Welcome to Year 4
Mrs Dowdall's class.
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Welcoming you back to school.
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cYjvXamPQh
Hello Year 4 – I hope you’ve had a great summer and have made the most of the lovely weather we have had.
It has been great to see some of you out and about in Potters Bar, and be able to say hello, but I’m very much looking forward to welcoming you all back toLadbrooke and things getting back to normal.
I hope you could tell at our ‘picnic’, how excited I am at the thought of having you back in school to start your Year 4 learning journey. I can’t wait to get started on the Year 4 curriculum. We have some lovely stories to read together and great topics to explore.
Your parents have received a letter which details how you will come into school on Thursday and what you need to bring, but the main message is to bring your water bottle and no big rucksacks,only a book bag if you need to.
We will still be using the cloakroom for your coats and your pegs are in the same place as last year’s Year 4s. That is one bay along from where you were last year. Your pegs have all been labelled and they are in first name alphabetical order.
Unlike previous years, you were not able to have an afternoon with me in the year 4 classroom,when we would normally go through the classroom layout and where your trays would be, but in many respects it is very similar to Year 3. You each have your own drawer to put your book bag in (if you have brought one) and your water bottle will sit on the floor under your desk. In Year 4 I usually have most of the desks in row format and this is how they will be laid out on Thursday. I will put you in a space, but this may change as the term progresses.
Unlike previous years, last year I have been into Year 3 to teach you on some Wednesday mornings, so I already know you a little bit and you know me, so that is a great start. So, that’s all from me for now, let’s all be ready to learn on Thursday! See you then.
Mrs Dowdall
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Years 3 and 4 Travel Back 12,000 Years
On a day of very extreme weather, Years 3 and 4 travelled to the Chiltern Museum to experience life in the Stone and Iron Ages. This linked to their summer topic of Horrible Histories which covers both of these periods, before moving on to the Roman invasion after half term.
The children were well prepared with warm coats, layers and wellies, nevertheless we still came home soaked, but in good spirits from a very informative and enjoyable day. Year 4 started with the Stone Age and were greeted by Rebecca who had a good sniff of us to decide whether we were friend or foe. She thought we may be from the Bear tribe, but was happy to learn we were actually the Deer tribe, so took us to her camp. There the children learned how to make shelters (covering wooden frames with animal skin), face paint themselves to scare off wild animals and also add a bit of camouflage, make jewellery from twine and bone and also cook parsnips under the camp fire. All of these things being genuine activities from the Stone Age era. They also lit a cotton ball using a more modern ‘steel’, mimicking the flint used 12,000 years ago, whilst also being shown a fire bow – a tool used for turning sticks to create sparks from which the fire was lit. The children were able to handle Stone Age tools and weapons and try on animal skins. They learned that every part of the animal was used to show respect for the kill.
After a spot of drying out over lunch, we moved on to the Iron Age house where we were met by Kim and her friend, both of whom were from the Iron Age. They took us inside and proudly showed us their ‘cooker’, fridge, bed and other equipment. In those times the whole family lived together in the one room, for security and warmth. The children had the opportunity to whisk milk to make butter, grind grain to make flour, make a thumb pot from clay, and also make bread. By this time, the tools had become more sophisticated and outside was a smelting oven where the tools, including scythes, arrow heads, pots, chains and other metal objects were cast.
Despite experiencing thunder, lightning, hail, torrential rain, high winds and a tiny bit of sunshine, everyone had a very memorable and exciting day.
Can you identify the activities?
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Year 4 Technology Titans
On Thursday 2nd May, four children from Year 4 attended the Technology Challenge at Oakmere School. Their challenge was to build a rollercoaster. They were given strips of card, and a frame with 4 supports. They had to make a complete circuit around the frame, before they could go on to make different turns and twists.
The children learned how to make corners and how to support their run. Working together as a team, Makaiyla, Scott, Julia and Shiraz put together a run which included a tunnel and sharp drop. Their design can be seen below.
Even more exciting, Ladbrooke were named joint winners of the event with St Giles. Our four representatives were fantastic ambassadors for Ladbrooke. Well done team!
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Year 4 Tennis Stars
As a finale to the children’s PE topic of tennis, Year 4 visited the Potter Bar Tennis Club on Friday 3rd May, to put their skills to the test on proper courts. Most children were able to pass to each other across the net, whilst others were able to sustain a fair rally. Our top scorers were Lukas and Harry, and Dominic and Daivik.
As you can see from the photos below, we managed to dodge the showers which were threatening all afternoon, and the children thoroughly enjoyed their time at the club.
A big thank you must go the committee at the tennis club, who once again have let us have the use of their courts.
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Year 4 Play in a Day Topic Finale
On Tuesday 2nd April, year four performed a play in a day to celebrate different inventors and their inventions in the last century. These included the aeroplane, steam engine, telephone, toothbrush, WWW and television. The performance also acknowledged the role of female inventors who were responsible for the paper bag, computer programming, windscreen wipers and the life raft.
At the end of the day parents and Year 3 came to the hall to watch the children perform. As you can see they had a lot of fun putting on the play and parents were very impressed with their acting skills.
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