Our Learning
Birch Class
Welcome to Birch Class.
Mrs Heritage will be teaching on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Mr Hutchinson will teach Thursdays and Fridays.
We have got some fantastic topics and trips to look forward to across the year and you can find out information about them below.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.
Hello I am Mrs Heritage, and I am delighted to be your teacher this year with Mr Hutchinson. I love being creative and using movement and arts to bring our curriculum to life.
My goal in the classroom is to make learning exciting, engaging, and useful every single day. In our school the values of commitment, curiosity and kindness help our class members thrive in their learning.
Outside of school, I enjoy playing netball, chasing after my toddler and watching lots of sport - especially cricket/Formula 1.
Hello I am Mr Hutchinson. I have been teaching in Bristol for nearly 13 years. I am really looking forward to getting to know all the children in team Birch and aiding them in enjoying, learning and developing throughout the year. I am also a qualified cycling instructor and have bikes at school to provide beginner lessons. If your child would like to learn to ride a bike, please contact myself or ask the office to pass on your details to me.
our learning in birch class
| Subject Areas | During this academic year, we will be learning... |
|---|---|
| Maths |
In Year 4 we continue with Number Sense Times Tables which help us learn the Multiplication Tables facts in time for our Summer Term Multiplication Tables Check. This is where children are given 6 seconds to answer a question, and they have to answer 25 of these. We do plenty of practice throughout the year but we would encourage you to practise at home too. Alongside this, we cover a range of topics over the year in our daily maths lessons. Term 1: Place Value Term 2: Column addition and subtraction/multiplication and division. Term 3: Negative numbers and multiplying by 10,100 and 1000. Term 4: Fractions, perimeter Term 5: Decimals Term 6: Money, time, shape and co-ordinates |
| English |
In our writing lessons we will be using a range of books to support and inspire us all with our writing.
Term 1: We will begin with a strong start to focus on the basics of writing and sentence composition. After that, we will move into persuasive writing. Term 2: Children will be writing their own adventure stories and news reports. Term 3: Children will build their story writing skills by creating a story from other cultures. They will then write explanatory texts. Term 4: The writing this term will focus on recounting events in a diary before developing their persuasive writing. Term 5: We will be revisiting adventure stories and explanatory texts Term 6: The final term will end with stories from other cultures |
| Science |
Term 1: Animals and Habitats Term 2: States of Matter Term 3: The Digestive System Term 4: Food Chains Term 5: Electricity Term 6: Sound |
| Geography |
Term 1: Rivers Term 2 and 3: Latitude & longitude Term 4 and 5: Water cycle Term 6: Map skills & environmental regions |
| History |
Term 1: We will begin the year looking at Britain’s settlement by Anglo-Saxons and Scots Term 2 and 3: We then move onto looking at the Vikings. Term 4 -6: We will be studying the Ancient Egyptians in the second half of the year. |
| Religion and World Views |
In Religion and World Views we will be answering a different question each term. Term 1: Are all religions equal? Term 2: What makes some texts sacred? Term 3: Just how important are our beliefs? Term 4: Who was Jesus really? Term 5: Does the language of scripture matter? Term 6: Does the language of scripture matter? |
| French | Calendars, colours, numbers and items from daily life. |
| Art |
Term 1: Drawing Term 2: Painting Term 3: Printmaking Term 4: 3D and Collage Term 5: Painting Term 6: Art festival |
| Design Technology |
We will be having DT days each term with a different focus on skills and the products we will create. Term 1: Structures Term 2: Cooking pizzas Term 3: Mechanisms Term 4: Electrical systems Term 5: Structures Term 6: Food Festival |
| PSHE |
We teach PSHE weekly in school and cover a range of topics that provide children with the skills and understanding to support themselves in a range of areas. Term 1: My Healthy self Term 2: Connecting with others Term 3: The online world Term 4: Citizenship Term 5: Growing up Term 6: Staying Safe |
| Music |
We will have music lessons with Mr Rees. Term 1: Start with playing - adding layers to major and minor songs Term 2: Singing together - how stories are shared through song Term 3: Compose and create - improvising with Hindustani classical music Term 4: Playing together - effective rehearsal in groups Term 5: Compose and create - composing a major melody on a stave Term 6: Singing for performance - discovering different ways to sing in harmony |
| Computing |
Term 1: Collaborative learning + online safety Term 2: Collaborative learning + online safety Term 3: Scratch + online safety Term 4: Weather + online safety Term 5: Computational thinking + online safety Term 6: Computational thinking + online safety |
| PE |
In Year 4 we are luck to have swimming lessons for each class over the year. When these happen, that will take the place of that terms PE lessons. Term 1: Rugby - Cherry are swimming Term 2: Basketball Term 3: Dance - Birch are swimming Term 4: Tennis Term 5: Athletics Term 6: Cricket |
| Enrichment |
We have a number of enrichment activities happening this year which we are all excited about.
|
| Assessment | Year 4 will have Times Table Check (MTC) during week beginning Monday 7th June 2027 and Monday 14th June 2027 (two weeks). Please do not take holiday during this period. |
weekly timetable
PE Days
PE in Birch class is on Monday and Tuesday in Term 1 and 2. Please make sure that your child wears a PE kit to school on these days. Our PE kit is plain black shorts; leggings or joggers; plain white or school PE t-shirt; school jumper. In term 3 and 4 we will be going swimming on Wednesdays instead of PE on Monday.
Homework
Please read daily at home as much as possible. Ask lots of questions during this time to support their comprehension as well as their fluency. We ask for them to read their books with an adult at least 3 times, please make sure you are signing their reading record 3 times a week and your child can also write in entries when they read independently.
For maths practise, regular times table practice (you can use timestables.co.uk 'Multiplication Tables Check’ to prepare them for the MTC in June). Please also practise every day key skills like, reading and writing larger numbers, telling the time on an analogue clock, recognising coins and measuring in different units.
Useful information
Please ensure your child brings a water bottle to school each day and a coat with a hood when rain is forecast.