Woodpeckers Class
Welcome to the page of Woodpeckers Class! Here you'll find everything we are working hard on throughout the school year. Year four is a wonderful year where they enjoy their last moments at lower school, before heading off on a new adventure! We certainly work hard and get ourselves ready for that next step in our educational journey.
Meet the Team
Class Teacher - Miss McClelland
Learning Support Assistant - Mrs Human
Autumn 1
Welcome to a Half Term of Discovery in Year Four!
This half term promises to be the starting journey of creativity, curiosity and challenge for our Year Four pupils. From crafting imaginative stories and persuasive speeches to exploring the beauty of poetry, children will develop their voices as confident writers and readers. In mathematics, they will deepen their understanding of numbers and sharpen their problem-solving skills, while a wealth of rich texts will continue to inspire a lifelong love of reading. Within the heart of learning, Woodpecker class are encouraged to think critically, express themselves with confidence and embrace the joy of learning.
English, Autumn 1
Year Four are set for an exciting and stimulating half term, as they write with purpose and creativity! This term, our three core writing purposes are: to entertain, to persuade, and to express through free verse poetry.
We begin with the world of graphic novels, drawing inspiration from the captivating story Arthur and the Golden Rope. Pupils will step into the dual role of author and illustrator, crafting narratives that combine rich language with striking visuals. Through this project, they will refine their understanding of sentence structure, experiment with powerful adjectives and varied openers, and discover how imagery and illustration can work hand in hand to tell a story. Their completed works will take pride of place in our school library, where families will be warmly invited to celebrate their achievements.
Next, we move into the realm of persuasion. Using the thought-provoking book The King Who Banned the Dark as a springboard, children will be mastering techniques such as the rule of three, rhetorical questions, and alliteration. They will then compose and deliver their own persuasive speeches on topics that matter most to them—developing both their written craft and their spoken confidence as they attempt to sway their peers.
Finally, our half term culminates with an exploration of free verse poetry. Pupils will harness emotive language, imagery, and rhythm to create poems that express their unique voices, sharing their work within the classroom.
Reading, Autumn 1
At the heart of Year Four lies a love of reading, and pupils will continue to be immersed in a wide range of high-quality texts—from fascinating non-fiction to shorter novels and longer chapter books.
Our dedicated reading sessions, held four times each week, nurture not only fluency and vocabulary growth but also the critical skills of interpretation and discussion. Pupils are encouraged to step into the shoes of the author: questioning choices, considering alternative approaches, and thinking deeply about the messages within each text. Through these sessions, children become confident speakers, thoughtful listeners, and insightful critics.
Mathematics, Autumn 1
In mathematics, Year Four will be strengthening their foundations and extending their thinking as they explore numbers up to 10,000. Pupils will consolidate their skills in addition and subtraction, applying the columnar method to three- and four-digit numbers with increasing efficiency.
Using a range of practical manipulatives, they will deepen their conceptual understanding of place value, building a secure knowledge of what 1,000 is composed of before extending this to larger numbers. Alongside this, they will practise essential skills such as rounding and problem solving, ensuring they are well-prepared for the challenges ahead.
Topic, Autumn 1
This half term, our science learning begins with an exciting exploration of the digestive system, as well as comparing the teeth and diets of different animals within food chains.
Children will take on the role of scientists, carrying out their own investigations and recording observations in results tables. They will also learn how to design fair enquiries, carefully considering which variables to change, measure, and control.
Some of the fascinating questions we’ll be investigating include: How effectively are we brushing our teeth? Does the hardness of a toothbrush affect our teeth? and even Can animal poo give us clues about digestion, health, and diet?
In Geography, our key question this term is: Where does our food come from? Through this, children will explore the journey of food from source to plate and develop their understanding of important concepts such as fair trade, air miles, biomes, and importation.
Knowledge Organisers:
Autumn 2
English, Autumn 2
In Year 4, our writing focuses on two exciting purposes: to inform and to explain.
We’ll be diving into fantastic texts like Until I Met Dudley and This Book Thinks You're an Inventor to inspire our own wild and wonderful invention ideas! Children will be writing with a real audience in mind—their families and classmates—who are sure to be amazed by the creativity on show.
Next, we’ll embark on writing our very own animal adventure stories, guided by the beautiful fiction texts Starbird and Zeraffa Giraffa. These rich stories will help us explore character, setting, and narrative structure in new and exciting ways.
Reading, Autumn 2
At the heart of Year 4 is a love of reading. Our pupils are immersed in a wide variety of high-quality books—from gripping non-fiction to engaging short stories and longer chapter books.
Dedicated reading sessions take place four times each week. These sessions not only build fluency and vocabulary but also encourage pupils to become critical thinkers. Children are invited to step into the author’s shoes: asking questions, exploring different viewpoints, and uncovering deeper meanings within each text.
Through discussion and reflection, children grow into confident speakers, thoughtful listeners, and insightful readers.
Maths, Autumn 2
This term in maths, we’re exploring perimeter—what it is, how to measure it, and how it relates to shapes. Children will learn how to calculate the perimeter of regular polygons and develop a solid understanding of measurement using units of length.
We’ll also be diving into our 3, 6, 7, and 9 times tables, spotting patterns and discovering clever tricks to help with mental maths. This unit gives pupils a chance to explore number relationships and develop useful strategies for multiplication and division.
Topic, Autumn 2
This half-term, our science focus is all about electricity! We’ll be learning how circuits work and exploring the roles of components like batteries, bulbs, and switches. Children will gain confidence using scientific vocabulary and symbols, including drawing circuit diagrams.
We'll also discuss electrical safety, compare mains and battery power, and explore how electricity is used in our daily lives. Who knows—this could even spark an interest in a future career in science or engineering!
In History, we’ll be asking:
"What changed in Britain after the Anglo-Saxon invasion?"
This fascinating topic introduces key vocabulary such as invasion, settlement, missionary, and kingdom. Children will explore major events like the Viking raids, the spread of Christianity by figures such as Augustine and Columba, and the formation of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.
Through timelines, maps, and discussion, pupils will build a deeper understanding of how different groups shaped Britain during this transformative time in history.
Spring 1
Spring 2
Summer 1