Computer Coding
Today, the children explored a digital game called Scratch. They created a sprite (a 2D character) and used the coding blocks to form an algorithm. The children enjoyed creating, coding and testing their ideas.
What is Scratch programming?
Scratch is a programme aimed at supporting children developing their coding and programming skills. It can be used to create stories, games and animations. Scratch promotes computational thinking and problem solving skills.
Have a go at home – it’s free!
Working Scientifically… and investigating nappies!
This half term, we will be working scientifically using our 5 enquiry types.
This week, we observed nappies to help us with our investigation. We thought about the properties of a nappy and what it’s function is. The children had some great ideas and many recognised a nappy need to be soft to protect the skin, stretchy and it needs to absorb liquid.
Check out the key vocabulary for our new topic and help at home by discussing these words with your child. 
Living and Learning: I know that people should treat others respectfully when online.
Today has been internet safety day! In Year 4, we continually refer to online safety throughout the year – not just for one day.
This morning, the class had a discussion about online games and we looked at some guidance about age ratings. Lots of the children were unaware that some of the games they play are inappropriate and rated at much higher age groups.
The game Fortnite, which is very popular, is recommended for young people aged 13 and up. This is because of its action violence and open chat options. Chat to your child about the games they play online. Discuss why there are age restrictions and what the word ‘appropriate‘ means.
Following this discussion, the class were able to explore the ‘thinkuknow‘ website. This site provides resources and information for children and young people aged 4 – 18, their families and professionals who work with them. Check this out with your child. There’s a lot of information for parents, too! www.thinkuknow.co.uk
Our fluency text links to our Living and Learning and it is below for you to read with your child.
Monday 6 February 2023
LO: fluency (Living and Learning – Consent – book on display in classroom) 
Consent means giving someone a choice about touch or actions and respecting their answer.
Consent (for Kids) is an empowering introduction about how to respect yourself and others. Consent is like being ruler of your own country…population: YOU. Readers will learn about boundaries and how to set them; ways to respect themselves and others; what to do if someone makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe; and much more.
Finally, the children created images of themselves and surrounded them with ideas of how to stay safe online.
Living and Learning: I know I should treat others respectfully when online
Next week, our Living and Learning will be based around internet safety. To start this off, Dave from D:Side came to talk to us about staying safe online. We had a look at some of the games we have heard of, and the symbols on the games that mean there is something inappropriate for our age.
We thought about who we shouldn’t and shouldn’t speak to online. Dave taught us that people might not always be to they claim online. It’s fine for us to talk to our friends and family member who we already know. However, it’s not safe to accept requests from people we don’t know.
Years 3 and 4 were great at recognising which private information we should never give out online. To stay safe, we should make up a username rather than using our real one.
We were given some different scenarios of photographs and thought about if it is safe to post online. We think it’s safe to post photographs of a new pet, but it’s not appropriate to share photographs that give away out personal information. This includes anything that shows who we are and where we live. Aubrey, sensibly suggested that if we want to share photos of our friends we need to ask their consent.
We got to be detectives and guess the password based on clues about what people like.
Why not as your child what they enjoyed about our internet safety talk? Can they remember what we need to do to create a strong password?
Visiting Wetherby Library
Today, Year 4 spent an hour in the local library. This was a great opportunity for the children to get immersed in books they enjoy. The library positively encourages young people to enjoy reading for pleasure.
Our session, with the librarian, involved learning how a library is organised, a library skills quiz, making a bookmark, choosing some books to have in our classroom and, of course, a story.
Ralph, who is very interested the the world wars, chose a book on this topic to have in our reading area.
Wetherby Library has lots to offer (and it’s free) so why not pop in with your child!
Address:
17 Westgate, Wetherby, Leeds, Wets Yorkshire, LS22 6LL
Amazing Writing
Wow! Year 3 have been doing some writing to be proud of this week! We continued with our recount learning and imagined we had experienced a volcanic eruption! Our R2S were, fronted adverbials, conjunctions and expanded noun phrases.
I’m sure you will agree the results were impressive!
Maths: What is perimeter?
Today, in maths, we’ve learned about perimeter.
We firstly experimented using Magformers to create rectilinear shapes (shapes shaped like a rectangle) and counted the distance around the edge in squares. We then took our learning up a level and created more complicated shapes.
Ashton, Noah, James, Kamile and Summer were especially brilliant at working out the area by counting the squares but the whole class did a super job too!
Take a look at some of the children’s reflections the children noted at the end of our maths lesson…
Geography: Mount Vesuvius
Today, we’ve learned about yet another volcano – Italy’s Mount Vesuvius…
…but it’s not the geography learning I was massively impressed by (although the geography learning was fab, too!).
I’ve been blown away by the children’s HANDWRITING! It’s been great tracking back to September to see how much we’ve all improved.
We often think that handwriting is something to only think about when we first learn to write but now it’s more about our general presentation, formation of letters and personal style that’s at the forefront.
Some children are coming home with a copy of their handwriting to show off at home! Great job, Year 4!
Multiplying in Maths
By the end of Year 4, children are expected to know all multiplication tables
to 12 x 12 and recall the corresponding division facts. Using knowledge of
multiplication calculations, children will begin to use formal written methods to record their work, including the use of arrays. At home, you can support your child by practising reciting multiplication tables, ensuring your child can recall them and the corresponding division facts.
Today, some children used place value counters to help to multiply a two digit number by a one digit number.
34 x 4 =
4 lots of 34 =
Once the counters were in the correct place value rows, we looked to see whether we could exchange 10 ones for 1 ten and 10 tens for 1 hundred. Finally, we added up the total and wrote the answer. Can your child explain this to you?
Recently, the class have been exploring how to multiply by 10, 100 and 1,000. When multiplying by 10, children need to be able to visualise making a number 10 times the size and understand that “10 times the size” is the same as “multiply by 10”.
Key questions
• What do you notice when multiplying by 10?
• What is a placeholder? When do you use placeholders?
• What happens to the digits in a number when you multiply
by 10?
• What is multiplied by 10?
• What is 10 lots of ?
Help, to multiply by 10, at home by using this example changing the numbers each time.
7 × 10 = 70
10 × 7 = 70
70 is 10 times the size of 7
Is the statement always true, sometimes true or never true?
If you write a whole number in a place value chart and multiply it
by 10, all the digits move one column to the left.
Discuss this with your child. Can they recall the learning done in class?
Geography: A case study of the Icelandic volcano
This week during our topic lessons, we’ve been learning about the Icelandic volcano that reeked havoc throughout the world when it erupted in April 2010.
We’ve thought carefully about how the erupting Eyjafjallajokul affected life on a local, national and international scale… but it’s pronouncing the name of this dormant stratovolcano that’s proved tricky for us..! Jacob, Jayden and Lilly gave it a really good go but weren’t quite right…
Have a go at learning how to pronounce this volcano…
Can’t wait to hear how you get on!