In English this half term, the children will be exploring the book The Whale by Ethan and Vita Murrow. It is an 'epic, wordless adventure, brought to life with stunning graphite drawings, which convey the drama and haunting beauty of the ocean, and capture the majesty of this awe-inspiring creature.  Children will be inspired by the drawings to create their own settings narrative.

Children will take part in guided reading sessions each week in which we explore and respond to a variety of quality texts, including activities which will build our verbal and written comprehension skills.  Those children who are still learning the fundamental skills of decoding will continue to take part in Read Write Inc. phonics sessions and will take home books linked to their development and learning from these sessions. Children who are fluent and confident readers will have access to a wide range of books to choose from for their reading.  Every child will visit our wonderful library and take home a book of their choice to read independently or share with their family each week.

Reading is an integral part of our learning in Dolphin Class. We love our class story time as it is really cosy when we all sit together and share a story.  We like thinking about the characters and plots and discovering new vocabulary that we can use in our own writing.  We have a wonderful reading area full of a wide range of quality texts outside our classroom that children are encouraged to explore freely, voluntarily and with delight.  We use Wise about Words techniques to share and explore stories and to promote a deeper love of stories amongst our children. It helps us to develop a richer vocabulary, build confidence and increase emotional literacy. Immersing our children in stories and drama will help them to overcome barriers to their learning.  We want our children to love to read and explore books because reading is an adventure that never ends.

This half term we will be developing life skills in our maths lessons, learning about time and money.  We will learn to read the time on both analogue and digital clocks.  We will also be learning about amounts of money and how to calculate change. We will also be developing our mental multiplication and division skills through our daily practice on TT Rockstars.

This half term we will have a history focus as the children learn about Vikings and Anglo-Saxons.  They will learn about why the Vikings invaded England, how they invaded and what Viking warriors were like.  They will explore Viking life in terms of how they lived and investigate different Viking artefacts. 

This half term our science unit will be Rocks.  The children will have the opportunity to explore, sort, describe and classify different rocks.  They will learn about how the weather can cause rocks to change over time. The children will have the opportunity to explore fossils and find out how they are created.

This term we will be focusing on the questions 'What is philosophy?' and 'How do people make moral decisions?' The children will discuss the difference between knowing and believing. They will decide if a reason or argument based on a religion or belief makes sense to them and is expressed clearly.  They will learn to analyse arguments and how they work. They will begin to recognise that it is difficult to define ‘right’, ‘wrong’, ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Pupils in Dolphin Class will be learning about 'My Rights and Responsibilities'. 

Year 3 children will learn that it is their right to decide who can touch my body and consider the reasons why some people may need to touch their body.  They will also learn how to respond if someone touches their body without their permission.

Year 4 children will learn what marriage is and why this is something special between two people.  They will  explore the reasons why some people choose not to get married and they will learn that marriage should always be a choice.

In Art, the children will be focusing on printing. They will learn to use more than one colour to layer in a print and to replicate patterns from observations. They will explore how to make printing blocks and to make repeated patterns with precision.

In Dt, children will be learning about different types of food and seasonality and local cuisine.  They wil learn how to plan and make seasonal dishes safely and hygienically.

This term, children will have the opportunity to invent simple patterns using rhythms and notes C-D-E. They will learn to compose music, structure short ideas into a bigger piece, notate, read, and follow a ‘score’ and perform call-and-response rhythms vocally, by ear, using word rhythms, then transfer rhythms to body percussion/instruments. 

This half term the children will explore the fundamentals of animation by learning about traditional techniques and how they have evolved over time. They will develop practical skills by making small changes to images using onion skinning and understanding how this technique creates the illusion of movement. Using tools like a time slider, they will learn to navigate film clips precisely to insert and edit objects. Pupils will also edit and refine their own stop-motion animation clips, building confidence in improving their work. Along the way, they will compare different animation software, considering the advantages and disadvantages of each to deepen their understanding of digital creativity.

We will continue our MFL journey into learning Spanish this half term.  We will be studying the unit 'All About School'.  They will learn to name things in the classroom, name items in a pencil case, say the name of school subjects and to recognise place names around the school.

Outdoor learning will take place on Tuesday afternoons. It is important that your child comes dressed in long sleeves and trousers and has a change of footwear.  We are so lucky to have our own woodland on-site and so the children have the opportunity to access outdoor learning every week.  Having our own woodland gives children the opportunity to develop their respect for the natural world, which ties in with our core values.  They develop resilience and problem-solving skills through challenges and wild play in the woods, as well as broadening their horizons by learning and developing their outdoor survival skills such as shelter building and fire lighting.  

P.E. lessons take place twice a week, with Monday afternoon sessions being led by Miss Clarke (Mrs Morrell will be leading these this half term) and Wednesday morning sessions led by Mrs Morrell.  The units this half term are hockey and tennis.

Class Dojo is our main form of communication with parents. If you have not yet signed up for Class Dojo and would like to, please do not hesitate to come and see us.  We are more than happy to help if you are having difficulty accessing this.  It's a great space where you can view photos, videos and information about all the amazing things that are happening in our classroom and around the school. It gives you the chance to see what your children have been learning in school each week, giving you the opportunity to talk to them at home about what they have been doing.

Home learning in Dolphin class is about reading every day either to an adult, a sibling or to themselves.

The year four children will be undertaking the National times table check in the summer term and it is essential they practice their times tables regularly (they can use TT Rockstars for this).

There is a pick and mix homework menu which enriches the discovery learning we are doing in class. Pick a task, complete it and post your work on Dojo by Wednesday.

Please make sure all of your child’s possessions are labelled. Children do not need to bring toys or pencil cases into school. Children should wear PE kit to school on Monday and Wednesday. Woodland is on Tuesday and children need to wear sturdy, outdoor clothing.