Happy New Year to you all!

We have enjoyed welcoming the children back this week and hearing about what they got up to over the Christmas break.

We have started the new year with an English unit based on a fabulous book called 'Marcy and the riddle of the sphinx'. The children have been looking at clues on the cover and in the first few illustrations to predict what the book will be about and to infer the main character's thoughts and feelings. We noticed that she is often scared, particularly when it comes to the dark, so we explored vocabulary around the concept of fear. I think that the children are going to produce some wonderful writing next week, based on the ideas they have come up with so far!

In maths, we have begun our multiplication and division unit, beginning with recapping and exploring the multiplication and division facts for the three times table. The children drew bar models, showed their understanding using counters, solved word problems and wrote their own word problems (to name a few types of activity). They also revised their mathematical vocabulary: do you know what a product is? A divisor? How about a quotient? See if your child can explain them to you!

On the topic of times tables, now is the perfect time for the children to get back into good habits with learning their times tables. They should be practising them at least 3 or 4 times a week to enable them to learn all facts, with quick recall, by the summer term. As always, house points will be given each week for regular TTRS practice!

Have a lovely weekend,

The Year 4 Team