Year 4 - Hawthorn Class
The Digestive System
Today, we explored the digestive system through a fun, hands-on experiment. We used a bag containing water and orange juice to represent the stomach acid, with banana and biscuit to represent the food. The children took it in turns to squeeze and churn the mixture, showing how the stomach breaks down food. The mixture then travelled through the small and large intestines before leaving the body as waste. The activity was engaging, messy and full of laughs!
Volcanoes!
The children have spent the last 2 weeks making papier Mache volcanoes. They painted them and we discussed all the parts of the volcano. On the last week of term, we erupted them by adding vinegar into the volcanoes. To enact the eruption, we added baking powder to the mix and watched as they exploded. The children loved it and they all looked simply fantastic!
Author Visit
We were delighted to welcome Becca Rogers into school to talk to the children about her new book and share her advice and top tips for becoming a great writer. She spoke passionately about her writing journey and encouraged the children to use their imagination, believe in their ideas and never be afraid to give writing a go. The children thoroughly enjoyed the visit, listened eagerly and asked some fantastic questions. They left feeling inspired and excited to develop their own writing skills, with lots of ideas and enthusiasm to take back to the classroom. A huge thank you to Becca for such an engaging and inspiring visit!
Hello Yellow
Hickory had a fantastic time celebrating Hello Yellow! The children enjoyed taking part in a range of fun activities to support their mental health and wellbeing. They explored the importance of talking about their feelings, being kind to themselves and others, and looking after their minds. Everyone embraced the spirit of Hello Yellow, spreading positivity, raising awareness and reminding each other that it’s okay not to be okay!
Year 4 Respect and Kindness assembly
Mrs Chambers shared an assembly with Year 4 focusing on respecting each other and how we can show kindness. As part of this, the children learnt a new song and will hopefully follow the lyrics throughout their time at school! Below is the link to the song should anyone want to sing it outside of class.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK-0KAHqAk0&list=RDpK-0KAHqAk0&start_radio=1
Art Week
This week, during Art Week, we explored the country Portugal and focused on the artist Bordalo II. He is famous for creating animal sculptures from recycled materials to highlight environmental issues. The children wrote an information text about the artist and his work. They then created their own artwork inspired by Bordalo II using oil pastels and recycled materials.
In Maths, we also explored 2D shapes and looked at how artists use shapes to create pictures and patterns. The children then created their own Kandinsky-inspired artwork, using different shapes, colours and patterns.
Science
In Science this week, we have been learning about different types of plants and how they can be categorised. The children went on a walk around school and used tally charts to record the different varieties of plants they found. When we returned to the classroom, they used their data to create bar charts. They enjoyed working as scientists to collect, record and present their findings.
Play Scripts
This week, we have been learning about the key features of a play script. The children watched a scene from The BFG and were challenged to transform it into their own play script, making sure they included the correct features such as character names, dialogue, stage directions and punctuation. Later in the week, the children were given a play script and worked collaboratively in groups to rehearse and perform it to the class. They focused on using expression, tone of voice, movement and stage directions to bring their characters to life and make their performances engaging.
Maths
This week in maths, the children have started practising two-digit by two-digit multiplication. We began by building on their previous knowledge of multiplication and revisiting the methods they are already familiar with. The children then gradually progressed to more challenging calculations, developing their understanding of how to partition numbers and use the formal written method.
Welcome Back!
We are so excited to welcome all the children back to Hawthorn Class for a brand-new school year! It has been wonderful to see everyone return with big smiles, lots of enthusiasm and a positive attitude towards their learning. The children have settled in really well and have already been working incredibly hard. They have begun exploring all of our exciting new topics. It has been lovely to see them sharing ideas, asking questions and working together. We have lots of exciting learning, activities and opportunities planned for the year ahead, and we can't wait to see the children grow in confidence, learn new skills and make lots of wonderful memories together.
Well done, Hawthorn Class, on such a fantastic start! We are looking forward to an amazing year ahead! 🌟