Pine Marten Class

Class teacher’s welcome

Coming Soon: Y3/4 Christmas Carol Service – Tuesday 17th December (6-7pm)

Welcome to Pine Marten Class Page!

I am so excited to share with you all the wonderful work and exciting things we get up to in Pine Marten Class. It is going to be a fantastic year with lots of engaging and exciting opportunities for new learning. We are a loving and nurturing class and this year we will continue to support the children to flourish and develop both socially and academically throughout their school journey.

I look forward to showing you all the wonderful things we get up over the coming weeks.

Miss Wheelhouse x

Logo - pine marten

Pine Marten Lion Witch Wardrobe 1

English: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

Pine Marten Lion Witch Wardrobe 2

English: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe

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Science: Exploring the best materials for sound insulation

In English this term, we will be studying the opening chapters to The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. We started our first lesson by transforming the classroom into Narnia; the room was decorated with snowflakes, a snowy tree and a lamp post, while Mr Tumnus played his flute in the background. The smell of delicious hot chocolate also filled the air. The excitement coming from the children was magical! Since then, the children have written some beautiful setting descriptions linked to a snowy forest. And, as we slowly read through the first few chapters, we will begin examining the characters of Lucy, Mr Tumnus and Edmund in greater detail. We can’t wait!

In Science, we have been investigating the way sound travels through a medium to the ear. This week, we explored what material is the best to help with sound insulation. The children were asked to create their own ear defenders using cardboard tubes and sticky tape. They then had a variety of materials to explore, such as foil, cotton wool, bubble wrap, fabric and card. Children were asked to test which material makes the best ear defenders by filling the cups with the different materials and testing how well they insulate the sound. We had a fun-filled Science afternoon, and the children thoroughly enjoyed it!

Curriculum news

At a glance – Autumn 2

Maths: Area, Multiplication and Division (A)
English: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (Fiction), Mill Brochure (Brochure).
Science: Sound
Geography: How is the land in Yorkshire used?
RE: What faiths and beliefs can be found in our country?
Computing: Audio Production
PSHE: Valuing differences
Music: Recorders (Music and Arts): taught throughout the year by the Music and Arts Service.
Art: Drawing: Rocks and Landscapes

Home Learning

All children are encouraged to complete a home learning project to build on their class History and/or Science learning.

Ideas include…

Create a brochure on famous landmarks in different counties in Yorkshire.
Research famous artists in Yorkshire and re-create a piece of art work in their style.

These projects are designed to run alongside the learning for a half-term and should be handed in on or before Friday 20th December. We look forward to inviting you into school at the end of the term to share the children’s projects.

Spelling

At All Saints’ Primary School, we follow the Read, Write Inc. spelling scheme in Key Stage 2. In Autumn, Term 1 we will be re-capping units from the Year 3 spellings. From Autumn, Term 2, we will be starting the Year 4 units.

Week	Focus	Example Words
2^nd September	Adding the suffix -ian	musician, politician, mathematician, optician
9^th September	Adding the prefix re-	rearrange, reappear, reheating, recycle, redo
16^th September	Adding the prefix anti-	antifreeze, antisocial, antiseptic, anticlockwise
23^rd September	Adding the prefix super-	superhero, superstar, supermarket, superwoman
30^th September	Adding the prefix sub-	subway, subsoil, subtitle, submarine, subheading
7^th October	Adding the prefix mis- Revising un-, in-, dis-	misbehave, misprint, misunderstand inhuman, disagree, unfair
14^th October	Words ending in zhuh spelt -sure	treasure, adventure, puncture, capture, enclosure
21^st October	Adding the prefix auto-	autograph, autopilot, automatic, autobiography
Half-term	–	–
4^th November	Adding the suffix -ly	breezily, sleepily, cheekily, merrily, angrily
11^th November	Adding the prefix inter-	internet, intergalactic, interlock, intercity, intermediate
18^th November	Word with the ay sound spelt eigh, ei, ey	grey, prey, neigh, sleigh, eighteen, obey, neighbour
25^th November	Words enging in -ous	serious, tremendous, obvious, jealous, enormous
2^nd December	Words with the s sound spelt sc	scissors, ascend, descend, scent, fascinate, muscle
9^th December	Words ending in zhun spelt -sion	confusion, division, explosion, decision, revision
16^th December	The short u sound spelt ou Homophones Possessive apostrophes	Trouble, enough, country, youngest Berry/bury, main/mane, reign/rain/rein, groan/grown children’s, boy’s,

At a glance – Spring 1

Maths: Multiplication and Division (B), Length and Perimeter
English: Marcy and the Riddle of The Sphinx (Legends), How to mummify a body (Instructional Text)
Science: Electricity
History: What were the achievements of the Ancient Egyptians?
RE: How do the 5 pillars help Muslims to lead a good life?
Computing: Repetitions in shape
PSHE: Keeping myself safe
Music: Recorders (Music and Arts): taught throughout the year by the Music and Arts Service.
DT: Worry monsters (Textiles)

Home Learning

All children are encouraged to complete a home learning project to build on their class History and/or Science learning.

Ideas include…

Make an Egyptian death mask using cardboard or clay. These would look fabulous painted too!
Make a 3D model of an Ancient Egyptian pyramid.
Write a diary of a day in the life of an Ancient Egyptian slave or Pharaoh.

These projects are designed to run alongside the learning for a half-term and should be handed in on or before Friday 7th February 2025. We look forward to inviting you into school at the end of the term to share the children’s projects.

Spelling

At All Saints’ Primary School, we follow the Read, Write Inc. spelling scheme in Key Stage 2. This Spring, we will continue learning the Year 4 spelling rules, spending two weeks on each set in order to fully imbed the the children’s understanding of each spelling rule.

Week	Focus	Example Words
6^th January	Words with the s sound spelt sc	scissors, ascend, descend, scent, fascinate, muscle
13^th January	Words with the s sound spelt sc	scissors, ascend, descend, scent, fascinate, muscle
20^th January	Words ending in zhun spelt -sion	confusion, division, explosion, decision, revision
27^th January	Words ending in zhun spelt -sion	confusion, division, explosion, decision, revision
3^rd February	Adding il- and revising un-, in-, mis-, dis-	impatient, unkind, illogical, illegible
10^th February	Adding il- and revising un-, in-, mis-, dis-	impatient, unkind, illogical, illegible
Half-term	–	–
24^th February	The c sound spelt -que and the g sound spelt -gue	cheque, catalogue, tongue, unique, antique
3^rd March	The c sound spelt -que and the g sound spelt -gue	cheque, catalogue, tongue, unique, antique
10^th March	Adding ir- to words beginning with r	irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible, irresistible
17^th March	Adding ir- to words beginning with r	irregular, irrelevant, irresponsible, irresistible
24^th March	Adding the suffix -ion	Confession, possession, discussion, admission
31^st March	Adding the suffix -ion	Confession, possession, discussion, admission

Dates for the diary

PE days: Mondays (Miss Wheelhouse), Wednesdays (Mr Megson)

Autumn 2: Y3/4 Christmas Carol Service – Tuesday 17th December (6-7pm)

Spring 1: 30th January 2025 – Visit to Leeds Museum (Ancient Egyptians)

Spring 2: 27th February 2025 – Kings Hall (School’s Singing Together)

Links to support learning

Reading

Please encourage your child to read daily for a minimum of 10 minutes. At least 3 reading sessions per week should be recorded in the school Reading Record. Children should all have a school reading book (that can be changed regularly) but should be encouraged to read other material as well.

Read more about English in Y4 in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study

Maths

Your child in Year 4 will be taking the statutory multiplication tables check (MTC) for the first time, in June this year. It is an online test, completed in school, for all pupils in Year 4. Pupils are asked to answer 25 questions on times tables from two to 12. They are given six seconds per question, with three seconds rest between each question. To help prepare your child for this check, we recommend using Times Table Rock Stars (login on inside front cover of Reading Record) – Y4 introduces 6, 7, 9, 11 & 12, as well as building on 2, 3, 4 5, 8and 10 multiplication tables (from Y3 & Y2).

Moreover, written methods for addition, subtraction and multiplication are taught as in the pictures below.