Tuesday 1st December
Morning my little news reporters
Today we are going to be focussing on the opening paragraph of a newspaper article.
Again, watch the PowerPoint before looking at your group's worksheet to complete the activity.
Monday 30th November
Good morning
This week we are looking newspapers in more detail and building up to writing our own newspaper article.
Today we are focusing on captions; the writing placed under a photograph to explain what it is about.
Thursday 16th November
Good morning
How are you doing with your newspaper work?
Today we are focussing on reported speech.
Direct speech is when we write the actual spoken words using speech marks. " "
Indirect speech is also called reported speech.
This is when we tell the reader what has been spoken but do not use speech marks or the actual words spoken. However, we still convey the meaning of the words and the how the speaker feels.
Like yesterday, the activities are set out on the PowerPoint.
We are missing you,
Mrs Afford and Y4
Tuesday 24th November
Happy Tuesday!
I hope you enjoyed learning about newspapers yesterday.
Today we are re-capping on headlines so if you completed the activity yesterday, go on to the next part which is about reported speech and how we write quotations in a newspaper.
Follow the PowerPoint which will show you how to do this.
There are practise activities on the PowerPoint as well as on the worksheets.
We all hope you are well and miss you very much.
From Mrs afford and Y4
Week beginning 23rd November
Good morning
This week we are focussing on Newspaper reports.
Look at the PowerPoint for Monday which focusses on the elements and features of the front page of a British newspaper.
Then use the link below to log on to BBC Bitesize and watch that.
You will find the activity sheets below that.
Week beginning 9th November 2020
This week we will be looking at non-fiction texts about Wolves. We will start by investigating the information contained in these texts and information retrieval skills.
Please watch the cilp listed at the beginning ot the PowerPoint before reading the rest of it. Once you have watched all of the PowerPoint, please look at the texts and answer the questions listed on a separate document.
Week beginning 2nd November 2020
Welcome to this week's English lessons.
This week we are looking at the book, 'Wolves in the Walls' by Neil Gaiman.
Although this is a fiction book, our topic is report writing but ity is a fun way to start off our learning about wolves.
Please watch the PowerPoint showing the first part of the story ad follow the instructions for what to do for the activities.
I have also included the resources if you wish to print them out but it is fine if you just look at them and complete in your home learning book.
I hope you enjoy it,
Mrs Afford
Tuesday 3rd November
Today we are going to find out what happens next in our story, 'Wolves in the Walls'.
Let me know what you think about this story. It is quite unusual and pesented in a different way.
Watch the PowerPoint and then look at the Activity sheet.
I had to divide the PowerPoint into two parts as it was too large to upload. Part 3 continues on from part 2.
You are going to be the interviewer at a press conference.
You are going to be thinking about the different characters in the book and how you think each of them would answer the questions if they were being interviewed.
Spellings for week 7
excited
excellent
exercise
example
examine
exit
exist
extra
exactly
extrovert
Thursday 16th July
Hello my lovely superheroes
I would love to receive pictures or powerpoints of your comic strips and I am especially excited to see yours Bertie Thank you again to those who have sent me them. They are brilliant!
Today is our last remote learning day and it is a shame for me to post a grammar 'test' for you but it is really a consolidation of the things you have covered this year to make sure you will be ready for your new challenges in Year 5 in September.
If you want me to check your answers, please do send me your work and I will take a look at it. This sort of activity is a great way for you to see the areas you feel confident about and areas where you would like more help and support.
I hope you have enjoyed our Superhero topic and I wish we could spend more time on it. It has been great fun to plan for you and I am now a big fan of the films and characters.
Here is one last video clip of the Superheroes doing what they do best.
Enjoy
Wednesday 15th July
Good morning my little Superheroes
Did you enjoy creating your own comic strips with your new superhero characters?
Thank you to Eva and Jaydon for sending me their marvellous work. I just your characters
Today you are going to imagine you wake up one morning and find that you have superpowers!!
You will need to think about:
What will these be?
How will you use them?
How will it affect your day?
Use these ideas and the structure planner to help you to write about your day with superpowers!
The structure planner will help you with the orgnisation of your paragraphs and help you with what to put in each one.
Here is another video clip for you watch the Avengers and their superpowers in action!
Tuesday 14th July
Good morning Y4
Are you ready to write your comic strip starring your very own superhero?
Today you are going to be setting out your story plan on to a comic strip template.
Remember with comics you may have the odd sentence but the action is shown in pictures and the words in speech bubbles.
They also use onomatopoeia. This is the formation of a word from asound associated with it such as; sizzle, boom, wham and cuckoo!
It is often used for literary effect in stories but is most often found in comic strips and books.
Monday 13th July
Good morning Year 4, did you have a lovely weekend?
At least the sun showed its face
Today you will be using the planning sheet from Friday to plan your story. I have included a Powerpoint that lays out the different aspects you will meed to plan a Superhero story. There is also a story planner to help you with each stage.
Using these you will be writing your story plan. This will become a comic strip.
Spellings for Week 6
This week's spellings are the past tense of verbs ending in -se
We do not add -ed as usual. We just add the d
advertised
baptised
realised
apologised
exercised
surprised
recognised
supervised
analysed
criticised
Friday 10th July
Happy Friday Y4
Today you are going to be designing your own Superhero.
Think about the work you have already done.
What their special powers are, what they look like, their characters and their enemies.
Next week you will be putting your Superhero into a comic strip where they will be using their superpowers to save the day!
I have added another clip of the Marvel Superheroes battling together to save the universe to give you some ideas about different superpowers and how they use them. This one manages to include pretty much all of them.
However, please check with an adult before you watch the clip.
The age rating is 12+ without an adult so you could not go to see them on your own - you need an adult's permission. I have checked there is no unsuitable language and I know many of you have already seen them but do please check first.
The planning sheet is below the video
Thursday 9th July
Good morning everyone
Did you enjoy watching yesterday's clip? I loved the part where Captain America (Steve Rogers) stands up to fight Thanos and his army, thinking he was alone when they all appear through the portals to support him and fight for justice together. That was a cool though emotional part of the film I thought.
Today you are going to compare three superheroes of your choice.
You will need to draw them, name them and add their skills/super powers, name any enemies they may have and say if you like or do not like them & why.
Once you have done this, I would like you to draw and label your favourite superhero. I have given you an example on the worksheet.
Enjoy
Wednesday 8th July
Good morning everyone
I do hope you are enjoying our Superheroes topic
I have included another clip put together form the different films to an effective soundtrack called 'Legends Never Die' by 'Against The Current'.
Watch as they all work together to save the universe! Fantastic teamwork!
Today we have a grammar exercise to complete. This covers all the aspects of grammar that we have worked on this year. It is in two parts (second part next week).
However, to make it more interesting, I have based it upon our Superheroes theme.
Tuesday 7th July
Hello Y4
Today we are going to test your superheroes knowledge. If you do not know the answers to some of the questions, they are easy to research. There is so much information available.
We are going to focus on the different superheroes, their friends, their jobs and their abilitiies ready for planning your own superhero.
Monday 6th July
Good morning Y4
Are you ready for our Superhero topic in English?
We are going to get the English skills out of the way at the beginning of the week so we can then concentrate on the fun part of creating our own superheroes.
So who has watched the Marvel films?
My son told me I needed to watch them before researching this topic. He proceeded to give me a huge list (24 in total) of the films in the correct order to watch. Which I did!
I preferred some more than others and like some characters better but they were all entertaining and quite funny in parts.
I think my favourite is Captain America or may be Iron Man who is hilarious.
But who does not just love Groot?
However, these characters are at their best when they all get together as The Avengers.
I just love the teamwork!
Today I have found a comic superhero reading cmprehension for you.
All these characters you know today from the films, started off as characters in comic strips.
The reading comprehension is in three levels of difficulty with different questions for each one.
You are all amazing readers so should be reading the 2 and 3 star sections.
The answers are included so you can check if you were correct (which I am sure you will be)
I have added this great mix of the different superheroes from the films, including the 'Guardians of the Galaxy' for you to watch.
The song works really well so I hope you enjoy it.
Please do ask an adult if you can watch it first if you have not watched any of them before though.
Friday 3rd July
A happy Friday morning to you all
Did you enjoy reading the final part of our last viking Saga? What do you think should happen to Loki?
He really does cause quite a lot of trouble doesn't he?!
Today you are going to put all your knowledge of writing a playscript together and write your own play.
You can use any of the Viking gods or goddesses in your play but remember not to have too many characters or it can become confusing
.
The whole of this week's saga was set out as a playscript so if you are unsure about anything, look back at the story, and look at today's PowerPoint showing you how to write a playscript.
I have also included a simple set of 'rules' for you to follow.
I look forward to reading your plays.
Thursday 2nd July
Good morning Y4
Today we are looking at the final part of 'Apples of Iduna'.
Loki and Iduna are flying back to Asgard - he as a falcon, she as a sparrow - and the eagle-giant, Thiassi, is after them.
As Loki and Iduna near Asgard they can see Odin and Heimdall standing on the battlements. Heimdall has gathered firewood and is about to set it ablaze.
Thiassi is almost upon them. Loki and Iduna dive into the smoke caused by the bonfire...
Read the story to find out what happens and then watch the annimation. As you are watching it, think about the stage directions you would add for the actors. These will go in brackets.
Now you have reached the end of the story, what do you think should happen to Loki...forgiveness or punishment?
Do you think Odin would have a different response to Iduna? Why?
Watch the PowerPoint, Features of a Playscript Part 2, to remind you about how to set out your own play.
You are going to focus on describing Iduna's garden to set the scene for ‘Act 2’ in the play of the story. There is a wrting frame for you to complete; adding characters with brief descriptions and dialogue with stage directions to be placed in brackets.
Wednesday 1st July
Good morning everyone.
It is the first of July! Who said 'white rabbits' when they woke up this morning?
July should be hot and sunny but I don't think anyone told the weather this
Never mind, we have part 3 of our Viking Saga to help to cheer you up.
Read the playscript for part 3 of our story.
Apples of Iduna Part 3
Time passes and the gods and goddesses grow older and weaker. Loki doesn't let on that he is the cause of the problem and to begin with it seems he has got away with it.
But one day Odin comes to see him: it turns out that Heimdall saw everything that happened in Iduna's garden, including Loki laughing as the eagle-giant, Thiassi, carried Iduna away!
Loki has no choice but to admit to his trick and Odin orders him to go to Jotunheim to rescue Iduna.
Think about these questions as you read;
Do you think that Odin is right?
What sort of reception do you think Loki will get at Jotunheim?
Has Loki got what he deserves?
Now watch this video clip telling you all about 'How to use brackets'. This will be helpful when you write your own playscript.
Now watch the annimation of Part 3 of Apples of Iduna.
Think about the stage directions you would want to give to the characters who would be acting the parts. These would be placed in brackets in your script.
Tuesday 30th June
Good morning Y4
Did you enjoy part one of our new Viking Saga, 'Apples of Iduna'?
In this story, we have met two new characters in this Viking saga. Iduna, goddess of youth and Thiassi, one of the Giants who were banished to a land of ice and cold winds – Jutoheim by Odin.
Once again, our 'friend' Loki is the story teller.
Today, I would like you to read the second part of the story, thinking about what Loki thinks about the different caracters.
Then watch the annimation of the second part of the story
Spellings For Week Beginning 29.06.20
This week we are looking sat words ending in-or that are often mistakenly spelt with an 'er' because of the way we pronounce them. We tend to say 'acter' rather than 'actor' with an err at the end instead of an orr
actor
author
professor
collector
conqueror
bachelor
ancestor
traitor
inspector
inventor
Monday 29th June
Hello everyone,
It's Monday again! Where did the weekend go?
Are you ready for our new Viking Saga 'Apples of Iduna'?
Today, I would like you to read Part 1 (there are four parts to this story) and answer the questions based on the text.
Once again, Loki is the story teller, the narrator and he introduces us to another character - Iduna, the goddess of youth and immortality. The gods remain forever young by eating the magic apples that only she can pick.
One day Odin sets out on a trip to Midgard and takes Loki with him. After a day's journey they stop for something to eat. Loki prepares a fire and makes an ox stew while Odin reads his book of spells. Two hours later the stew should be ready to eat - but when they try it they discover the meat is still raw. A great eagle in a nearby tree tells them that he's put a spell on the stew: it won't cook unless they share it with him. They invite the eagle to take a share but the eagle starts to eat it all and Loki picks up a stick and starts to beat the eagle.
Do you think Loki's actions are wise?
Read the story to find out what happens next...
Friday 26th June
Good morning Year 4, have you got the Friday feeling?
You have now read all of this week's story 'Thor and the Giants'. Did you enjoy it?
What did you think about Loki's behaviour? Do you think he treated Thor fairly?
Was Thor your superhero? These gods were the inspiration for Marvel and other comics about superheroes. We will be moving on to that in a couple of weeks.
Today I would like you to read the whole story, 'Thor and the Giants' in one go. I have re-written it as a complete story. This will help with the sequencing activity.
Have you found any extra clues about Loki or Thor's personalities that you could add to your character profiles?
Today you have a sequencing activity to complete. You can cut up the pictures to re-arrange them into the correct chronological order, or just put the numbers in the squares. If you can not print out the work, then just write in a table to show which picture is 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.
Below is a link to watch a cartoon about 'How To Use Apostrophes In Contractions'.
We were identifying contractions in speech on Monday so this is a consolidation activity to remind you how to use them and where to put them.
Next week, we will be reading a new Viking Saga; 'Apples of Iduna'
Have a lovely weekend and I'll be back on Monday
Love from,
Mrs Afford
Thursday 25th June
Good morning Year 4!
Today is the third and final installment of 'Thor and the Giants'.
You are going to find out whether Thor and Loki can find a way out of their predicament (pickle).
Yesterday we were look at the features of a playscript and you were re-writing the direct speech in the story as the dialogue in part of a playscript.
You are going to set the scene for a playscript.
Revise features.
After reading the rest of the story, watch the PowerPoint again to remind you of the key features you learned yesterday. Then use the planning frame to help you set out your playscript.
There is also a playscript checklist to show you all the important parts it must contain.
Wednesday 24th June
Welcome back to the Viking Sagas Y4!
Today we will find out what happens next to Loki and Thor in their adventure in Part 2.
Wasn't Loki mischievous in the first part? Do you think he will be up to more tricks?
I hope you found some great descriptive words for your character profiles. Remember, we are focussing on their behaviour, attitude and personality.
Thank you to Eva for her lovely work yesterday
Read the second part of the story, 'Thor and the Giants Part 2' before you watch the annimation as this will help your reading, but also help you to focus you on the direct speech in the story.
*** This is important for today's activity! ***
Have you noticed that there is a lot of talking in the story?
This makes it easier to change into a playscript.
Playscripts only have certain features; characters' spoken words, the scene settings, stage directions, new line for each character, character's name followed by a colon (:)
They do not contain any speech punctuation at all!
Watch the PowerPoint on Features of a Playscript Part 1 to see how these are set out.
Then I would like you to rewrite part of the story as a playscript. there is a planning sheet to help you to set it out correctly.
Finally, watch the annimation which is a moving version of a playscript.
When you see a play performed, you watch the action and listen to what the characters are saying.
Thor and Loki continue their journey to Jotunheim - land of the giants.
As evening falls they stop at a very unusual building and go in to explore. Inside they find a large central hall and five chambers leading off from it at one end. Thor and Loki are wondering what they've stumbled upon, when suddenly the building begins to shake violently and an enormous eye appears at the doorway!
Tuesday 23rd June
Good morning Y2,
Are you ready for a new Viking Myth today?
Today we are going to be looking at the first part of the story, 'Thor and the Giants'. I have split it into three parts for you.
Loki introduces us to Thor, Viking god of thunder. One day Thor goes to Odin and declares his intention to do battle with the giants. Odin is delighted...and volunteers Loki to accompany him on the journey to Jotunheim. Loki, naturally, is less than thrilled.
Thor and Loki ride in Thor's chariot - pulled by two shaggy goats - and stop for the night in Midgard at the house of a poor villager. The prospects for dinner aren't good so Thor shows off his magic trick.
Loki can't resist this opportunity to cause trouble and things do not go as planned.
In the morning there's a problem - one of the goats is limping...and Thor knows at once who to blame!
Who do you think that may be?
Once you have read the first part of the story, have a look at the PowerPoint about the most important of the Viking gods and goddesses.
You are going to write a character profile for Loki and Thor adding to it as you read more of the story. You did something similar as a history activity last half-term ,but in this one, I want you to concentrate on finding clues about their character behaviour and personality rather than what they looked like.
As you read the story over the week, you can add extra information.
I have also added the character information of the gods I gave you for history.
Monday 22nd June
Good morning everyone,
Did you enjoy the story of Odin' Thirst for Knowledge?
The vikings loved to tell stories and would spend time sat together sharing stories that would be passed down through the generations.
Watch the video clip to find out more about these Viking story tellers and what they were called.
Today we are going to look at a story about how Odin created the world according to the Vikings.
Does it remind you of a story in the Bible? Which one?
First we meet our story-teller - Loki, Viking god of fire. Remember him? He's a trickster and a shape-changer
'Loki by name...jokey by nature.'
Loki's first story is an abridged adaptation of the Viking creation myth, focusing on Odin's role in creating the physical settings for the stories which then follow. Loki recalls how Odin first creates a land of frost and ice called 'Jotunheim' - a freezing land where he banishes his enemies, the giants.
Then Odin creates 'Midgard' - a warm and pleasant land for the first humans.
Finally, Odin creates 'Asgard' - the shining citadel of the gods. And, as a final touch, he joins Asgard to Midgard with a bridge made from a rainbow.
I would like you to read the story, 'Odin Creates the World' and then watch the cartoon video of the story by clicking on the link.
There were a lot of contractions weren't there? This is because Loki is telling the story and he is using the spoken word. In English, we use a lot contractions in speech.
How many did you find?
Check your answers on the document below.
Spellings for this week
Spellings -ion (tion or sion)
action discussion
injection expression
invention confession
temptation admission
completion permission
Friday 19th June
Good morning Y4 and happy Friday!
Next week we are going to be looking at the Viking Sagas, what they are, who they are about and the heros in them. This will lead us onto our work on Superheros which I hope you will find great fun.
To start us off today, we are going to read a story about the Viking god, Odin; the Allfather of gods. The story is called Odin's Thirst For Knowledge and tells us how he got many of his powers. It is a little gruesome in a couple of places but these sagas, myths and legends usually are.
Remember, they are not true.
I have included some questions on the story for you to practise your literal and inferential comprehension skills.
Enjoy the story and I will be back on Monday,
Love from
Mrs Afford
Good morning Year 4!
I hope you are enjoying being poets this week, your creative muscles should be getting very strong after these lessons!
Today we are going to look at a type of poem called a Haiku (you may have heard of these before!) A Haiku only has 3 lines. Each line has a certain number of syllables. The pattern goes:
1st line = 5 syllables
2nd line = 7 syllables
3rd line = 5 syllables
So first pick a theme, next do a quick minute of writing down words to do with your theme, then you can fit the words together into a Haiku!
Have fun writing Year 4, I'm sure you will create incredible poetry!
Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed creating your acrostic poems yesterday.
Today we are going to create a poem using a repetitive structure, so a certain part of the poem will be said more than once. Here are two examples:
Can you spot the pattern?
1) Start each verse with the same place, it could be anywhere at all. You might pick your favourite place, or an imaginary holiday, or maybe even outer space!
2) In this place, you will see/hear something.
3) Whatever you see or hear will be described as: number, adjective, noun, explain what it is doing.
It's the same recipe every time!
Here's my scary example:
In the spooky, ancient, haunted mansion I saw...
Three ghostly shimmers floating across the window.
In the spooky, ancient, haunted mansion I saw...
Thirteen nightmarish crows squawking.
Some of you might want to challenge yourselves to include some exciting poetic devices like alliteration or onomatopoeia! For a reminder of what you could include, have a look at this powerpoint.
Good morning Year 4!
For the rest of this week, we are going to have a go at writing different types of poetry. You may have seen some of these types of poem before!
Today we are going to write an acrostic poem.
An acrostic poem is all about a topic or theme. You choose a word to sum up your theme, then the beginning of each line spells out that word. Each line still needs to be about your topic!
You can be as imaginative as you like! Here's my acrostic poem about sunflowers. I start by putting the letters down the side of my page:
S
U
N
F
L
O
W
E
R
S
Then I fill in my lines!
Sunshine petals
Up against my brick garden wall
Never fails to make me smile
Flying insects visit all day long
Leaning towards the sun
Outstanding
Why bother with daisies?
Everyone likes sunflowers
Right?
Sensational, sunny, shining.
Did you spot my alliteration? Did you spot my questions? Did you spot my metaphor saying the petals were sunshine?
Have a go at writing your own acrostic poem today about a topic of your choice!
Have fun!
Good morning Year 4 and welcome back after the weekend! I hope you are feeling refreshed and rested.
Today you have a reading task set on Purple Mash, you can find it in your to do list.
The follow up task is to imagine you have just finished your first day at your dream job. What would it be? Footballer? Astronaut? Vet? Singer? Teacher? Beautician? Business owner? Really imagine yourself doing your dream job for a day. What would you write about in your diary at the end of the day. What would have happened? How would you be feeling?
You can really go wild with your imagination here! Have fun!
Today we are going to do a recap of the 'un-' and 'dis-' prefixes.
Both of these prefixes change the meaning of the root word afterwards to mean the opposite.
happy --> unhappy
belief --> disbelief
In the document below, Matilda has written a letter to her Granny from a summer camp. The meaning is a bit unclear though...you need to fill in the missing prefixes so Granny can figure out what Matilda really means! (Answers on page 2.)
Can you think of any other sentences Matilda could add using more 'un-' and 'dis-' words?
Friday 12th June
Happy Friday everyone!
You have been working brilliantly on your non-chronological reports over the past couple of weeks.
If you have not completed all of the work, do not worry. Everything you do is beneficial and a bonus, no matter how much or how little!
To finish the topic, I have prepared an example of a non-chronological report all about Viking Longboats.
I would like you to read each section and then think of a suitable sub-heading for each one. You can print it out and write it on the sheet, or type in thge text boxes I have added. You can even just write a list of your sub-headings.
After doing that, I would like you to write a aparagraph of your own to add to the report, and give your section a sub-heading too!
Have a lovely weekend
Love from,
Mrs Afford
Hello Year 4!
Today is going to be us finishing off our non-chronological reports on the Vikings! Well done for making it this far, we've been working on this for a while now! (If you have missed any of the lessons leading up to here, start at Tuesday of last week to find the beginning of this unit.)
This week we have written our introduction and 3 paragraphs of information about the Vikings.
Today we are going to write our conclusion, a fact file and a glossary!
Your conclusion should be quite short, and it is just there to remind your reader what you have been talking about, and maybe tell them why they should care about the Vikings. After all, they were around hundreds of years ago! Why do we still care nowadays? (Hint: think of how they shaped our country/local area/even days of the week!)
Your fact file (or 'Did You Know?') section is where you can include any of the interesting things you know about the Vikings that didn't fit into your other paragraphs!
Finally your glossary is where you explain the meanings of any Viking-related words that your reader might not understand!
You are all doing brilliantly at home Year 4, I am so proud of you. Whether you are getting all of the work done or just some, you are doing your best. Your best might look different on different days, and that is okay.
I have put some little extras into the 'wellbeing' page on the main homework page if you think you need a mood boost this weekend (tell your parents it includes adults too!).
Enjoy your work with Mrs Afford tomorrow, and take some time to relax this weekend. I will see you back here on Monday
Miss Byrne xx
Good morning everyone!
Yesterday, we began writing our non-chronological reports about the Vikings! You did your introduction and first paragraph. (If you have not done this or last week's planning lessons, make sure you do them first before moving on to today's!)
Today we are going to write your second and third paragraphs of your non-chronological report - that will be most of it written then! Tomorrow we will be writing your conclusion, a fun fact box and your glossary for important vocabulary.
Like yesterday, your paragraphs will needs lots of facts and connectives - don't forget you can use your plan and sentences from last week to make it easier. You have structure strips again to remind you what to include.
(Hint: my example paragraph can still be accessed in yesterday's lesson if you need a reminder of what it looks like!)
Even though your whole report is on the Vikings, try to make sure you look at a different topic for each paragraph, e.g. if you have already written about Viking boats, perhaps the next paragraph could be about Viking gods.
Good luck!
Hello Year 4!
Last week, we planned our non-chronological report about the Vikings - if you haven't done that yet go back to last week's lessons before you try today's lesson!
We have 3 paragraphs full of facts, and we also practised some sentences using connectives.
Today, we are going to write our title, introduction and first paragraph.
​​​​​​
Your title should describe your report, and you may want to use a question to get your reader to wonder about the answers, e.g. "What were the Vikings like?" or "What do we know about the Vikings?"
Your introduction should be short and sweet and clearly tell your reader a quick who, what, where, when and why of your topic. It should only be a couple of sentences, most of your information will come later on!
Your first paragraph will be using your plan and connectives sentences! Don't forget your subheading, and write in full sentences. The more you can tell your reader in your paragraph, the better. (Hint: if you have lots and lots to write about a topic, you can do two paragraphs! The subheadings will show when the next section begins.)
You can use this frame with a structure strip to help you decide what to write!
Good morning Year 4, welcome to a brand new week!
Today you have a reading task set in your 'to dos' on Purple Mash. Your follow up task is to create a newspaper report on Purple Mash using the information you have learnt from the chapter!
To keep practising your '-ous' spellings, you can either use the printable activity below, or do the online quiz.
Have fun!
Friday 5th June
Happy friday!!
This week you have been busy looking at non-chronological reports based around our Viking topic. Today, I have created a non-chronological report based on Butser Ancient Farm which is a special open air working museum. Below the report is a list of questions for you to find the answers to in the report.
You may want to Google the place and find out more about what activities they have on offer there and the sorts of investigations the Historians and Archeologists do there.
You can easily type straight onto the word document or highlight the answers in the text, rather than printing it out and writing the answers down.
Good morning everyone!
So far this week we have:
If you haven't done these tasks, do them first before moving on to today's work as you might find it tricky otherwise!
Today we are going to use the same planning template to write some sentences that we will include in our writing next week. It's a way of starting before actually starting!
We are going to write sentences using connectives.
Connectives do what the name suggests - they connect our writing together. Conjunctions (which we looked at before half term) are a type of connective. Connectives help our writing to be more interesting and flow better by linking ideas together.
Connectives usually come either in the middle of a sentence, or at the beginning of a sentence.
Your task is to look at your plan from yesterday (full of facts and bullet points about the Vikings) and then use one or two of your facts in full sentences today with a connective. Look at how I changed mine:
Keep this work and yesterday's work safe for next week!
I hope you enjoy your work with Mrs Afford tomorrow and have a lovely weekend. I will see you back here on Monday!
Miss Byrne
Happy Wednesday everyone!
Yesterday we looked at some of the features of a non-chronological report. These included:
Today we are going to begin planning our own non-chronological report about The Vikings! You learnt a lot about the Vikings last half term with Mrs Afford, so you will know a lot of facts already! (If you have forgotten then the work is all still on the History page, or you could do more research online!)
We are going to have 4 sections on our plan, but if you can only think of facts for 3 sections then that is ok!
Each section needs to have a subheading then you need to include some facts about that topic underneath. It is just a plan, so you do not need to write in full sentences. Your sections could be about Viking longboats, or raids, or farming, or jewellery, or fighting style - it's completely up to you!
I have done a box for you as an example so you can see what I mean.
Good morning Year 4!
Today we are going to be starting a very exciting new project! We are going to be working for the next two weeks on producing a non-chronological report about The Vikings!
A non-chronological report is an information text, designed to explain facts to the reader. Chronological means in time order, and that would be texts like instructions or a recount. Non-chronological means that it is not in time order. This means we will be able to write our information about the Vikings in any order we like.
Before we begin planning our own, we need to look at some example ones to learn about the features that we will need to include.
Can you remember any before you check the features list?
Your task is to use the checklist above, then read one or both of the texts below to see how many of the features you can spot. Perhaps you could highlight them when you find them! Features like 'title' will be easy to find, but some are a little trickier! You may not be able to find them all, and that is absolutely ok, as they might not all be included in every single non-chronological report.
Good luck!
We are going to look at the -ous suffix spelling pattern this week:
The powerpoint below explains how these words are formed.
You can learn this spelling pattern by whatever method you prefer, but there is a worksheet below with the spellings in a look, cover, say, write, check table if you would like it.
You can also use a dictionary to check any definitions you don't know!
Welcome back Year 4 and Happy Monday! Give yourself an enormous pat on the back for showing up for your learning today, you are all amazing!
Today we are going to start a new story on Purple Mash called 'The Ice Cream Villain' ... I thought you might be eating ice creams and ice lollies a lot at the moment with this beautiful weather!
The text and activities are on Purple Mash in your to do list.
One of the activities is to describe some ice creams. I would like you to really go over the top with your descriptions, using lots of adjectives and similes to make your reader's mouth water!
Friday 22nd May
Good morning Year 4!
You have been really busy working on subordinating conjunctions. I love them .
Today we are keeping with our history topic theme- 'Viking gods and goddesses'.
I have included the story of 'Thor And His Magic Hammer' for you to read and answer some questions about it.
It's a great story. See how many of the gods and goddesses you can find in this story.
Have a lovely weekend,
Love from Mrs Afford
Good morning Year 4, I hope you are all well and finding the time to prioritise your mental health during Mental Health Week? You can find details about that (and also the Beatles music video collaboration - don't forget the deadline is tomorrow!) on the main Year 4 Homework page.
Today we are going to do some more work on subordinating conjunctions. Do you remember what they were?
There are other subordinating conjunctions too, but these are the main ones. Here is a list of some more that you may like to use!
Your task today is a bit of a challenge! Your task is to try to use as many different subordinating conjunctions as you can to explain a topic to somebody who has never heard about it before.
You are going to choose your own topic - maybe football, or dancing, or your favourite film, or something history related - entirely your choice! (If you can't think of one then use the story of Beowulf, I have attached it at the bottom of today's post if you need it.)
This could be done verbally, handwritten, typed - you choose what works for you.
This is my example, and I have written about my pets:
I have two cats at home, although one of them likes me better than the other one! Phoebe was my only cat at first, until I got Tilly. (That was when Phoebe stopped liking me since she was jealous of the new kitten...)
Tilly cries to get my attention when she wants something. This can get quite annoying if I'm busy! Phoebe usually runs away from me because she doesn't like to be stroked most of the time. Both of them will purr while they are sunbathing in the garden.
Next week is half term, so you can enjoy a well-earned break! I have put some fun activities on the main homework page just in case you want something to do across the week
Have fun with Mrs Afford's lesson tomorrow, and I will see you all back here a week on Monday! Don't forget you can always send me and the rest of Year 4 a 'hello' message on the Purple Mash blog to keep in touch until we see each other again.
Take care,
Miss Byrne xx
Happy Wednesday Year 4! I hope you all enjoyed taking in a formal voice like the Queen yesterday!
Last week we looked at coordinating conjunctions which we could remember with the word FANBOYS (For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So). Today, we are going to look at the other type of conjunction called a subordinating conjunction.
Subordinating conjunctions also link two parts of a sentence together, but this time one part wouldn't make sense on its own.
E.g. John liked to play football because he was good at it.
If you just heard the second part, you'd be wondering what he was good at! You need the first part to understand it.
This sort of conjunction also has a way we can remember the different words:
I SAW A WABUB
It's up to you what you think a 'wabub' might be, maybe some kind of alien or creature?
Your task today is to have a go at the activities on the link above, then see if you can remember all of the different words in 'I SAW A WABUB'. It's quite tricky!
To help you remember you might want to make a poster, maybe with your version of a 'wabub' in the corner! Or perhaps you would prefer to try one of the quizzes below instead. We will be doing more work on subordinating conjunctions tomorrow, so don't worry if you can't remember them after just one lesson!
Good morning Year 4! Today we are going to be doing one of my favourite topics in English: formal and informal language!
Informal language is when you write as if you are chatting. Imagine talking to your friends, you might, like, use extra words that you don't really need, you know? It sounds more like you're talking to a buddy and you'll probably use more contractions and sound more relaxed.
"Oh you'll never guess what, right, I saw this thing on the TV the other day and it was well good! I was proper impressed, they were all like dressed up like weirdos and it was dead funny!"
Formal language is the sort of language you would use if you needed to talk to the queen. You would not just talk to the queen, goodness no, you may converse with the queen. Formal language prefers to use posh words and never sounds like a chat.
"I have some interesting news. I caught a new programme on the television last week and I found it to be a worthwhile watch. I was rather impressed with the extravagant costumes and I found it to be amusing."
Did you see the difference? Both were describing the same thing (seeing a new TV programme) but one was informal and one was formal!
Have a go at the tasks on the Bitesize website. For the writing task you may prefer to write by hand, or on the computer, or to just practice saying your sentences out loud.
Ask an adult to listen to your formal version. Do they agree that it sounds formal? Try putting on a posh voice like the Queen - could you pass as a member of the Royal Family, or do you need to be even more formal?
Have fun with this Year 4, and here is a bonus challenge! Practice on someone who doesn't know you have learnt about formal language and see how long it takes for them to notice you are speaking like the Queen!
Welcome back after the weekend Year 4, I hope you are all well!
Today we are going to be finishing the last chapter of Alien Hotel on Purple Mash, and as usual the tasks should be set as to dos for you on the website. Please remember to 'hand in' your to dos so I can see what you have written!
Have fun!
Friday 15th May
Good morning Y4,
You have been looking at co-ordinating conjunctions this week and some of it has been based around our story Beowulf.
This week has been History-themed and today is no different.
the art is about building yourown Viking Longship and look on the History page for more information about the ships with Thorkel The Viking!
I have included a Victorious Vikings comprehension for you to complete with a couple of additional drawing sections.
I have included the answers for you too!
Good morning Year 4!
Today we are going to build on your work with coordinating conjunctions yesterday. Coordinating conjunctions join together two parts of a sentence (clauses) that could make sense on their own without the conjunction.
Have a lovely Friday and weekend, and I will see you back here again on Monday!
Miss Byrne
Hello everyone!
Today we are going to look at coordinating conjunctions. This means words we used to link sentences together.
E.g.
The weather is lovely today. I think I will go for a walk later.
--> The weather is lovely today so I think I will go for a walk later.
There are 7 coordinating conjunctions we can use, and we can remember them by thinking of FANBOYS.
We can use coordinating conjunctions to make our sentences flow better in our writing. We still need to remember to start our new, better sentence with a capital letter and end with punctuation!
Have a look at this site to get some practise.
Good morning everyone and welcome back after your long weekend!
I wanted to share a little nugget of advice with you all today before we begin and I'll put this on both the English and Maths pages - we always ask in school for you to try your best. We don't mind if you make a mistake, or if you find something hard as long as you try.
But this is the important part: on some days, your best might look different. On some days your best might be tackling all of the questions and feeling super! On some days your best might be just having a go at one or two questions, and that is okay. No one is perfect every day and we shouldn't expect to be. You are all doing brilliantly and I am proud of each and every one of you.
Your task today is Chapter 6 of Alien Hotel on Purple Mash. The chapter and the follow up tasks have been set on your 'to do' list.
Enjoy!
Please see the main 'Homework' page for Year 4 for some 'VE Day' activities on Friday, and a special 'My Life In Lockdown' competition on Monday!
Daily lessons will resume as normal on Tuesday 12th May.
Enjoy your bank holiday weekend, stay safe and take care!
Love Miss Byrne and Mrs Afford
Good morning Year 4!
So far in Beowulf we have read up to the end of Chapter 7, where Beowulf has defeated not only Grendel, but Grendel's mother too! He truly was an incredible and heroic warrior to save all of the people from those two monsters.
How do you think all of the townspeople found out about Beowulf's heroic deeds? Perhaps they heard from a town crier (a person who travelled and shouted about the news really REALLY loudly so everyone heard). Or maybe they had a newspaper to keep them up to date!
Your task is to choose a way to spread the news of Beowulf's triumph over the monsters. You could prepare a script and film yourself telling everyone the news of how brave Beowulf has been - or maybe you would prefer to write/type a newspaper report about his actions instead if acting isn't your thing! (There are some templates below if you choose this option.) Perhaps you could draw a mural (painting on a wall) like Banksy to show what happened!
However you choose to spread the news, you will need to say:
1. Beowulf has defeated Grendel.
2. Beowulf has defeated Grendel's Mother.
3. Beowulf is the bravest hero there has ever been.
4. What people are doing to celebrate!
Have fun!
Hello everyone!
Today we are going to do a little more practice on possessive apostrophes and how they are different from plurals.
Possessive apostrophe: something belongs to them.
e.g. This is Miss Byrne's writing. (Or this writing belongs to Miss Byrne.)
Plurals: there is more than one of them.
e.g. There are a lot of words typed here. (No apostrophe!)
I have set you some to dos on Purple Mash to practise the difference between possessive s words and plural words. Start with 'Harry's Party' (answers below) and then if you are feeling confident challenge yourself with 'Jane's Monster' (this one is quite a lot harder!)
Good luck!
Good morning everyone!
Today we are going to revisit apostrophes. Last week we looked at apostrophes for contractions, or words joined together with letters missing. This week, we are looking at apostrophes for possession, or showing something belongs to someone.
TIP 1: Not every word that ends in 's' will need an apostrophe!
TIP 2: The apostrophe comes after the person or people the thing belongs to.
TIP 3: You can't have an 's' both before and after the apostrophe - only one side!
TIP 4: Rewrite the sentence like I have below to see who owns the thing.
E.g.
Have a look at the BBC Bitesize videos and activities to explain further.
If you think you've got it, an extra challenge is to try to create some sentences about Beowulf using apostrophes for possession.
Here's some to start you off:
Good luck!
Happy Monday Year 4, I hope you all had a lovely weekend!
Today we will be carrying on with chapter 5 of 'Alien Hotel' on Purple Mash. The text and tasks will be in your 'To Do' list. Please remember to hand in your tasks so I can write a comment back to you about your work!
Enjoy!
Good morning everyone,
Today we are going to be looking at Chapters 6 and 7 in Beowulf.
You have now met most of the characters. Write a description of either, Grendal, Grendal's mother or King Hrothgar. Think about expanded noun phrases and adverbs to make your description more interesting and exciting,
Think about how the character acts and behaves; using really good verbs.
Here is an example describing Beowulf waiting for Grendal; 'Beowulf crouched in the shadows, his steely eyes fixed on the murdering monster...'
The story tells us what the characters say to each other in conversation, but sometimes what a character says is a bit different to what the character might be thinking!
Your task today is to infer what the characters might be thinking in the pictures from the story. I have done an example on the document below to get you started.
Some of you may prefer to type into the bubbles on the computer, whereas some of you may want to print the pages out and write by hand. An alternative option is to role play what the characters might be thinking with a family member. If you have Microsoft OneNote or a similar program at home, you could copy the document into that program to be able to add voice notes.
However you choose to do your work, once you have finished perhaps you can predict what will happen next??
Hello Year 4!
We're going to have a break from Beowulf today for some creative writing!
Have a look on the link below to see today's wonderful picture on Pobble365.
The document below has some ideas to get you started (these are also on the Pobble website under the picture.) There are some questions to get you thinking - where is the girl going? How did she end up where she is? How would you feel if your bath suddenly ended up in the ocean?
Your story starter is:
She knew that it hadn’t been a good idea to leave the tap running, but now she was starting to enjoy herself…
Try to include lots of adjectives and adverbs in your writing to make it really interesting and descriptive!
Good morning!
Today in our English learning, we are going to be looking at apostrophes for contraction, or for joining words together and removing letters.
Look at the activities on the BBC Bitesize learning for today to practise.
Challenge: can you use any of these contractions in sentences about Beowulf so far?
E.g. the men can't stay in Heorot because of Grendel.
Grendel won't leave them alone.
Good luck!
Happy Monday Year 4! I hope you all had a lovely weekend.
Today your English task is on Purple Mash and is chapter 4 of Alien Hotel - the activities have been set on your 'to do list'.
Enjoy!
Here is aPowerPoint about Beowulf. It was an epic poem that has been re-written as a story. In this PowerPoint, it takes you to the end of the poem/story but I have stopped it after Beowulf meets Grendel so that it does not spoil the story for you.
Beowulf is so confident that he can beat the monster Grendal, that he insists he does not need any weapons.
Can you complete the activity sheet? You can just write out your own boasts separately if you want to or do not have a printer.
Well done for your hard work this week Year 4, I hope you are enjoying your home learning tasks!
Yesterday we were looking at verbs (doing words). Today we will be reminding ourselves of adverbs (giving extra information about the verb).
Use the BBC Bitesize site to remind you of adverbs and have a go at activity 1. You could try 2 and 3 if you like, but you do not need to do them.
Next, read Chapters 1 and 2 of Beowulf on the powerpoint below. Today we will be meeting Grendel the monster!
We found some verbs yesterday - can you find any adverbs today? You could draw a line on the powerpoint under the adverbs, or you could highlight them on the word document instead.
Check your answers against the answers once you think you have found them all! (Hint: there's quite a lot!)
Good morning Year 4, today we will be looking at verbs (doing words) and how to change them from present tense (happening now) to past tense (already happened).
Start by reminding yourself about verbs and tenses on the BBC Bitesize site. You could have a go at the first two activities too!
Instead of activity 3 on the site, below is a version using the beginning of the story of Beowulf!
On the document below, I have left the verbs blanked out. The present tense version of the verb is in a table at the bottom for you to fit into the story but you need to change it into past tense.
If you find this tricky, this powerpoint has the present tense verbs in the right order for you.
You can also use this to check your answers when you have finished by moving the blue boxes out of the way to see the real words (with the correct spelling!) underneath.
Good luck!
Good morning Year 4!
We are starting a brand new topic today - stories with historical settings! To tie in with what you will be doing in history with Mrs Afford, we are going to be using the story of 'Beowulf'.
Beowulf is a hero from the time of the Vikings who defeated a monster called Grendel. Open the powerpoint to have a look at who the main characters are in this story. What do you think of them? Can you tell who is good and who is bad?
Your task is to choose one or two of the characters and write some expanded noun phrases to describe them.
There are some examples on the powerpoint and you can use the BBC Bitesize site to remind yourself of what an expanded noun phrase is and how to identify them and write them. (You don't need to do the 'Practise' section on the site, just the 'Learn' section!)
Welcome back to your English home learning Year 4!
A massive well done for all of your hard work so far, I really enjoyed seeing what you created last term. I hope you are ready, refreshed and raring to go!
Your task today is on Purple Mash and is in your 'to do' list. It is chapter 3 of 'Alien Hotel'. (Remember, you can always go back to read over the first two chapters if you have forgotten the story.)
Have fun!
Good morning to you all.
You have been planning and writiing about your two charracters; one good, one bad. Some of you have written your story, used Purple Mash or created a comic strip.
I thought it would be fun for you to act out your story and record it.
You can just read your story using voices for the two characters or ask a sybling to help you act it out. Once you have recorded it, please send it to me.
The other option is that you could go back to the story from last Friday, The Great Kapok Tree and read out the conversations between your two animals. Think about the way they would speak like the slow sloth or the growling tiger.
This way you are not only being authors but actors and entertainers too!
You can practise different voices to make them as different and dramatic as possible.
Have fun making your own 'storytime'. It was called Jackanory when I was young and one f my favourite television programmes
Have fun!
I look forward to seeing them,
Mrs Afford
Your task today is to write your own story in the style of 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters'!
You have your two contrasting characters (one good, one bad) and you have the three tests that will happen to them. You know what lesson they need to learn. Now you just need to put it all together!
It is YOUR CHOICE how you want to create this story!
Some ideas are:
I have set the comic strip app as a 'to do' on Purple Mash to help you find it, but if you would rather write your story another way that is absolutely fine!
Enjoy being an author for the day!
_______________________________________________________________________
If you do decide to use the comic strip maker on Purple Mash, you can add speech bubbles using the tool on the left ( <--) and add pictures using the menu on the right ( --> ).
Now that you have your own two characters, one good and one bad, today we need to decide what will happen to them!
First, your story needs a moral or a lesson to learn - in 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters' we could say the moral is you must be beautiful on the inside. If you are kind, gentle and polite then you will be rewarded, but if you are mean and selfish then you won't. You might want to stick with this, or pick another lifelong lesson for your characters to learn.
Your characters will face three tests, just like Manyara and Nyasha did in the forest. The way your characters choose to act will show whether they are the good or bad character.
What is going to happen to your characters to help them learn their lesson? (Have a look at the example if you are stuck!)
This week you are going to build up across our lessons to write your own story in the style of 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters'.
For today's lesson, you are going to decide on your two main contrasting characters. To fit in with this style of story with a moral, you will need a good character and a bad character. They might be sisters like Manyara and Nyasha, brothers, cousins, friends, or even strangers to each other!
Your task: decide on your two characters' names, what their relationship is, and most importantly what their personalities are! There is also a space for a picture of your character - you could either do this on your computer or by hand.
Have fun creating your characters!
Good morning Year 4 and welcome to your new week of English learning!
Today's task is on Purple Mash and the activities are set on your 'to do' list. It is Chapter 2 of the 'Alien Hotel' text!
Good luck, and don't forget to save your work when you have finished!
Good morning Year Four!
I hope you are all enjoying working from home.
As you know we have been studying 'Stories from other Culltures' this half-term. You have finished reading 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters so today we will continue to do this with a new story.
On the Learning Tasks I have included the YouTube links for two videos. The first one is a documentary about the African Rainforests. The second is a reading of the story, 'The Great Kapok Tree' by Lynne Cherry.
Then you will be focussing on an extract from the story whilst being 'literary detectives', identifying the different types of words. The answers are also included.
There is a short writing task continuing with our work on direct speech. You will select two of the animals from the story ans write their descriptions of their homes to one another. I have included a sheet showing what the animals say to the logger while he is sleeping.
Finally, there is a worksheet showing a diagram of the layers of the rainforest. I would love you to label this with the animals showing where they live and colour it in like the lovely illustrations in the book.
I really hope you all enjoy this story.
Love from Mrs Afford
Did the ending surprise you? Why or why not?
Usually in stories with two contrasting characters like Manyara and Nyasha, the ‘good’ character gets the happy ending while the ‘bad’ character usually suffers in some way because of their choices.
In this story, Nyasha ends up becoming the queen while Manyara has to be her servant. Some of you may have predicted this would happen right from the beginning of the story because you knew this pattern of good winning over bad!
The author (John Steptoe) wants us to learn something from this story as readers. This story has a moral, or a lifelong lesson hidden inside it.
Your task is to explain what you think the moral (or lesson) of this story is.
What did John Steptoe want his readers to learn from Manyara and Nyasha?
We will be reading a little further in our story 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters'. In the text it is until halfway down page 4 to the paragraph that says:
"The sun was high in the sky when the party came to the grove of towering trees. Their uppermost branches seemed to bow down to Nyasha as she passed beneath them. At last, someone announced that they were near their destination."
On the YouTube read aloud version, it is until 7:20.
Remind yourself of the beginning of our text, 'Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters'. We have already read the first page, now read a bit further to half way down page 3 until it says:
“A queen acknowledges on those who please her,” she said to herself. "I will be queen. I will be queen,” she chanted as she hurried on toward the city.
On the Youtube read aloud version, this is up to the time 5:52.
Write a diary entry from Manyara after her journey through the woods.
Try to include her thoughts and feelings about what happens to her as she is travelling. Is she scared? Is she annoyed? Is she excited?
You may want to include her reasons for why she chooses to act like she does, for example she might be rude because she thinks she is better than everyone else.
Remember Capital Letters and punctuation ( . , ? ! " ") !
You have a reading task set on Purple Mash as part of the Serial Mash reading scheme. The text and activities are set on your 'to do' list when you log in to the Purple Mash website.
The text is chapter 1 of 'Alien Hotel'!
Spellings: revision of -cian, -tion, -sion and -ssion suffixes.