‘Trusting in God; Growing in Wisdom’

Willow Class 2023 - 2024

 

WELCOME TO WILLOW

 

Class teacher - Mr M Heathcote

Learning Support Assistants - Mrs C Morris (Monday, Thursday, Friday) and Mrs W Rowland (Tuesday, Wednesday)

Mr Parish on a Tuesday afternoon for PE. Mrs Mosley for Forest School. Miss Graves on a Friday afternoon for French and Mrs Shapland for computing. 

Follow us on Twitter  @WillowWhitegate

 

 

In year 4 and 5, the children in Willow class will be supported and guided in growing to understanding of the world around them. Through a wealth of experiences, we develop thankfulness for all we have. In all that we learn, we aim to find opportunities to shine both in what we have learnt and in what we do.  Above all, being in Willow class gives us the opportunity to develop self-control, and self-motivation and the chance to act wisely in all we do and say.

 

Our focus in English this term will be on coherency. Whilst continuing our work on spelling and handwriting, we will be using our knowledge of different sentence types to help us form coherent pieces of writing with paragraphs, speech and figurative language. Using the magnificent text ‘King Kong’ by Anthony Browne, we will be immersed into early 20th century America and creating some intense piece of writing.  

In maths, our focus will continue to be on subtraction before we focus closely in on multiplication and division. As we have been discussing, time tables knowledge will be key for success in this unit which is why we continue to practise on TTRS at home and try the times table check online to track our progress. We will develop formal methods for multiplication and division in addition to mental approaches too.

In reading, we will be enjoying our weekly guided reading groups and engaging with a range of high-quality texts. To support your reading at home, the children will have the chance to read many different texts and engage with online resources to hone in on the specific reading skills such as understanding, inference and expanding vocabulary.

In RE, we will be exploring the person of Jesus and asking whether he was a good teacher. Once we have explored and analyse His parables, we will then move on to explore why Christian’s see Jesus’s death as a triumph.

In science, we will delve into the remarkable world of sound and the ear. We will see pitch and volume at work in our music lessons before we move onto to look at how martials change.  

‘New York, New York!’ Our ‘theme’, is all about the Americas. Geography will be heavily focused on how the geographical continent is made up of many complex biomes and geographical features from the Great Lakes to the Rockies. We will also look at South America and the Amazon rainforest before explaining how hurricanes cause immense damage on the continent.

In PE, we will be developing our striking and passing skills within hockey as well as developing our strength control in gymnastics.

In computing, we will be focusing on online safety. This is such a vital area of learning in this ever changing, internet-driven world and we will be complimenting the work you will no doubt be doing at home on this key subject.

In our more creative subjects, we will be designing and exploring North American food and serving our parents an authentic taste of the USA, learning to play the ukulele and reaching a point of performing to school and family, finishing our Magic Boxes and crating ‘plinth people’ in our art.  

In French, we will be learning the basics of vowel sounds, numbers and greetings.

 

Reading

Reading is at the heart of successful learning and we will immerse ourselves in a range of quality texts over the course of the year.  As Reading is a priority across all subjects, we regularly use a range of fiction and non-fiction texts in our lessons to help inform richer learning across the curriculum in the afternoon. 

In addition to this cross-curricular learning, a single day might also see us exploring the motivations of characters in our gripping class novels or simply allowing children time to develop a love of reading through our provision of high-quality fiction books.  Wherever and whenever possible, we will prioritise developing the skills and positive attitudes towards Reading that will enable Willow class to become confident, informed and engaged learners. 

Home Reading expectations are detailed below, but should your child express and interest in a particular author, series or genre, please let us know and we would be delighted to order books from our library partners free of charge. Visits to your local library are also encouraged!

 

PE and forest school

PE will be happening one a Tuesday and the pupils will need to come into school in their PE kit. Forest School is on Wednesday. Please come in warm clothes and your uniform in a back to change into after.

Homework

Please ensure your child reads at home at least 4 times per week.  In Year 4 and 5, they are expected to record their own reading in their Home – School contact books; parents just need to sign each time. 

TT Rockstars should be practised at least 15 minutes a week. This will be checked each Thursday with extra time in school for those who can not fit it in.

Don't forget about Education City as well!

If you have any questions, please get in touch with me using the Home-School book or by email via this address: contact@whitegate.cheshire.sch.uk 

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: YEAR 4 MULTIPLICATION TABLES CHECK

 

What is the Year 4 Muliplication Tables Check

The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is a Key Stage 2 assessment to be taken by pupils at the end of year 4 (in June). The purpose of the MTC is to make sure the times tables knowledge is at the expected level.

 

What to expect:

The MTC is an online test where pupils are asked 25 questions on times tables 2 to 12. For every question you have 6 seconds to answer and in between the questions there is a 3 second rest. Questions about th e 6, 7, 8, 9 and 12 times tables come up more often. The questions are generated randomly based on the rules of the MTC.

 

How to prepare:

The best way to prepare is to start early, this is why Timestables Rocksters is to completed at least 3 times a week as part of home learning, in addition to class practise. With regualar pracitse, children will learn all the questions and gain confidence. Do also use the web links below:

 

Times Table Resources:
Times Table Rockstars – (soundcheck, at least 4 times a day)
Multiplication Tables Check – 2022 – Timestables.co.uk
Times tables Speed Test X – Timestables.co.uk
Times tables games – Learn them all here!
Times Tables Games for 7 to 11 year olds (topmarks.co.uk)
Test your Multiplication – Times Tables From 2 to 15 (mathsisfun.com)
Multiplication Tables Check – Mathsframe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Follow us on Twitter  @WillowWhitegate

 

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