This half-term we are studying History. 

                   Our topic for Autumn 2 is The Romans

Please note it is a Geography focus this half term!

Thursday 16th July

There is a lot of farm land around Southport and most of it is crops because the land is so flat. The landscape is quite different in Ambleside and today  we are looking at hill farming in the Lake District.

Did you know the famous author Beatrix Potter was a farmer?

Farming has a special place in the Lake District National Park at the heart of its communities, part of the economy and shaping the landscape over centuries. It has a vital part in the National Park's future, evolving to continue to deliver high quality livestock and a healthy environment.

Farming practices reflect how Lake District farmers have always worked in some of the most challenging land in the country. 

This means farming is characterised by sheep and beef production. The Lake District is famous for its native Herdwick sheep. 

Many modern equipment and machinery are difficult to use on the steep hillsides in Cumbria. Machinery like combine harvesters can only be used effectively on large flat areas so many traditional methods are still used in the hilly areas.

Upland hill farming is one of the key activities which have shaped the Lake District’s cultural landscape. It has contributed so much to the Lake District we see today and will continue to do so in the future.

However, farming in the Lake District presents its own unique combination of challenges.

 It is also important that farming continues to evolve.

You are going to be detectives again, searching for clues, this time about hill farming around Ambleside.

Find out about;

• the history of hill farming and how it has/has not changed.
• the animals farmed
• how farming affects the landscape
• lifestyle of the farmers

Use the link below to find out more about hill farming in and around Ambleside.

Thursday 9th July

Good afternoon Y4 

 Today we are going to be focusing on the physical characteristics of the two places we have been researching and comparing; Ambleside and Southport.

What are physical characteristics?

Physical characteristics include land forms, climate, soil, and natural vegetation. For example, the peaks and valleys in the Lake District form a physical region.

Some regions are distinguished by human characteristics. These may include economic, social, political, and cultural characteristics

Tourism is a human characteristic. The effect on both Southport and Ambleside is economic (monetry) and  social (larger numbers of people and activities and amenities provided for this influx).

Using your research of the two places, I would like you to compare and contrast the physical characteristics of both.

For example; the lakes around Ambleside are naturally occuring whereas the Marine Lake here in Southport is a man-made lake.  

These are the kind of things you need to look at and compare.

Thursday 2nd July

Good afternoon everyone 

You have been researching Southport as an urban settlement and Ambleside as a rural settlement over the past couple of weeks.

Last week you were researching Ambleside,  a rural settlement and tourist destination, in Cumbria in the North West of England.

This week I would like you to compare the two places based on your research. 

You are focussing on the tourism aspect of both, Southport and Ambleside.

        Some things will be the same whilst others will be different.

I have included two documents for you to record your findings on why each place attracts tourists and your comparisons on but you can just as easily do this in your own format.

Thursday 25th June

Hello everyone!

So far in this unit we have looked at Southport in a lot of detail as an urban settlement (place to live) and tourist destination.

Today we are going to look at a rural settlement and tourist destination, called Ambleside. Ambleside is in Cumbria in the North West of England.

Your task today is to research Ambleside and find out what it is like.

Think back to when we researched Southport - how does Ambleside compare? What differences can you spot? Are there any similarities? 

See if you can find out at least 5 key facts about:

• where Ambleside is
• how to get there
• what you can do there
• what the landscape looks like
• and why tourists like it so much!

You can record your research however you like, but here is a document to get you started. Have fun! 

Thursday 18th June

Good morning Year 4!

Last week you created a leaflet telling tourists about how Southport is a brilliant place to come on holiday. But did you know that Southport has been a holiday destination for hundreds of years?! Especially in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Southport was THE place to be. 

Do some research about what Southport used to be like - here are some websites to get you started! 

This is another video showing pictures of Southport in the past - it is a long one, so you probably won't want to watch the whole thing:

• The first minute or two gives a good explanation.
• If you want to see the old town centre and Lord Street skip to 36 minutes in.
• To see the beach, fair and pier watch a few minutes from 45 minutes in.

It's amazing to see how things have changed but are still recognisable!

Your task today is to pretend you are a time traveller! You have managed to go back in time to visit Southport in the 1920s, 100 years ago! 

Write a diary entry about how your day went.

• What did you see?
• Where did you go?
• Were people dressed differently to nowadays?
• How did you get around? Not many people had cars in those days!

Thursday 11th June

Good morning everyone!

Last week, you researched Southport to find out why it is a popular place for tourists to visit. We looked at how it is a coastal town with a beach and pier, with good transport links close to the motorway. It has attractions like the funfair, amusement arcade and the Botanic Gardens. It also has a lot of shops and restaurants! 

This week, you are going to use the information you found last week to create a leaflet advertising Southport to future visitors.

On your leaflet you will need to include lots of reasons to visit Southport, as well as pictures and descriptive vocabulary to make it sound like an exciting place to be! 

Here is a picture of a tourist leaflet that already exists to help inspire you:

How you create your leaflet is up to you. I have set a 'to do' on Purple Mash if you would like to do it on there, and I have attached a template below if you would rather use that (either on the computer or printable.)

Enjoy!

Thursday 4th June

Welcome to a brand new unit Year 4! In Geography this half term, we are going to be looking at Urban and Rural settlements, and the differences between the two!

Urban means like a town or a city. There are lots of people, buildings, roads, houses, shops - like Southport!

Rural means like a small village or out in the countryside. There are fewer people, fewer buildings and roads, fewer houses and shops. We will be looking at Ambleside as an example of a rural area in a few weeks.

Settlement means a place where people live.

Let's start by thinking about our local area. 

Southport is an URBAN area.

Not only is Southport an urban area, but it is also a popular tourist destination (that means a lot of people come here on their holidays!) People are not coming so much this year because they are staying at home, but usually Southport gets very busy in the summer! 

Why do you think that is?

• Maybe because of the beach, as Southport is along the coast (next to the sea).
• Maybe because of the attractions, like the pier, funfair, amusement arcades, shops, Botanic Gardens, Splashworld and more?
• Maybe because Southport is easy to get to, look at the roads leading straight to Southport from the blue motorways!

Your task today is to do some research on Southport, to figure out why it is such a popular urban settlement for people to visit. (Normally!)

The Visit Southport website is a good place to start.

Friday 22nd May

It's Friday again!! 

This week we are looking at the Viking gods and goddesses.

I think you may find them rather similar to the Anglo-Saxon gods. Can you think why this may be?

I would like you to write and illustrate character profiles for three of the gods and/or godesses. You can choose whichever ones you want to. 

There is additional information about them on a separate sheet as well as the information on the PowerPoint. However, I have only included Freya as Sif and Frigg are less well-known. they are on the character information sheet though

I have also included some planning sheets for you to add some notes on for the more popular characters. Only use them if you find them helpful.

*** Don't forget about your Viking Project!! ***

Mrs Afford 

Friday 15th May

This week I have a PowerPoint about the Viking Longboats. There is a clip from Orm the Viking that I think you will enjoy. This information includes questions for you to think about while designing and making your own boats and to help you with your Viking Project. Although I have included questions I would like you to answer, you do not have to write it out seperately. As labels on your drawing would be good.

Enjoy & here's to a happy weekend for you all.

Love from,

Mrs Afford

--------- Please note that this half term will be History instead of Geography. ---------

Friday 1st May

Week two of the Vikings and we are looking at what it was like to live in Britain during this time. After you looked at the PowerPoint, I would like you to make a poster about living in Viking times. Think about what their homes were like, jobs they did, food they ate, religion and jewelry, art and crafts they made.

On the PDF there are some Viking cards with information on them to give you some ideas and extra information. These are worth a look as they also include pictures that may be useful. Do ignore the first page; just scroll down to the information.

Do send me pictures of your fabulous posters.

Love from Mrs Afford

Good morning everyone!

This half-term we will be studying The Vikings.

As you will see, they came over to Britain while the Anglo-Saxons were still here. They settled in areas that the Anglo-Saxons never ventured to such as our area; the Noth West of England as well as Ireland.

Watch the Vicious Vikings Horrible Histories on Youtube as well as reading the PowerPoint I have included and I will add other links for suitable videos about the Vikings.

There are two activities this week; a Viking timeline and making a poster. You can do one of these or both if you want to.

Thursday 2nd April

The way we farm our food is always changing as demand increases - in other words, with more people on our planet who need food, the way food is grown has become more modern.

Have a look at the resources below and do some research to find out the different ways food can be produced. You might find that some of the ways we make food are more like a science-fiction film than real life!

Do you feel any differently about your food now that you know how many different ways it could have been grown or produced? Do you think these are good ways to keep everyone on our planet fed?

Thursday 26th March

Your learning for today is all about...CHOCOLATE! 

Think back to the Fairtrade farmers we wrote about who had never tasted the cocoa they grew that was later made into chocolate. We thought that was unfair, but do you know how the cocoa beans are made into chocolate?

These resources will teach you about that process!