arrival shaped the Britain we know today.

Maths

This term in Maths, we’ll be developing our understanding of place value by working with numbers up to 10,000. The children will learn how to recognise the value of each digit, order and compare numbers, and round them to the nearest 10, 100, or 1,000. We’ll then move on to addition and subtraction, where we’ll practise using efficient written methods as well as mental strategies to solve increasingly complex problems. Children will also begin applying their skills to real-life contexts, developing their reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

Science

In Science, our topic is Animals and Their Habitats. We’ll learn how living things can be grouped in a variety of ways and explore how animals adapt to survive in different environments. Children will use classification keys to identify and sort animals, and we’ll investigate the impact of changing habitats on wildlife, helping to build our understanding of biodiversity and environmental responsibility.

RE

In RE, we’ll be exploring The Creation Story from a Christian perspective. We’ll learn about the biblical account of creation, including the story of Adam and Eve, and discuss what these stories mean to believers today. Through class discussions and activities, children will also be encouraged to reflect on their own ideas about creation and the world around us.

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
   
• P.E kit (to be brought to school on - 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.