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Barcroft Primary School: Creative Curriculum

2019 - 2020

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Year 4

Autumn 1 SPQR In this engaging historical topic, children explore the invasion of Britain by the Romans. We will investigate where the Romans originated from and why they came to Britain. Opportunities are also made to think about whether these reasons have changed over time; are the reasons why we were invaded then similar to why people choose to immigrate and settle here now? Children will be able to have a WOW experience when they visit Wroxeter; a Roman city, where they can get hands on with artefacts and see what living in a Roman villa might have been like. The scale of the ruins helps children to understand the scale of the cities that the Romans built, and consider this in terms of engineering skills. This aspect of study allows links to be made with the Egyptians studied in Year 3, and how different civilisations developed. During this topic, children will research the meaning of the terms ‘settle’ and ‘invade’ as well as studying why the Roman army was so successful. Children will research the Celts and discover how their lives changed when the Romans invaded; for better and for worse. Finally, we will explore how the Romans have influenced our lives today. Children will explore this topic further through Literacy lessons by completing a Read, Write, Perform unit called ‘A Battle Cry’ where the children are part of a village that is being ruled over by the Tyrannoflax: it rules with an iron fist and devours anyone who stands in its way. In the role of the village chieftain, the children write and perform the own battle cry, encouraging their villagers to arms to defeat their oppressor and set the village free! The Read, Write, Perform unit not only covers all elements of the English curriculum in an engaging and purposeful way but also uses a variety of media; this focuses on both fluency and understanding and helps learners appreciate the power of performing their writing. The use of Emotional Literacy is an important element of this unit: an aspect that encourages empathy with characters and authors alike, offering learners the opportunity to personalise their work and take ownership of it. PSHEe lessons will discuss democracy and our rights and responsibilities.

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English: Children will complete the Read, Write, Perform unit called ‘A Battle Cry’ focusing on oracy and expression of voice to convey the meaning of their call to arms. Children will also explore examples of battle cries from films such as Gladiator and Braveheart before writing and performing their own. The children will move on to looking at Non-Chronological reports, where they will bring together and evaluate a number of historical sources to create their own report on The Romans. This allows opportunities to develop skills of evaluation as well as furthering their understanding of historical chronology. SPaG:

- Nouns (proper) - Figurative language - Rhetorical questions - Word classes

Expanded noun phrases - Types of fronted adverbials and punctuation used with them (Time, Manner and Place) - Punctuating dialogue using inverted commas

Topic: The children will continue to develop their understanding of the past by investigating the Roman Empire and the impact on Britain. They will learn about Boudicca and her revolt against the Romans and how the Celt way of life changed. Children will also investigate how the changes introduced by the Romans to Britain have impacted on our lives today, building on their knowledge from Year 3 of assessing primary and secondary sources of information before drawing their own conclusions. Oracy will continue to be a feature of the learning journey, with children discussing and debating benefits and negatives of change. This will also be brought into the current climate, with opportunities for debate around present day changes and whether we should always follow what our leader decides. NC Links: I can plot events on a timeline using centuries. I can use my mathematical skills to round up time differences into centuries and decades. I can explain how historic items and artefacts can be used to help build up a picture of life in the past. I can explain how an event from the past has shaped our life today. I can carry out research to discover features of villages, towns or cities.

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RSE: bullying. Were soldiers bullied? Why? What’s your evidence? Was this acceptable? Why/ why not? Would soldiers be treated like this now? Why? Science: How do we hold back an army? Through their developing knowledge of states of matter, children will explore materials that could withstand an army. They will base a model around Hadrian’s wall and investigate types of solids and shapes that could be used in creating a stable and strong structure, building on existing knowledge about rocks as developed in Year 3. NC Links: I can group materials based on their state of matter (solid, liquid, gas). I can describe how some materials can change state. I can explore how materials change state. I can measure the temperature at which materials change state. I can describe the water cycle. I can explain the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle. Art/ DT: Children will research mosaics and how they were used. Taking inspiration from Roman mosaics, such as those se on the visit to Wroxeter, children will design and make their own patterns for display. Linking with our history focus on the Celts, we will design and make clay models of traditional Celtic jewellery and evaluate our designs. During the learning journey in Year 3, children designed and made jewellery, so this topic will allow them to show their improving skills and understanding. Building on new knowledge of materials through science, children will explore how they could construct a wall like Hadrian’s. NC Links: I can I can use ideas from other people when I am designing. I can produce a plan and explain it. I can evaluate and suggest improvements for my designs. I can evaluate products both for their purpose and appearance. I can explain how I have improved my original design. I can present a product in an interesting way. I can measure accurately.

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I can persevere and adapt my work when my original ideas do not work. I can sculpt clay and other mouldable materials. RE: Through a range of religious stories, including The Good Samaritan, The Prodigal Son, Zacchaeus and the Crucifixion of Jesus, children will consider questions about caring and fairness. They will develop an understanding of how stories from scriptures have an influence on Christianity today. Children will explore, question and respond to these stories and teachings with a focus on fairness, unfairness and caring for others. SACRE Links: I can observe and understand varied examples of religions and world views so that they can explain, with reasons, their meanings and significance to individuals and communities. I can discuss and present thoughtfully my own and others’ views on challenging questions about belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying ideas of my own thoughtfully in different forms including (e.g.) reasoning, music, art and poetry. Outdoor Links: Children will revisit physical and human features introduced in Year 3 when they explore man-made features whilst on a visit to Wroxeter, a Roman City. They will experience first-hand what a Roman townhouse would have been like to live in and discover some of the materials and processes builders used to complete the structure. Children will have opportunities to construct their own settlements. Maths Links: Children will complete measurements of temperature and time, and will be plotting data into tables and graphs. Children will also order numbers for timelines, linking to their work on place value. RSE: Healthy relationships (how to recognise, understand and build these. Self- respect and respect for others, tolerance, how to manage conflict and how to recognise unhealthy relationships). Health and wellbeing (keeping healthy). E-safety link to safety online.

Autumn 2 Remembering Our ‘Remembering’ topic focuses on children’s experiences during both World War 1 and World War 2 but in particular WW2. Children will discover the key events that happened during the war and how this may have affected them. These

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times and events can then be plotted alongside other historical periods that the children have already explored. We will develop our geographical skills to explore the countries involved in the conflict and consider how children in other countries were affected by the war. We will discuss and compare our lives to those of the two characters in the gripping Michael Morpurgo text ‘Friend or Foe’. This novel takes children to the heart of a tumultuous period in history where two young boys are evacuated from their home in London to the countryside. The boys feel they should hate the Germen airmen, but what if one of them saved your life? Children will focus on the incredibly moving ‘Rose Blanche’ in English and write a recount of her war story. A modern version of The Boy in The Striped Pyjamas, this text enables children to explore war through the eyes of a young girl living in a small German village. This amazing story is told through the beautiful illustrations as much as the text, giving children opportunities to discuss how what we say is not always what we feel or how we think. The children will also investigate the ways that people show they remember and discuss why they think this is important. We will explore the symbols that show remembrance and use the information we have found to design and evaluate a new symbol. Children will research local and national charities and consider how they could support these charities in helping war veterans and their families. This allows us to develop a sense of community and a moral purpose in helping others; one of our key British values.

English: Children will begin Autumn term 2 by exploring the text ‘Friend or Foe’ by former children’s Laureate, Michael Morpurgo. Children will take on the role of David from the story to write a diary entry about being evacuated, facilitating an emotional and empathic approach to their learning. Children will then apply their understanding and will write a new narrative based on Friend or Foe, creating new characters and settings whilst following a similar plot, with a key focus on vocabulary acquisition. ‘Rose Blanche’ by Ian McEwan will follow on from ‘Friend or Foe’ and will give children the opportunity to see the effects of war on Germany and the people who were living there at this time. Children will write a recount of what happened to Rose as the war developed, drawing on information in images as well in the written word.

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We will also evaluate accounts of war and discuss why there are different viewpoints. SPaG:

- Alliteration and onomatopoeia - Adverbials: Time conjunctions - Nouns, Pro nouns - Apostophes - Inverted Commas - Reported speech

Topic: Children will begin our Remembering topic by discussing what they already know about WW1 and WW2. Children will be asked ‘What do you already know about the war?’ expanding their understanding from previous years. They will develop their own learning by asking questions such as: What do you want to find out about the war? Why did it happen? How did it happen? Children will research the answers using online resources, whilst revisiting staying safe online. Children will explore some of the key events of WW2 and plot these onto a timeline. Children continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge from the previous term and will build on their understanding of British, local and world history by understanding the causes of World Wars 1 and 2.They will also develop and revisit their learning on countries and continents. With understanding remembrance being the key objective in this topic, children will explore the ways in which we remember all the people who gave their lives. Science: ‘We are Scientists’ is our focus during Autumn 2 and looks at the skills we need to be a scientist. Through this unit, children will develop a greater understanding of how to carry out an investigation, continuing to understand what a fair test is. They will also explore different areas of science, from pharmacology to botany to forensics; the skills needed in these fields; and the jobs that people do. We aim to build an understanding in our children that science is in everything and a scientist does not need to fit a certain mould. Famous and memorable scientists will be studied as we grow an awareness of how science has shaped our world. NC Links: Scientific enquiry to cover throughout years 3 & 4:

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I can ask relevant scientific questions. I can use observations and knowledge to answer scientific questions. I can set up a simple enquiry to explore a scientific question. I can set up a test to compare two things. I can set up a fair test and explain why it is fair. I can make careful and accurate observations, including the use of standard units. I can use equipment, including thermometers and data loggers to make measurements. I can gather, record, classify and present data in different ways to answer scientific questions. I can use diagrams, keys, bar charts and tables; using scientific questions. I can use findings to report in different ways, including oral and written explanations, presentation. I can draw conclusions and suggest improvements. I can make a prediction with a reason. I can identify differences, similarities and changes related to an enquiry. Art/ DT: We will investigate the significance of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance and ask children to apply what they have discovered about the poppy to create their own symbols to remember. Linking to our mission of helping and supporting charities, the children will explore rationing during WW1 & WW2, and bake a war time treat - Anzac biscuits (these will be sold to raise money for a charity of the children’s choice). Linking to their topic work, children will further investigate poppies in art. They will use acrylic to create artwork based on Flanders fields and compare different representations of this emotive flower. Children will explore images of WW2 taking inspiration from our Rose Blanche text to design, create and evaluate a tunnel book. Children will also look at silhouettes and take inspiration from battlefield images to create their own images using charcoal. NC Links: I can use marks and lines to show texture in my art. I can show reflections in my art. I can print onto different materials using at least four colours. I can explain some of the features of art from historical periods. Christmas cards: I can integrate digital images into art. RE:

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Through our Remembrance topic, children will investigate what we can learn from the world wars in RE. Children will build on their existing knowledge of different faiths and will look at the role different faiths played in the war. Children will also evaluate how people’s differing beliefs affected how they took part in the war. The children will debate some of these beliefs as well as sharing their own opinions on the war and how their faith may view war today. Maths Links: Children will be comparing dates and differences in time between events, building on knowledge of chronology and place value as well as data handling. RSE: Children will investigate charities that help to support war veterans and their families and what they could do to help. RSE link- the negative impacts of poor health and wellbeing. What happened to people during the war times? How was their health and wellbeing negatively impacted upon? Mentally and physically. Which would be the worst? Why do you think this?

Spring 1 Long Live the King! In this topic, children will explore an exciting era in British history – The Anglo-Saxons. They will learn how Britain was divided into kingdoms and who ruled over each of these. Children will discover what life as an Anglo-Saxon was like and the potential danger the Vikings posed to them. We will research the life of one of England’s most famous monarchs, King Alfred The Great, his role in defeating the Vikings and his lasting legacy. Children will experience Anglo Saxon life through a WOW visit to Tamworth Castle. Links can be made with the Year 5 classes who will have studied Vikings in Autumn term; cross year group debates can be arranged to support pupils’ growing oracy skills and to provide a real audience for their writing. The children in Year 4 will apply their new knowledge in order to redesign Willenhall as a burh (fortified town) and will once again have the opportunity to complete a Read, Write, Perform unit called ‘Villainous Speech’ where pupils write and perform their own villainous speech in order to trick the villagers into accepting them as their new leader. Skills of persuasion and embellishing the truth will be called upon in this task. The Read, Write Perform unit not only covers all elements of the English curriculum in an engaging and purposeful way but also uses a variety of media; this focuses on both fluency and understanding and helps learners appreciate the power of performing their writing. The use of Emotional Literacy is an important element of this unit: an aspect that encourages empathy with characters and authors alike, offering learners the opportunity to personalise their work and take ownership of it.

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English: Children will continue to explore both fiction and non-fiction during this term. The children will be studying the text ‘Invasion’ by June Crebbin and will ultimately create their own narrative that follows the same structure as the text, drawing on the author’s skill and voice. This text allows children to place themselves in the shoes of Rollo, a young boy who must look after the Duke of Normandy’s horses as they sail for England, win the battle and crown William the Conqueror, King of England!

The children will also investigate the fun non-fiction text ‘How to be an Anglo-Saxon' by Scoular Anderson, learning all about fighting the Vikings, praying to the gods, and making books from animal skins. We will create a set of instructions of our own for what people should do if they want to be an Anglo-Saxon.

Finally, children will immerse themselves in the Read, Write, Perform unit ‘Villainous Speech’. We will explore the key features needed to write a villainous speech before honing our villainous skills to perform speeches, drawing on and building on the knowledge and understanding from the ‘Battle Cry’ unit earlier in the school year. SPaG:

- Determiners - Direct speech - Imperative verbs - Adverbs of time - Suffixes

Topic: Children continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge from the previous term and will explore their understanding of the Anglo Saxons by asking: Who were the Anglo Saxons? What do you already know about the Anglo Saxons?

What do you want to find out about them?

Who were they? When did they live? Children will make enquiries into Alfred the Great; Who was he? Why is he called great? Did he do something to earn that title? What do you think he could have done?

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Children will continue to enquire into what life was like in an Anglo Saxon village, exploring what was life like for girls and boys in Anglo Saxon times; How did they eat and sleep? What were their houses like? Did they have any enemies? Children will ‘Shake it up’ and think about what if the Vikings had defeated Alfred? They will consider questions such as, what would life be like if Alfred the Great and his Anglo Saxon army had been defeated? What could be different about life today? Children will apply this knowledge by evaluating and applying what they have learnt in redesigning Willenhall as a fortified town, thinking about what you would need to include so that Willenhall could withstand a Viking attack. Finally children will evaluate their learning considering the question, what have we learnt about the Anglo Saxons? How did they defeat the Vikings? What were their lives like? Would you swap with an Anglo Saxon child? NC Links: I can plot events on a timeline using centuries. I can use my mathematical skills to round up time differences into centuries and decades. I can explain how the lives of wealthy people were different from the lives of poorer people. I can explain how historic items and artefacts can be used to help build up a picture of life in the past. I can carry out research to discover features of villages, towns or cities. Science: Would the zebra be better off without the lion? The children will build on existing knowledge from Year 3 in their focus on ‘Animals including humans’ this term. Children will further their knowledge of healthy eating by developing their understanding of the process of digestion through the digestive system, looking at the key body parts involved and will even simulate the journey food goes on by making poo! Children will explore the various different types of teeth and their function, as well as how they help digestion. Children will look at what causes tooth decay and how this is something that we need to address. To highlight this oral health issue, we will carry out an investigation into how some liquids can remove enamel from teeth (using the enamel from eggshells). Children will build on their understanding of how each living thing gets food, and how nutrients and energy are passed from creature to creature. Finally, children will explore how food chains within a habitat interlock together into a food web. NC Links: I can identify and name the parts of the human digestive system. I can describe the functions of the organs in the human digestive system. I can identify and describe the different types of teeth in humans. I can use food chains to identify producers, predators and prey. I can construct food chains to identify producers, predators and prey.

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Art/ DT: Children will use different materials to build an Anglo Saxon village taking inspiration from other small world creations. NC Links: I can explain some of the features of art from historical periods. I can use ideas from other people when I am designing. I can produce a plan and explain it. I can explain how I have improved my original design. I can measure accurately. RE: During our RE lessons, children will investigate a new question each week. We will discuss and debate each of the questions before recording our findings in a variety of different ways. What is it like to be a Hindu? What does the journey of life mean to us? What do Hindus believe about god? Why do Hindu people worship in many gods and goddesses? A Hindu journey: What does it mean? How do Christian communities use and enjoy music to express their beliefs about god? What do Christians believe about life after the death of Jesus? SACRE Links: A1. Describe and make connections between different features of the religions and world views they study, discovering more about celebrations, worship, pilgrimages and the rituals which mark important points in life in order to reflect thoughtfully on their ideas B1. Observe and understand varied examples of religions and world views so that they can explain, with reasons, their meanings and significance to individuals and communities C1. Discuss and present thoughtfully their own and others’ views on challenging questions about belonging, meaning, purpose and truth, applying ideas of their own thoughtfully in different forms including (e.g.) reasoning, music, art and poetry. Outdoor Links: The great outdoors and how spaces and locations are used will be explored during the visit to Tamworth Castle. Maths Links:

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Number skills will be used in comparing dates and differences in time between events. RSE: Participation in the community. What was it like to live in a Saxon community? How would people have felt part of the community? Was that important? Why?

Spring 2 Island to Island In this exciting geography-based topic, children will explore the geographical features of the UK with an emphasis on the islands around the UK. Children will gather and record facts about the islands and investigate the geographical features, such as caverns, cliffs, eroded cliff paths, ports. Through our English lessons, children will begin to explore contrasting locations to the UK using the text popular and well-known text ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’. Children will continue to look at contrasting locations by researching Caribbean islands (Jamaica to be the main focus) and will begin to compare the Caribbean with UK islands. We will gather facts and children will present these in an end of term production incorporating facts, food, song, and dance. As part of this topic, children will explore how to travel from the UK to the Caribbean and will plan a journey, to include routes, timings and costings. They will investigate how journeys are made now, and how this has changed over time, considering if there were advantages of going more slowly, or of the world being too big to explore. Mention will be made of forbidden islands, where a way of life has been preserved for thousands of years, for example North Sentinel island. We will complete our Island to Island topic with a Caribbean themed day of activities that include cricket, food tasting, music, and arts and crafts. Members of the school community are welcome to share this with us, and we value the additional input that our Caribbean families can provide.

English: This term, the children will take part in a short story 500-word competition. This involves an online lesson and the chance for the children to have their stories published. This is a task which children enjoy and feel very proud of becoming published authors. This task also supports resilience as the children support one another and bounce back with ideas on how to improve their writing in the future if they are not successful.

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In English lessons, children will study ‘Kensuke’s Kingdom’ by renowned author Michael Morpurgo, making links to the islands and thinking about the locations Michael explores on his journey. This text is a journey not only of geographical means, but also of emotions, pain, determination and extraordinary friendships. Children will write a message in a bottle from Michael to his parents and a diary entry as Michael, building on their skills of empathy to consider how he might feel when shipwrecked on a desert island. SPaG:

- Present perfect - Prepositions - Determiners - Words with the /k/ sound spelt ch - Words with the /s/ sound spelt ch - Words with the /s/ sound spelt sc - Words with the /eI/ sound spelt ei, eigh or ey

Topic:

Geographical knowledge will be built on during this topic and children will locate areas on a world map, looking at each island location in relation to one another to include the countries, capitals, continents and seas; revisiting their understanding from Year 3. Children will make enquires about Island locations, asking questions to guide their learning. What can you tell me about Islands? Where are we in the world? Is it Britain or The UK, and what is the difference?

The children will make enquires and learn about British islands by identifying those Islands around Britain and collecting facts and information about an island of their choice. Children will build on their knowledge of the order and structure of non -fiction writing by creating a presentation about their chosen island using varied sources of information and research. This also enables children to further develop their knowledge of which sources to trust and where to find reputable information. The geographical location of Jamaica will then be explored and children will find and locate Jamaica on a map, and assess the two areas to find similarities and differences between land use and position. Children will apply their understanding of these areas to plan a journey to a Caribbean island, questioning how the journey would have differed in the 1940’s/1950’s.

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Finally children will ‘Shake it up’ by exploring a situation where they have crashed on an Island (drawing on learning from the text Kensuke’s Kingdom). How could they survive? The children will draw on the understanding that they have developed so far about land uses and coastal areas, and will think about the features of the islands they have looked at. Children will complete this area of learning with a Caribbean themed day allowing them to share their learning with parents and the wider school community. NC Links: I can explain the difference between the British Isles, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. I know the countries that make up the European Union. I can find at least six cities in the UK on a map. I can name and locate some of the main islands that surround the United Kingdom. I can name the areas of the main ethnic groups in the United Kingdom and our school. Science: Why should we settle there? In this ‘Living Things’ topic the children will learn about grouping living things in a range of ways, such as classifying vertebrates, exploring invertebrates, and exploring habitats and characteristics. Links will be made to the topic work on islands, exploring why certain animals thrive better in different areas, for example Snake Island in Brazil, where between 1 and 5 snakes live per square metre! Through this topic, the children will investigate questions such as: How has the local environment changed? What damage can changes to the environment cause? Similarities NC Links: I can group living things in different ways. I can use classification keys to group, identify and name living things. I can create classification keys to group, identify and name living things (for others to use). I can describe how changes to an environment could endanger living things. Art/ DT: The children will have opportunities to design, paint and evaluate a stone with a Caribbean scene on, drawing on their knowledge of island art in different locations.

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Children will use their skills to recreate the cover of the text Kensuke’s Kingdom using pastels. The children will also investigate tie dye, exploring different patterns that can be created and which colours are used and why. Children will tie dye t-shirts for the Caribbean day, utilising their understanding of pattern and colour and considering what the colours can represent. RE: This half term, the children will explore Christian and Hindu beliefs about God and about life’s journey through a range of stories, examples, and practices. Children will enquire into the mysteries of life and be able to seek answers they value. Children are encouraged to make thoughtful and creative responses to a belief question for themselves, for example ‘Where is God?’, ‘What happens when we die?’. Children will explore different ways of seeking answers to questions from different sources, both religious and non-religious. Maths Links: Children will develop their coordinate use through mapping work and travelling to new locations. Work on translation can also be adapted to support learning in the topic, so that children are aware of how objects are moved. RSE: hobbies in different places. Also, wellbeing in different places- where are people happiest? Why?

Summer 1 Go West! Summer term 1 brings a new topic that explores the exciting American west. During this topic, children will explore the location of America in the world before focusing on the position of the Great Plains in America and why this is defined not only as a geographic area, but also an environmental one. Children will look at the immigration into America and the journey across America that the immigrants took, they will discover the dangers these people faced and why they took the risks they did. Skills of empathy will be called upon again- would you take your family on this journey? Why, or why not? We will look at the people who settled on The Great Plains and explore the relationship they had with the land and the lifestyle they led, and we will compare this with Native Americans whose lifestyles were very different. Children will

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investigate the controversial role of cowboys in the American west. Links will be made with prior learning about geographical change- is forced development always a positive, or should areas be left to develop at their own speed? Through our English lessons, children will develop a greater knowledge of the geographical features of The Great Plains (such as prairie, steppe and grassland) by researching the climate, landscape, wildlife and inhabitants.

English: A well-known text to older generations, the 1980’s book ‘The Indian in the Cupboard’ by Lynne Reid Banks is used to make a link between geographical location and fantasy. In this story, a young boy called Omri receives a wooden cupboard and a small, plastic toy Indian for his birthday. Omri soon discovers that any plastic toy placed in the cupboard magically comes to life! Extracts from the text and film clips will be used to inspire children to write a narrative about a toy figure that comes alive in a magical cupboard. A non-chronological study of The Great Plains. SPaG:

- Verb inflections. - Fronted adverbials - Apostrophes

Topic: The geographical location of a region within America will be explored and the children will look at its position on the globe, differences and similarities to Willenhall and the wider areas of Britain, as well as trade, travel and culture. NC Links: I can carry out research to discover features of villages, towns or cities. I can collect and accurately measure information (e.g. rainfall, temperature, wind speed, noise levels etc.) I can explain why people may be attracted to live in cities. I can explain why people may choose to live in one place rather than another. I can locate the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Science: How do we light up The Plains?

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This half term’s science topic focuses on light and electricity- a product not historically associated with The Great Plains, but now this area produces up to 0.5% of the energy in the entire United States of America, gaining it the name ‘The Saudi Arabia of Wind Energy’ because of its immense sources for wind power. Children will investigate what makes energy and how this can be harnessed to provide electricity, and how this is having to change to suit the developing modern world and our diminishing man-made resources. NC Links: I can identify and name appliances that require electricity to function. I can construct a series circuit. I can identify and name the components in a series circuit (including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers). I can draw a circuit diagram. I can predict and test whether a lamp will light within a circuit. I can describe the function of a switch in a circuit. I can describe the difference between a conductor and insulators; giving examples of each. Art/ DT: This half term, children will investigate what a dream catcher is and why they were used. Children will design, make and evaluate a dream catcher of their own, considering what would make an appealing design to help calm and settle a worried mind at night. As part of a DT food skill, children will be asked what jerky is. They will research why the native Americans made jerky, before tasting different varieties and evaluating them before making their own veggie jerky. Children will also explore famous American food dishes, plan a dish to make in groups and carry this process out. Children will be given the opportunity to carry out cooking skills and techniques more independently of the teacher, building on their understanding of process and safety. NC Links: Embed the DT and Art skills listed previously for Y4. Look at the seasonality of food and where and how ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed. NC skill- I know how to be both hygienic and safe when using food. RE: During this term, children will build upon their existing knowledge of Islam and will develop a deeper understanding, looking in depth at the pillars of Islam and what they mean in religion. Maths Links:

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Children will read data and plot information onto graphs/tables; they will also be analysing data, using time to measure their results, and comparing results across class and the year group. RSE: belonging to communities. The impacts of health and well-being: were the Native Americans healthy (mentally/ physically)? Why/ why not? Lessons learnt?

Summer 2 Steaming into the Future In this final topic of Year 4, children will explore what transport was like in Britain before the Industrial Revolution. We will investigate what issues there were with transport at the time, as the need to transport goods and people grew rapidly. Children will learn how the steam engine, better materials and technology meant that railways were soon a practical means of transport. Children will also be asked to consider why this period is now known as the First Industrial Revolution. This period, from 1760 to 1830, saw Britain aware of their head start in making manufacturing progress. Because of this, Britain forbade the export of machinery, skilled workers and manufacturing techniques. Children will consider why Britain would have made this decision, and whether moral and economic views can always agree. Next, we will explore how the first passenger railways and the evolution of steam-power changed Britain forever. Children will discover more about the achievements of the engineers who built the first underground railway. A possible visit to The Black Country Living Museum in Dudley, or to Blist’s Hill in Ironbridge, will bring this period of history to life. Bringing our topic right up to the modern day, we will explore how the railways have continued to develop and what may happen in the future. Alongside our history focus, children will explore the world of Harry Potter through the classic, now world-renowned text ‘The Philosophers Stone’, focusing on The Hogwarts Express and how transport has evolved in the wizarding part of the world. There will be a possible visit to Warner Brother’s Studios near Watford to witness the magic that went into making the Harry Potter films, this will include the chance to climb aboard The Hogwarts Express and experience life as a wizard.

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English: JK Rowling’s world-famous text ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is enjoyed by staff and pupils alike in this half term, and whilst enthralling the children with the tales of adventure and misadventure, it also enhances topic learning with its link to transport and revolution. Children will immerse themselves into the world of Harry Potter; we will watch clips and read passages from ‘The Philosopher’s Stone’ as well as learning a little about the author, JK Rowling. She is a great role model in terms of resilience; her book was knocked back many times before a publishing company took a chance on it, and it is now a world famous series of books and films; this helps to illustrate to our children the importance of believing in yourself and not giving up in pursuit of your dream. As part of the writing journey, children will write a newspaper report based on a flying lesson gone wrong, a persuasive letter to Uncle Vernon and even their own Harry Potter short narrative. SPaG:

- Imperative Verbs - Expanded Noun Phrases - Newspaper features and use of language - Fronted adverbials - Apostrophes to mark singular and plural possession - Poetic devices

Topic: Year 4 start their topic by going on a train and exploring the question of where the industrial revolution has taken us. The children will be given responsibility for their learning by responding to the question ‘Where shall we go in our learning adventure?’ Children will explore how people travelled before the railway, how the technology improved and the impact this had, the first passengers’ railway opening and what this meant. We will look at the underground transport system and the changes this had on cities, before bringing our topic into the modern era and investigating the railways now and how they may look in the future. Children will have the chance to travel back to the industrial revolution by visiting Blists Hill or The Black Country Museum. NC Links: History: The Industrial revolution. Geography: Mapping skills- reading an Ordnance Survey map, navigating by compass pints. Science: What could guide us through the dark?

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Our Science focus is on light in Spring 2. Children will discover how we need light to see, what makes it night or day, the differences between transparent, translucent and opaque. Children will investigate shadows, their behaviour and how their size changes before exploring reflections. Links can be made to the earlier topic of electricity and how light can be natural or man-made. NC Links: I can describe what dark is (the absence of light). I can explain that light is needed in order to see. I can explain that light is reflected from a surface. I can explain and demonstrate how a shadow is formed. I can explore shadow size and explain. I can explain the danger of direct sunlight and describe how to keep protected. Art/ DT: In this creative side of the curriculum, the children will learn about Seurat and his creation of pointillism. Using cotton buds, children will colour an image by making small dots. Building on this skill and understanding, the children will sketch an outline of an image and use pointillism to blend colours. Next, learning will be furthered through a focus on Pop art and its biggest star, Andy Warhol. The children will explore some of the famous pieces of work that he has created before using digital cameras and photo editing software to create their own pop art images. The similarities and differences between these different types of art, one more modern than the other, will be evaluated by the children. NC Links: Embed the Art skills listed at the beginning of Y4. I can use tone, line, shape and colour to represent figure and forms in movement. I can experiment with the styles used by other artists. RE: Summer term 2 will see the children explore Muslim ways of living and the keeping of the 5 pillars. The unit deals with beliefs of Islam and the children will be asked to find similarities and differences between their own religions and beliefs. Through a focus on the beliefs and concepts associated with the 5 Pillars and their impact on the life of a Muslim, the pupils will be enabled to think about their own experience. Using discussion, ICT presentation skills, research and literacy skills, our pupils will have opportunities to broaden their knowledge and understanding of this religion. Families in our school community who follow Islam will be welcomed into class to enhance the learning and further our understanding. SACRE Links:

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B2. Understand the challenges of commitment to a community of faith or belief, suggesting why belonging to a community may be valuable, both in the diverse communities being studied and in their own lives. Outdoor Links: Visit to Blists Hill/Black Country Museum. RSE: unhappiness, loneliness, bullying- all through HP text. As well as cultural capital.