We made amazing magnet games!
To finish our forces and magnets topic, Years 3 and 4 created some games using magnetic force.
Their favourite was the fishing game where they put some magnetic tape onto a rod and a paperclip inside a fish. They explained they knew that the tape would be attracted to the paper clip, so we could catch some fish!
As we did such a great job, we went and showed Reception our work.
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Help at home: Can your child explain how they created their game? Can they explain what we mean by magnets and how they attract and repel?
Meeting an author
Tom Palmer virtual visit
Today, the children had a virtual visit from Tom Palmer (and his dog Finn) who is an author that writes children’s books.
Tom began by talking about how he got into writing…
As a child, Tom didn’t enjoy reading, didn’t think he was any good at it and didn’t like it until his mum tricked him into it by using football! He began to read comics and newspapers about football and this helped him practise his reading. Tom found that the more he read, the more he enjoyed it!
His love for reading then inspired him to become an author and his ideas for different books come mainly from football, animals and war. “Write about what you love,” said Tom.
Question time!
Some of the children had the opportunity to ask Tom a question such as;
How long does it take for you to write a book?
It depends! Some books take 6 weeks to write and some take 6 months… it depends what I’m writing about and how long the book is.
What gave you inspiration for ‘Arctic Star’?
My wife used to work on HMS Belfast so her stories about the ship inspired me to write about a warship.
Why have you set some of your stories in Leeds?
I set some of my stories in Leeds because I’m from Leeds! Writing about somewhere that I know makes it easier as I can add more detail to my stories.
Have you travelled to the places you have written about?
Yes, I have been inspired by the different countries I have visited. However, travelling around the world is very expensive!
Help at home by researching Tom Palmer’s website. Find out more about the author and explore some of his fantastic books. https://tompalmer.co.uk/
Living and Learning: I know the importance of staying hydrated.
Year 4 have been discussing the importance of hydration.
breathingsweatingurinatingdiarrhoeasickness
- dizziness or light-headedness.
- headache.
- tiredness.
- dry mouth, lips and eyes.
- passing small amounts of urine infrequently (less than three or four times a day)
- Water is good for the body – keeps joints, bones and teeth healthy, helps the blood circulate, and can help kids maintain a healthy weight into adulthood. Being well hydrated improves mood, memory and attention in children. Check out our learning below.
- Pack a water bottle for school and when you go out. Try a frozen water bottle in summer.
- Encourage your child to drink water before, after and during physical activity.
- Always offer water with meals and snacks.
- Encourage your child to drink water, even if they don’t like it!
Year 3 and 4 went down to the woods today…
This week, along with Born of the Forest, Year 3 and 4 ventured out to a classroom with no walls! Check out how we got on exploring, investigating and learning all about St James’ Woodland.
Be sure to scroll through our time outdoors and chat to your child about it – what did they think of their time outdoors? Did they learn anything new? What was the best bit of their session?
Each Friday, your child will be spending 90 mins in the woodland, whatever the weather – please ensure they bring appropriate clothing.
Carnival Music Day
We were so excited to be able to meet Dave who came to do a workshop with us around our new history topic, carnivals!
We started by doing some call and response using clapping. We learnt we had to have group cohesion to ensure we were all clapping at the same time and could really feel the rhythm we were creating by using our bodies.
Dave taught us about the instruments used by the Yoruba tribe in West Africa. This tribe were invaded by European countries and transported as slaves to the Caribbean. This was known as the Transatlantic Slave Trade. We will be learning more about this in the upcoming weeks.
The Drums were hollow so the sound can vibrate and get out of the bottom. Tight rope is used to hold the top in place which is made from goat skin.
We learnt the best way to hit a drum so we did not hurt ourselves.
After splitting into four groups, we used our drums in different ways to create a thunder storm.
We then looked at some serdo drums which were much larger and much deeper.
In the afternoon, we created a performance for the whole school using different instruments. Check out our performance here.
‘Loidis Ledes Leeds’
Year 4 have begun a new class novel called ‘Loidis Ledes Leeds’ written by Tom Palmer. This five part story follows the adventures of three pupils across Leeds and across time.
Iron Age Romans Anglo Saxons Vikings Now
The characters travel through historical periods and uncover some VERY exciting facts about the city of Leeds. The historical finds can be visited today, if you fancy an afternoon out.
There are two ways to enjoy this story. These are via a PDF document and online. The children have really enjoyed listening to the author narrate the first few chapters.
https://tompalmer.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Leeds-story-2016-full.pdf
The first historical adventure ends in Barwick in Elmet, Leeds where the children discover the remains of a large Iron Age hillfort.
Help your child by sharing this story and read (or listen to ) the next chapter at home. Encourage your child to research each historical find and the period of history they originate from.
Writing money as decimals
Year 4 have been learning how to write a given amount of money in decimal notation. The children explored the use of pounds and pence notation and this helped to develop their understanding that the digits following the decimal point represent part of a pound.
Help at home
Next time you go shopping keep the till receipt or use the ones below.
Ask your child some of the following questions.
- Which is the most expensive item?
- Convert £1.99 into pence.
- How would you write 13p as a decimal?
- Which item has the most tenths?
- What is the total cost for two pizzas?
- Which item has no tenths and no hundredths?
- How many pounds and pence in 474p?
History: What is a carnival?
We’ve kicked off this topic’s learning in fine style! This history driven topic will explore carnivals from around the world but also closer to home – The Leeds West Indian Carnival.
Why not search online about carnivals – we looked at carnivals in Rio de Janeiro, Venice and Leeds. Quiz your child on what things make up a great carnival!
Be sure to chat to your child about the key vocabulary we’ll be using throughout…
We are physicists!
Physics is the study of forces and energy and this half term Year 4 are being physicists in their science. The main focus of the sessions will be forces and magnets.
On Monday, the class learnt what a force is and explored different forces. What is a force?
Help at home.
A push, pull and twist are all contact forces. Discuss this with your child. Can they tell you why the word contact is used to describe the force?
Explore these forces at home and please send in any photos of your child doing this task. We love to celebrate extra learning done at home!
Easter Church Service
We enjoyed a trip to St James’ Church earlier today for our Easter service.
Years 3 and 4 read our poem ‘Easter In My Hand’ beautifully. Many children could recite their line from memory!
In case you missed this, please follow the link below to watch the recording.
Well done Years 3 and 4!