Curriculum

Curriculum

Following the National Curriculum, this term we are studying the topic of Invasion, with our focus being on the arrival of the Anglo Saxons and Vikings after the departure of the Romans, up to the Norman invasion.  The children have focussed on the impact of Anglo-Saxon invasion on Britain and studied a range of primary and secondary sources. The class went on a school visit to Mountfitchet Castle, learning first-hand about different aspects of life in those times.  Our learning is cross curricular so our history, geography, English are all integrated within the topic.  The children have loved exploring Anglo-Saxon and Viking stories, especially King Alfred the Great and are currently writing their own quest.

In Science the children had lots of fun investigating the digestive system, exploring the main parts, starting with the mouth and teeth, identifying teeth types and their functions and  linking this learning to animals' diets and construct food chains to show the flow of energy. We are now moving on to our next topic of sound. This project teaches children about sound, how sound is made and how sound travels as vibrations through a medium to the ear. They learn about pitch and volume and find out how both can be changed.

Our art project has taught children about colour theory by studying the colour wheel and colour mixing. It included an exploration of tertiary colours, warm and cool colours, complementary colours and analogous colours, and how artists use colour in their artwork. The children used all of their knowledge to create very impressive compositions of their own! For our Design and Technology lessons the children were taught about food decay and preservation. They discovered key inventions in food preservation and packaging, then made examples. The children prepared, packaged and evaluated a healthy snack to tempt the taste buds of Vikings!

For RE we will be having visitors from different religions to talk to the children which allows them to ask questions that are puzzling and inquisitive. The children have two Ivrit lessons a week and one Jewish Studies lesson too. In our PSHE lessons we follow Jigsaw scheme and the children have learnt about “Being me in my world” and are now exploring “Celebrating Differences”.

Year 4 are really enjoying their weekly cornet lessons and within the space of a few weeks have learnt 4 notes and can play Mary had a Little Lamb. Please note, we encourage children to practise their cornet 3 times a week at home and make sure they remember to bring it into school every Monday.