The last two weeks in Year 4 have been as jam-packed as always. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about King Henry VIII. We have had excellent discussions about whether he is a hero or a villain and some very interesting facts and opinions have been shared. 

In art, we have been learning how to paint 3D objects by mixing pallets to reflect lighter and darker shadows. 

In maths, we have been interpreting statistics from charts and graphs. We have been carrying out investigations in science to support this learning and looking for patterns in data. 

We can not put There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom DOWN! We just want to read and read and read. It is absolutely captivating and hilarious. Every Year 4 is gripped and we can not wait to find out what happens next! Bradley Chalkers is such a complex  main character, and it has been brilliant putting our inference and retrieval skills to great use by unpicking why he might act the way he does. 

We are also so pleased the sun has made an appearance. As you can see from the photo, the children are really enjoying being outside as much as possible. 

Thank you to all the Year 4 children for putting on such an excellent assembly last week. They all learnt their lines, lyrics and dance moves so well, delivering them confidently to a big crowd of parents, siblings, teachers and all of Year 3! You may have heard a rendition of a 'Don't' poem during the assembly. We have been looking at a wide variety of poetry in English at the moment, including those by popular children's author, Michael Rosen. Every child in Year 4 had the opportunity to write and perform their own version of the poem based on activities at Juniper Hall. It has been very entertaining to read and hear some of the imaginative lines. Some examples below: 

Don't flush a shrew down the loo,

Don't take a roach on the coach, 

Don't give a pheasant a Christmas present,

Don't throw computers at the tutors

Don't lose an earring whilst orienteering!

In addition to the assembly, Year 4 have been progressing their sketching and shading skills in art, have created wonderful branching databases in science, learnt about the story of Abraham in RE, progressed to playing the clarinet in music and everyone has been trying really hard in their reading, putting into practise their inference, prediction and retrieval skills. In maths, we finished our topic on decimals and have just started looking at position and direction. 

Year 4 have come back to school raring to go and ready for any challenge, which was particularly helpful when faced with a dilemma on only their second day back. 

The children had to work in teams to transport a jug of water from one side of the playground to the other as quickly as possible. 

Sounds simple enough, however, there were just a few catches! They weren't allowed to touch the jug at all with any part of their body, and they needed to keep as much water as possible in the jug. 

It was brilliant to see how well everyone worked in their teams to move the water steadily, but speedily across the playground, completing the challenge in a variety of different ways. 

Well done Year 4, we will be using even more of these problem-solving skills next week during our trip to Juniper Hall!

It was brilliant to have Jeremy, a practising humanist, visit Year 4 this week. He was full of insightful information about a way of life we have all been learning about. The children asked really impactful questions such as; have you always been a Humanist? Is it easy to follow the Golden Rules? And, Have you ever done anything you regret? Year 4 were able to demonstrate how much they already knew about Humanism, resulting in a very, VERY impressed Jeremy. They also learnt lots about the different humanist ceremonies and weddings. 

Despite the end of the year fast approaching, we are still full steam ahead in Year 4. 

Whilst preparing for the Carol Concert next week, Year 4 have also made huge progress with their Narnia Wardrobes, carried out a very important science mission ...all by themselves and enjoyed some relaxing, mindful Yoga alongside a visit to the wonderful Santa's Grotto. 

We would like to thank all of Year 4 for their incredible focus over the last two terms. They have applied themselves so well and it is clear to see the progress everyone is making! This makes us all so excited about the Spring term and all the adventures we will go on together next year. 

Have a wonderful and well deserved Christmas break.