Ouse Class Curriculum Letter Autumn Term 2024

Dear Parents,

I would like to start this letter by extending a warm welcome back to another year at Langton school. I hope you have all had a restful and enjoyable summer. It has been lovely to hear the children recalling their summer adventures over the last two weeks. Both Mrs Jackson and I are enjoying getting to know our new Year 3 children as well as welcoming back our Year 4 children who have been excellent at helping the younger children get used to our new classroom routines. We’ve got an exciting and busy term ahead of us which I hope the children will enjoy.

English

Our English this half term will based on a film unit called ‘Ride Passage’ from The Literacy Shed. We will be using dialogue and emotive language in our narrative writing based on this short film. In our SPaG lessons, we will focus on recapping and securing prior knowledge, including word classes such as adjectives and adverbs, using pronouns and extending sentences using the correct determiners. Spelling will be sent out next week and tests will continue to be on a Friday.

Maths

We will begin this half term with a focus on consolidating the foundations of number and place value. We will also learn how to use Roman numerals and Year 4 will explore rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 and 1000. Once secure with place value, we will move on to both mental and written methods of addition and subtraction, including exchanging. As we move through the next half term we concentrate on mental multiplication and division.

A focus on times tables will continue throughout the year, in preparation for the statutory Multiplication Tables Check that will take place in June for Year 4 children. Children have a log-in in their planners for a website called ‘Timestable Rockstars’. Here the children have the opportunity to practise their times tables and earn certificates and rewards for continued practise and progression with their times tables. I encourage the children to use this as much as possible at home in order to consolidate their multiplication table knowledge.

Science

In the Autumn term, the children will be covering ‘States of Matter’ including sorting materials into solids, liquids, gases, investigating gases, heating & cooling, evaporation and the water cycle.

History

Our history topic for this half term will be ‘The Shang Dynasty’ of ancient China. I must admit I’ve had to learn quite a lot about this myself over the last few weeks but the children really enjoyed out first lesson this week.

Computing

Our Computing topic for this half term will be taught by Mrs Bowman, have a focus on online safety and children will be using the Purple Mash software. Your child will have a login in their reading records if you wish to explore this further at home.

PE will be on Tuesday with Mr Cairns and Fridays with myself. Please make sure children have their PE kit in school on these days.

French – Children will learn French with Mrs Bowman on Friday Our first topic will be called ‘The Circle of Life’ and will focus on animals and food chains.

I look forward to working with you over the course of the year and if you have anything you would like to discuss, please feel free to contact me via the class email: ouseclass@langton.n-yorks.sch.uk

Kind Regards

Mr Walker