Year 4 - Badger Class

Welcome to Badger Class

Class Teacher: Mr Chappell

Teaching Assistant: Mrs Chongbang

Here you will find out about each of the term's learning enquiries, special dates for your diary, PE days and forest school days.

Welcome back Badger Class for term 4! We are now officially over the halfway mark, but there is still so much more to learn, to explore and discover. I'm looking forward to starting the next half of our learning journey together.

Enquiry Question

Beyond the Magic Kingdom - What is the Sunshine State really like?

   

In term 4 we are looking at our new geography enquiry, answering the question, 'What is the Sunshine State really like?' Throughout this topic, we will be locating Florida on the map and exploring the landscape, its appeal to those that live there and tourists, plus the diverse weather conditions they experience. We will also look at the attractions we would find in the State of Florida and its important role in space exploration. In addition to this, we will link our enquiry to our English writing this term with poetry and information texts.

 

Forest School and PE Days

      

Forest school was a wet and muddy one last term. However, we still had great fun working around the camp fire making swords like the Anglo-Saxons, working in teams to complete missions, building defences and training obstacle courses. This term we will look at further ways we can explore forest school with links to our PSHE topic (Dreams and Goals) and our Geography Enquiry.

Every year group has the opportunity to take part in forest school. We are very lucky to have Mr Walsh, our forest school leader, who runs and prepares the activities for the children in this time. We will be completing this in 3-week blocks.

The dates for Badger class are:

Thursday 20th March

Thursday 27th March

Thursday 3rd April

Please make sure your child brings their Forest School kit on these days to avoid disappointment. Please be prepared for the British weather and have the appropriate clothing for the day, like wellies, a coat, a jumper and jeans. We hope the weather will warm up but until then it is still cold, so an extra layer will be needed, and I'm sure it will be much appreciated by the children.

Note: Wellies should be in school at all times, so the children can interact with the outdoor activity stations.

Our PE days are also important and require children to have their school PE kits. Ideally, we would like these to stay in the children's lockers, so they are available when we need them. Our PE day this term has changed and is now on a Wednesday afternoon (outdoors) where we will be learning the skills and game of football..

We are lucky to have an organisation called Team Theme with us this term, supporting and teaching the children, so please can we ensure the children are prepared, wearing appropriate footwear, along with their school PE clothes. 

Home Learning and Reading

In year 4 Badger class we are trying something new. All children have got access to their TTRockstars accounts. However, we have also now embraced a new platform, called Twinkl Learner, which children can access in school and at home. This is full of learning games, challenges and opportunities for them to practice their weekly spellings and timetables.

Please support us and make sure they are accessing this at home to support their learning. If you are unsure of any logins or access to the Twinkl account, please let me know and I will be happy to help.

All children will also have a home reading record and will be expected to read frequently throughout the week, completing reading quizzes whilst in school and changing their reading books throughout the term. Home records will need to be in school every day to be checked and also, so the class adults can listen to their reading throughout the week. Friday will be the day the children can complete reading quizzes. 

We have changed the way we now use dojos and how children can earn merits in school. Each pupil will start the term with 0 dojo points and will aim to achieve 30. Once they reach this target, they will be entitled to a prize from the class prize box. Their dojos will then be reset.

The children can also earn merits for demonstrating school values, exceptional work in class, earning the weekly star award and other learning achievements. These merits add up and once they receive 12 merits, they can trade these in for a gold coin that can be used in the school book vending machine. The children are excited to start earning their prizes and all want to be the first person to receive the golden coin.

If you ever have any concerns or questions, please don't hesitate to contact me or speak with one of the class team members who will be happy to help.  We will be available before and after school or, alternatively, you can email me on the Class Dojos to arrange a meeting.

We look forward to continuing our amazing journey with you in year 4.

The Year 4 Badger Class Team

The Term 3 knowledge organisers below provide information on our learning for this term.

Teachers can be contacted via Class Dojo if you have any questions or queries regarding home learning. 

Please click here to access extra phonics, reading and spelling resources.

Please click here to access links to other useful home learning resources published online.

If you are unsure of any log-in details, please contact the teacher through Class Dojo or email office@pilgrims-way.kent.sch.uk