Year 4
Welcome to 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 narrative focusing on organisational devices, focusing on the use of third-person perspective, expanded noun phrases, and figurative language like similes and personification. Later, we will turn our attention to explanation writing, where children will write a ‘how to’ guide to care for their own species of dragon. This includes using modal verbs to show possibility and a range of cause-and-effect conjunctions to explain processes, 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.
Reading
We are very excited about the books we are reading together in Year 4 this term. Our first-class novel will be How to Train Your Dragon, which links closely to our Viking topic and gives the children plenty of context around Viking life and their part of British history. Later in the term, we will be reading Arthur and the Golden Rope, which continues to tie in with our history topic. This story follows the journey of a young boy on a journey to be a hero for his village, and he works with the Viking gods, Thor and Odin to be successful. Along the way, we will also be starting our class reading challenge focusing on 30 different literature classics. The children will be reading a book of their choice and writing book reviews to pass the levels and earn prizes.
Maths
In maths, we are starting the term by focusing on multiplication and division before moving onto length and perimeter and fractions. 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 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!
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
Our topic for the Spring Term explores the fascinating world of the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings. Children will investigate who these groups were, why they travelled to Britain, and how their settlements and rulers shaped our history. They will learn to sequence key events on a timeline, understand land use during these periods, and explore how invasions changed life in Britain. Linking with geography, pupils will develop their map skills by learning to use 4‑digit grid references, interpreting maps, and completing practical map‑work activities to deepen their understanding of settlements, journeys and landscapes.
In science, the children will be studying the human digestive system. They will learn about the journey food takes through the body and the role each organ plays in digestion. This topic also includes a close look at different types of teeth, their functions and how to keep them healthy. Children will continue to build their understanding of how living things depend on one another by exploring simple food chains, identifying producers, prey and predators in different habitats.
ICT
Children will continue to deepen their understanding of coding through practical, engaging activities. They will use ScratchJr to select, design and sequence programs, learning how to control characters and use different forms of output, such as movement, sound and on‑screen messages. As part of our Anglo‑Saxon and Viking topic, pupils will also bring their history learning to life by building their own Viking longhouse in Minecraft. This project encourages creativity, problem‑solving and spatial reasoning, while reinforcing their understanding of how buildings were constructed and used in the past.
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 tennis. They will learn how to hold the racket correctly, control the ball with increasing accuracy, and practise a range of shots including forehand, backhand and simple volleys. After the half term, our attention will turn to dance. They will learn how to create and perform short routines, developing their ability to match movements to music and work creatively in pairs and groups.
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
Swimming is on a Monday – only until half term.
Wednesday is PE day
Wednesday is Library – reading records are checked!