Cardinals (Year 3/4)

Welcome to Year 3/4

Our class is called Cardinals.  We are taught by Mr Milbourn (Mon-Weds & Fri) and Miss Ward (Thurs).  We are also supported by Miss Devlin and Mrs Walters. 

PE lessons will take place on Mondays and Thursdays. Please come into school wearing your PE kit on Monday and Thursday. There is no need to bring a change of clothes.

It is expected that children are reading for a minimum of 10 minutes daily at home and this should be recorded by child or parent in their reading record. Please note only one read per day will go towards the Give Me Ten scheme. If possible, please try to talk to your child about what they have read, exploring characters and storylines. Cardinals class will visit the library on Friday afternoons.

Summer Term 2

As the summer term ends, I am able to reflect on an amazing year with a wonderful class of enthusiastic and inspirational children.  I would like thank you for your support over the term, particularly with the recent Year 4 multiplication assessment. The children in both year groups worked very hard to improve their knowledge of the times tables and we have seen every one of them improve. It has been a joy to see the children progress academically and socially throughout the year and they have created a fun and motivated environment in the classroom.

This half term, in English, we have based our writing on a book that we had previously read as a class. ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes allowed us to consider how acts of bravery, large and small, can influence a community. We wrote an alternative ending to the book and used rhetorical questions, a variety of sentence structures, conjunctions and powerful verbs to improve our work. We have also studied fables and discussed how stories can include important morals. The children have shown a high level of maturity when considering life lessons in the texts they have read.

In Maths, the children have been working on equations with decimal places to extend their place value knowledge. This unit lead nicely into working out money problems and units of time. We have also touched on mass, capacity and rounding numbers. The children have used a variety of techniques and equipment to help them improve their knowledge and have worked very hard to ensure they are ready to move into their next year group.

In P.E. the children have focused on athletics, specifically running and throwing techniques. They have worked throughout the term to improve their personal best times on the track, using body shape to increase the power in their stride and drive them along.  The children have also completed their swimming unit. We have been very impressed with their conduct in the pool and received a great deal of praise from the swimming teachers.

In Geography, we have studied the growth of megacities throughout the world. We have studied Baghdad, the first city to reach a population of one million, as well as Milton Keynes, the fastest growing city in the UK. We have looked at how human behaviour affects the growth of cities. The case study of Rio De Janeiro showed us how the Brazilian government had to relocate their capital city due to overcrowding.

In Science, we have studied the topic of ‘Living things and their habitats,’ exploring food chains and classification keys, as well as the impact of human activity on our environment.

R.E. lessons have provoked amazing discussions about commitment and we have learned a great deal about how Sikhs show commitment. The children have excelled in music and their class performance at the whole school assembly was simply brilliant!

I feel extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to watch the children progress and grow over the last year. It has been a genuine pleasure to spend every school day with them, laughing, talking, listening and learning. I know they are on a journey to becoming amazing, well-rounded individuals and I feel honoured to have shared part of that journey with them. To the children moving to Admirals class, I wish you every success. You will thrive in year five! For those that remain in Cardinals class next year, I am excited to welcome you back as Year four students in September and watch you grow even further. I wish everyone a wonderful and joyful summer holiday.

Mr Milbourn

Summer Term 1

Thank you for your support over the first half of the summer term. The children continue to make progress and have worked very hard in all subjects. The maths multiplication assessment will take place immediately after the half term holiday so we kindly ask for your continued support during the break to ensure the children practise their times tables as regularly as possible. Please use the online tool found on the maths star above or use the following link.

https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check

We have been working hard in class to improve knowledge of the times tables and the children have found that regular practise will give them the greatest chance of success in the assessment. You can also support your children with regular handwriting practice. We have seen some fantastic progress in letter joins this term.

Over the last few weeks, we have studied several exciting books and based much of our writing on these texts. We have had the chance to think about culture, community and the wider world while reading ‘Atlas of Adventure’ and thought about bravery, leadership and problem solving while studying ‘The Finger Eater’. As a class, we have read ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes and are currently reading ‘The Firework Makers Daughter’ by Philip Pullman. We had another successful book tasting in the Cardinals Café and it has been great to see the children choosing books by the selected authors during their library sessions.

In Maths, the children have been working on statistical and multiplicative reasoning. We have looked at units of work that include area, perimeter, scaling and distributive law. The focus on multiplication has been ideal to keep the children well practised in their knowledge of times tables. We have used a variety of techniques and are currently looking at formal written methods of multiplication.

In P.E. the children have made fantastic progress in tennis and have a shown great quality in their technical application of skills required in this sport. We have focused on using the whole court to move the opponent into a position that best enables us to win a point and thought about how important a series of well-placed shots are to the outcome of the point. The children have also completed the first half of their swimming lessons. We have been very impressed with their conduct and application in the pool.

In History, we have studied Roman Britain. This is a very interesting topic and tells us how the Roman invasion of Britain led to a change in lifestyle that still influences us today. St Albans was a significant part of Roman Britain and it has been great to use local examples. In Science, we have studied the topic of ‘animals including humans’ and talked about the digestive system, teeth and the food chain. In Computing we have learned about online branching databases and used closed questions to categorise data into groups and subgroups.

On behalf of the Cardinals team I would like to wish everyone a happy and restful half term. I hope it is filled with sunshine and time spent with those important to you. We look forward to welcoming the children back to school for the final half term of the year. 

Mr Milbourn

Spring Term 2

The Spring term is at an end and we have had a glimpse of some sunny weather. The summer term is always exciting and will allow us to interact with our outside environment even more. It has been lovely to see so many parents and carers in school to showcase the children's work and progress. Thank you to everyone who attended our sharing assembly and parent consultations. We hope to see more of everyone in school next term!

Over the last few weeks, the class has studied several exciting texts and writing has been inspired by a range of genres. Our favourite book has been 'Leon And The Place Between' which is filled with beautiful illustrations and magical adventures. The children were able to write a descriptive narrative, using important features such as prepositions, conjunctions, noun phrases and speech marks. Book week was a great success and the 'Cardinals Cafe' book tasting event exposed the children to author's and titles that they may not have experienced before. Thank you for making a great effort with costumes on the day. It made for a memorable occasion.

In Maths, the children has re-visited addition and subtraction and practised formal written techniques. They have worked hard to master these skills and should be very proud of their progress. We have also explored shape and position, exploring varying types or angles. The children are currently working daily on times tables. All Year 4 children have a times table assessment in the summer term. Please encourage your children to practise their times tables at home. They really are the basis for good maths work and understanding. You can find a link on our maths star above that will take you to the 'MathsFrame' website. The tests on this website are set out in an identical format to the national assessment tool. We cannot stress enough how important it is for the children to have regular exposure to their times tables and thank you in advance for your support.

In P.E. lessons the children have explored dance, gymnastics and continued to develop their skills in invasion games. We are excited to have the opportunity to provide swimming lessons in the summer term. These will take place on a Thursday afternoon. Please note that the second P.E. lesson will now move to a Monday. The children will be exploring the sport of tennis, developing their tactical awareness and knowledge of the rules of the game.

In computing, the children have progressed their skills in desktop publishing, exploring fonts, animations and adding text to templates. We were fortunate to attend a computing workshop and practise generating programmes within a gaming platform.  

In Geography, the children have focused on the continent of North America. We have explored the state of Florida in the USA, studied land use and human activity. The children have made comparisons between their own lives and other children in different parts of the world. Science lessons have continued with practical experiments using the scientific model and the children are becoming very proficient in making predictions and recording results.

The classroom has had a different look this half term. The children have been given the opportunity to choose where they sit and who they work with during each lesson. They deserve great credit for making mature choices that maximise their learning. We take great pride in our learning environment.

On behalf of all the team in Cardinals class, I would like to wish you all a happy Easter break and we look forward to welcoming the children back to school after a well earned rest. Mr Milbourn.

Spring Term 1

The first half of the Spring term has flown by, but Cardinals class have packed in lots of new learning and shown amazing enthusiasm. Although the end of the half term has been tricky, with lots of people self-isolating (including the class teacher!) it should not be forgotten how resilient, caring and motivated the children have been. What an incredible group they are.

In English, the children have written a first person recount based on the inspirational book 'Coming To England' by Floella Benjamin. It was great to see the children inspired by the life changing moments experienced during the Windrush movement and great discussions were heard on the topics of family and belonging. The class have also written a persuasive speech based on the book 'The King Who Banned The Dark' and have focused on sentence structure with the use of time adverbials and a variety of conjunctions. Lots of reading has taken place in class and the library, as well as at home and the children have worked hard to expand vocabulary and progress their comprehension skills. The class enjoy reading to others and discussing texts. 

Maths lessons have been very enjoyable and the children have been learning about proportional reasoning. The children have tackled scaling problems and more recently they have investigated fractions and fractions of quantities. The class have continued to use previous learning from the Autumn term, applying additive and multiplicative knowledge to their work. Maths meetings, take place daily to reinforce techniques in those areas and the progress seen in mental calculations is fantastic.

In Science, we have enjoyed learning about states of matter. The children have looked at the similarities and differences between solids, liquids and gases and how matter changes state. Of course, the most fun was had when we made slime!

In P.E. the children have worked very hard to progress their knowledge and understanding of tactics in invasion games. We have focused on the sport of tag rugby. The class have enjoyed working as a team to protect and recover the rugby ball as well as thinking about how they can create space for themselves and others.

In Computing we have had a lot of fun creating animations, firstly through the use of drawings and then with action figures. The results have been amazing and the children have used their imaginations to create interesting story boards.

Our History lessons have been thought provoking and interesting. The class have learned about the early civilisation of the Indus Valley and seen how people implemented town planning, trade and technology. We have made lots of comparisons to the modern world. 

The class have been very musical this half term. As well as the usual fantastic lessons with Mr Mitchell, we have enjoyed some ukulele lessons with our guest teacher Mr Larke. The children have shown amazing patience and skill and these lessons have been a great addition to the timetable.

Arguably the best day of the half term was our visit to St Albans Cathedral. There was great excitement boarding the rather fancy coach that transported us to and from the venue. We enjoyed a lovely afternoon learning about the history of the first English Saint (Alban) and also took part in a fantastic art workshop based on the illustrations of the 'BFG' by Quentin Blake. All the children were a credit to the school and their families. Well done Cardinals, it has been a great start to 2022!

On behalf of all the team in Cardinals class, I would like to wish you all a happy half term break and we look forward to welcoming the children back to school after a well earned rest.

Autumn Term 2

The second half of the autumn term has flown by. The children have shown a great deal of motivation to learn and progress in all subjects.

In English we have read two books (written by Cressida Cowell and Michael Morpurgo), linked to our class topics. The children have found lots of ways to discover new vocabulary and incorporate it into their own writing. The class were excited to produce a narrative based in a fantasy world with mythical creatures. We were fortunate to meet a published author, G.B. Strong, who visited our class and explained how he used his imagination to produce his book. We have read fiction and non-fiction texts to inspire our writing and examine how authors use grammar and punctuation to improve their texts and excite the reader.

We have been very busy in Maths, working on learning a variety of techniques to help us with mental calculations. Our daily Maths meetings help re-inforce the skills we are learning to add, subtract, multiply and divide. Please encourage your children to use TTRockstars at home. We are seeing amazing progress when children regularly practise their times tables.

We have been studying sound in Science this half term. It has been great fun to use musical instruments and large spaces in our experiments to grasp how vibrations cause sound. We have based our experiments on the scientific model, making predictions before we discover results and thinking about how our experiments will be conducted. The children have embraced the scientific vocabulary they have learned.  

Our topic subject this term has been European geography. The children have very much enjoyed researching the differences in countries across Europe and finding cities, landmarks and facts relating to those countries. We have looked at human and physical traits of the countries in Europe. P.E. lessons have focused on handball. This follows on from the skills we developed in netball last half term and introduced some variations in techniques while remaining focused on the principles of invasion games. We have been learning about the internet in Computing and the children have enjoyed exploring some web pages, discovering how they are shared, who owns them and what users are able to access. We have continued to compare religious practices in R.E. with a focus on Hinduism. We have studied prayer, symbols and places of worship. We have been working towards a performance of ‘Last Christmas’ in music and you will soon be able to hear how we got on. French lessons have been fun this term, working on spoken language, concentrating of pronunciations of vowels and key vocabulary. Words such as ‘Bonjour’ and ‘Salut, Ca Va?’ are regularly heard during the daily register!

From all the staff in Cardinals, we would like to wish all our children and families a very merry Christmas and a happy new year. We are very proud of everything you have accomplished this term and can’t wait to see you all again in 2022!

Week 1

We have enjoyed a fantastic first week back in the classroom and the children have worked very hard settling into a new routine and getting used to their new timetable. We have produced some amazing writing, including a recount and diary entries linked to our whole school text 'Lift' by Minh Le and Dan Santat. The children have worked hard practising their place value skills in Maths. We have now learnt about Anglo-Saxon settlement in Britain and the Viking invasion that followed as well as developing some great netball skills in PE. Please take a look at the curriculum newsletter in the above curriculum star for full details of our learning this term. 

Please ensure that all children adhere to the school uniform policy, including PE kit which is to be worn to school on Tuesday and Thursday. 

Unfortunately we said 'Goodbye' to Mrs Serafin this week. She will be missed in class and we wish her well for the future.

Well done Cardinals! Keep up the good work.

Week 3 and 4

We have been very busy over the last couple of weeks in all of our classes. In guided reading we have been learning a lot of new vocabulary to help us with our comprehension tasks. This week we have work on our summarising skills. In MATHS we are using a range of techniques to help us add numbers up to four digits, including regrouping, rounding and estimating. 

We have had a fun week in ENGLISH producing riddles and kennings and are now working towards an explanation text based on the book 'Rosie Revere, Engineer'.

The children have made great progress in their netball skills. In PE we have learnt a range of passing techniques and are working on attack and defence strategies on court. We have made electrical circuits in SCIENCE and explored the difference between the conductivity of materials. In TOPIC we are writing about the Viking and Anglo-Saxon struggle for early Britain and have focussed on Alfred the Great this week. RE has seen some great class discussions about prayer and places of worship with a focus on Hinduism over the last two weeks.

We are all looking forward to a great last two weeks of the half term.

Week 5 and 6

Cardinals have been busy in English producing an explanation text. The children have used a range of techniques to advertise an invention from the book 'Rosie Revere, Engineer'. We have had a lot of fun being creative. Some of the techniques used include; paragraphs, headings, fronted adverbials, expanded noun phrases and rhetorical questions. 

We have had a busy few days in maths, revisiting regrouping methods, this time in subtraction. We have found some exciting games to help us add and subtract mentally. The children could try these at home, all you need is a pack of cards!

The children have used great scientific vocabulary while building electrical circuits. We introduced buzzers this week and had a quiz in class using our circuits. Mr Milbourn enjoyed being the game show host!

PE skills have progressed well since the beginning of term and the children are now involved in the invasion element of a netball match, making decisions about finding space, attacking and defending.

We have just finished our class book 'How to train your dragon' and will be moving on to study some works of Shakespeare in the final week of term.

The children have now received spelling homework, which will be sent home each Friday. The homework is due back each Friday morning for marking. Don't forget parent consultations in the final week of term. We look forward to welcoming you into the classroom!