Virtual School
(Important information and learning links)
Tally ho, Team Four!
Sadly we can't be in school at the moment, so I will be adding learning tasks to a weekly timetable, which you can access with the link below.
As you can see, you still have daily tasks to complete. These are the English tasks (writing in your diary) and the maths tasks (completing White Rose activities).
In English, I would like for you to write a daily diary (if you scroll down a wee bit, there's a nice little video that explains how to write one and why we're writing one.) You can use the writing books, found in your home pack, to do this (or any other suitable item).
In maths, we're going to continue using the White Rose website and tackling the day-by-day tasks found there (link to WhiteRose.com website). You can use the maths books, found in your home pack, to tackle these questions. (Or you can print them out and write on the sheets if you have a printer.)
There are no set completion dates for the other tasks on your timetable, so you can tackle them whenever is best for you. The only stipulation is that you complete them at some point during the week!
If you need support, you can discuss these tasks in the Work Related Blog, on Purple Mash, as well as having a general chitchat with Mr Brearley-Ince and your friends. :)
Purple Mash is easily accessible with a Purple Mash login.
(If your child doesn't know their login, please email Mr Brearley-Ince at dbince@bilsthorpefha.org or call the office on 01623 870772 and we'll get one sent to them ASAP.)
Below is a list of useful websites you can access.
Sometimes, children might be directed here for their maths tasks.
Year Four's Work Related Blog
Year Four's General Chit Chat Blog
A place to find lots of learning activities that'll keep you busy.
It is a bonus if the children engage with TTRS for at least 20 minutes a day.
(If your child doesn't know their login, please email Mr Brearley-Ince at dbince@bilsthorpefha.org or call the office on 01623 870772 and we'll get one sent to them ASAP.)
Sometimes, children might be directed here for their maths tasks. Additionally, children can find loads of maths games here, that'll help them hone their mathematical prowess.
It is a bonus if the children engage with spelling activities for at least 20 minutes a day.
(If your child doesn't know their login, please email Mr Brearley-Ince at dbince@bilsthorpefha.org or call the office on 01623 870772 and we'll get one sent to them ASAP.)
Sometimes, children might be directed here to collect a task.
Sometimes, children may be directed here for Guided Reading tasks. Additionally, this is a nice site for listening to stories and allowing children to continue to dream, learn and have fun during this time!
David Williams - Free Audio Books
Sometimes, children may be directed here for Guided Reading tasks. If not, there are some cracking stories here that children can really sink their teeth (and imagination) into!
This is a really nice site full of books for children to explore, especially if they prefer non-fiction texts!
This is a really nice site full of computing, coding and animation tasks for children to do. Hours of fun!
Other fun websites to help with your learning
https://www.purplemash.com/sch/crompton-ng22
https://ttrockstars.com/ (multiplication)
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button (multiplication)
https://wordwall.net/ (interactive number and word games)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z849q6f/articles/z7w8pg8 (all about rivers)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/z849q6f/articles/z4g3qp3 (all about mountains)
15th January - Perseverance Day 24th January – Chinese New Year
14th February – Kindness Day 24th February – Inset Day
5th March – World Book Day 18th March – Enjoyment Day
27th March – Egg Rolling
Important information
PE is on a Thursday with our new Sports Coach, Mr Harris and Fridays with Miss Atkin. However, this can change so please ensure PE kits are in school all week. The children need a white t-shirt, blue or black shorts and trainers as well as blue or black jogging bottoms if it is cold.
Each half term homework will be given out on a menu. The children are to choose a piece each week and hand it in on Friday mornings. The homework menu will relate to this term’s topic, ‘Is Fearlessness a Form of Bravery?’ and will include a diverse range of options for the children to choose from.
Spellings will be put in your child’s reading diary on a Monday and the children will be tested on these the following Monday. Please encourage your child to practise their spellings.
Please also encourage your child to use Times Tables Rock Stars to practise their multiplication skills. Every child has their login details glued in their reading diaries. TT Rock Stars can be found here: https://play.ttrockstars.com/auth/school/student/87
WHAT ARE WE LEARNING ABOUT THIS TERM?
BIG QUESTION:
Is free will real or just an illusion?
Key Driver: Geography
Key Concepts: trade, region, environment, settlement, location, resources, population, migration
In Art and Design, we will be exploring reflections as well as sketching techniques.
In History we will be studying Egyptian culture focusing on the River Nile and how it impacted on the daily lives of the Egyptians.
In Geography we will be looking at significant cities throughout the World, focusing on UK cities to begin with and then moving further abroad. Additionally, we will look at mountains and rivers and make links between where cities are built in relation to the location of major rivers.
In Science we will be exploring changes in state; examining the relationship between solids, liquids and gasses. This will lead on to us exploring the water cycle focusing particularly on the link between evaporation and heat.
In RE we will be exploring heroes and heroines within the Bible.
We are lucky to have our specialist sports coach Mr Harrison teaching all of our PE lessons.
Find out more about our curriculum here https://www.bilsthorpeflyinghighacademy.co.uk/curriculum/
This week we've been tinkering on the piano. We played the piano at different pitches and tried to musically recreate the journey of a rain drop from the sky to the ocean.
In addition to this, we took part in World Book Day, which was bed time stories themed. Of course, this wouldn't be complete without a hot chocolate!
This week, in Year Four, we've been learning about the rudest, big-headed fraction of them all - an improper fraction!
We've also been exploring the features of an explanation text, focusing on what tense is usually used when writing one.
During the afternoons, we've been learning about Ancient Egypt. We mixed some archaic technology (history) with that of our modern technology (computing), to begin to build a code that would move our Egyptian boats through the River Nile.
This week in English, the children have written stories about being lost in the city. This linked to our project work in which the children have been researching some significant cities throughout the World.
The stories were awesome and especially emotive! They really painted the scene of an anxious misadventure, lost among the shadows and eerie noises. Fortunately the stories reached a cheery resolution, leaving their protagonists safe and sound... Phew!
In maths this week we've been exploring different ways of dividing large numbers. Year Four came up with a multitude or strategies, but in the end decided that the 'short division' method was the best!
As we wave good bye to Autumn Term, these Viking longboats sail away, seeking adventures in the great wide world! The children in Year Four created some amazing homework throughout this project, which they should be very proud of.
With that in mind, we're looking forward to our new project, 'Is Free Will Real or an Illusion?'. Only time will tell on that front, but what is for sure is that it'll be an incredible journey to the answer!
This week in Year 4 we reached the end of Gunnar's tale. The young Viking had cut a swathe through his enemies, while travelling back to his homestead; to the place where it all began. Upon arriving home, Gunnar faced his mostly deadly challenge. Skuli, his father's murderer, was waiting, ready for a fight to the death! Did Gunnar win or was he sent off to Valhalla? You'll have to ask the children of Year 4...
Science Day
Science day in Year Four was a load of old poo- literally! We started the day off by examining some 'perfectly preserved' Viking poop. This gave us lots of clues about the sort of food Vikings might eat, thus allowing us to build a more robust image of Viking life. But this did leave us with a lot of questions. For example, why wasn't everything (like the fish bones) digested?
In order to answer this we had to explore the human digestive system, and what better way to explore something than to build it! So that's what we did! We built our own digestive system and watched what happened to the food as it travelled from A to B.
Mansfield Museum
Year Four had an awesome time at Mansfield Museum this week. Upon arrival, we were ushered into the museum's classroom where we learned about the Viking way of life! We tried on Viking clothes; we drank some of the Viking's honeyed 'wine'; we learned about how Vikings were given their names; and we even learned what board games they like to play. We especially enjoyed the latter (although all of it was fun) and we discover that we have a few tactical geniuses in our midst!
In the afternoon we went raiding, sailing off to countries near and far. We imitated what it was like to be on a Viking long boat for long voyages and then we raided Lindisfarne.
We've just hit the half way mark in our Viking Boy story and the children can't get enough of Gunnar's adventure. As the story continues, Gunnar has found himself in a rather sticky situation with seemingly no hope of escape! What will our young protagonist do?
In English, the class have turned their hand to a bit of persuasive writing. Sadly, Heorot is being ransacked by a vile creature known as the Grendel. The children are writing to the Norse legend, Beowulf, in an attempt to enlist his help. If they're not successful, the doom of Heorot will surely be upon us!
As historians we are putting ourselves in the shoes of a Viking Jarl. Due to the change a climate (a topic we're investigating in Science) we have got to move our village further south. We're surveying the land about us (which we're learning to do as Geographers) in order to find the perfect spot to establish our new dwellings. Once we've picked the perfect piece of land the building work can begin. As the Jarl, we're going to write a diary entry about the development of our village, including details on how the structures are put together, how the farm tools are made and how the warriors' barracks are set up to train our raiders.
Is Fearlessness a Form of Bravery?
This term we will be looking at the big question ‘Is Fearlessness a Form of Bravery?’ In order to help us mull over this conundrum, we will be learning about courageous people throughout history; spanning from the Viking raiders all the way to modern day heroes who fight for civil rights.