You’ve made us laugh, inspired us, and reminded us why teaching is such a privilege.

You’re more than ready for Year 5!Go smash it! You've got this!

The Year 4 teachers! 

First was a visit to the Philharmonic Orchestra  a real treat for the senses! From the majestic sounds that filled the grand concert hall to the rhythm-filled choreography we learnt (and nailed!), it was a performance that had us all stringing along with excitement. For many, it was their first time experiencing such a spectacular concert, and it was nothing short of note-worthy.

As always, Year 4 were pitch perfect in their behaviour, showing maturity and enthusiasm that allowed them to get the most out of this fabulous opportunity. 

Throughout the week, Year 4 have been putting on a 'play in a day' at Putney Arts Theatre. It really was lights, camera, action! The children loved the chance to be creative and had a lot of fun being directors, actors, lighting specialists and physical theatre experts. 

We look ahead to the next trip and enrichment adventure at Hampton Court Palace! 

In history, we've become curious historians, delving into the dramatic world of King Henry VIII. Using a range of sources, we’ve explored the huge changes he brought to religion in Tudor England. This week, we tackled the 'Reformation' and uncovered just how much it reshaped the Church.

In maths, we’ve taken our learning outside again, this time to explore angles in a hands-on way. Armed with everyday items and natural treasures, the children created all sorts of shapes and angles, bringing shape to life! 

We’ve launched straight into our new core text, There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom. Bradley Chalkers, the main character, is proving to be a fascinating and unpredictable figure. We’ve already been shocked, intrigued, and moved by his journey. The children are completely hooked, eagerly reading on to discover the meaning behind the book’s eye-catching title. 

In maths, we’ve turned our focus to time. The children were timed completing a range of challenges around the school, you’d be amazed how long it takes to tie a shoelace! Their predictions were bold, their energy unstoppable, but their accuracy a little off!

This week has also been packed with enrichment opportunities. We completed our 'Bee' assembly, welcomed a fantastic guest who led a captivating Bible workshop, and continued to make joyful noise in our clarinet lessons. 

So buckle up, Year 4 is heading into another two weeks of fun and learning.  Watch this space!

The teachers wanted to take this opportunity to share some feedback from the Juniper Hall tutors about the wonderful children. 

"They can come again every year, they've been so brilliant."

"What a well-mannered lovely group of children."

Highlights included: mammal trapping where we caught a vole and two wood mice. A very delicious treat around the camp fire, a beautiful view at the top of quite a challenging hot hike and of course, delicious cake! This is just to name a few. We are excited to share more memories with everyone at the Year 4 assembly on Thursday, May 22nd, 9:10AM. 

In English, we have started our new poetry topic, which includes studying different styles of poetry, including rap! The children will be learning all about different poetry styles and writing their own poems based on events at Juniper Hall in the style of Michael Rosen's 'Don't' poem. 

In science, we are learning about animal habitats and can't wait for this learning to be complimented and enriched on our two night residential at Juniper Hall. 

Alongside all of this, we have been practising decimals in maths, talking about human rights in PSHE, learning how to use a key and compass in geography and looked at where the Bible came from in RE. 

Lastly, have a lovely Easter break and a well-deserved rest!

In art, we have enjoyed learning different carving techniques. We have tried out these new skills on soap which was a challenging material to work with! However, the final Roman soap carvings were brilliant and the classrooms smelt lovely. We have also been moulding wire and using our whole bodies to draw chalk images on the playground. 

In science, we have started to explore more of the digestive system, with Mrs Campbell giving us a live demonstration of what happens in our body using a pair of tights, bananas, crackers, water, orange juice a tray and a cup. We will leave the rest there!

In Maths, we have moved on to learning about decimals. In PE, we have been learning lots of fast moves to Dolly Partons 9-5 and have thoroughly enjoyed studying Roman artifacts in history. Lastly, in English we have all loved bringing to life our own scripts based on Kensuke's Kingdom, they have been packed full of exciting scenes and very dramatic endings!

On Monday we stepped back in time and entered an almighty battle as Roman soldiers as part of Roman Day. The day saw the children make oil from olives, mosaic tiles, candle wax tablets, perfume and so much more. As part of the day, the children also had some soldier training and learnt many Roman army commands. To celebrate their victory over Boudica's army, the children feasted on cheese, bread and grapes and learnt dances and plays! And in case you were wondering, YES, the Romans did use soap! They even made it themselves. 

We have also managed to fit in soap carving, whole-body drawing, fractions, an egg experiment and writing our description of Kensuke's Island. Well done Year 4, you've had a very impressive two weeks. 

They prepared and ate their own sushi, learnt to play the Taiko drums and perfected the delicate art of blossom painting. The whole day was dedicated to a series of enrichment activities aimed at bringing the topic to life outside the classroom. This included designing our own Kimonos based on the infamous artist Hokusai's instantly recognisable artwork and discovering interesting facts about the country itself. 

We hope everyone had a fantastic time and a special thank you to our two parent volunteers who taught us how to make shushi brilliantly. Marcus; thank you for chopping a lot of the vegetables!

Year 4 won a recent school wide maths competition, which meant the Year 6 maths ambassadors taught us for an afternoon. It was great fun and we learnt so much from them. They really tested us on our times tables and let us know how impressed they were with our understanding and facts. 

Also happening in Year 4 this week, we have started to plan our own survival guide in English, continued looking at tints and shades in art and explored how Japan's seasons affect its tourism. 

We have spent the last two weeks painting wardrobes, making switches, performing and practising in a lovely carol concert and reading in the brilliant grotto! 

We wish you all a very merry Christmas. Please get some rest and come back ready to blow us away with drumming, drawing and reading our next class book Kensuke's Kingdom. 

Science

We've delved into the world of electricity, and it's been nothing short of magical! You’ve created glowing circuits using batteries, bulbs, and wires, uncovering the secrets of insulators and conductors. 

English

The world of Narnia has cast its spell over Year 4! Guided by the Golden Rules of speech, we’ve crafted enchanting conversations between the four Pevensie siblings as they step through the wardrobe. The book’s magic has clearly captured our imaginations—so much so that some of us have been peeking into wardrobes in search of our own doorway to adventure. Who knows? Perhaps Narnia awaits one of you!

Geography

Mountains have become a source of fascination. We’ve uncovered the mystery of mountain climates, learning how they are so different from the weather we experience every day. 

Maths

In the world of numbers, we’ve been wielding the power to multiply and divide by 10 and 100 like seasoned mathematicians. Paired with our dedication to mastering time tables, it's been a full fortnight of cracking time tables. 

After being brilliant travellers on the train, we arrived at the Hindu Temple in Wimbledon. The first thing that hit us was the flowery fragrances and wonderful colours. We walked around and absorbed all the beautiful statues, wearing glistening jewellery and watched as some worshippers gave fruit and gifts to the gods. We listened to the priest give Ganesha's 108 names and were lucky enough to receive a biscuit and squash whilst we watched how Hindus celebrate!

Well done Year 4, you were fabulous representatives of Sheen Mount all day(s). 

In maths, we've tackled tricky column addition and subtraction, even solving multi-step word problems. In English, we've mastered the art of writing complex sentences, all while exploring fascinating stories about the ancient Greek gods and goddesses. Science has seen us dive into the water cycle, and thanks to a catchy song, we now understand it inside out. In art, we've unleashed our creativity, crafting powerful wax-resist prints, and in PE, we've become skilled rugby players.

History has transported us to Ancient Greece, where we've become true historians, uncovering the secrets of columns and artefacts from the era. In RE, we've delved deep into the religious values of Hinduism, broadening our understanding of different cultures and beliefs. And that’s just a taste of everything we've achieved!

Take a well-deserved break this half-term, rest up, and get ready to step through a certain magical wardrobe next term... who knows what adventures await!

The day kicked off with an artistic adventure, where they learned to make collagraph Greek pots – modeled after the iconic Hydria, a type of ancient water jag – using creative rubbing techniques and charcoal to bring their designs to life.

Next, they entered the arena for their very own Ancient Greek Olympics, competing just like the original athletes! They discovered who was allowed to participate in these prestigious games and the reasons behind it. We then dived into the world of architecture, sculpting Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian columns out of clay.

Throughout the day, Year 4 uncovered fascinating facts about the city-states of Greece, like Athens and Sparta, learning about their core beliefs, traditions, and rivalries -giving them a real taste of the culture and spirit of Ancient Greece.

By the end of the day, Year 4 was buzzing with excitement, feeling like they’d truly stepped into the sandals of the Ancient Greeks!

With a quiver in his step, Theseus entered the ink-black labyrinth. Cautiously, he went through the haunted maze. With trepidation, he clutched onto a long piece of string hoping he wouldn't get lost. Ferociously, the monster charged at Theseus. He had no choice but to swing his weapon and kill it!

We are so proud of how they have started the year, taking on lots of new responsibilities and tackling new topics. 

In maths, we have been revisiting place value and in English we have made an excellent, exciting, brilliant start on writing about Persephone and the Four Seasons. There was a particular focus on adjectives this week. 

In science, we have been looking at states of matter and encouraging children to identify solids, liquids and gasses. 

In PE, we have been so LUCKY! This week we have been swimming and started lacrosse. Something I think will be most children's start of term highlight. 

Our art books are already full of wonderful sketches. We have been focussing on tone, using different tools and techniques. 

We can't wait to see what the rest of the term holds. 

"We have had the most amazing year with you all. We will miss you all so much as you head off on your next adventure. Thank you for always trying your best and for being kind, helpful and polite. Wherever you are off to next, please know that we have enjoyed teaching you so much. Thank you Year 4, you're the best!"

On Tuesday afternoon, Year 4 shared some of their wisdom with the Year 3's. They all said how lovely it was to know more about the amazing year they have ahead of them. 

We have been so lucky to go on two school trips over the past fortnight. These included our wonderful visit to Hampton Court Palace, where the children visited grand rooms, kitchens, great halls and the maze. The grounds were stunning and our tour guides were so insightful, telling us gripping stories of King Henry VIII's past.

Our second trip was to Putney Arts Theatre where the children put on their own show! (4BZ on Tuesday, 4S Thursday and 4H are visiting on Monday 8th July). The performance was based on a book called: Leon and the Place Between. We don't want to give too much away, but the performances were truly.... magical! 

We will also be using the book to base our final D&T project on, so expect some wonderful moving pictures coming your way soon!

Lastly, everyone in Year 4 is writing their own book! They are all entitled "Through the Doorway", the rest has been completely up to them and WOW! WHAT AN AWESOME start they've made. This is a chance for Year 4 to showcase all the writing techniques they've learnt about this year, and we can not wait to read them all. 

We have thoroughly enjoyed learning about King Henry VIII. We have had excellent discussions about whether he is a hero or a villain and some very interesting facts and opinions have been shared. 

In art, we have been learning how to paint 3D objects by mixing pallets to reflect lighter and darker shadows. 

In maths, we have been interpreting statistics from charts and graphs. We have been carrying out investigations in science to support this learning and looking for patterns in data. 

We can not put There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom DOWN! We just want to read and read and read. It is absolutely captivating and hilarious. Every Year 4 is gripped and we can not wait to find out what happens next! Bradley Chalkers is such a complex  main character, and it has been brilliant putting our inference and retrieval skills to great use by unpicking why he might act the way he does. 

We are also so pleased the sun has made an appearance. As you can see from the photo, the children are really enjoying being outside as much as possible. 

In English, we have started our new core text: There's a boy in the girls' bathroom. Everyone is hooked, and we await to find out what will happen to Bradley Chalkers. 

In maths, we started our new unit on time. The children have already shown a good level of understanding from Year 3, therefore we look forward to building on this and challenging them further. 

In history, we have started our King Henry the 8th topic, looking to answer the ultimate question, "Was King Henry the 8th a HERO or a VILLAIN?" Some, but certainly not all children have already made up their minds, but we still have lots to discover.  We are really looking forward to our trip to Hampton Court Palace on June 20th. 

We are ready for our last action-packed half-term in Year 4!

Don't flush a shrew down the loo,

Don't take a roach on the coach, 

Don't give a pheasant a Christmas present,

Don't throw computers at the tutors

Don't lose an earring whilst orienteering!

In addition to the assembly, Year 4 have been progressing their sketching and shading skills in art, have created wonderful branching databases in science, learnt about the story of Abraham in RE, progressed to playing the clarinet in music and everyone has been trying really hard in their reading, putting into practise their inference, prediction and retrieval skills. In maths, we finished our topic on decimals and have just started looking at position and direction. 

A massive well done to every single Year 4 for coming on the trip. You were polite, well-mannered, friendly and kind. 

We all had a great time, building dens, starting fires, climbing up very big hills, catching mammals and eating marshmallows. 

The trip is an excellent opportunity to bring the Year 4 science and geography curriculum to life, but more than anything, it is a wonderful excuse to have some fun! A little known fact about Year 4... they seem to love TINNED PEACHES. 

The children had to work in teams to transport a jug of water from one side of the playground to the other as quickly as possible. 

Sounds simple enough, however, there were just a few catches! They weren't allowed to touch the jug at all with any part of their body, and they needed to keep as much water as possible in the jug. 

It was brilliant to see how well everyone worked in their teams to move the water steadily, but speedily across the playground, completing the challenge in a variety of different ways. 

Well done Year 4, we will be using even more of these problem-solving skills next week during our trip to Juniper Hall!

A quick overview of another jam-packed fortnight in Year 4. 

In Science, we have started our experiment into tooth decay and are currently submerging raw eggs in vinegar, coke cola, water and orange juice to assess the effect sugar has on enamel. 

In art, we have finished our Hokusai Kimono designs which feature very timely blossom elements. 

In maths, we have been learning about decimals and how to divide and multiply them by 10 and 100. 

We have also been thespians this week and thoroughly enjoyed bringing Kensuke's Kingdom to life. The children acted out a very famous scene from the book where Michael gets stung by a jelly-fish! The performances were excellent. Well done Year 4. 

In science, we have started our new topic all about the digestive system. We started by learning about the mouth and teeth. The picture above shows a marshmallow mouth created in class. As you can see, the children were brilliant at creating different sized and shaped marshmallows to reprsent the different teeth in our mouths. 

In PE, we have started our new dance unit and the chidlren have been exploring using different levels with their bodies and moving to a variety of different tempos.  

Year 4 continue to learn about Japan, in art we are focusiing on a very famous japanese artist, Hokasi. We look foward to showcasing all of our learning during the 'share our learning', session on Friday. Please look out for the wonderful blossom paintings!

Whilst preparing for the Carol Concert next week, Year 4 have also made huge progress with their Narnia Wardrobes, carried out a very important science mission ...all by themselves and enjoyed some relaxing, mindful Yoga alongside a visit to the wonderful Santa's Grotto. 

We would like to thank all of Year 4 for their incredible focus over the last two terms. They have applied themselves so well and it is clear to see the progress everyone is making! This makes us all so excited about the Spring term and all the adventures we will go on together next year. 

Have a wonderful and well deserved Christmas break. 

In science, we have been learning about which materials are good conductors and which are good insulators in order to make our own circuits with switches. 

In maths, we have learnt all about facts families and introduced some new maths vocabulary; factors, product and sum. If you know one multiplication fact, then you also know its family facts. 

In writing we have written a wonderful piece of direct speech and started to learn all about prepositions. 

In D&T we have painted our wardrobes in interesting and different shades of brown to represent different grains of wood.

In computing we have been coding (AT SPEED) and debugging code to make sure we can complete multistep coding problems. 

In geography, we have been learning all about mountains and mountain ranges and what a Nepalese child's journey to school might look like compared to ours in Sheen. 

In addition to all of this we have been learning our Chritsmas concert songs, remembering all the different seasons in French, playing lacrosse matches and discussing how best to tackle problems in PSHE.  

This week, Year 4 started reading Narnia, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. We have been using our inference skills to decide which of the characters are bossy, scared and most mischievous. We have just met an interesting character who is half goat, half man and are getting ready to write a detailed piece of description showing off all of our writing skills. These include but are not limited to expanded noun phrases, subordinate clauses, conjunctions and brilliant vocabulary. This week we have already seen words such as decrepit, syncopated and ominous used to describe the lamppost and falling snow of Narnia.