Year 4

My name is Miss Muldowney, and I love being the Year 4 teacher. I have worked at Dame Dorothy since 2022. I am an avid reader, love being a part of our active school lifestyle as a runner and enjoy linking all our curriculum to fun topics and lessons I know the children will enjoy.

SPAG/Literacy

Spelling, punctuation, and grammar (SPaG) are embedded throughout our literacy lessons. Early in the term, pupils will write a recount of our trip to Ushaw College, focusing on the use of first-person perspective, expanded noun phrases, and possessive apostrophes. Later, we will turn our attention to narrative writing, where children will learn how to engage their reader through careful word choices. This includes using specific adverbs to show time, place, and manner, as well as selecting verbs deliberately to achieve a particular effect. These skills will allow pupils to write with clarity, accuracy, and creativity across a range of genres.

Maths

In maths, we are starting the term by focusing on place value and the methods we use for addition and subtraction. Each morning, the children will complete quick mental maths questions and Flashback Four activities to revisit and strengthen their learning. A big focus for Year 4 is learning all of the multiplication facts up to 12 × 12 in preparation for the national times tables check. We will be working hard on this in school, but regular practice at home will make a huge difference too!

Reading

We are very excited about the books we are reading together in Year 4 this term. Our first-class novel will be The Boy in the Girl’s Bathroom, which links closely to our PSHE work and gives the children plenty to think about when it comes to friendships and feelings. Later in the term, we will be reading A Roman Story – Empire’s End, which ties in with our history topic. This story follows the journey of a young girl travelling to ancient Rome and gives us lots of opportunities to talk about character emotions, author’s language choices, and how stories are built. Along the way, we will also be practising answering comprehension questions in full sentences and supporting our ideas with evidence from the text.

Library

Our library day is a Wednesday afternoon before PE. The children will receive a new school reading book and are expected to read with at home with an adult and have their reading record signed and brought back to school by the next week.

Topic

This term, our history and geography lessons will begin by looking at Sunderland’s fascinating history of glass making. The children will explore how glass factories contributed to the growth of our city and had a huge impact on the local economy. To help deepen their understanding, pupils will be using timelines to place key events in order and mapwork to study how Sunderland developed over time. As we move through the term, our topic will shift to the Romans. The children will learn about Roman invasions, important leaders, and the many changes brought about by the Romans that still influence our lives today. To bring this learning to life, Year 4 will also be visiting Arbeia Roman Fort, where they will gain first-hand experiences of life in a Roman settlement.

In science, the children will be investigating a variety of exciting topics. To begin with, they will be learning about states of matter, developing their understanding of solids, liquids, and gases, and exploring how changes in state link to the water cycle. Later in the year, they will delve into classification systems, discovering how scientists group animals and plants based on their characteristics. Alongside this, we will discuss the environmental issues that affect living things and their habitats, encouraging the children to think carefully about how we can help protect the world around us.

ICT

In ICT, the children will be working on an exciting project—creating their very own eBooks all about Sunderland’s history of glass making. This will be a chance for them to showcase what they’ve learned in a creative way while also building their digital skills. Alongside this, we will be learning about the importance of online safety, privacy, and security to help the children stay safe and confident when using technology.

PE

In Year 4, our PE lessons take place every Wednesday afternoon. Children must ensure they bring a water bottle and are not wearing any jewellery for safety reasons. This term, the focus will be on learning how to play netball. Pupils will develop their understanding of working as a team, learn effective positioning for both defence and attack, and build confidence in applying these skills during games. After the half term, our attention will turn to gymnastics, where children will work on their balance, strength, and sequencing skills to create simple but effective routines.

Reminders

Homework is daily – Monday to Thursday – and the children will receive a small amount of maths practise from that day’s lesson. It is important it is brought in as learning may be missed when it is being looked over the next day!

Spellings are given out on a Monday and are tested on a Friday

Wednesday is PE day