Prep 4 Curriculum Brief

Spellings will again be predominantly based on the Year 4 spelling rules and the children’s individual targets. Tests will be held on a Thursday and new spellings (10 in total) will be given each week.  In handwriting we will continue to develop our cursive script, paying attention to consistent letter sizes and accurate joins. We will continue to develop an interest in reading and different genres/authors this term. We will test comprehension asking questions based on their individual books and shared texts in class.  Children will also be asked to summarise what they have read in a paragraph/page and develop an ability to skim read texts so that children can find key words or phrases quickly. We will be looking in detail at the book The Colours of History: How Colours Shaped the World by Clive Gifford. This will be used to inspire the children to write their own information text detailing interesting and surprising facts about a certain colour through history. We will also look at Poetry Pie by Roger McGough to inspire us to both write and perform our own poems. We will revise and consolidate our knowledge of compound words, possessive pronouns, commas, prepositions to express time and cause, expanded noun phrases and subordinate clauses.

During the Summer Term, Prep 4 will continue to have weekly times tables tests and a mental maths session to improve the children’s speed of calculation. Main areas of topic work include the following:

Place Value: Place Value + & – , landmarked lines, count on and back in range of steps, roman numerals

Calculation: 4-digit compact addition, + & – near multiples, choosing mental methods, + & – word problems, word problems with all 4 operations, multiplying 3 numbers together, factors

Measurement/data handling: 24-hour clock, time intervals, read and draw time graph, convert units of time, area & perimeter of rectilinear shapes, symmetry, acute and obtuse angles in triangles and quadrilaterals, types of triangles

Fractions: 2 decimal places and rounding, multiply and divide 3-digit numbers by 10, 100, decimal and fraction equivalents, add and subtract with decimals, solve problems, equivalent fractions, fractions of amounts, solve fraction word problems, divide two-digit number with a remainder

This term Prep 4 will be continuing their learning about teeth, digestion and food chains. This will include exploring how the digestive system works, learning different types of teeth, finding out what animals eat and exploring which animals are predators and prey.

They will then be learning about living things and their habitats. This will include recognising that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways, exploring and using classification keys and recognising that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

We will continue to consider water as a finite resource, looking at the conservation of water and the issues surrounding supplying clean drinking water to a growing global population.  We will be looking at the causes and effects of both local and global flooding and discuss the pollution of water, both in rivers and oceans.

This term Prep 4 will be learning about the Aztecs. They will be researching who the Aztecs were, placing them on a timeline. They will explore the roles of emperors, nobles, warriors, priests, farmers and other people in Aztec society. They will also investigate how the huge city of Tenochtitlan was built on a swampy island in Lake Texacoco, find out what the Aztecs believed in and how their region and sacrifices impacted their lives and research what daily life was like for the Aztecs. Finally, they will investigate how and why the Aztec empire ended by finding out about the Conquistadors invading Mesoamerica.

We will also be expanding our vocabulary by covering topics on fruit and vegetables, animals, parts of the body and transport. We will learn how to ask and answer the question “Qu’est-ce que c’est?” and confidently express our likes and dislikes.

This term we will be looking at how people of God continue the work of Jesus today to spread his message – just as the apostles were asked to in Biblical times. We will also be looking at the term ascension and look at the events of the Ascension.  Finally we will look at the Story of Paul to help the children understand how conversion results in a changed life.

This term the class will be looking art inspired by South America and art, crafts and designs from this continent. They will continue to explore the elements of art, refining, developing and enhancing
their ideas.

Prep 4 will continue to work on their composing skills this term and in doing so will also deepen their knowledge of notation. The children will be looking in detail at the work of Steve Reich and applying some of the principles of minimalism to their own compositions. We will be using and learning about the pentatonic scale. They will also continue to work on improving and using their knowledge of music theory.

Due to the exploratory and ‘spontaneous’ approach in this subject, we will often go off in different directions depending on the ideas and interest of the children. And so the formal lesson plans are often deviated from to preserve a flexibility and originality of approach.  New projects often ‘evolve’ from the children’s ideas in the sessions and it is an important part of the approach and style in this subject  to maintain this flexibility and spontaneity.  This generates a feeling with the children that they are going on a ‘journey’ in this subject each term. The formal lesson plans are only intended to be used as a basis and guide to the type of work and projects that are covered and are not intended to be rigidly adhered to.

Weeks 1 and 2  – Designs incorporating ‘moving face’ designs using 360 micron card to create sliding movements.

Weeks 3, 4 and 5 –  musical instrument designs.  Design and construction of instruments that can either be plucked, blown or hit. Investigation and experimentation with pitch, tone and sound resonance. Decoration and finishing of designs, testing and assessment.

Weeks 6 and 7 – money box designs. Children will be looking at ways of designing and making a money box. They will consider style, appearance, choice of suitable materials. Opening mechanisms and loading mechanisms.

Weeks 8, 9 and 10 – Wire and crank designs to create mechanical movement for three dimensional models. Materials used will be plywood, blockwood, styrofoam and modelling card.

This term pupils will be learning how to use a microbit and develop a project in designing a game to be used. They will be developing a powerpoint presentation based on their residential trip. They will also look at creating a newspaper as a class including taking pictures and designing text.

We will start by working on team building and co-operation activities. After focusing on Poetry Assembly we will use the universal theme of environmental sustainability to explore the conflicting feelings and interests of a community and the need to consider natural habitats that support wildlife.

As part of our Money and Work topic we will look at making decisions about money. How do people make decisions based on budget, values and needs? We will also consider that how people spend their money can have positive and negative effects on others e.g. charities, single use plastics. As part of our Heath and Wellbeing topic, we will ask, what is a balanced lifestyle?  We will also consider keeping safe at home (looking at medicines and common household products) and discuss good dental care.

Games: Simple cricket/rounders activities, including limited game situations. The skills involved in catching, throwing, bowling and hitting will be developed. Athletics – to include sprints, hurdles and relays. In field events simple javelin/ high jump/long jump (where possible).

P.E: A collection of activities linked to the cricket/rounders sessions. Racket skills linked to tennis and table tennis.

Swimming: Water time will be spent on the development of correct technique and other related activities. All work based on the ASA ‘National Plan for Teaching Swimming’.