Autumn Term

Discerning Disciples

Autumn 1 - Branch 1 - Creation and Covenant

This term Year 4 deepen their understanding of God’s covenant with Abraham and how his faith, trust and obedience shaped the history of God’s people. They explore the stories of Abraham’s visitors, the sacrifice of Isaac, and God’s covenant, learning that God is always faithful to His promises and that Abraham is a model of prayer and trust. Pupils discover that Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, fulfilling God’s covenant and linking the Old and New Testaments. They then study the life of Joseph, examining how jealousy, forgiveness and God’s providence transformed suffering into hope, and how Joseph’s faith led him to forgive his brothers and save many lives. Throughout the unit, pupils reflect on the theological virtues of faith, hope and love, considering how these guided Abraham and Joseph’s decisions and how they can inspire Christians today. Finally, pupils explore prayers and the examples of St Thérèse of Lisieux and St John Henry Newman, learning how trust in God, hope in His promises and love for others help people become good neighbours and live as faithful followers of Christ.

Autumn 2 - Branch 2 - Prophecy and Promise

This term Year 4 pupils explore how Jesus is the true King and how the Church prepares for His coming during Advent. They begin by learning about the Feast of Christ the King, recognising that Jesus is a king who rules with love, justice, truth and peace rather than power, and reflecting on how His example guides Christians to live faithfully. Pupils then study the work of the prophets, especially Isaiah, whose prophecies promised the coming of the Messiah, and John the Baptist, who fulfilled Isaiah’s message by calling people to prepare their hearts for Jesus through repentance and right living. They make links between Isaiah’s prophecies, John the Baptist’s preaching and the season of Advent, understanding Advent as a time of hope, reflection and spiritual preparation for both the celebration of Jesus’ birth and His coming again. Throughout the unit, pupils are encouraged to consider how they can prepare their own hearts by making good choices, seeking forgiveness, showing kindness to others and living as faithful followers of Christ.

We will also be focusing on our class saint - St Carlo Acutis

Jubilee Year of St Francis

This year, Catholics around the world are celebrating the Jubilee Year of St Francis of Assisi, marking 800 years since his death. St Francis is remembered for his deep love of God, his care for creation, his kindness to those who were poor and vulnerable, and his commitment to living a simple life following Jesus.

Throughout this special year, we will learn about St Francis' life and mission, reflecting on how we can follow his example by caring for our common home, showing compassion to others, choosing peace, and growing in our faith. Inspired by St Francis, we will look for opportunities to live out the Gospel each day through our words, actions and service to others.

As a class, we will celebrate this Jubilee by taking part in activities that help us appreciate God's creation, support those in need and deepen our relationship with God through prayer and acts of kindness.

Maths

At St Thomas' we follow Power Maths, White Rose Edition. The children make fantastic progress through this scheme, taking small steps to ensure Mastery of each Unit before we move on.

We are starting with Place Value, up to Thousands, using base ten and place value counters as support. This unit builds on previous learning in Year 3 about place value within 1,000. This previous learning introduced children to the concept of counting in 10s, comparing numbers, ordering numbers and using a number line to 1,000. Children will continue to use these previously learnt skills and apply them when working with 4-digit numbers. We then move on to Addition and Subtraction. In this unit, they will move on to comparing 4-digit numbers and ordering numbers to 10,000. This prepares them for tackling addition and subtraction of 4-digit numbers in the next unit, including numbers where exchanges are needed in more than one column. Just before Christmas we will focus on Area before Starting on Multiplication and Division.

In June the children will take the MTC - Multiplication Checks. This is an online test where children have six seconds per question, 25 questions, based on their mental knowledge of the times tables.

English

In English this term, children will have a range of opportunities to write in a variety of genres and different view points. Children will explore their drama skills to immerse themselves in their character and plot, while having great fun in the process!

Children will model a detailed writing process in their own writes, beginning with analysis of the genre, followed by exploring the grammatical skills that will add to the genre's effect, then moving on to a detailed writing experience, including drafting, editing and publishing their writing.

A large part of our writing will include the exploration of language, encouraging the children to develop a depth of language that adds to effect and meaning in both fictional and non-fiction writing.

Reading is essential to the writing process. We will have regular opportunities to read for pleasure, read for understanding - through comprehension, and read for fluency via our PALS reading process.

Autumn Term.pptx

Computing

This term, in Computing lessons, we will be focusing on hardware and software, animation, logo and sound stories using the purple mash scheme of work..

Online Safety is taught at the beginning of every half term, discussed at the beginning of every lesson, as well as having its own unit focus. The children have created their own Code of Conduct for how they behave online at school as well as at home. These will be coming home soon.

Science

In this first half term our first unit is 'Animals Including Humans', where we will focus on how the digestive system works, the dietary needs of humans and the human teeth.

What children will focus on in this unit:

The digestive system is made up of different parts, each with a specific function.
We use our teeth when we eat to tear and chew our food to make it easy to travel around the digestive system.
We have different types of teeth which all have different jobs.
We can keep our teeth healthy by eating healthy, brushing, flossing and visiting the dentist.
Working scientifically to investigate which drink causes the most tooth decay.
Different animals have different diets. Scientists use food chains to show what different animals eat in a habitat.
A food chain is made up of producers, prey and predators.
All plants and trees are producers.
Animals that are hunted are called prey.
Animals that hunt other animals for food are called predators.
The stomach produces acid to break down food so it can be digested.
Working scientifically to investigate how acid affects the food in our stomachs.

Geography

Mountains

In this geography unit, Year 4 will explore the fascinating world of mountains. They will learn what mountains are, how they are formed, where they are found around the world, and why they are important. Pupils will study famous mountains such as Ben Nevis and Mount Everest, discover the Himalayas, and investigate how people live, work and enjoy mountain environments.

Learn what a mountain is and identify its key features, including the peak, slope, ridge, base and valley.
Discover where mountains are found across the world and locate major mountain ranges on a map.
Explore how mountains are formed through the movement of tectonic plates.
Compare the four main types of mountains: fold, fault-block, dome and volcanic.
Locate the main mountain regions of the United Kingdom and learn where they are found.
Study Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the UK, and investigate its location and physical features.
Explore the Himalayas, learning why they are important to millions of people and the environment.
Investigate Mount Everest, the world's highest mountain, and compare it with Ben Nevis.
Discover how people use mountains for farming, tourism, transport, energy and recreation, and why mountains are important to our lives.

History

In this term the children will be exploring the Anglo-Saxon Era - moving into the time of the Viking raids. The children will be looking of photographs, artifacts and a range of sources from 410 AD to fully immerse themselves into this time in the past.

Some of the content the children will be learning:

The Anglo Saxons began to invade Britain in 410 AD.
The Staffordshire Hoard is the largest collection of Anglo-Saxon gold and silver metalwork ever found, comprising over 4,000 items.
Many of today’s settlements have existed and grown since an earlier historic era.
By the end of the 7C Anglo-Saxons were ruling most of Britain.
Early Saxons worshipped Gods we name our days after (Tiw, Woden, Thor, Frig)
Anglo Saxon Britain was invaded by the Vikings in 865 AD
King Alfred the Great was king of the Anglo Saxons from 886 until his death in 899.
The Vikings came from Scandinavia and began to invade England in 789.
Vikings kept coming to Britain for almost 300 years first as raiders then as conquerors.
Archaeological finds at Jorvik have changed the way historians view the Vikings.
The Vikings began as raiders but became settlers by the time of the Danelaw.

Design and Technology

Designing and Making Biscuits

In this Design and Technology unit, Year 4 will explore how food manufacturers develop new biscuit products. Pupils will taste and evaluate existing biscuits, learn basic baking skills, design and budget for their own recipe, create attractive packaging, and bake a final product. They will then evaluate their biscuits to see how well they meet the needs of their chosen target audience.

Taste and evaluate a range of biscuits, exploring their flavour, texture, smell and appearance.
Learn how to bake a basic biscuit safely by following a recipe and using key cooking techniques.
Design a new biscuit recipe, choose additional flavours and calculate the cost to stay within a budget.
Test and evaluate recipe ideas before selecting a final biscuit design and checking the final costings.
Investigate how packaging attracts customers and protects products by exploring biscuit packaging in shops.
Design and make packaging that appeals to a chosen target audience and safely holds the biscuits.
Bake the final biscuit product, following hygiene and safety rules throughout the process.
Evaluate the finished biscuits and packaging, reflecting on how well they meet the needs of the target user.

Slingshot Cars

In this Design and Technology unit, Year 4 will investigate how mechanisms help cars move before designing, making and testing their own slingshot-powered vehicle. Pupils will explore how a chassis supports a car, how air resistance affects speed, and how careful design and construction can improve performance. They will build, test and evaluate their cars, making improvements based on their findings.

Explore how mechanisms make cars move and build a strong chassis with a working launch mechanism.
Investigate kinetic energy and strengthen the chassis to create a stable, well-built vehicle.
Design a streamlined car body that reduces air resistance and meets the design criteria.
Measure, mark, cut and assemble a car body using nets to create an accurate 3D structure.
Join the car body securely to the chassis, focusing on accuracy, strength and a high-quality finish.
Refine and complete the model, ensuring it is attractive, well-constructed and fit for purpose.
Test and evaluate the finished car, investigating how body shape, stored energy and construction affect speed and distance travelled.

Art

Claude Monet was a painting and a key figure in the impressionist movement and is the artist that Year 4 will be learning about within the Autumn term. The children will develop an understanding of Monet's life, artistic abilities and why he is now known as a art icon. We will be creatibg studies from his work, whilst exploring his way of work in their own style.

An art critic uses their own thoughts to make comments about art.
Impressionist artists were not trying to paint a reflection of real life, but an ‘impression’ of what the person, object or landscape looked like.
Monet painted ‘en plein air’, which is painting landscapes outdoors.
Impressionist painters used layers of colours, leaving gaps in the top layers to reveal the colours underneath.
Monet’s painting, Poppy Fields is one of the most recognisable and a world famous painting.
Impressionist painters did not use black but used contrasting colours to create depth and light.
Monet uses pure primary and complementary colours.
Impressionist artists were not trying to paint a reflection of real life, but an ‘impression’ of what the person, object or landscape looked like.
Evaluating art is a chance to talk about what you made.

PSHE

In PSHE the children will have further opportunities to explore our Catholic Values that are the backbone to our school mission.

Autumn 1 - Advent 1:

Catholic Social Teachings - Human Dignity, Dignity of the Worker and Stewardship

Gospel Values - Purity and Holinness & Humility and Gentleness

Catholic Values - Grateful and Generous

Autumn 2 - Advent 2:

Catholic Social Teaching - Solidarity and the Common Good

Catholic Values - Attentive and Discerning

Gospel Values - Dignity and Compassion

Unit of work: Family and Relationships

Through this unit children will reflect on effective relationships, considering healthy communication, the role of citizenship and their health and well-being when opening exploring their thoughts and feelings.

The Kapow scheme of work and the TenTen scheme will be followed during many of our PSHE sessions.

Music

In music, Year 4 will demonstrate awareness of the need for good posture and diction whilst singing to maintain a pleasing sound. We will be using ICT to compose and recognise simple structures in music that are being performed or listened to (Verse-Chorus).

We will be singing rhythmically and expressively using a range of approximately an octave with increased control. The children will be encouraged to understand and respond to visual cues for starting and stopping, sustaining sounds, ending words with clear consonant sounds and/or fading away.

During this term, Year 4 will be focusing on Tag Rugby as their outdoor PE learning. The children will first learn how the sport works, and then will consider the physical skills needed, practicing them in isolation. The children will progressively practice the skills and will then work towards competitive games.

As part of our indoor PE this term the children will be having swimming lessons on a Friday afternoon at the Cheadle leisure center.