Year 4

Tints and shade 🎨

In Art we have explored how artists create different tones using colour. We learned that a shade of a colour can be made by carefully adding small amounts of black, while a tint is created by adding small amounts of white. The children experimented with mixing paints to see how colours change step by step, developing their control and observation skills.

We also looked at the work of Paul Cézanne, noticing how he used tints and shades to add depth and form to his paintings. Watch this space for our amazing artwork... 🧑‍🎨

Year 4 Geography Field Trip 🗺️

Last week, Year 4 explored our local area as part of our Geography unit 'Location & Human and Physical Geography – Are all settlements the same?'

We followed a route using maps, practising our map-reading skills and identifying key landmarks along the way. During the walk, we spotted and photographed human features (like houses, roads, and shops) and physical features (such as trees and green spaces).

Back in class, we will use our photos to locate these features on a map and suggest reasons why they are found where they are.

Great work, Year 4—fantastic geography skills in action! 📍🗺️

Soap carvings 🧼

In Art and Design, Year 4 have been exploring sculpture through an exciting soap carving project. We began by learning about Barbara Hepworth, who carved into solid blocks to create her beautiful abstract forms. Her work inspired us to think carefully about shape, space and design.

The children discovered that soap is an easily accessible material that can be carved to create 3D forms. Before starting their final pieces, they developed their ideas in their sketchbooks, experimenting with different shapes and patterns. They then turned their favourite designs into templates to guide their carving.

Using these plans, the class carefully carved their soap, showing great patience and creativity as they transformed a simple block into a unique sculpture. It has been wonderful to see their ideas come to life in three dimensions!

Ukuleles 🎼

Year 4 have been working incredibly hard in their music lessons developing their skills on the ukulele. Over the past few weeks, the children have been practising keeping a steady beat and learning how to write their own rhythms using musical notes and rests. It’s been fantastic to see their confidence grow as they begin to understand how music can be written down and then brought to life.

The class have enjoyed creating their own short pieces, carefully thinking about where to include notes and where a rest can add interest to their rhythm. They have then performed their compositions to the class, showing great courage and enthusiasm while supporting one another as an audience.

We are so proud of their dedication and can’t wait to showcase all of their hard work at our end of year concert - it’s sure to be a wonderful celebration of their progress and creativity!

Making a circuit 💡

In Science we have been learning about electricity and circuits, building on our previous work from the unit light and shadows. We have explored how electrical appliances are powered and have created simple series circuits using wires, bulbs and batteries. We investigated which materials are conductors and insulators and examined how adding more components affects a circuit. During our experiments, we discovered that the more bulbs added to a series circuit, the dimmer they became, as the electrical energy is shared between each bulb. We worked so well together in our KAGAN partner 🤩

Biscuit making 😋

In Design and Technology, Year 4 have been exploring our Cooking and Nutrition unit, building on the knowledge of seasonal eating developed in Year 3. The focus has been on adapting existing recipes and understanding how food products are designed for different audiences. We have evaluated a range of biscuits, describing their taste, texture and packaging, and discussing how recipes can be changed to suit a target consumer and a budget. We have also learned about simple food safety and hygiene rules.

As part of our practical work, we made our own biscuits, carefully selecting the correct equipment, accurately weighing ingredients and following a recipe step by step to create our final products. Take a look 😄 it was super fun to do!

Teeth 🦷

In Science, Year 4 have been learning about Animals including Humans, focusing on digestion and food and in particular the role of teeth. We learned that humans have different types of adult teeth with specific functions: incisors for biting, canines for tearing, premolars for crushing and molars for grinding food to help with digestion. To bring our learning to life, we created our own sets of teeth using playdough, carefully shaping and placing each type in the correct position. We also explored how animals’ teeth relate to their diets, discovering that carnivores like lions have sharp teeth for tearing meat, herbivores like cows have flat teeth for grinding plants and omnivores like humans have a mixture of both. This hands-on lesson helped us better understand how teeth are specially adapted to their roles in eating.

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