Our Enquiry

Welcome to Year 4! This term, children will develop their artistic, scientific, and design skills through an enquiry-based approach to learning. They will explore the question: Do we become what we design? Through hands-on creative projects, discussions, and problem-solving activities, they will investigate the impact of art, architecture, and personal choices on shaping the world around them.

Enquiry-Based Learning

Children will explore how artists, designers, and architects use their creativity to shape the world. They will learn how their own choices, friendships, and experiences can influence their future.

Creative Explorations: Learning Through Art

🏛️ Exploring Architectural Art and Sculpture

• Children will study the life and work of Zaha Hadid, learning how her unconventional designs broke boundaries in architecture.

• They will experiment with proportion, movement, and scale in their artwork, creating imaginative structures.

• Sketchbooks will be used to document their design process, allowing them to refine and improve their ideas.

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Science and Design: Building for the Future

🔬 Engineering and Design in DT

• Children will explore different joining techniques and how they enhance the strength of sculptures and buildings.

• They will create their own architectural models, inspired by Zaha Hadid and Luke Hawker, using their own experiences and interests to shape their designs.

Understanding Growth and Change: PSHE

🤝 Designing the Friendships We Want

• Children will explore the importance of friendships and how they can shape their social and emotional well-being.

• They will reflect on their relationships and discuss how they can design the life they want through the choices they make.

• Inspired by Luke Hawker’s work, they will explore themes of hope, friendship, and resilience.

Authentic Outcome: Architectural Competition

🏆 Showcasing Learning Through a Real-World Challenge

• Children will participate in a competition judged by a real-life architect, presenting their building designs and explaining their inspirations.

• They will create detailed sketches of their school using the drawing techniques they have developed.

• Selected pieces will be mounted and framed for display, showcasing their learning journey.

Social Legacy: Leaving a Lasting Impression

💛 Giving Back to the Community

• Children will draw and sketch the school using their newly developed techniques. A school governor will judge the best designs, which will be displayed permanently in the school.

• They will reflect on how art and design can shape the spaces we live in, inspiring future students with their creativity and ideas.

English

A high-quality text drives each of our enquiries and the texts are used to give knowledge and purpose to the enquiry. High quality texts can only be accessed through knowledge of vocabulary in different tiers. Explicit teaching of new vocabulary and using the classroom environment to showcase key vocabulary helps us to infuse rich and sophisticated vocabulary from EYFS to Year 6. The texts are used as a stimulus for both English and cross curricular writing, ensuring high expectations of our children. Reading is interwoven into all aspects of the enquiry to encourage reading and language development and promote reading for pleasure.

Maths

In maths we follow the Power Maths programme to support children’s learning and to build a deep understanding of maths concepts. Power Maths is a curriculum mastery programme designed to spark curiosity and excitement and nurture confidence in maths. It is built around a child‑centred lesson design that models and embeds a growth mindset approach to maths.

This term we will be covering the following elements:

• Number and Place Value

  • recognising and using numbers up to 10,000.
  • Understanding place value and its significance in multi-digit numbers.
  • Comparing and ordering numbers, including identifying the smallest and largest numbers in a set.
  • Rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000.

• Addition and Subtraction

  • Adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers using column methods.
  • Solving complex multi-step word problems involving addition and subtraction.
  • Estimating answers by rounding and checking calculations.
  • Understanding and applying the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction.

• Fractions and Decimals

  • Adding and subtracting fractions with the same and different denominators.
  • recognising, creating, and identifying equivalent fractions.
  • Understanding decimal notation, reading, and writing decimals up to two decimal places.
  • Comparing and ordering decimals and fractions.

• Measurement

  • Measuring and converting different units of length, weight, and capacity.
  • Understanding and calculating the perimeter and area of irregular shapes.
  • Applying measurement skills to solve real-life problems.
  • Exploring the concepts of time, including reading clocks and calculating elapsed time.

• Geometry

  • recognising, classifying, and comparing properties of 2D shapes (e.g., circles, triangles, quadrilaterals).
  • Understanding properties of 3D shapes, including spheres, cubes, and pyramids.
  • Exploring lines of symmetry in shapes and recognising symmetrical patterns.
  • Measuring and constructing angles using a protractor.

• Statistics

  • Collecting, organizing, and interpreting data using tables, pictograms, and bar graphs.
  • Creating and analyzing line graphs to show trends over time.
  • Understanding mean, median, mode, and range in simple data sets.
  • Solving problems based on data representation and interpretation.

• Problem Solving and Reasoning

  • Engaging in problem-solving activities that require critical thinking and reasoning.
  • Applying mathematical concepts to real-life scenarios and challenges.
  • Encouraging discussions and explanations of problem-solving strategies.