SP Curriculum

Year 4 Summer Term

In this section, you will find a brief summary of what children will be learning in each subject in the SP Curriculum this Summer term. In addition to this, you will find the key knowledge the children should know for each unit. It would be helpful if you could discuss your child's learning with them in each subject area.

Science

Animals including humans

In this unit the children will learn about different food chains and the flow of energy along a food chain from producer to prey to predator.

Next they will learn about the different organs within the alimentary canal and the specific function they have. They will follow the whole process of digestion starting in the mouth learning about the purpose of the different teeth and the process that takes place with saliva. They will understand that nutrients are absorbed into the body and that the final waste product of digestion will be faeces that are eliminated through the anus.

Knowledge:

Sc4/2.2a describe the simple functions of the basic parts of the digestive system in humans

Food passes through the body with the nutrients being extracted and the waste products excreted

Breaking complex foodstuffs into simpler building blocks that can be absorbed by the body

Digestion begins with food being chewed in the mouth by the teeth and saliva added

Food is squeezed down the oesophagus towards the stomach in a wave-like action called peristalsis 

The stomach releases acid and enzymes to continue breaking down food

The stomach is an organ; an organ is a part of living thing that is self-contained and has a specific important job

More enzymes and bile break down the food further as it moves through the duodenum towards the small intestine

The small intestine adds more enzymes and then absorbs the nutrients

The large intestine absorbs water from the undigested food

Undigested food is stored in the rectum before being excreted through a muscle called the anus

Sc4/2.2b identify the different types of teeth in humans and their simple functions

Incisors: bite and cut food

Canines: tear and rip food

Premolars: hold and crush food.

Molars: grind food

To help prevent tooth decay: • limit sugary food and drink; • brush teeth at least twice daily using a fluoride toothpaste; • visit your dentist regularly

Sc4/2.2c construct and interpret a variety of food chains, identifying producers, predators and prey.

All energy initially comes from the Sun.

Producer -> Primary consumer (prey) -> Secondary consumer (predator/prey) -> Tertiary consumer (predator

Plants are producers as they absorb the sun’s energy and turn into a new form to be eaten by others

Consumers take in energy by eating: first consumer - primary - secondary - tertiary

An animal that is eaten by another is called prey

An animal that eats other animals is called a predator

Art

Our two art units this term are both on the theme Food in Art. The first unit focuses on the work of Wayne Thiebaud before developing our drawing skills and use of pastels as we draw various cakes, doughnuts and sweets. In the second half term the children will create a card armature to build a large scale mod-roc model of a slice of cake.

Knowledge: Wayne Thiebaud was an American painter known for his colourful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs.Thiebaud used heavy pigment and exaggerated colours to depict his subjects, and the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements are almost always included in his work.

An armature in art  is a framework used by an artist to support a figure being modelled in soft plastic material. An armature can be made from any material that is damp-resistant and rigid enough to hold such plastic materials as moist clay and plaster, which are applied to and shaped around it.

Music

In the first half of this term we will be analysing two famous works by Mozart and Beethoven and using specific compositional techniques to compose our own variations. We will be playing these themes on the glockenspiels and using Dot and Line notation to record our work. The second half of the summer term will be time to ‘Revise and review’, in which all skills developed over the year will be revisited and improved upon. Instrumental techniques always require a regular refreshing and strategies for developing creative compositions will be further advanced in this way.

Knowledge:

Mozart and Beethoven are two of the most famous composers of the Western Classical tradition. Mozart was born in Austria and lived from 1756 - 1791. Beethoven was born in Germany and lived from 1770 - 1827.  Variations are original compositions based on existing music and are developed using specific techniques.

DT

In the first and second part of the term the children will be doing

Mechanical systems: making a slingshot car. They will build a car chassis and make a model based on a chosen design.

Knowledge:

Mechanical systems:

I understand that car designs have developed over many years.

I know that a chassis is the frame of a car on which everything else is built.

I know that all moving things have kinetic energy.

I know that kinetic energy is the energy that something (an object or person) has by being in motion, e.g., the energy that a swing has to keep moving; any object in motion uses kinetic energy.

I can design a shape that reduces air resistance.

I can design a suitable car body to cover my chassis by:

Drawing a net to create a structure from.

Choosing shapes that increase or decrease the speed of the car as a result of air resistance.

Adding graphics to personalise my design.

          I can make the body of my car by:

Remembering that nets are flat shapes that can be turned into 3D structures.

Measuring, marking and cutting the panels (nets) against the dimensions of my chassis.

Including tabs on my net so I can secure them to the panels of my chassis

Decorating the panels

 I can assemble the panels of the body to the chassis correctly.

I can remember that smaller shapes create less air resistance and can move faster through the air.

I can evaluate the speed of my design based on the understanding that some cars are faster than others as a result of the following:

           •  Body shape.

           •  Stored energy in the elastic band.

           •  Accuracy of the angle in the chassis and axle.

Geography

In the first half term, the topic for geography is ‘Water in the World.’ Over the course of the half term, pupils will be developing locational knowledge,  their knowledge of human and physical geography and their fieldwork skills. At the beginning of the half term, pupils will learn and be able to confidently describe key points within the water cycle. Later in the half term,  they will learn about the key characteristics of a river, before exploring how a river is formed. By the end of the half term, children will ask and answer their own geographical question. They will use geographical data to support their hypothesis. 

Knowledge:

Water cannot be made. It is constantly recycled through a process called the water cycle. The four stages of the water cycle are evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. During the water cycle, water changes state due to heating and cooling.

A river is a moving body of water that flows from its source on high ground, across land, and then into another body of water, which could be a lake, the sea, an ocean or even another river.

A river flows along a channel with banks on both sides and a bed at the bottom. If there is lots of rainfall, or snow or ice melting, rivers often rise over the top of their banks and begin to flow onto the floodplains at either side. Rivers usually begin in upland areas, when rain falls on high ground and begins to flow downhill. They always flow downhill because of gravity. They then flow across the land - meandering - or going around objects such as hills or large rocks. They flow until they reach another body of water.

As rivers flow, they erode - or wear away - the land. Over a long period of time rivers create valleys, or gorges and canyons if the river is strong enough to erode rock. They take the sediment - bits of soil and rock - and carry it along with them. Small rivers are usually known as streams, brooks or creeks. If they flow from underground they are called springs. 

Fieldwork techniques, such as sketch maps, data collection and digital technologies, can provide evidence to support and answer a geographical hypothesis.

History

The topic for history is the ‘Vikings.’ Throughout the half term children will develop and refine their historical skills. They will examine a variety of sources to ask and answer questions and to consider different accounts of history. They will also develop their understanding of chronology in their study of the Vikings. By the end of this topic, children will understand the Viking invasion and what goods they traded around the world. 

Knowledge:

By 655  Anglo Saxons had become Christian.

Vikings regularly attacked coastlines and along rivers to steal goods and slaves but returned back to their home. 

865 large Viking invasion Anglo Saxons called the great Heathen invasion.

By 874 most kingdoms in North West had fallen to Vikings except for Mercia and Wessex.

Alfred the Great pulled tribes together to fight against the Vikings.

Alfred the Great, king of Wessex won many battles against Vikings but could not force them out of the country.  

Alfred the Great agreed a peace agreement with King Guthrum to divide England from Chester in the North West to London in the South East. The North section was called the Danelaw and followed Viking law. City of Jorvik (York) was the most important centre for Viking trade. 

In 954 the last Viking King Erik Bloodaxe was forced to flee from Jorvik. End of Viking rule and end of Danelaw.

Viking explorers and traders. (sold honey, tin, wheat, wool , wood, iron, fur, leather, fish, ivory, amber, slaves)  Traveled along rivers, especially Danube, first Europeans to arrive in America.

Carried a set of folding scales to weigh coins to check they got a fair deal. Sultan of Constantinope used Vikings for his personal body guard - the Vanguard) 

RE

In the first part of the term, pupils will, through the story of Svetaketu, learn about some core principles of Hinduism.

They will learn about the importance of shrines for many Hindus and they will learn about puja: its rituals, their meaning, and the symbolism of offerings. Next they will learn about what a mandir is, the significance of some of their features, and how Hindus worship in them. Finally, they  will collect and share what they have learned and understood about Hindu worship through a range of differentiated writing activities.

In the second part of the term, they will find out who Sikhs are and

what they believe as well as find out about the naming ceremonies of Sikh children and about the Sikh baptismal ceremony of Amrit. They will go on to find out about Sikh marriage ceremonies and finally find out about Sikh funerals and beliefs on life after death.

Knowledge:

To learn about some important aspects of Hindu beliefs in God.

Understand that it is not compulsory for Hindus to worship at a mandir, although many choose to do so, especially at festival times.

Know about how there are particular times at the day when puja or arti may be offered, but that mandirs are usually open for most of the day for individual devotion.

Know what worshippers do when they enter the mandir (include removal of shoes, ringing bell, circumambulating the shrine, making an offering, singing bhajans and the Arti ceremony ending with the blessings and sharing of prashad. 

Understand that it is not compulsory for Hindus to worship at a mandir, although many choose to do so, especially at festival times.

What happens in Sikh celebrations and ceremonies in the Gurdwara? 

Computing

In the first half of the term, learners will consider how and why data is collected over time. Learners will consider the senses that humans use to experience the environment and how computers can use special input devices called sensors to monitor the environment. Learners will collect data as well as access data captured over long periods of time. They will look at data points, data sets, and logging intervals. Learners will spend time using a computer to review and analyse data. Towards the end of the unit, learners will pose questions and then use data loggers to automatically collect the data needed to answer those questions.

In the second half of the term, the children will explore the concept of repetition in programming using the Scratch environment. The unit begins with a Scratch activity similar to that carried out in Logo in Programming unit A, where learners can discover similarities between two environments. Learners look at the difference between count-controlled and infinite loops, and use their knowledge to modify existing animations and games using repetition. Their final project is to design and create a game which uses repetition, applying stages of programming design throughout.

Knowledge:

Data and information – Data logging

To explain that data gathered over time can be used to answer questions

To use a digital device to collect data automatically 

To explain that a data logger collects ‘data points’ from sensors over time

To recognise how a computer can help us analyse data

To identify the data needed to answer questions

To use data from sensors to answer questions 

Programming B – Repetition in games

To develop the use of count-controlled loops in a different programming environment

To explain that in programming there are infinite loops and count-controlled loops

To develop a design that includes two or more loops which run at the same time

To modify an infinite loop in a given program

To design a project that includes repetition

To create a project that includes repetition

PE

In the striking and fielding unit, pupils will learn how to strike the ball into space so that they can score runs. When fielding, they will learn how to keep the batters’ scores low. In all games activities, pupils will have to think about how they use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. In cricket, pupils will achieve this by striking a ball and trying to avoid fielders, so that they can run between wickets to score runs. 

In the athletics unit, pupils will develop basic running, jumping and throwing techniques. They will be set challenges for distance and time that involve using different styles and combinations of running, jumping and throwing. As in all athletic activities, pupils will think about how to achieve their greatest possible speed, distance or accuracy and learn how to persevere to achieve their personal best.

Knowledge:

Striking and fielding

Striking: know that using the centre of the bat will provide the most control and accuracy.

Fielding: know that it is easier to field a ball that is coming towards me rather than away so set up accordingly. 

Throwing: understand that being balanced before throwing will help to improve the accuracy of the throw. 

Catching: know to track the ball as it is thrown to help to improve the consistency of catching.

Tactics: know that applying attacking tactics will help to score points and avoid getting out. Know that applying defending tactics will help to deny space, get opponents out and limit points.

Rules: know and understand the rules to be able to manage our own game.

Athletics

Running: understand that I need to pace myself when running further or for a long period of time. Understand that a high knee drive, pumping my arms and running on the balls of my feet gives me power.

Jumping: understand that transferring weight will help me to jump further. 

Throwing: understand that transferring weight will help me to throw further. 

Rules: know and understand the rules to be able to manage our own events.

Spelling for the Summer term

Week 1 words spelt with 'sc' - descend, descent, crescent, fascinate, science, scissors

Week  2: strategies fro learning homophones: scene/ seen, mail/male, bawl/ ball

Week 3 words spelt with 'ous' anonymous. disastrous. 

enormous. fabulous. famous, generous. hazardous, jealous. ...

Week 4 spelling  single and plural possessive nouns

Week 5 homophones - their, there, thy're - hole/ whole,  steal/steel, tail/ tale, waist/waste, wear/where, sole/soul

Week 6 prefixes - adding ly to y,le and ic