Welcome to Acorns' Class Page

Welcome to the Acorn's class page.  Here you will find lots of information about what we are doing in school and the different topics that we are learning.

We hope that you had a fantastic half term and enjoyed your well earned break.

This term we will be looking at Natural Resources. We will investigate what our Earth can offer us and how we rely on the resources it provides.

Our swimming sessions restart the first Monday of term.

Children will still be having PE on Fridays, however, they will now be bringing in their PE kits and getting changed in school. Please make sure that they have a white t-shirt, black shorts, leggings or joggers and a plain black or red hoodie.

English

In English this term we will be writing explanation texts. By looking at the words and phrases used in these types of texts, we will write detailed explanations of different types of electrical power stations. We will also write some explanations of our own inventions like a machine that does the washing up, or even makes sweets out of thin air!

In our reading sessions, we will be focusing on the book The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd. To do this we will be using our VIPERS skills (vocabulary, inference, prediction, explanation, retrieval, sequencing and summarising) to look at challenging texts with more depth of understanding.

Not only that, we will also be building up our reading, writing and SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) skills which will build to help us become the best writers!

Maths

In Maths Acorns will spend the term investigating multiplication and division. We will be developing different methods to find answers and look at the patterns and links that we can find within these two related operations.  Multiplying and dividing by 1, 10 and 100 and looking for patterns withing the times tables will also be practiced.

As a school, we are also partaking in a Maths Mastery programme which will give all the children the opportunity to investigate patterns and recognise the important links in maths. This means that we will have one day a week where we solve puzzles and answer open ended questions which will make maths even more fun!

Year 4s have their Multiplication Tables Check this year, so there will be a strong focus on learning their times tables up to 12 x 12 and we will be sending home cards to help them build fluency.  There will also be TTRockstars club, which is open to Year 3s and 4s on Tuesdays after school.

Forest Schools

We are really excited to be starting Forest Schools. Mrs O'Hara and Mrs Hinde are both qualified Forest School Leaders and are very excited to take the children to Metapic Woods.

Forest School is an educational approach that focuses on outdoor, nature-based learning. It originated in Scandinavia and has become popular in many countries, including the UK, the US, and parts of Europe. Forest Schools typically take place in natural environments such as woodlands, parks, or forests, where children have the opportunity to learn through direct experience in the outdoors.

Key Features of Forest School:

1. Outdoor Learning: The main concept is that children spend a significant amount of time outdoors in natural settings, learning through hands-on experiences.

2. Child-Led Exploration: Activities are often child-led, with the children encouraged to explore their environment, ask questions, and make decisions. They might engage in things like building shelters, creating art with natural materials, or exploring the local flora and fauna.

3. Connection with Nature: Forest Schools emphasise developing a deep connection with nature. Children learn about ecosystems, animals, plants, and the seasons through direct observation and interaction.

Topic

In Topic this term Natural Resources will be our main focus.  We will learn that Natural resources are materials found in nature that are used by humans for various purposes, such as food, energy, shelter, and manufacturing goods.  We will investigate:

• Water (used for drinking, farming, and energy production),
• Air (needed for breathing and supporting life),
• Trees (used for wood, paper, and oxygen),
• Minerals (used in construction, technology, and jewelry),
• Fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas (used for energy)

We will also look at the importance of knowing the difference between renewable and non-renewable resources and our role in conservations.  By turning the tide on our reliance on fossil fuels and reducing our carbon emissions we can learn how to build a more sustainable future.