Welcome to Year 4 – Miyazaki Class! 🌊🐉
Welcome to our very first Year 4 blog post of the year! We are so excited to begin a new school year together and to welcome the children into Miyazaki Class.
Our new class name, Miyazaki, is inspired by Studio Ghibli and its legendary filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki. His films are well known for their beautiful artwork, imaginative worlds, wonderful characters and strong connections to nature — all things that we hope to bring into our classroom this year! ✨
We have an exciting term ahead, with lots of opportunities for the children to develop their knowledge, creativity and independence.
📚 English
English is going to be full of myths, monsters, dragons and trolls this term!
We will begin by exploring the question “Why are dragons extinct?”, using this as a stimulus for writing our own explanation texts. The children will develop their understanding of how to organise information, use technical vocabulary and explain ideas clearly.
We will then move on to “Why Are Trolls So Grumpy?”, where the children will have the opportunity to develop their storytelling skills and write their own stories.
Alongside our writing, our class book this term will be Song of a Dolphin Boy. We are looking forward to getting stuck into the story together, exploring the characters, themes and events while developing our reading skills.
🔢 Maths
In Maths, we will begin the year by securing our understanding of place value. We will explore numbers up to 10,000 and develop our understanding of the value of each digit.
We will then move on to addition and subtraction, developing both written and mental calculation strategies and applying these to a range of problems.
🔬 Science – Living Things and Their Habitats
Our Science topic this term is Living Things and Their Habitats.
The children will investigate how living things can be grouped and classified and will explore the different habitats in which plants and animals live. We will think about how animals are adapted to their environments and how changes to habitats can affect living things.
🌊 Geography – The Deep Blue
Our Geography topic is The Deep Blue, which will take us beneath the surface of our oceans! 🌊
We will be learning about our oceans and seas, exploring their importance and developing our geographical knowledge.
This topic will also link wonderfully with our upcoming trip to the aquarium! 🐠 We will share more information about the trip with you, including all the important details, closer to the time.
🎨 Art – Drawing and Painting
Our Art lessons will link beautifully with our Geography topic.
The children will begin by developing their pencil drawing skills, creating detailed drawings of sea creatures. They will then experiment with paint to create underwater backgrounds, thinking carefully about colour, texture and composition.
We are looking forward to seeing the children’s underwater artwork come to life!
🏉 PE
In PE this term, the children will be developing their skills in Tag Rugby and Basketball.
We will focus on teamwork, communication, movement and developing the key skills needed to take part confidently in both sports.
Please remember to make sure PE kits are in school and ready for our PE sessions.
PE days are a Monday and Tuesday.
✝️ RE – Investigating Jesus
In RE, we will be investigating Jesus.
The children will explore who Jesus was, what Christians believe about him and some of the stories and teachings associated with his life.
💭 PSHE – Being Me in My World
Our PSHE learning will follow the Jigsaw programme, beginning with the unit “Being Me in My World.”
This will give us the opportunity to think about ourselves as individuals and as members of our class and wider school community. We will explore themes such as belonging, responsibilities, making positive choices and working together as a team.
🎵 Music – This Little Light of Mine
Our Music unit this term is This Little Light of Mine.
The children will learn this expressive call-and-response Gospel song, exploring rhythm, melody and singing together. The song has a fascinating history and links to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, making it a great opportunity to explore how music can have an important role in society.
The children will also begin their first progression snapshot, which will be revisited and developed throughout Terms 2 and 3 as they continue to build their musical skills.
💻 Computing – Designing and Developing Algorithms
In Computing, we will be learning about designing and developing algorithms.
The children will explore how instructions can be carefully sequenced to solve problems and will develop their ability to think logically and computationally.
📖 Knowledge Organisers & Curriculum Map
To help you see what we will be learning throughout the term, I have included our Science and Topic knowledge organisers below, along with our curriculum map.
The knowledge organisers provide an overview of the key vocabulary, facts and knowledge that the children will be learning, so they are also a useful resource for talking about our learning at home.
We are incredibly excited for the year ahead and can’t wait to see the children grow in confidence, independence and knowledge.
There is lots to look forward to in Miyazaki Class, and we are particularly excited to see where our learning takes us this term — from dragons and trolls to dolphins, oceans and sea creatures! 🐉🐬🌊
Here’s to a fantastic first term in Year 4! 💙
I can also make this more playful and “primary-school blog” sounding, with more emojis and shorter sections, if that better matches the style of your school’s previous class blogs.
