Dronfield Junior School

Dronfield Junior School
Reaching Potential

Year 4 Page

2024 - 2025

y4 spring term overview jan 25.pdf

 Y4 Spring Term Homework

Science

This term, your child will be an apprentice electrician and sound engineer inspired by the inventions of Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell. They will complete a series of practical tasks, both individually and with others, and record their findings to learn more about electricity and sound. The concepts explored will include:
Electricity: identify common appliances that run on electricity; construct a simple series electrical circuit; recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit and identify some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors.
Sound: identify how sounds are made due to vibrations; recognise that vibrations from sounds travel through a medium to the ear; find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it; find patterns between the volume of a sound and the strength of the vibrations that produced it and recognise that sounds get fainter as the distance from the sound source increases.

History

In history, your child will continue to develop their understanding of chronology by constructing a timeline of key events during the Victorian period, and discover where this period fits into British history. Through the study of primary and secondary sources, they will develop an understanding of the consequences of the British Empire, the impact of the Industrial Revolution, reasons why people lived in the workhouses and what living conditions were like there and how their lives may be different to a Victorian child’s. On Tuesday 25th March 2025, the History Van will be in school practically reinforcing some of the themes explored.

Geography

As budding geographers, your child will identify the differences between the terms “weather” and “climate”; this will include establishing a basic weather station in the school garden to record rainfall and temperature, which we will them compare with your locations. As part of these themes, the stages of the water cycle, previously studied in science, will be revisited. They will be introduced to climate zones: polar, temperate, tropical, Mediterranean, arid and mountainous; they will locate these on world maps and research two zones to compare and contrast their environments and living things.

autumn term overview sept 24.pdf

Y4 Autumn Term homework

Science

In your child's first set of science lessons, they will work either individually or in small groups to complete practical enquiry tasks and record their findings to learn more about the three states of matter and how man’s actions, like climate change, can affect the animal and their habitats around the world.


The National Curriculum concepts explored will include:
States of Matter: Comparing and grouping materials according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases; observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled and record the temperature for when these changes happen and identify the parts played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle.

Our World: Researching environmental changes and how these pose dangers to living things and investigate the effects of global warming on natural habitats around the world, through recording and repeating results.

Geography 

As budding geographers, your child's first set of geography lessons, they will use atlases to locate and then place London, the capital city of England on UK and European maps. They will identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of London through the use of maps and photos. The formation and the purposes of the River Thames to the history and development of London will be explored. During this work, your child will develop their ability to identify Ordnance Survey symbols; read and write 4 figure grid references and state direction by using the 4 and 8 compass points.

By the end of the year, your child will be a critical-thinking geographer who will be able to impart key knowledge on different  locations and dazzle you with a wealth of knowledge!

History

In your child's first set of history lessons, they will develop their understanding of chronology by constructing a timeline of key events during the Victorian period, and discover where this period fits into British history. Through the study of primary and secondary sources, they will develop an understanding of the consequences of the British Empire, the impact of the Industrial Revolution, why people ended up in the workhouses and what the living conditions were like, how their lives may be different to a Victorian child’s, what evidence of the Victorians there is in Dronfield and how the introduction of the railways changed Britain.

 

2023 - 2024

Autumn

 

Discover Project (History Driver)

“Is change always for the better?”

During this term, we will be learning about the Victorians.  We will be discussing the concept of change; what it is and whether changes made in Victorian times were for the better and improved peoples’ lives.  During the project, your child will be discussing and debating the impact of following key concepts: consequences, fairness, poverty and reform. 

As good historians, we will be analysing and questioning primary and secondary sources, interpreting bias and constructing timelines of key events including: the life of Queen Victoria; the impact of the industrial revolution, the roles of children in the work force, the growth of the British and repercussions of crimes.

Y4 Autumn Parents' Leaflet

Y4 Autumn Homework

 

Spring

Explore Project (Geography Driver)

“What does it mean to take things for granted”?

We will look at things we may take for granted in our daily life and the wider world. During the project, we will be discussing and debating the impact of the following key concepts: choice, loyalty, responsibility and value to our enquiry question. We will begin with the study of our home town of Dronfield; discussing its land use, amenities and reasons why families choose to live here.

As competent geographers, your child will be using maps, atlases and laptops to identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of settlements starting locally and then spreading to the wider world. This will allow them to compare and contrast geographical features found in the UK to those found in other countries.

During this work, we will develop, and identify, Ordnance Survey symbols; read and write 4 figure grid reference and state direction by using the 8 compass points.

As part of the project, we will be considering the ways in which people can improve or damage our environment, focusing upon conservation, fair trade and life in war torn countries.

By the end of the spring term, your child will be a critical-thinking geographer who will be able to impart key knowledge on different  locations and dazzle you with a wealth of knowledge!

Y4 Spring Parents' Leaflet

Y4 Spring Homework

 

Summer

Create Project (Arts Driver)

"Is happiness really infectious?"

For this project, we will focus upon aspects of the creative arts, especially relating to the theme of celebrations / carnivals. We will be discussing and debating the impact of the following key concepts: beauty, belonging, dreams and tradition to our enquiry question. We will use a variety of artists work and examples of music, that convey happiness and your child will evaluate how the audience responds to these stimuli.

In art, we will study the works of traditional and modern artists, Van Gogh and Keith Haring. We will create own pieces of artwork in the style of the artist. We will be exploring how artists use techniques and art  media for different styles and effect.

As budding musicians, we will create our own rhythm with a melody and use of dynamics, which can then be performed on a variety of percussion instruments. We will also be planning and making our own musical instrument using junk materials and modroc.

By the end of the summer term, your child will be a reflective  artist who will be able to impart key knowledge on different artists and impress you with wonderful pieces of artwork.

Y4 Summer Parents' Leaflet

Y4 Summer Homework