Year 4
Welcome to Year 4
from
Mrs Ord and Miss Bratton
Our email address is: year4@kingsleyschool.org.uk
This is checked regularly however, if you need to speak to a member of staff as a matter of urgency, please either speak to a member of the leadership team on the gate on a morning or ring the school office.
If you require any additional information regarding our curriculum, please do not hesitate to contact your child's class teacher or a member of the Leadership Team.
As part of our PE curriculum, the children in year 4 go swimming every week. We go on a Friday morning so remember those swimming kits!
Skipping Competition
We had a fabulous morning at the Year 4 Cluster Skipping Competition. The children were brilliant and were highly commended for their attitudes and the respect they showed towards the other children competing - true 'Kingsley Kids'. Overall, we came 3rd in the competition - a fantastic achievement!
Science
We sorted and classified animals into groups and created a dichotomous key.
Science
At the end of our Electricity unit we drew our own electrical circuits which included a bulb, cell/battery, switch and wires. We labelled these accurately and noted when some of the electrical components would transfer their energy e.g. electrical to light energy for the bulb. Take a look at some of our fantastic explanations!
Geography
In Geography we have been looking at the island of Senja in Norway. We compared the island's physical features with those found in Hartlepool. We also read different types of graphs (bar and line) to compare Hartlepool and Senja's climates.
Science
In our Science lesson we built circuits, from a diagram, to determine whether the bulb would light. We noticed that if a switch was open, or there was no battery include in the diagram, then the bulb definitely would not light.
Literacy
In Literacy we have started a new unit focusing on persuasion - 'I want a pet'. We started the unit by looking at an advert from the 'Dragon Shed' and identified key features which tried to persuade us to buy a pet dragon.
Computing
In our programming unit, we used repeating loops to create shapes.
Art
We used watercolours to paint our Picasso inspired portraits.
Red Nose Day
We took part in many activities, including a one mile walk around school.
Judo Taster Session
We had a fabulous judo session with Jamie! Children have been given details of the judo school should they wish to attend the club outside of school.
Science
We are learning about electricity. We made a human circuit and used cubes to show energy transfer. We then went online and made virtual circuits.
Computing
We have been looking at patterns and learning to write repeating algorithms. We used the repeat function to create squares on turtle academy.
Science
We sorted electrical items into a Venn diagram showing mains operated, battery operated or both.
World Book Day
We had a fabulous time celebrating word book day 2025!
Safer Internet Day
For safer Internet day we took part in a live assembly and discussed the theme 'too good to be true'. We talked about scams and the many different forms they take and what to look out for to keep ourselves safe online.
Bird Watching at Summerhill
We had a lovely afternoon bird watching at Summerhill. We were very lucky; we heard some beautiful bird songs and saw some amazing birds. We even saw parakeets and a buzzard!
🌟🌟Head Teacher's Award🌟🌟
Oscar earned a head teacher's award for his amazing writing. He wrote 2 contrasting descriptions of a wood and they were amazing. 'A fantastic use of language,' Mrs Darby said.
A Midsummer Night's Dream
We have been using RSC strategies to get to know the play. The children have developed an excellent understanding and are becoming more confident when performing.
Fire Safety
We had a visit from the fire brigade. They explained the dangers of nuisance fires and they even let us have a go of the hose! It was a fantastic morning surprise.
Local History Week
We had a visitor from Hartlepool museum. She showed us artifacts and told us about the bombardment at the Headland on December 16th 1914. We then used this information to reenact a scene from a painting.
Local History Week
For Local History Week we are answering the question, 'How would you feel if they bombed the chippy?'. We are focusing on the bombardment of Hartlepool which occurred on the 16th of December 1914. In our map lesson, we made comparisons between the two different maps of Hartlepool and discussed why the Germans would choose to attack Hartlepool then and now.
🌟Head Teacher Award 🌟
Oscar wowed us all with his exceptional maths. He had a passion and determination to prove Mrs Ord wrong in her always, sometime or never question. He was finding patterns and using these to generalise (amazing to do in year 4!). He finished up by determining that he can now tell whether any number is a multiple of 9 by finding the sum of the digits. Look at him and his gold sticker and his awesome work in his journal!
Art
We used the vitruvuan man as inspiration, drawing a mannequin in parts, standing still, in motion and with different drawing materials.
DT - Antipasti Platter
In DT we created our own antipasti platter which we enjoyed whilst watching a Christmas film. We used skills learnt in Year 3 (bridge and claw grip) to chop our fruit, veg, cheese and meat.
Inspire
Miss Veart showed us how to make 'jellyfish' bracelets.
Art
In Art we have been looking at the Vitruvian Man. We tested the hypothesis, 'The length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height.'
Book Swap
We've had some more visitors to the book swap area. Don't forget to sign consent for the year so you can swap old books for free at the book swap area.
Science-Digestive System
We used some household items to recreate the digestion of food in our bodies. This was incredibly messy and disgusting but we had so much fun!
Literacy - Unlikely Hero short story
We had lots of fun acting out our short stories with our partners. Some of us were confident enough to share them with the class!
Science - Animals including Humans
Today we began our new topic by looking at our teeth and their functions. We explored how different teeth have different jobs by eating different types of food (carrots, bread and sweets) and observing which teeth they moved to using mirrors.
Children in Need 2024
Harvey visited the book swap area.
Remembrance Day
We stood for our 2 minute silence and reflected on the sacrifice and bravery of those that have served our country. Then, we wrote words we associate with Remembrance Day onto poppies and coloured them in.
Literacy
We used the RSC strategies to explore the meaning of words and how they look on a person. For example, brave, cowardly,swift and afraid.
Frankie enjoyed a visit to the book swap area!
We thoroughly enjoyed our George's Marvellous Medicine unit of writing. Here are some examples of our work.
Science
We created animal fact files linked to our science topic - All living things.
A Spooky Inspire!
We made Halloween themed portraits and coloured our own trick or treat bags.
Reading for Pleasure
We are so lucky to have access to an amazing book swap area, that children can use as frequently as they wish. Here is George making his FIRST EVER visit in year 4!
History
We created non chronological reports to explain life in Roman times versus life in modern Italy. We also retold the story of Romulus and Remus
History
In History we have been writing a retell of the story of Romulus and Remus. To help us with our writing we completed a sequencing activity as a table.
Computing
We explored how external networks are linked. We looked at how the switch and router direct messages between networks. We 'received' some messages from external networks and decided whether to accept or reject them.
Project Evolve - Online Identities
In our Project Evolve session this week we completed a 'Guess Who' style task. In the previous session the children had designed their own avatars which represented who they perceived themselves to be. The children then walked around the room and tried to guess who each avatar belonged to.
History
We used books from the key stage 2 library to research life in Roman times
Inspire
We made cards for a lady at a local care home who is turning 103!
RSHE
We created anti bullying posters
Computing
In computing we have been learning about networks. We discussed how an internal network works and the use of a network switch. We sent messages within our internal network e.g. from 2@school to 4@school.
Summerhill Visit
Some of the year 4 children went to Summerhill Country Park for an orienteering and den building activity. They had an awesome day!
Maths
We used number lines to support our understanding of rounding.
Literacy
Into the hot seat...
We had Grandma and George from George's Marvellous Medicine with us and we interviewed them to get to know them a little bit more.
Science
We looked at habitats and listed animals and plants that lived there and how they are adapted to survive in that habitat.
Maths
We are using practical resources to show the place value of 4 digit numbers.
Science - All living things
In Science we started our new topic by looking at the acronym MRS GREN. We had a great discussion about the different things living things can do e.g. move, breathe and grow. We then sorted a selection of animals into different groups e.g. animals that live on the land, animals that live underwater, mammals, insects, etc. To end our lesson, we used question stems to ask questions about our new topic e.g. 'Why do monkeys eat bananas?'.
Inspire
For our first inspire we had board games, colouring and dodgeball.
We completed a team building activity to save Fred the Worm. We had some rules to follow: We could not touch anything with our hands, only paper clips, we could not damage Fred, his boat or the life jacket and Fred could not fall in the water. We had lots of fun!
History
In history we have started our topic- The Romans. In our first lesson we listened to the legend of Romulus and Remus and how they founded the city of Rome. We then asked questions and made inferences about the Romans.
A wet daily mile meant we got to have the stacking cups out. We loved it!
Library Time
Every year group, in key stage 2, has one day per week that children can choose to go to the library at playtime. Here we are enjoying our first library time!
23/24 academic year
Beach Trip
On Friday, all of Year 4 went to Seaton Carew beach for our school trip. Whilst there, we played mini golf, made sand sculptures, ate fish and chips and some children even went in the sea for their Swim Safe training. We had such a lovely day and everyone involved thoroughly enjoyed it!
Music-pentatonic scale
We learned about the pentatonic scale and played instruments using the pentatonic scale (C,G,A,D,E)
PSHE
In PSHE we completed our HeartStart training on how to help someone who is choking. The children created a dichotomous key to help them decide on which course of action to take depending on if the individual choking could respond.
DT
In DT we have been looking at levers and linkages. We were tasked with creating a lever which could be used in the children's book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'. Although it was tricky, we persevered and created some fantastic designs.
Science
In Science we have been looking at the digestive system. We made our own digestive system using tights, plastic cups, zip lock bags and food/drink. Each item used represented a different part of the digestive system e.g. the tights represented the small intestines. Although it was messy, we had a lot of fun!
Literacy - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Today we were Oompa Loompas! We had so much fun pretending to be Oompa Loompas in the dangerous Oompa Loompa land.
Dogs Trust Visit
Today we had a visit from Suzie who works for Dog Trust. She led two workshops in which we discussed when it is appropriate to approach a dog, how to ask for permission and how to approach a dog safely. We enjoyed engaging in some role play - particularly Matilda who was our in-house Bulldog!
Literacy
In our Literacy lesson today we took part in a game of 'word class pong' as a table. It was difficult trying to get the ball into the cup however, we had lots of fun and discussed different word classes whilst playing!
History
In History we have been learning about the Anglo-Saxons. Today we looked at the beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons and how they were converted to Christianity. We then discussed how our lives would be impacted now if the Anglo-Saxons had chosen not to follow Christianity. As a table, we then looked at artefacts found at the Sutton Hoo burial site and discussed what they may have been used for.
Literacy - The Tempest
As part of our partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the classes across school have been asked to create a short piece of writing based on William Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'. In Year 4, we engaged in some of the RSC's recommended activities and created our own scene based on the extract we had read and the words/phrases/rhetorical questions we came up with when we created a thought shower as a table.
Art
In Art we created a sculpture of our important items using modelling clay. We really enjoyed it and can't wait to attempt to recreate them using sand!
Literacy
Our new unit in Literacy is based on the short film 'The Dragon Slayer'. Our end goal for the unit is to create a non-chronological report all about dragons! So far, we have individually researched and collected information about our own, mythical dragon. As a class, we have created word mats focusing on the key areas of our report; appearance, behaviour, habitat and diet.
Check out some of our fantastic non-chronological reports about dragons!
Music
In Music we have been listening to 'Somebody to love' by Queen. We discussed the term 'body percussion' and practised using different parts of our body to keep the beat.
Miss Bratton's class keeping the beat, using body percussion, to 'Somebody to Love'.
History visit
Today we had a visit from Paul. He brought in VR headsets for us to experience life as a Roman. We were able to visit the Colosseum to see gladiators fight, have a tour around a Roman villa and witness what everyday life was like for the Romans. We had so much fun and learnt some new, interesting facts!
Online Safety
Today we created our own emojis. These would be sent to a friend/family member, in a message, if they had experienced something unkind online or had been coerced into revealing personal information e.g. date of birth or passwords. The idea was that the emojis would help our friend/family member feel supported and loved.
DT
In DT we are creating a distress signal that could be used on an expedition to an icy desert. We discussed possible dangers and how we would raise an alarm if we were in a difficult situation. We then designed our own distress signal as a table.
World Book Day 2024
World Book Day - Harry meets Miss Dragon (A.K.A Miss Bratton)
Science - Electricity
In Science, we have started our new topic 'Electricity'. For our first lesson we recapped the symbols which represent the different components of a circuit. We also modelled the energy transfer model for a simple electrical circuit. The children could recall the energy transfer model from our previous Science topics and knew that the yellow cubes represent energy!
Art
In art we have been exploring different types of paint, using different tools to paint with.
Science - Living Things
In our Science lessons we have been focusing on the term 'biodiversity'. As a class, we discussed the term and how human factors contribute to changing levels of biodiversity. The children then had the opportunity to investigate what species we have in our school grounds. We also used a dichotomous key to correctly categorise different species based on different features e.g. do they have wings?
PSHE
We have started our new topic 'Going for Goals'. As a starter activity, we were each given one half of a famous duo e.g. Ant and Dec and were challenged to find our partner without speaking. We thoroughly enjoyed this task. However, we did think it was challenging and could discuss what factors made the task difficult and those that would make it easier. We then spoke about challenges we face and things we can and cannot change regarding these challenges.
Literacy
In Literacy we have been reading 'Arthur and the Golden Rope' by Joe Todd Stanton. Today we created freeze frames which depicted the section of the book where the Wolf attacks the town. We then discussed our thoughts and feelings as each of the characters. Next week, we are going to use these emotions to help us write a diary entry as one of the characters.
Science
In Science we have begun our new topic - Living Things and their Habitats. We started the topic by discussing keywords such as 'habitat', 'carnivore', 'prey' and 'herbivore'. We then identified and grouped a variety of animals based on their different features e.g. whether they are a bird or an insect.
Inspire
In our 'Inspire' time on Friday the children had the opportunity to take part in some mindfulness. They really enjoyed getting comfortable with a blanket and pillow and listening to relaxing music.
Geography
In Geography we have been practising our compass skills. We were challenged to use a compass to correctly locate cones with a corresponding letter. Although it was difficult, we remembered the phrase 'Never Eat Shredded Wheat' to help us.
Computing
In Computing, we have been looking at data collection. As part of an investigation, we chose 6 areas across school to compare their levels of brightness, temperature and volume. We then chose one specific area and created a hypothesis. Miss Bratton's class chose nursery and had different ideas on when it would be loudest. We discovered it was the loudest at 9am!
PSHE
In PSHE, we have been looking at healthy eating and exercise. As a class, we mind-mapped different worries we may have about exercise. We then used these ideas to write letters in the style of an 'Agony Aunt'.
Mr Skippy!
On Monday, we had a visit from Gail from The Skipping School. We had lots of fun learning the different skipping skills such as double bounce, single bounce, keep the pot boiling and run in, run out. The children were fantastic and showed great resilience when some of the skills were difficult!
Keep the pot boiling!
Keep the pot boiling!
Art - Local History Week
In Local History Week we have been looking at the bombardment of Hartlepool during World War One. In Art, we produced a sketch of a home showing the impact of the bombardment and after it had been renovated.
Noah, Willis and Oliver wanted to share their festive headwear!
DT
In DT we created our Italian antipasto platter. We used the bridge and claw techniques to chop different meats, fruit and vegetables. We even used peelers to peel cucumbers to create our own Christmas trees! Afterwards, we tucked in and enjoyed our platter whilst watching a Christmas film.
Science
In Science we looked at the question 'How do clouds form?'. We discussed the formation of clouds using key, scientific terminology e.g. evaporation, condensation and precipitation. We then tested, using mirrors, how condensation occurs when hot air meets a cold surface. Miss Bratton introduced us to the water cycle song which we had lots of fun learning!
Science
In Science we have started our new topic 'States of Matter'. We discussed the different properties of each of the three states of matter and then sorted different materials. We realised that some materials could go in more than one section e.g. ice. The children then acted as the particles in each of the states of matter.
Literacy
In Literacy we have been reading 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. We have looked at how characters can have a head, heart and speaking voice and how these different voices impact characters' actions. We looked at the different relationships between characters and how they change throughout the story.
Maths
In Maths we have been learning our 6, 7 and 9 times tables. We thoroughly enjoyed playing a game which involved us rolling a dice to create a multiplication question e.g. 6 x 4.
We got to use the stacking cups as it was raining during daily mile time. Look at the concentration!
Children in need 2023
Art
In Art we have been looking at Leonardo da Vinci's 'Vitruvian Man'. We tested the hypothesis, 'The length of a man's outspread arms is equal to his height'. We discovered that this is in fact true!
Science
We tested a variety of materials and rated how well they absorbed sound on a scale of 0-5. We are going to use our findings to design a pair of ear defenders.
Inspire
During our 'Inspire' time on Friday, some of the children chose to learn British Sign Language with Mr Evans. The children had a great time and could all sign their name by the end of the session!
Judo Taster
We were very lucky to have a judo taster session from Glynn Fidgeon. We had an amazing time and will be coming home with information about his sessions outside of school.
Science
We have continued to explore sound. We explored the question does distance affect the sounds we hear? We also looked at vibrations and how these change pitch.
We carried out an experiment and measured sound using decibels. The air-horn was VERY loud.
History
In History we had the opportunity to explore real life Roman artefacts. We looked at a helmet and sandals which were worn by Roman soldiers, jewellery, knucklebones, Roman coins and a sponge which the Romans used when they went to the toilet!
DT
In DT we have been looking at Italian food. We completed a guided reading session focusing on traditional Italian foods before researching 'anti-pasti'. In future DT lessons we will be making, tasting and evaluating our own anti-pasti platter.
Science
We made a little video to explain how sound travels and is heard.
Computing
We have been learning about the internet and how external networks connect, using routers. We had a map of networks and followed routes to get from one to another and saw that sometimes there was more than one route to a network.
E-Safety
In our weekly assembly, this week, we explored situations in daily life and online that may make us unsafe and ways to deal with this. One of our activities was reflecting on words we associate with the word safe and we created a word cloud
French
We've been practising French greetings
Computing
We had a practical activity looking at internal and external networks and how messages are sent. It was quite complicated and children playing the role of the switch were very busy! Children demonstrated an excellent understanding of the role of the router and the switch. We also discussed that many home routers play the role of both switch and router 🤯
Science
We are continuing to explore sound and how we hear. We used cups and string to make 'telephones'. We realised that when the string was tense the sound travelled better. We explored through the door and found when the string had something pressing on it the sound waves were interrupted. We are looking forward to learning more.
Literacy
In Literacy we are reading the book 'George's Marvellous Medicine' by Roald Dahl. We completed a hot seating activity in which we pretended to be either George or Grandma. Following this, we produced a class mind map with adjectives to describe the characters' appearance, personality, movements and voice. From our shared mind map we produced some fantastic, descriptive sentences to describe Grandma.
History
In History we have started our topic - The Romans. In our first lesson we listened to the legend of Romulus and Remus and how they founded the city of Rome. We then used questions stems to ask questions regarding what we want to know about the Romans.
Science
We started our first science topic of the year with an exploration lesson looking at how sound is created. We used rice on drums to see the vibrations that the sounds create. We tried different objects in balloons and discussed why and how they create different pitches and volumes and tested out our theories.
