Beech Tree Class Blog 2023-2024
Beech Tree Blog
Weekly Update-16/11/23
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, we have continued learning about and using different features that are required in order to write a good newspaper report. We have been focused on creating powerful headlines, creating captions to go along with photos and writing in third person.
In maths, we have started our unit of work on multiplication and division. This week, we have been focused on the 3, 6 and 9x tables. We have been singing songs and playing games to help us learn them. We have also been looking at the unique different features of each of those times tables and also what links all three of them together.
I will leave the link to some of the songs that we have been listening to. Songs are great for helping children learn their times tables and the children have really enjoyed singing along to these and practising their times tables.
3 x tables song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7eGyNUwP6o
6 x tables song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7rYbk9PNuM
9x tables song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yzm-y18W4w
In computing, we have continued our programming work, which involves repetition of shapes. This week, we focused on creating letters that could only have 90 degree turns within them. The children were tasked with drawing their initials onto squared paper first to make sure they knew what their letters would look like and then they were tasked with replicating the design on Turtle Academy by writing the code in to create the letters. The children did an absolutely amazing job of it and it was wonderful to see them constantly testing the lines of code that they had written and solving any problems that they could see occurring.
Y4 also had a skipping workshop this week, which was delivered by The Skipping School. They were able to learn about and practise a range of different skipping skills which they will be focusing on next term as we begin to practise for the skipping competition.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update-10/11/23
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, in our writing, we have started looking at newspaper reports, understanding what they are, why they're written, who they're written for and the features used within them. The children have also been gathering information all about the Viking raid at Lindisfarne, which is what their newspaper reports will be all about.
In our reading, we focused on a non-fiction text all about the Vikings in Britain, and worked on our retrieval, inference and summary skills. The children have done really well with this and it's lovely to see them becoming more confident, especially with their inference skills.
In science, we are now focusing on nutrition and diet, and this week we focused in on the 5 food groups, identifying what sort of foods go in those groups, why they are beneficial for our bodies and how often you should eat these types of foods.
In computing, we are continuing our unit of work on programming, focusing in on repetition of shapes. This week the children learnt about the different codes used for Turtle Academy which would allow them to move their turtle in a variety of ways. Once they understood how to use the different codes, their task was to create a number by programming the turtle to move in a specific way so that it would write the number out.
NELL BANK RESIDENTIAL-REMINDER
Please make sure you have given permission via Parent Pay for your child to join us at the Spring residential, currently we have less than 25 permissions which means it is highly likely it will be cancelled . If you didn't receive your link please contact the office directly who can resend it to you. If you have concerns regarding the financial payments, don't worry - we just need your permission via Parent Pay at this stage and please talk to us in confidence about any concerns that you may have about your child's attendance.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)
Weekly Update-27/10/23
Mr Kyriacou (n.kyriacou) on: Beech Tree Blog
Hello everyone,
This week, in maths we have been focusing on using different checking strategies for our column addition and subtraction and we have also been focusing on 2 and 3 mark word problems, identifying the key information within them and the mathematical vocabulary that indicates which operation they need to use and when. These problems involved multiple steps and both operations needed to be used. The children have also been using their checking strategies e.g inverse operation to check that their calculations are correct and spot any errors that they may have made.
In English, our focus has been performance poetry that uses similes. The children have really enjoyed learning about it and practising their use of intonation, volume, pace and use of actions whilst performing different people's poems and then when performing their own at the end of the week. Well done!
In art, we have continued looking at British artists. This week, our focus was on Howard Hodgkin, who is known for his abstract pieces of work. The children were tasked with creating mixed media pieces, that involved the combined use of paint, oil pastels, pencil and glue and create their own abstract pieces of work. The children were then given the option to experiment further later in the week by being given the option to cut their pieces up and then rearrange them to create a new abstract piece. The results were really exciting and the children should be very proud of their pieces of work.
The children have also made some lovely Halloween themed art as well.
Take care,
Mr Kyriacou :)