Yr 4 Looking Back and Forth - Friday 24th April 2026

🔙 Looking Back – This Week in Year 4

This week, we began focusing on the characters in our new class book. The children explored the extraordinary main character, Jub, alongside the less pleasant character, the Witch—who has eyes like poisonous berries.

We used similes to describe this fascinating and terrifying character, and the children produced some wonderfully imaginative ideas. We’re excited to continue reading more of this engaging story next week.

In maths, we have continued our work on fractions, building confidence with key concepts.

During guided reading, we carried on with The Lost Words. This week, we focused on Acorn and explored gall acorns. The children were fascinated, especially by the unusual shapes they can form.

🏆 Children’s Highlights

  • Playing with friends
  • The Acorn poem
  • Reading my own book
  • Creating descriptions of the Witch in English
  • Being on the field at lunchtime
  • Creating Pop Art sea creatures

💬 Ask at Home

Try discussing some of these questions together:

  • What is a simile?
  • What is a metaphor?
  • What is an improper fraction?
  • What is a mixed number?
  • What can you tell me about a gall wasp?
  • How large can an oak tree grow?
  • What was gall acorn ink used for?

🔜 Looking Ahead – Next Week in Year 4

  • 🐝 Learning all about bees
  • 🌍 Researching European countries
  • 💰 Money containers
  • 🕌 R.E.: Islamic Aid – The Crying Camel story
  • 💛 PSHE: The Crayon’s Story

📚 Homework This Week

  • ✍️ English: Apostrophes (contractions) and SPaG mat
  • ➕ Maths: Exercise 16 (Green Sheet)
  • 📖 Reading: 15 minutes daily (records checked Monday; AR quizzes encouraged)
  • 🎵 TT Rockstars: 10 minutes daily or two 20-minute sessions
  • 📝 Spellings: Test on Wednesday (short, frequent practice works best)
  • ✏️ Presentation: Pencil or blue/black pen only — no felt tips
  • 🔢 Times Tables: Ongoing practice

📬 All homework is due by Friday — children know where to hand it in.

🔔 Reminders

  • 📖 Reading records due every Monday (with daily logs)
  • ⭐ Reading Challenge: 20 reads = 10 house points

🗓️ Dates for Your Diary

  • Monday 4th May: May Day Bank Holiday
  • Friday 8th May: Film Night
  • Monday 11th May: Y6 SATs Week
  • Friday 15th May: Cake Sale (Y1) & Grandparents’ Tea Party
  • Thursday 21st May: Sports Day
  • Friday 22nd May: School closes for May half term
  • Tuesday 2nd June: Pupils return
  • Week beginning 2nd June: Y4 Times Tables Tests
  • Wednesday 3rd June: Free Dress Day (sweets for “Cup U Like”)
  • Wednesday 4th June: PTA Meeting, 6:30pm at The Crown
  • Thursday 5th June: Bags to School
  • Friday 6th June: Summer Ball
  • Week beginning 8th June: Phonics Testing
  • 8th–9th June: Bikeability (Y4 & Y5)
  • Thursday 11th June: Y5 Halle Visit
  • Friday 12th June: June Evening
  • Tuesday 16th June: SA Visitors Arrive
  • Friday 19th June: Film Night
  • Friday 26th June: Cake Sale (Reception)
  • Monday 29th June: SA Visitors Leave
  • Friday 3rd July: Y6 Residential
  • Monday 6th July: Swimming Pool Arrives
  • Friday 17th July: School closes for summer