4GK

Welcome to 4GK's class page!

Dear Year 4 children and parents,

My name is Miss Kentish and I am really excited to be teaching in Year 4 again this year alongside Miss Avery! This is my third year at St Edward's, having previously taught Year 5 and Year 4. I love being a part of such a wonderful school community, and am really looking forward to the year ahead and getting to know my new class and their families. 

We are learning about lots of exciting and interesting topics this year! I am looking forward to our study of Bournville, learning all about how electricity works, and reading our first class text - The City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau. 

Outside of school, I love reading books, watching films and listening to music. I try to stay active by going on long walks and attending classes at my gym!

Our P.E. days are currently on Tuesdays and Thursdays and, just like last year, children can come to school in their PE kit for the whole day. Please remember that no earrings should be worn during lessons and a white round neck t-shirt with the school badge and plain blue or black shorts/tracksuit bottoms should be worn.

If you have any questions or queries, I am always here to help in any way I can. You can either wait until after dismissal to speak to me in the playground or send your query to teacher@stedward.bham.sch.uk

Please allow up to 48 hours for a response via email. Any urgent messages should be communicated to the school office so that they can be passed on quickly.

Best wishes,

Miss Kentish

The year that was 2022/2023:

St Edward’s Sports Week 19th-23rd June 2023

The liquids that were the most damaging to the egg shell were the sports drink and orange juice. On the other hand, water appeared to have no damaging effects. We think this is because the sports drink and orange juice contain lots of sugar. Sugar can be very damaging to our teeth. Therefore, we should drink sugary drinks in moderation!

What effect do different liquids have on our teeth? That’s the question Year 4 are currently investigating! We have set up our experiment ready to record our observations after the weekend. Which liquid has the worst effect on our teeth? Will it be water, coke, sports drinks, vinegar, orange juice or milk? 

On Thursday, we came to school dressed as somebody we aspire to be. We saw a wonderful array of costumes - from cooks to policemen, and engineers to politicians! Take a look at some of the people we aspire to be in 4GK.

Here’s what our pea shoots are looking like at one week old! We’re excited to see how big they might get!

On Wednesday we had a very exciting Greenshoots workshop. We learnt about where some of the foods we eat come from and about how it is better for the environment to eat plants that have grown closer to home. We got to plant peas ourselves and are looking forward to caring for them over the next few weeks and seeing how they grow! Check back soon to see their progress!

On Tuesday this week we had the pleasure of welcoming visitors from the charity Stories of Hope and Home and three refugees to our school. We are so grateful to these people for kindly giving up their time to talk to us about the experience of being a refugee and answering our questions as part of a Q&A session. We learnt so much about life as a refugee and are now thinking about what more we can do to help. The children asked lots of thoughtful questions and we are really proud of them for their maturity and the sensitivity they showed our visitors during these sessions. 

On Tuesday 25th April, we celebrated Italian Day at St Edward’s! We started off with an Italian lesson, learning how to say which fruits we liked. Then we learnt all about Michelangelo, La Pieta and the Sistine Chapel! The most fun part of the day was when we had a go at painting like Michelangelo did - upside down! 

In our first week back after Easter we conducted a Science investigation to see where the best place in the classroom would be to dry clothes! We placed four cups of water around our classroom - by the sunny window, in the cupboard, by the radiator, and by the sink. We measured the rate of evaporation by seeing how much water was left in the cup by the end of the experiment. If there was less water in the cup, it meant that had been a faster rate of evaporation. We found that the area in the classroom with the fast rate of evaporation was by the sunny window! We think this is because the sun makes this part of the room warmer, and we know warmer temperatures leads to a faster rate of evaporation. 
 

We have also created artwork celebrating Christ’s Resurrection. Take a look at our work by viewing the slideshow above.

Our class text Viking Boy features a multitude of references to Norse mythology! Since we were unfamiliar with lots of these terms, we spent an English lesson using the iPads to research what they mean. We found out lots about Thor, Odin, Asgard, Bifrost and more… test us on what we know!

What an exciting and fun-filled week it’s been! This week in Year 4 we have celebrated STEM Week by setting up our own dessert businesses! On Monday, we decided on our business names and on what healthy dessert we wanted to create. We created a recipe and drew a diagram of what our dessert would look like. We also conducted an investigation testing whether ice cream or butter melted faster. Which one do you think melts faster and why? 
 

On Tuesday, we conducted our market research to see which tartlet toppings are most popular. We created tally charts and then used the iPads to create bar graphs on BGFL to represent our survey results. We also used the iPads to create our business logos, using the LOGO app on BGFL and our knowledge of coding. 
 

Later in the week, we created our tartlets! We made a yummy cream filling and then topped our tartlets with a range of fruit, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, banana and kiwi. They were so tasty! 
 

Finally, we produced advertising posters to market our product and persuade people to buy it. 
 

On Tuesday this week we had our Computing Day. We spent the day on the iPads learning about what an algorithm is and learning how to code! We also created bar charts to represent the findings from our market research surveys as part of our STEM Week learning.

Dear Children,

After a very snowy (but fun) morning yesterday, we thought it best to close school ahead of the forecast for today so that everyone can stay safe and warm! 

We have put together some lessons for you to complete. It would be best if you have a devise, if not, the worksheets are printable- please do not print it all though.

Maths- We have set work on coordinates, please familiarise yourself with the PowerPoint before having a go at the independent practice. If you do not have a printer, use squared paper or have a go at drawing the grids.

English- Read through chapter 1 of 'Viking Boy'. If you are struggling, you can listen to the chapter here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiubWzYMngg

Once you have listened to the chapter, answer the questions. At the end you will see that we have asked you to produce something for our door display. You could use those suggestions or do something as simple as recreate the book cover.

Italian- Please log onto Language Angels and use our log in: Username: ITALIA4GK  Password: Napoli  Go onto the 'La frutta' page and have a go at some of the games.

We would also like you all to complete a Soundcheck on Times Table Rockstars. We will be checking at the end of the day tomorrow and if you have had a go we will give you a star award.

Finally, ENJOY THE SNOW!

See you next week,

Miss Avery and Miss Kentish x

This week has been a very exciting week! On Monday, we had a very special guest come in. A very popular band from Birmingham called UB40, have you heard of them? They came to watch us perform their songs. When Year 4 performed their song 'Higher Ground', the news said they got really emotional because their band member that wrote it passed away. When we went home, we all tried to spot ourselves in the news. It was amazing because 4AA was featured on BBC.

We have also made our recycled instruments this week and tried to make them change pitch and volume. It was also World Book Day and we had to dress as our favourite words. We came as a 'footballer' and a 'dancer'. Miss Avery came as 'vibrant' and Miss Kentish came as 'illuminate'. Our favourite costume was Ivy's egg costume, it was very funny. We finished our week with a Science escape room- we had fun trying to crack the code!

Speak to you soon,

Violet and Nicola

Over the last half term, Year 4 have been learning about Birmingham band UB40! We have used the iPads to research the band, in English we have written non-chronological reports, we have analysed song lyrics, and learnt the words and actions to their song “Higher Ground”, which we will be performing as part of a special assembly in the first week back after half term!

This week is Children’s Mental Health Week, so Year 4 have been taking part in well-being orienteering during their PE lessons. Children used the school map to find different markers, and at each marker completed different exercises to promote well-being. These included 555 breathing to increase calmness, power poses to boost confidence, ping pong gratitude to remind us of what we have to be thankful for, and a senses activity to promote mindfulness. Now the children know these strategies, they can use them independently whenever they’re feeling stressed and anxious. 

Year 4 had so much fun yesterday on their Spring 1 Outdoor Day! The day started in the Forest School where the children were assigned to one of three tribes: the Angles, Saxons or Jutes. The three tribes were in competition throughout the day and the children completed a series of challenges to earn points for their team. Extra points could be won for good teamwork! The first challenge was to crack codes written in Runes by searching the Forest School for the Runes letter translations. At the end of this first session, the Jutes were in the lead! 
 

After break the children used the orienteering course to search for digits which they then had to multiply by each other, which tested their multiplication skills as well as teamwork skills! By lunchtime, the Angles had taken the lead! 
 

In the afternoon, we made Anglo-Saxon oatcakes in our groups before recreating our very own Anglo-Saxon village in the Forest School. The creations were fantastic and Miss Kentish and Miss Avery had a very difficult time deciding on a winner! However, due to their brilliant display of teamwork, the winner’s for the final round had to be the Saxons! 
 

We finished the day with some hot chocolate before home time. Yum!

The past week has been very busy in Year 4! Here is a little snippet of what we have been up to.
 

The highlight of our week was performing our assembly on the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings to our parents and the rest of the school! As part of our preparation for this, we have designed and created Anglo-Saxon brooches out of clay. We have also looked at the artefacts which were excavated at the Sutton Hoo burial site, using evidence to draw our own conclusions. As part of our Computing Day we used the iPads to work in groups to research the lives and work of important figures such as Mother Theresa, Pope John Paul II and St Francis of Assisi. 

Well done to each and every pupil in Year 4 for putting on a fantastic year group assembly last week! We are so proud of you for all your hard work, from learning to speak your lines so eloquently to designing the most creative and impressive Anglo-Saxon and Viking shields! You spoke, sang and danced so wonderfully and all staff have commented on what an outstanding performance it was. We couldn’t be more proud of you and you have certainly set the bar very high for the rest of the school. Well done!

We would like to thank parents as well for all their support with this. 

Outdoor Day - Thursday 22nd September

Year 4 had a wonderful time this week on their first Outdoor Day of the year! We did lots of work linked to the book we are reading currently - The City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau. We kicked off the morning by assigning the children their jobs for the day, jobs which reflected the work done by the people of Ember. Some were messengers, some cooks, some pipeworks labourers!

The children then worked in their groups to try and crack the code and help Lina and Doon escape Ember. They used maps to navigate their way around our school orienteering course, searching for all the torn up pieces of paper which formed the instructions for leaving Ember! After this, we challenged the children to think from an alternative perspective, and in groups they wrote and delivered speeches as Mayor Cole, convincing the people of Ember not to listen to the city's traitors, Lina and Doon!

Next, linked to our Science topic of Electricity, the children looked at different circuits and made predictions about whether the circuits would work or not. They then had a go at making circuits themselves to see if they could help power the city of Ember! 

After lunch, we did some more orienteering while practising rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and nearest 100. We finished the day with some den-building in Forest School. It was a fun-filled day enjoyed by all! Miss Avery and Miss Kentish want to say a big well done to all the children for how well they worked together throughout the day!

W/C 12th September 2022

We've had a busy first full week in Year 4! We're so proud of how quickly the children have settled back into school routine, and of all their hard work. We have certainly started as we mean to go on! 

This week we have been celebrating Art Week and its theme 'It's Good to Be Me'. The children have completed felt tip self portraits in the style of Brazilian artist Romero Britto, focusing on showing facial expression and body language. They have produced some outstanding work and have really impressed us with their recall of facts about Britto too! 

We have begun reading our first class text, which is The City of Ember by Jeanne du Prau. The children are thoroughly enjoying this book and have already produced some lovely writing linked to it. Their task at the end of the week was to write a letter to the Mayor convincing him to find a way out of Ember, with its failing generator. We have also begun our Science topic, Electricity, and the children have enjoyed sharing their own experiences of power cuts!

Looking ahead to next week, we will be starting our Geography topic by looking at our local area of Bournville, and contextualising it within the larger region of the West Midlands. We also have our first Outdoor Day this Thursday (22nd September) so make sure you are dressed appropriately! We look forward to welcoming parents on Tuesday 20th September at 3pm and answering any questions about the upcoming year. 

Well done on a great first full week back! Keep up all the hard work 

The year that was 2021/2022:

Maths - As you are aware, we are currently trialing 'Maths Whizz', an online maths resource tailored to your child's progress and needs in order to fill in any gaps and drive progress. We recommend this is completed twice a week for 20 minutes at home as we do 20 minutes on a Monday at school.

English/Science- We would like you to create a review of 'All Things Wild' to inform our future trips. Remember to write a detailed account of what we did, what you enjoyed and what you think could have been improved. You may wish to use the template below to write on!

Reading/Geography- Last week, we looked at the effects of Single Use Plastics on the Galapagos Islands. To further your understanding and knowledge for future lessons, complete the 60 second read and answer the questions :)

Welcome back!

I hope that you have had a good half term holiday. Please find the homework for this coming week set above, we are celebrating the Queen's Jubliee this week in school and we wanted to share this spirit at home too.

If your child chooses to do so, the 60 second read activity is also a set of instructions to make their own Jubilee Crown! If your child makes this craft, they are welcome to bring this in to show me or you could even email us a photograph at year4@stedward.bham.sch.uk.

Happy first week back from myself and the Year 4 team :)

Miss Dutton 

(If you require paper copies of the homework for Summer term 2, please email me at the address above to request a paper copy - additionally, homework can be completed onto plain or lined paper at home if you wish to save printing)

During the half term holiday, we are asking you to create a project for the Commonwealth celebrations.

Our class country is... (Drum roll please)!

Pakistan

We would like you to create a personal project that is inspired by our class country. You might decide to sculpt, paint, draw, research, cook, design etc...

This is down to you.

Please return your projects to your class teacher on the Monday of the first week back of Summer term 2. We are so excited to see what you have got up to... Maybe even have a taste of it if you are feeling generous!

Happy Researching...

English

The author of the Month of May is E. B. White. Your taskis to research E. B. White and create a project to present to the rest of the class. This could be a fact file, powerpoint or an art project for example!

Have fun.

Welcome To Year 4 2021/22

Dear Year 4 children and parents,

My name is Miss Dutton and I am starting my first year at St Edward's this academic year. In Year 4, I work alongside with Miss Avery, Mrs Smith and Miss Atkins - some of the staff that 4AD have met before and worked with previously. When I was training to be a teacher, I chose Mathematics as my subject specialism however, I also really enjoy Foreign Language and I wish I could become fluent in French - although, I have taken an interest in German over the summer holidays which will be very useful to this years Foreign Language lessons.  

So far, I have met my class and we are starting to get to know each other really well. Despite having no transition days before the holidays due to self-isolation, they have come into Year 4 with smiles on their faces and a readiness to learning new and interesting topics. For instance, our first topic 'Water, Water Everywhere' has proven to be very popular! So far the children have enjoyed learning about the Isles of Scilly through the book 'Why the Whales Came' and they have started their new topic for Science where we will cover the Water Cycle, most of the class have already shown interest in this too. If you would like to see more of our Autumn term curriculum, you will find it below this post.

Our P.E. days are currently on Monday and Tuesdays and just like last year, children can come to school in their PE kit for the whole day. Please remember that no earrings should be worn during lessons and a white round neck t-shirt with the school badge and plain blue or black shorts/ tracksuit bottoms should be worn.

We have many ways to communicate here at school, but currently the most efficient way would be to email the year4@stedward.bham.sch.uk email address which I will be checking daily and will try to respond to you as quickly as I can.

I am really looking forward to the year ahead and cannot wait to teach 4AD throughout their time in Year 4, we have been learning a lot about each other this week and this can only be the start of something great to come. Please don't hesitate to contact me if there are any issues, I am here to help.

Best wishes,

Miss Dutton.

2020/21

Week beginning

20th September 2021

We all took part in praying a decade of the Rosary for the centenary anniversary of the Legion of Mary.

8th October 2021

Stringcredibles visit KS2!

We all had a chance to listen to the Stringcredible apprentices who performed their show called 'String Power!'. 

21st October 2021

On our final day of Autumn term 1, Year 4 visited the Waseley Hills. We completed a trek around the hills, led by Pam and Des and took part in small group activities to collect and compare data to build evidence for or against building a wind farm at the Waseley Hills.

After we collected all of our data, we split into two groups - one group represented Friends of Waseley and the other group represented Wazenergy. The aim of these groups were to build arguments for or against building a wind farm at the Waseley Hills and we came together in front of the committee (our parent helpers) to debate this.

Week beginning

1st November 2021

CODING WEEK!

In 4AD, we completed some unplugged activities where we coded our names in binary! We also practised our coding skills with Scratch3 and playing games on our interactive whiteboard that use coding systems similar to Scratch, setting out simple instructions.

Christmas Jumper Day

On Friday 10th December, we raised money by wearing our Christmas jumpers in school. We also have been practising for our upcoming school Nativity.

Back to school... And a walk to Bournville!

Welcome back to all children! Myself and Miss Avery hope that you have had a holy, happy Christmas break.

4AD and 4AA have been rather active this week. On Wednesday, we took a long walk up to the Bournville village to explore the local area as part of our History local area study. We visited popular sites such as Bournville park, Bournville station, Cadbury factory, the Bournville carillon bell and the village green.

Mr. Duffy became one of our trusty tour guides! It is so great to share the passion for the local area with children and their parents too.

Thank you to all of our parent helpers for supporting us on this trip.

Children's Mental Health Week 2022

Mrs. McGowan and the school council hosted a whole school Pyjama day to raise money for Forward Thinking Birmingham during Children's Mental Health week.

Here are some pictures from participants in Year 4.

World Book Day 2022

This year, we celebrated World Book Day on our first week back to school. We planned for a week of activities centred around our book of focus.... This book is....

FLOTSAM

This week, the children have been exploring the photographs found on the Flotsam underwater camera and drawing inferences about the lives of the different people who have used the camera. We played a game of Guess Who using boxes of artefacts... Can you guess who these boxes might have belonged to?

On Thursday, the children dressed up as their favourite book characters!

Miss Dutton was over the moon to find out she had an outfit twin.