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Year 4

(8-9 years old)

Year 4 is the second year of Key Stage 2. Over the course of the year, your child will cover all the key topics in the curriculum for their school year – including times tables, partitioning, shapes and measurements in Maths, and examining different types of text and improving spelling, punctuation and grammar in English.

When parents actively engage, examination results go up

Professor Charles Desforges (2003) carried out one of the most influential literature reviews. He concluded that parental engagement matters even more than schools in shaping the achievement of young people. He also determined that the more parents and children talk about meaningful subjects, the better students achieve.

 

 

At The British Online School, we follow the Cambridge International Primary Curriculum. We know that children learn best when they are happy and when they are actively taking part, therefore, where possible, in our curriculum we ensure that learning is accessed through exciting experiences and opportunities. We encourage the children to make decisions, take responsibility and collaborate in their learning.

English
The Cambridge International Primary curriculum provides a comprehensive set of progressive learning objectives for English.
The learning objectives detail what a learner should know, understand and be able to do in each year of primary education. The Cambridge International Primary English Curriculum provides a solid foundation from which learners can work towards study at lower secondary.
The curriculum covers knowledge, skills and understanding in the three strands:
  • Reading
  • Writing
  • Speaking and listening

 

What is covered in Reading:

  • Developing broad reading skills
  • Demonstrating an understanding of implicit and explicit meaning in texts
  • Explaining, commenting on and analysing the way writers use stylistic and other features of language and structure in texts
  • Recognising conventions and evaluating viewpoint, purpose, themes and ideas in texts

 

What is covered in Writing:

  • Developing broad writing skills
  • Selecting and developing content and using register and language appropriate to genre, purpose and audience
  • Structuring and organising ideas coherently using sections or paragraphs
  • Using a range of sentence structures and punctuation accurately to convey meaning and create particular effects
  • Use accurate spelling

 

What is covered in Speaking & Listening:

  • Organising ideas in a longer speaking turn to help the listener
  • Varying the use of vocabulary and level of detail according to purpose
  • Understanding the gist of an account or the significant points and respond to the main ideas with relevant suggestions and comments
  • How to deal politely with opposing points of view

 

Facilitating skills that have broad application within Reading and Writing are included as learning objectives in the sub-strands Develop broad reading skills or Develop broad writing skills. These skills are best assessed through teacher-, peer- and self-assessment.

 

 

The following genres and text types are recommended in Year 4:

Fiction and poetry:
  • Fiction and poetry from other cultures
  • Historical stories
  • Stories set in imaginary worlds
  • Real-life stories about issues/ dilemmas
  • Poetry including imagery
  • Plays

 

Non-fiction:
  • Newspapers & Magazines
  • Non-chronological reports
  • Explanations
  • Persuasive texts (including advertisements)
Mathematics

Marshall Cavendish Maths is a new collection of books that we have implemented here at BOS. It uses the Singapore Learning Method – accredited by Cambridge University Press – and is amongst one of the best programmes worldwide. The activities in the books have been used for a long time and work really well!

 

The curriculum covers:

  • Number
  • Geometry
  • Measure
  • Handling data
  • Problem-solving

 

What is covered in Number:

  • Numbers and the number system
  • Calculation
    • Mental strategies
    • Addition and subtraction
    • Multiplication and division

What is covered in Geometry:

  • Shapes and geometric reasoning
  • Position and movement

What is covered in Measure:

  • Length, mass and capacity
  • Time
  • Area & Perimeter

What is covered in Handling Data:

  • Organising, categorising and representing data

What is covered in Problem Solving:

  • Using techniques and skills in solving mathematical problems
  • Using understanding and strategies in solving problems

 

Students will:

  • Use pictures and everyday objects to understand mathematics.
  • Learn to solve mathematical problems.
  • Discover the answers to difficult questions by completing exciting activities.
  • Study new topics but also explore things that they may already know in more detail.

 

This curriculum will help students to have good habits in learning and become more confident, responsible, reflective, innovative and engaged, and be really good at doing mathematics!

Science

Marshall Cavendish Science is a new collection of books that we have implemented here at BOS. It uses the Singapore Learning Method – accredited by Cambridge University Press – and is amongst one of the best programmes worldwide. By using rich visuals that are culturally-sensitive and relatable, pupils are exposed to everyday examples that stimulate their curiosity and interest, making Science relevant and meaningful.

 

The curriculum covers:

  • Scientific Enquiry
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Physics

 

What is covered in Scientific Enquiry:

  • Ideas and evidence
  • Planning investigative work
  • Obtaining and presenting evidence
  • Considering evidence and approach

 

What is covered in Biology:

  • Humans and animals
  • Living things in their environment

 

What is covered in Chemistry:

  • States of matter

 

What is covered in Physics:

  • Sound
  • Electricity & Magnetism

 

Students will:

  • Learn to ask questions, do experiments, and use the results to understand science better.
  • Carry out scientific investigations.
  • Study new topics but also explore things that you may already know in more detail.

 

This curriculum will help students to have good habits in learning and become more confident, responsible, reflective, innovative and engaged, and be really good at doing science!

Grammar & Writing Skills

The Cambridge Grammar and Writing Skills Programme allows students to develop their skills in creative writing and writing for a purpose.

 

Introducing students to creative writing and writing for a purpose. They’ll write a haiku about the moon and a recipe for panna cotta, helping build their extended writing skills as they progress through the units.

 

Each unit focuses on a different text type such as dialogue, recounts, reports or instructions. Model texts in each chapter show the students’ good examples of each writing type and specific activities are included to help them practise their grammar. Planning tools and an extended writing task develop students’ essential skills including editing, checking, planning and creative thinking.

Geography

The Key Stage 2 Primary Geography books provide a progressive, skills-based scheme for the junior years. It is divided into units covering physical, human and environmental geography.

There are also case studies of contrasting localities in the UK, Europe, Asia and the wider world. An extensive range of evidence is used to stimulate the children’s interest and encourage investigative skills – photographs, maps, satellite images artwork, charts and diagrams.

Locations focussed on in Year 4 include:
Northern Ireland
Germany
Jamaica
United Arab Emirates

Students will also benefit from a virtual library, extra reading and spelling lessons weekly. This is to ensure that they will use their potential to the best of their abilities, and excel 🙂

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