Year 4 2019-20

Hello! 
 
MAY 2020 UPDATE: I have reorganised the class page so I hope that it's a little clearer. I've put crucial information and things from the children at the top. Subject-by-subject resources and older Year 3 and Year 4 material remain at the bottom of the page along with everything I've sent out so far!
 
I very much love seeing what the children get up to, so please feel free to keep sending me pictures and, with your permission, I'll put them here and/or Twitter :) 
 
As ever, please do not feel the need to do any of this - this is only here to help with childcare at home at this very challenging time in case you're looking for something to do.
 
I do not expect you to become personal tutors overnight whilst simultaneously juggling for some of you working from home and childcare! If your children do nothing but have some fun, stay healthy, happy, and maybe read a little, then I think that's time well spent! 
 
I very much am missing my lovely class and can't wait to see them all very soon! Please stay safe and don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything at all. I will be checking my emails every weekday (including outside of ordinary term time). Thanks and speak to you soon!
 
Mr Booth :D
Key Information about Free School Meals, financial problems and IT issues
 
1) If you at all feel that your financial circumstances have changed and that you may be Free School Meals-eligible (even if this is only temporary), you can apply direct for FSM on this link. If you qualify for Universal Credit you may qualify for FSM.
 
2) If you have any concerns about anything financial or otherwise, you can contact Action for Children who can provide targeted support.
 
We, as a school, also have a wide range of agencies who we work closely with who can help and have helped a multitude of families in different circumstances during the lockdown. If you would like any direction at all, you can always email me directly where I will do everything in my power to help. 
 
The council are also asking families who are lacking in computer equipment for home learning to fill out this survey. This will allow the council to plan and, potentially in the future, provide computer equipment for many families. 
VE Day!
 International Nurses' Day!

From Zara!

What are nurses

 Nurses are people who put other people before them self. They have to be truthful,caring  and patient. They mainly have to be ready if an emergency comes in

Mary Baird (my great great aunt)

She was famous for being one of the first nurses to land in France . She was awarded the MBE. The MBE is a medal given to you by the king or queen. She was awarded the  MBE by king George the XI. She was only a volunteer when she got called in to go to the war. She got famous after the war. She became the public health department head. Mary also helped the NHS establish in 1944. She was born on the 22nd May 1944 and died on the 25 June 2009 aged 102. 

Florence Nightingale 

Florence was born in Italy on the 12 May 1820. When she was a teenager, she told her rich parents that she wanted to become a nurse. They said no as they thought that it was only a poor persons job. In 1850 , her parents couldn’t take it any longer and said yes. By 1853 she was running a hospital in London. In 1854 Florence and her nurses travelled to Crimea to improve the care given to injured soldiers. When she got there she described it as “a kingdom of hell”. Army officers didn’t want to give Florence a try. As everything got worse they had to give Florence a go. When she got home she was a celebrity. A fund was set up to show how thankful everyone was.

I find these nurses inspiring because I think they both did amazing things to help other people and because they also strove to be loyal nurses. 

Additional Materials

These resources are especially useful if you need things that are easy to give to your children with limited input from you! These resources are less personalised than the rest of the class page but are perfect if you need to give your child some tasks they can do on their own!

Oak National Academy: 

This website contains the online lessons that the Department for Education have organised. Registration is free.

Talk for Writing packs (English) *RECENTLY UPDATED!*

These are some excellent English packs that are interesting and have a wide variety of subjects.

Robin Hood MAT (all subjects) packs *RECENTLY UPDATED!*

This has a range of great suggestions for activities that are easy to organise.

BBC Bitesize

The daily lessons on this are fantastic.

White Rose Hub Maths Home Learning 

This website is one of the best resources for Maths home learning available. This is more personalised to home use than the 'small steps' sent out in Home Learning Packs which is more akin to school use. 

Please see the Maths section for the weekly updates of premium resources

*NEW!* The Children's University 
Manchester University have made a virtual university for children to learn about all sorts - it looks fascinating!

 
If you want to try something different from what I've recommended here on this page, please click the title above to get a full list of government-recommended websites for all subjects!
RE, PSHE and Activities for Well-Being
The NSPCC have put out a range of excellent resources to help with COVID-19 and discussions with your children and some of the more complicated aspects of being a parent whilst all this is going on. I highly recommend you take a look at their excellent resources!
 
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/coronavirus-advice-suppport-children-families-parents/
 
Additionally, you will also find some resources from the Archbishop of York Youth Trust on what it means to be courageous immediately below this.
Some Resources from the Church of England
 
We received a lovely email from the Assistant Director of Education for the Newcastle diocese with some Church of England-related resources which is part of the church's Faith at Home campaign. It's mainly videos but there's plenty here to get you thinking, some of which is aimed purely at families and some at the whole family.
 
Excerpt from the Oak Academy assembly - https://vimeo.com/413185654
Extreme Reading Challenge!
Challenges from the class!
Toby
 
Toby is back for another challenge, this time Science!
 
He has been looking at something quite complicated called 'pH' which is a way to measure different substances. For instance, you'll know that lemon juice and vinegar have a very particular taste! That's because they are acids. You'll also know about some cleaning things around your house that do things like help wash your clothes or your dishes. They clean well because they are alkalis which are the opposite of acids!
 
Him and his mum boiled some red cabbage and then left them in different substances from around the house. You'll see how they changed colours according to whether they were acidic or alkaline!
 
You could copy this experiment and do it yourself (so long as it's with an adult as Toby used some household cleaning items that you'll need to be supervised to use!) OR you may have a different experiment that you'd like to try and share with the class. If you do, let me know by sending me an email :) 
Mattia and Poppie:
 
Tara, Mattia has a special message for you!! I know some of you have been learning sign language, so if you give it a go, please feel free to send me a video of you practising. How amazing is this?! 
 
Earlier on too, Poppie sent me a lovely video of her signing her own name!
Lucy:
 
Check out Lucy's gymnastics here! Can you do anything physically that you're really proud of? It could be that, like Harriet, you're good on a pogo stick or like Arlo you can weave around your house on a hoverboard! If you have anything you'd like to share, get your parents to send me it over email!
Henry:
 
Firstly, thanks to some of you for giving Toby's challenge a go! That's still open if you want to give that a go!
 
I received a video from Henry which made me laugh! You can have a go yourself if you wish at making your own stop motion video - I thought I'd make it a bit of a challenge like we did for Toby to make a video if you wish! It could be about anything at all!! Henry used the Stop Motion app to put together the video himself!
 
If anyone gives it a go, feel free to email me and I can put it on the website!
 
 
Evie's! 
Oliver A's!
Toby:
 
Toby has taken an amazing poem by Allan Ahlberg called 'Excuses' and he has written a whole new verse! You can see it below in the original in bold and there's even a video of him reading it! it is partially inspired by this BBC Bitesize lesson on Allan Ahlberg including one of my all time favourites, 'Please Mrs Butler'.
 
His challenge to you is for you to do like he has done and write a new verse about excuses in the classroom! I'd love to hear your verses and I can add it to this poem!
I've writ on the wrong page, Miss.
My pencil went all blunt. 
My book was upside - down, Miss.
My book was back to front. 
 
My margin's gone all crooked, Miss.
I've smudged mine with my scarf. 
I've rubbed a hole in the paper, Miss. 
My ruler's broke in half.
 
My work's blew out the window, Miss.
My work's fell in the bin.
The leg's dropped off my chair, Miss.
The ceiling's coming in.
 
My pencil snapped in half, Miss. 
My homework ate my dog. 
I fell in the bath, Miss. 
I lost my bag in a bog.
 
I've ate a poison apple, Miss.
I've held a poison pen!
I think I'm being kidnapped, Miss!
So..... can we start again? 
 
Update - Here are a couple from you guys!
 
From Zara:

My pencil has snapped Miss,

My book was on the wrong page,

I’ve dropped my ruler Miss,

My paper fell into my hamster’s cage.

 
Vel
 
Vel and his family have been doing some amazing classic poetry and Vel's mum has very kindly shared with us some of the poems studied. If you're interested, you could have a look at some of the poems suggested and think about what the poems mean. Vel chose to annotate his - you could do the same, or draw something inspired by some of the poems, or even try writing your own inspired by them! 
English
Some further English
 
Please find below some more of the 60 second read comprehensions since they've been quite popular! 
 
There are four on the Romans (which would have been our topic for Summer 1 and Summer 2!) and four on sports which should provide some variety! There is also the guidance which re-explains what the different dogs symbolise in terms of comprehension skills. 
Maths
Please see the White Rose Hub Premium Resources page :) 
Additional Resources - Maths
 
Maths Packs from White Rose Hub - this is largely teacher focused but covers any and all Maths all year!
 
NRich Maths - especially useful if you want to try something more challenging!
 
 
Don't forget that you also have TTRS, Easimaths (which sadly only works on computers, not tablets!) and lots of Maths in the original packs!
Science
This term, we would have focused on electricity. 
 
BBC Bitesize has some excellent resources including detailed video clips. It also has a separate section on circuits.
 
You can find a range of games related to electricity including virtual circuits for the children to experiment with (that'll be a lot safer than experimenting at home!!) here.
 
I've also put a worksheet below along with an assessment - the assessment is useful if you want to know what exactly children were supposed to know by the end of the unit, and the children may be able to give it a go after some thorough research!
History and Geography
Computing
 
I know some of the children are desperate for a bit more Computing! I have already recommended Scratch to you before but your children may want to give Code.org a go, which is a website they already know. We use it in school.
 
Normally, I wouldn't open it up outside of school time but these are extraordinary times! The unique school log in is here and the children click on their names and hopefully they remember their 'secret picture' which allows them to log in. If they don't remember, give me an email and I'll send a reminder! 
 
Alternatively, you can make your own account on Code.org which is completely free!
Music:
 
May: Music Partnership North Newcastle is proud to launch the “Local Heroes” Project, designed to support schools and young people with their online musical learning over the coming weeks.  

Each week, MPN Newcastle will set our young people, our very own local heroes, the challenge of responding to a different musical style in any way they wish.  To access these resources, please follow the link below

https://www.musicpartnershipnorthnewcastle.co.uk/website/local_heroes_pop_and_rock_resources/479481

 
April: Fran Harris, our ukulele tutor, has recommended Sing Up as a fantastic resource to utilise for those who want to give their vocal chords some exercise!
Weekly Update Archive
Hello my Year 4s!!!
 
I hope you have had a lovely week and I hope that my postcard made its way to you! I've been impressed by those of you who have sent me some of the things you did for VE Day which was lovely! Some of it has already been put on the website!
 
As you know by now, my weekly challenge is a little optional thing you can do if you want something a bit different! Tuesday 12th May (so tomorrow from when I send this message!) is International Nurses Day. As I've told you before, both my parents were nurses (only recently retired!) and I saw every day how hard their job was. Here's a few ideas for what you could do:
  • Find out more about what nurses do. How is their job different to being a doctor? What is it like to be a nurse? Would you ever want to be one? I know lots of you have family who work in hospitals and some even with nurses for parents, so you can always interview someone you know!
  • The reason why this day is because it is Florence Nightingale's birthday, perhaps the most famous nurse of all. You may remember studying her when you were back in Key Stage One. You could research about her, or other famous nurses, like Mary Seacole.
  • You could write a letter, similar to the thank yous you did last week, to nurses local to you. Think about all the hardworking people in places like the RVI and Freeman Hospitals, especially now!
  • Or something else - your imagination is your only limit!
I also have one more little challenge... Toby kickstarted it with his poetry writing and reciting, and this week we're inspired by Henry's stop motion video that I've put on the class page with a little challenge from Henry to make your own stop motion video if you wish. More instructions are on the class page - if you wish to give it a go, you'll need a phone or tablet, a Stop Motion app (there are lots of free ones on the various app stores - ask your family if you can download one!), and your imagination!! If you're stuck for ideas, take a look at Henry's for some inspiration.
 
Stay safe, keep exercising and keep smiling!!
 
Miss you all loads,
 
Mr Booth

Week 4:

 

Hello my lovely class!!

 

Firstly, what a joy it has been to see some of your thank yous to all the lovely people who are still working hard or who mean a lot to you. The class web page has some of them up and it reminds me of how kind a class I have. I know I keep saying it, but I miss you guys hugely!! Also, I see some of you have already given Toby's poetry challenge a go - not just kind, but you lot are funny and creative too!!

 

Every week I'm going to set a little challenge and, as always, it's entirely your choice if you do them since, right now, the most important thing is to stay safe, happy and well. This week's challenge is all about VE Day because we are celebrating the anniversary of VE Day on Friday. Can you

a) Find out what VE Day was and why it was important?

b) Find out how people celebrated and write a diary entry of someone who attended the celebrations?

c) Create your own VE Day celebrations at home with your family? You will of course need appropriate decorations and refreshments! Let me know what's on your menu!!

I can't wait to see what you all get up to! Remember to tweet your pictures or email me them so I can add them to our class page!

Thank you!

Mr Booth

Week 3:

Hello my lovely class!!

I hope you’re all doing well and have had a lovely Easter break. I have eaten plenty of chocolate but I am still attempting to do my exercises. Do you remember when I would hit 10,000 steps before lunchtime in lessons?! I hope you’re staying fit too!

I’ve sent your families home learning packs and some other stuff that you may want to do but I thought I’d send you a special task, just for you, that links to something going on over the next week. On April 23rd, it is the anniversary of William Shakespeare’s birth! You might remember when we read his play Hamlet in class about the prince whose dad was murdered or that picture I have of Ophelia (Hamlet’s sort of girlfriend) in the classroom:

I thought I’d send you a special task! Could you do any one of the following…

- Find out five interesting facts about Shakespeare. Anything at all!

- Find out more about one of his plays. You could choose the really funny A Midsummer Night’s Dream or the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet or something else entirely! Here’s some retelling of the plays in children’s versions: http://www.free-short-stories.org.uk/famous-short-stories/famous-free-short-stories.htm

- Find out about his many famous poems, called sonnets. This is quite hard but I do love Sonnet 18 in particular https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/sonnets/18/

You could make a poster, a PowerPoint, something colourful like a picture – you don’t need to write anything at all! This is just a little task you could do if you wanted to.

Thanks so much – stay safe and I look forward to speaking to you soon

Love Mr Booth :D

Week 2:

Hello my lovely class!!

I hope you are all well! Firstly, it has been such a joy to receive some amazing work and pictures from loads of you - I've been putting them on the class page with your family's permission and it really makes my day when I get an email with what you've been up to!

I have a little challenge for you today plus a little extra task set for you by one of your classmates...! My challenge to you is to say 'thank you' to someone by making them something, like for instance a card or a picture. Of course, this could be someone at home and many of us already clap weekly for those working in hospitals, but I am thinking particularly of those people who are still working hard for all of us who maybe aren't getting many thanks. This could be the postman still delivering all those important letters, or it could be someone in a shop who is still coming to work to make sure we get all the food we need, or it could be the bin men who are still picking up people's rubbish, or anyone else you can think of who is making a difference to all our lives. Even just saying thank you to someone at home who is really doing their best for you will mean the world to them!

 

If you do anything you're really proud of, as always, I'd love to see it and I'd love to put it on our class page!

Now, for the extra challenge, this time set by our very own Toby! If you go on our school website, you will see that he has written an extra verse to a famous, funny poem all about life in school when things aren't going as they are meant to. He has set a challenge to you to try and write another verse - if that sounds interesting, take a look on the website and give it a go!

I am really missing you all - I think my teacher fiancee is getting sick of my terrible jokes and wishes I could subject you to them, rather than her!!

Stay safe and I hope to see you all very soon.

Mr Booth

Week 1:

Dear Year 4,

I hope you have had a lovely and peaceful first week not at school. To say that I am missing you all is an understatement and a half! It just isn’t the same without you! Please email me with an update of what you have been up to!

This week, I’ve been phoning some of you (those who aren't in school) to check in and ask how things are going and if you need anything else. Thank you so much to those who I’ve spoken to already – if you get a mysterious call from a private number during the daytime, it might just me! If I’ve not rung this week, then expect a call next week!

Some of you asked me about topic work so I have attached a PDF similar to the Ancient Olympic challenge, but this time a geographical study… of the place where you live! You do not need to even leave the building, although a walk around the outside (assuming you’re not self-isolating!) will be good. Or if you prefer, you can decorate an egg shaped stone and put the photo on Twitter for me to see!

I hope you are all happy and healthy and you are keeping your reading and times tables ticking over!

Speak to you all soon,

Mr Booth

Previous Home Learning Packs
Summer 1 April 2020 Home Learning Pack
 
Please find below the Summer 1 Home Learning Pack along with instructions within the class newsletter. Some are repeats from resources shared but the majority is new material. Please also see below the home learning pack material for even more resources!
Before the March closure!
 
Here is a selection of amazing photos from the academic year so far - for more, see Seesaw or our Twitter page!
Archive from 2018-19 (When the current Year 4 were in Year 3)
Welcome to Year 3. Find out what we have been learning about here.