Years 3 & 4

Blue Abyss

This half term our learning will be based around the topic Blue Abyss.

In English we will be developing our narrative writing focusing on setting and character description. We will look at different techniques to make our writing exciting to read and develop vivid descriptions. We will also be learning about the structure, language, audience, and purpose of a biography before writing out own about Jacques Cousteau.

This half term we will be completing a Design Technology unit where we will explore different types of submarines. We will be learning what a cam is and how it works before adding our own to a model. We will also be making a periscope for a submarine model.

In Geography this half term we will be completing a traffic survey in Newport Pagnell and present our findings using graphs. This will complete our learning based on the human and physical features of Newport Pagnell. We will then be moving on to learning about North America and comparing the human and physical features. We will learn about the different countries and how the biomes are very different.

Our Science unit is linked to plants and understanding pollination and the life cycle of flowering plants. We will begin by revising the parts of the plant and dissecting the different parts. We will then look at each part and the functions linked to the life cycle. Also we will be exploring habitats and we will focus on human influences and natural influences and how these can change a habitat.

Reading at home

A book we will be using to support our biography writing is-

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

You may want to visit the library to look for books on submarines, underwater animals or even North America for our topic this half term.

Some other activities you might like to try at home

• Research an underwater explorer
• Write a poem about an underwater animal- it could be an acrostic or shape poem
• Write a riddle to give clues to someone about an underwater animal
• Complete a collage of an underwater scene
• Have a go at making your own submarine model
• Draw the view of the ocean you might see looking through a submarine window
• Research a country in North America- think about the population, climate, human and physical features and where it is located on a world map

Homework

Homework will continue to be set on a Thursday and needs to be handed in on a Tuesday. The expectations are:

· Reading with your child, your child reading aloud to you at least 5 times a week

· Maths work every week (up to 30 minutes)

· Learning multiplication table facts – 2, 5, 10, 4, 8 and the division facts (Year 3)

· Learning the rest of the multiplication table facts to 12×12 – 3, 6, 9, 7, 11, 12 (Year 4)

· Spellings (weekly)

· Other subjects work throughout the year