Hawthorn Class 2025 - 2026

WELCOME TO HAWTHORN

Class teacher - Mr A Fowles

Learning Support Assistants - Mrs C Morris 

Miss Graves teaches on a Friday afternoon for French and Mrs Rowland for music. 

Mr Parrish teaches PE on a Tuesday.

Mr Fowles teaches PE on a Wednesday.

This term, Hawthorn Class will be exploring the challenging yet inspiring theme of Slavery through our topic We Are Explorers Adventuring into Slavery. Our learning will focus on the stories of individuals who showed extraordinary courage and resilience in the face of injustice, as well as the wider history of the transatlantic slave trade.

We will begin our journey with Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson, which tells the remarkable true story of Henry Brown, a man who mailed himself to freedom. The children will imagine what it felt like to hide inside the box, using drama and diary writing to explore his bravery and determination. Later in the term, we will study Journey to Jo’burg by Beverley Naidoo to understand more about apartheid in South Africa and the fight for equality. Alongside these texts, we will also learn about the life of Nelson Mandela and the impact he had as a courageous advocate for justice.

In Mathematics, children will begin the term by deepening their understanding of place value, learning how to recognise, represent and compare numbers. They will explore the value of each digit and use this knowledge to solve practical problems. Building on this, they will move into addition and subtraction, where they will develop both mental and written strategies. Pupils will learn to apply their skills to reasoning questions and problem-solving tasks, helping them to explain their thinking clearly and with confidence.

As part of our Design and Technology project, the children will design and construct their own “freedom boxes” using wooden frames and decorated panels. This hands-on work will help them reflect on the lengths people went to in order to seek freedom. In art, pupils will sketch chains and shackles using different pencils and charcoal, and they will design wood patterns to complement their box-making.

Our music learning will connect with our theme as we study and sing the hymn Amazing Grace. We will explore how it was written by John Newton, a former slave ship captain who became an abolitionist, and how it continues to be a song of hope and faith across the world.

In history, pupils will study the transatlantic slave trade and investigate the impact of slavery across North and South America. They will also use geography to locate biomes and understand concepts such as longitude, latitude and the tropics, giving important context to where and how these events unfolded.

In science, our focus will be on sound and electricity. Pupils will carry out investigations to understand how sound travels and how circuits work, applying their knowledge in practical ways.

Religious Education will give pupils the opportunity to study a range of sacred texts including the Bible, the Hindu Vedas, the Qur’an and the Sikh Guru Granth Sahib. We will also explore the significance of Christmas and take part in Interfaith Week, with a focus on Buddhism.

In Computing, the children will research Henry Brown and Nelson Mandela. This will develop their digital literacy as well as their understanding of key historical figures.

PSHE and RSE learning will be guided by the No Outsiders texts How to Heal a Broken Wing by Bob Graham and And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. These stories will encourage children to think deeply about kindness, equality and diversity. Our Love Wise lessons will focus on the characteristics of a healthy family and how to stay safe online.

Hawthorn pupils will also take part in a range of physical activities, including football with Mr Parrish and gymnastics and fundamental movement skills with Mr Fowles.

As part of our “One Unselfish Act” project, the children will write thank-you notes to members of staff who would not usually expect them, showing kindness and gratitude through small but powerful actions.

This term, our “One Big Problem” is that many people in the world, even children, are still forced to work very hard every day and do not get the chance to go to school, rest or play. This is unfair and takes away their freedom. Our hope and aspiration is that everyone should be treated fairly, have choices and be free to learn, play and live in safety.

Finally, Hawthorn will shine in the Christmas production Pantastic, where they will share their singing and dancing talents with the school community.

Through all of this, we will be inspired by the life of Nelson Mandela as our courageous advocate. His example of perseverance, leadership and faith will help the children understand how individuals can bring about change in the world.

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 Hawthorn 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!

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 Friday with extra time in school for those who can not fit it in.

Personalised spellings will be sent out at the start of each time, please allow time for analysis to be complete in school before they're sent home.

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

Proposed timetable: