The Hills Academy

Y4 Passage to India

Literacy The children are using drama techniques to explore the text Trash! about the life of an 11 year old
Indian boy, Velu, forced to survive as a rag picker in the city of Chennai. They are honing their empathy skills by
writing diary extracts in role as Velu and creating persuasive letters to steer his actions ad give him advice.
Children are writing their own travel brochure. They are writing a fact sheet about snakes and a flyer to advertise
the Fabulous Finish. They are writing a fact file about an animal that lives in India and are doing independent
research to gather interesting facts on these animals. They are working in pairs to create a presentation to
demonstrate speaking and listening skills. The children are creating animal poems and performing these to the
class. The children are looking at the different animals found in the Indian jungles and are using their creative
skills in narrative writing and descriptive poems to personify the animals in the jungle.
Numeracy The children are developing more complex number skills involving place value with negative
numbers, decimals and large numbers. An essential step before middle school is to have instant recall of all their
tables by heart and some children are developing instant recall of the related inverse division facts. Our
measurement work is focusing on area and perimeter. We are revisiting how to compare and classify geometric
shapes, including quadrilaterals and triangles, by properties and sizes. The children are increasing their skills with
decimal numbers, comparing numbers with the same number of decimal places (two decimal places), rounding
decimals to the nearest whole number (one decimal place) and solving simple measure and money problems
involving fractions and decimals (one and two decimal places).
Science The children are identifying the components of an electrical circuit and building a circuit. We are testing
materials for electrical conductivity and investigating materials that are conductors or insulators. Children are
investigating light sources, shadows and the properties of light. They are identifying the various parts and
functions of plants. They are exploring the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and
seed dispersal. The children are investigating the properties of magnetism and magnetic materials.
Computing The children are looking at developing their designing skills using the computers, as well as honing
their skills specific to computing. We will be looking at speed and touch typing, creating and developing
sequences of music, looking at inputting and interpreting data and creating a school topic web page.
Foundation Subjects The children are creating a cityscape using construction kits, working together as a class
team. They are exploring the patterns and body positions made by a variety of Indian snakes and then working
with modroc to make an Indian snake. They are exploring paper engineering techniques by experimenting with
different paper plane templates, papers and wings styles and shapes to prepare for their flight to India.
Our values this term are April Friendship, May Understanding, June - Quality and July - Hope. They are using
talk partners, drama techniques, role play and creating written booklets to display their understanding of how to
display and further develop these values. The children are learning about India and are learning lots of exciting
facts about the country. Children are also exploring aspects of recycling and how India is trying to manage their
environment through the use of rag pickers. They are learning about the weather and climate and make
comparisons to the United Kingdom. They are learning about the forests and jungles and researching a famous
landmark. The children are investigating the differences between rural and urban life. In history the children are
looking at the British Empire, its development and growth, and the impact that India had on the Empire. Children
are also looking at researching a historical Indian building, with the aim of becoming experts in this area and
using this knowledge to aid them in creating and developing their school topic web page. In art, children are using
a range of techniques and mediums including clay, ink, and acrylic to design and create Indian inspired art work.
Children are also looking at the sculptor and artist Henry Moore and are studying his style of artwork and to
replicate this in their own way. In music the children are looking at the history of Indian music and the
instruments used in its composition.
RE We are learning where, how and why different faiths worship, looking at Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism,
Christianity and Islam. We will be visiting different places of worship on the Queens Park faith tour.
PE In outdoor PE we are beginning the first half term with Dodge ball, developing their throwing precision as
well as their catching and dodging skills. After half term we are developing our athletics skills including the
discus, javelin, hurdles and shot-put.
In dance, we are learning to move our bodies in time to music to re-enact the story of Rama and Sita, using Indian
and Bollywood styles of dancing. They are using hand gestures to convey meaning and complement their body
movements while working solo and as a pair. In indoor tennis, children are learning to volley, rally and play a
game using agility, balance and co-ordination. In outdoor PE, we are beginning the first half term with Dodge
ball, developing their throwing precision as well as their catching and dodging skills.
French In Year 4 we are consolidating the phonics we have looked at whilst learning to read and write in French.
We are expanding on how to express likes and dislikes within the context of sports and leisure. To end the
year, the children are rehearsing how to introduce ourselves to someone else in the form of a short presentation.