Penguin Class - Year 3 & 4

Welcome to Penguins.

Years 3&4 are taught by Mr Young, Miss Winfield and Mrs Hall.

Welcome to Spring 2...

I hope you managed to stay dry and warm during the pretty wet half term break!

We have another busy term ahead of us – this one is a 5-week'er so lots to fit in to a relatively short term. We continue our history topic on the Romans to continue building our learning from last term. In Science, we are learning about some of the functions of the human body and, in English we are basing our writing on the Roman topic with instruction writing and NCR work via Teams. Please make sure you know your password as you will be working in groups, so we need to make sure you can all log in.

You continue with Forest School with Mrs Droy and PE with Mr Brown until the Easter break, so ensure you have the correct kit in school each week.

We also have some interesting sessions in week 2 where we will be learning (and twisting) about tales from another country as well as a cooking session and other bits and pieces to celebrate World Book Day.

Have a look at the overview: MTP overview Spr2 2026.pdf to get more details of our learning over the coming weeks.

The other focus for us this next term is readiness - being ready to learn as we come into class. Getting our books and equipment as well as being ready to listen and contribute.

Homework

Every week, we will look at new spelling rules / patterns. The term list will be sent via TEAMS (hard copy available upon request) and there will be a weekly test. If your child is secure on a particular set, you can begin working on subsequent sets where they may be trickier.

Weekly READ tasks are set each week and require children to complete a specific task linked to their reading book. They are handed out on a Monday and due back in on (or before) the following Monday.

Other homework tasks are set in TEAMS (all children have their own login & password). This is a range of tasks that link to / support / extend learning in school. They are set on the first day of each half-term and are due back in the last week of the half-term unless otherwise specified. Homework is to be completed where possible via the TEAMS set up, but additional items may be handed in separately, e.g. art projects etc.

English

In English, we work on a range of skills, both in reading and writing. We have a weekly handwriting session guiding us to develop the alignment and consistency of letter formations, leading to joined cursive, which also supports the development of spelling. Spellings for each week are introduced at the start of the week with the pattern / rule being shared with the class. Over the course of the week, children practice by finding definitions of the words and then writing sentences that show the word in context.

Reading sessions focus on a different text extract each week and work from it over a series of tasks including vocabulary development, reading fluency and comprehension skills. We often finish the week with a session that builds on the text – this could include writing a blurb / continuing the text by predicting what might come next, or focusing on a specific grammar skill.

Our main lessons focus around the class text/s for the half-term. These lessons develop structure / audience awareness / punctuation and grammar linked to the text at hand. Over the course of an academic year, we will revisit skills repeatedly to allow for fluency and secure knowledge.

Reading

Each child has their own school reading book based on their current reading band – these are assessed across the course of the school year. Your child will bring this home, along with their 'READ book'–this is their reading diary where they need to record what and when they are reading. In this book there will also be a READ activity; a specific task we would like your child to complete to help support their comprehension of the text they have brought home. Reading books can be changed as necessary and those who are free readers can make their own selection from the library within the colour band they are currently based in. We expect children to have their school reading book and READ books in school every day.

If your child would also like to read books from home, that is very much encouraged! Please write any extra books you also read at home in your READ book so we can see the wide range of literature you are getting through! If you have a request for the school library, a book you would love to find on the shelves to have as a school reading book, please let us know!

Maths

We have daily maths sessions based around the small steps process of achieving secure knowledge of the National Curriculum objectives. We have a daily mental maths task in the main lesson (these could be flashback-type questions, designed to recap prior learning or times tables focused) The main part of the session is a small step that moves learning along towards the greater overall objective. These sessions include varied fluency, reasoning and problem-solving questions to ensure that children are able to extract and apply mathematical skills in a range of contexts.

We also spend a lot of time learning and practising our timetables as these underpin such a large proportion of the maths curriculum. Towards the end of Year 4, all children sit the MTC (multiplication tables check) set by the Department for Education to assess the recall and knowledge of the timetables to 12x12.

To develop fluency in mental strategies, children also have their maths passport which has a series of objectives that they are working towards. Upon completion of these tasks, children move to the next passport location.

https://www.timestables.co.uk/multiplication-tables-check/ - this is the app that we use in school to practise in school.

Bledington Primary School