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 in our class are:

Miss Porter - Class TA

Mrs Gillett - Covering swimming

 

Our weekly timetable:

Important dates for the diary this term for Goldfinch Class:

Thursday 11th June - Kings Mini Olympics

Wednesday 17th June - Sports Day

Monday 29th June - Proposed Beach Trip

Thursday 2nd July - Transition Day

 

Our Learning This Term

English

​This term in English, we are diving into two exciting new texts!

During weeks 1 and 2, we will explore the powerful and thought-provoking story of The Journey by Francesca Sanna before moving on to the thrilling classic The Iron Man.

Along the way, we will become authors ourselves by writing detailed recounts, atmospheric setting descriptions and dramatic play scripts inspired by the stories we read. We can’t wait to bring these texts to life through our reading, writing and imagination!

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 continuing our Topic of 'oh I do like to be beside the seaside'. In Geography, we will be exploring our coasts and learning how people protect them from erosion and flooding using both hard and soft sea defences. We will investigate structures such as sea walls, groynes and rock revetments, as well as softer approaches including beach nourishment and planting vegetation. We will also discover how coastal change can affect local communities, tourism, jobs and lifestyles. As part of our learning, we will explore renewable energy sources such as wind, water and solar power, before comparing the Kent coastline with the coastal area of Kato Achaia in Greece.

We also hope to have a trip to Margate beach to see what we've learnt about in person.

 

Maths

This term in Maths, we will be building confidence and fluency in our times tables while also developing our understanding of time, shape, position and direction. Through practical activities, problem-solving and reasoning challenges, we will strengthen key mathematical skills and apply them in a range of fun and engaging ways as we finish the year.

 

 

Science

This term in Science, we will be exploring the exciting world of sound and discovering how vibrations travel through different materials to reach our ears. Through a range of practical investigations, including experimenting with water glasses and elastic band instruments, we will explore how the strength of vibrations affects the volume of sound. We will also research important scientists who have contributed to our understanding of sound and present our findings through a project-based activity.

 

RE

This term in RE, Year 4 will be continuing to explore the big question: 'What does it mean to be a Hindu in Britain today’? 

We will be learning about Hindu Dharma beliefs, teachings and traditions. We will explore the meaning of the Aum symbol, discover Hindu beliefs about God and creation, and learn about the important story of Rama and Sita. We will also investigate how Hindus show kindness and justice through their actions by studying the life of Mahatma Gandhi and considering why he is seen as a hero. Finally, we will explore what it is like to be a Hindu living in Britain today and reflect on the key ideas we have learnt throughout the unit.

 

 

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
   
• Swimming 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.

Highlights from Term 5

We went out onto the field to make features of a coastline. 

 

We made our own costumes and participated in St John's Carnival.

 

Some talented musicians from Kings School came into school and we learnt about different instruments. We had an amazing time.

 

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.