In Year 4 this term we are finding out ‘How The World Works.’ The central idea for our Unit of Inquiry is ‘Civilizations that do not adapt may not survive.’ As part of our inquiry we will be trying to answer the following:
- How did the Romans rise to such great power?
- What were the contributing factors to the fall of the Roman Empire?
- Did the Romans find any new scientific discoveries or did they just use Greek science?
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We will begin our inquiry by immersing ourselves in a Roman experience day at school. This will involve dressing like Romans and experiencing some of their everyday lives, from cooking to Latin lessons, formation marching and shield design. This will spark some learning questions from the pupils which will then drive forward the remainder of our Unit of Inquiry. We are also hoping to have a trip out to a living museum to find out more about the Romans first hand.
In English, we will using the core texts ‘Romans on the Rampage’ by Jeremy Strong and ‘Survivor: Escape from Pompeii’ by Jim Eldridge. Our main focus will be writing to entertain so we will be using these stories to inspire our own narratives, learning from its structure, vocabulary and grammar. We will be using our previous learning on the use of adjectives to write descriptive passages including speech to add excitement to the action and organising our ideas into paragraphs. We will be choosing our words carefully, thinking about the effect on our reader. We may also consider different styles of narrative including historical, adventure and humour.
In English, we will using the core texts ‘Romans on the Rampage’ by Jeremy Strong and ‘Survivor: Escape from Pompeii’ by Jim Eldridge. Our main focus will be writing to entertain so we will be using these stories to inspire our own narratives, learning from its structure, vocabulary and grammar. We will be using our previous learning on the use of adjectives to write descriptive passages including speech to add excitement to the action and organising our ideas into paragraphs. We will be choosing our words carefully, thinking about the effect on our reader. We may also consider different styles of narrative including historical, adventure and humour.
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We will be using Roman scientific theories and practices to help us work scientifically in science this term. We will be carrying out lots of different experiments to see how different materials can be changed, and how the Romans used this knowledge to help them develop new ways of building, designing and creating. Some of our experiments might include recreating the famous volcano Etna and finding out what materials were used to build the Pantheon.
Our PE focus this term is tag rugby and athletics. PE days are now Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Please make sure your child has their kit in school on these days. Much of the PE will be outside, so please ensure your child has the appropriate kit to do this.
In maths we will start the term by reviewing division and will be making sure that the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) stay at the forefront of our minds during the term. Pupils can prepare for this by practising their multiplication and related division facts at home. We will then be moving on to decimals again, looking at them in more depth, in particular recognising, writing, comparing and rounding decimals. To prepare for this at home, pupils can review tenths and hundredths. Big Maths, Beat That will also continue with a focus on related division facts.
Our PE focus this term is tag rugby and athletics. PE days are now Monday mornings and Thursday afternoons. Please make sure your child has their kit in school on these days. Much of the PE will be outside, so please ensure your child has the appropriate kit to do this.
In maths we will start the term by reviewing division and will be making sure that the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) stay at the forefront of our minds during the term. Pupils can prepare for this by practising their multiplication and related division facts at home. We will then be moving on to decimals again, looking at them in more depth, in particular recognising, writing, comparing and rounding decimals. To prepare for this at home, pupils can review tenths and hundredths. Big Maths, Beat That will also continue with a focus on related division facts.
