Our unit of inquiry
We can use a variety of methods to communicate
In Year 4 next term, we are finding out ‘How We Express Ourselves.’ The central idea for our Unit of Inquiry is ‘We can use a variety of methods to communicate.’ We will be investigating some of the different ways we communicate including spoken languages, pictures, codes, music, dance and mime. We will also be thinking about how animals communicate and how they hide communications from each other. We will be looking at how and why some different forms of communication started and who created them.
In Year 4 next term, we are finding out ‘How We Express Ourselves.’ The central idea for our Unit of Inquiry is ‘We can use a variety of methods to communicate.’ We will be investigating some of the different ways we communicate including spoken languages, pictures, codes, music, dance and mime. We will also be thinking about how animals communicate and how they hide communications from each other. We will be looking at how and why some different forms of communication started and who created them.
Lines of Inquiry
How do spies communicate undercover?
How do you choose secret places from which to communicate?
How can science be used to help communication?
How do spies communicate undercover?
How do you choose secret places from which to communicate?
How can science be used to help communication?
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Our focus text in English for Term 3 will be ‘Zac Power: Poison Island’ by H.I. Larry. Please feel free to buy a copy if you wish to read along at home. We will use this to inspire our own spy stories, but we will also be writing explanation texts about what happened to Zac and about some of the gadgets that he uses as he goes on his adventure.
In spellings we will continue to look at the Year 4 spelling patterns. This term we will focus on homophones and near homophones, the suffix ‘ation’ and the prefixes ‘sub’ and ‘super’. We will also continue to learn words from the Year 4 statutory word list and to revise and consolidate the Year 3 spelling patterns.
In Science we will be investigating electricity and magnets and we will have the opportunity to make our own electrical circuits.
Our Maths learning will focus on three separate areas of the curriculum. We will start the term looking at multiplication and division and investigate how to multiply and divide a three-digit number by a one-digit number. This will be followed by spending time on measurement and thinking about how to calculate the area of rectilinear shapes. Our final topic will be fractions and we will investigate equivalent fractions and how to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator.
In spellings we will continue to look at the Year 4 spelling patterns. This term we will focus on homophones and near homophones, the suffix ‘ation’ and the prefixes ‘sub’ and ‘super’. We will also continue to learn words from the Year 4 statutory word list and to revise and consolidate the Year 3 spelling patterns.
In Science we will be investigating electricity and magnets and we will have the opportunity to make our own electrical circuits.
Our Maths learning will focus on three separate areas of the curriculum. We will start the term looking at multiplication and division and investigate how to multiply and divide a three-digit number by a one-digit number. This will be followed by spending time on measurement and thinking about how to calculate the area of rectilinear shapes. Our final topic will be fractions and we will investigate equivalent fractions and how to add and subtract fractions with the same denominator.
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You might like to join in with our learning by…
- Finding out about spies who work for our government
- Visiting the Secret Army exhibition at Beaulieu
- Finding out about the ministry of defence in England
- Creating your own secret code so you can talk to your friends in secret
- Camouflaging an everyday object in your own piece of art work
- Taking a photograph with something camouflaged in it
- Taking a lock apart (ask mum and dad first!) to see how it works inside
- Using magnets to test different materials and what happens to them
- Investigating the symbols used to communicate about electrical circuits
