Good afternoon Year 4! 

I hope you all had the most wonderful Christmas and New Year! 

This term we are focusing on  'Jesus the Son of God - Power and Authority'.

Today we are looking at the meaning of authority and discussing how we know that Jesus had power and authority. 

First, go through the PowerPoint slides - this will guide you through the worksheet and will help you to answer the questions. Do you recognise anybody on the first slide? Once you feel confident, you can complete the worksheet. There are three worksheets with slightly different questions, please choose the one that you think you can answer the best! 

I hope you have a lovely afternoon and remain safe! I hope to see you all soon!

Miss Hankinson

Good afternoon, 

Today we are learning about how and why Hanukkah is celebrated Go through the PowerPoint and watch the YouTube video attached to the slide to help you answer the questions. 

Miss Hankinson

Good afternoon, 

Today we are learning about the different features of a Christingle! Look through the PowerPoint to help you identify each feature and then complete the worksheet attached. Once you have completed your worksheet and have understood the meaning of each feature, you may have a go at making one yourself - remember to ask an adult to light the candle for you!

Tuesday 14th July

Does God answer our prayers?

Yes, God does answer every prayer so the question should be how? How does he do it?

The fact is God answers our prayers in ways we do not always recognise because we do not always see the bigger picture or because we think we know what the answer will be and if we do not receive that, we think our prayer has not been answered. Many people make this mistake.

Here are some Bible references;

Luke 11:10 - For everyone that asketh, receiveth.

1 John 5:14 - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us . 

The heart of what prayer is all about, is not just about asking for things; it is about seeking God’s face and enjoying ‘sweet communion with him’.

Now think about the different prayers you have said to God. Think about when he has answered them and how he has answered them. Is it always in the same way?

Write a short prayer to God about someone else. Make a note of the different ways he may answer them.

Remember, we do not always get what we ask for and if we do it may not be straight away.

Jesus taught us to be patient and to have faith.

Listen to The Lord's Prayer sung so beautifully in this video and join in. 

Tuesday 7th July

Matthew 26:36 In the garden of Gethsemane

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

Jesus was talking to God through prayer just as we all can.

Did God answer him as you or I would?

A question often asked is, Does God answer our prayers?

But the fact is, God does answer prayer. In fact, God answers every prayer. If you think about it, though, you can understand why he doesn't answer every prayer with a “Yes,” immediately.

Suppose, for example, that John prays, “Lord, I need rain on my field right now,” and Jim standing ten feet away prays, “Lord, please keep the rain away while we finish putting the new roof on my house.” God isn’t going to answer both prayers with a Yes, right away. Two people are asking for two completely different things at the same time in practically the same place!

I would like you to think about Jesus praying to God in the garden of Gethsemane. Draw a picture of this and add what you think he was asking for in a speech bubble. Then write what you think God's response was. I have included some pictures to inspire you. 

Then click on the link below to see some children talking about their prayers and how they pray.

Tuesday 30th June

What is Prayer?

Prayer is an expression of belief and commitment.

Prayer is communication with God that helps to build a relationship with him.

How do we build relationships with the people around us?

Can we build a relationship with God in the same way? Why? Why not?

Does the way you pray make it any more or less valuable?

Spend some time being still and silent, may be ask an adult to light candles and give yourself time to reflect on the day or a situation.

You could play some quiet, soothing music.

These can help you to concentrate while you are praying and talking to God.

As Paul says in Colossians 3:17, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

You have already looked at the traditional prayers of St. Francis and John Wesley and today we will look at another traditional prayer that most of us say every day, 'The Grace'

There are different versions of the Grace, said at different times and in different churches but they are ALL about saying thank you to God.

This is the Grace we say at the end of assembly;

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all,

now and evermore.

Amen.

The other Grace we say daily at school before lunch;

For what we are about to receive,

may the Lord make us truly thankful

and mindful of the needs of others.

 Amen

Around the world children say Grace before a meal to thank God and some of these are fun Prayers. Not all prayers need to be serious. We can talk to God in a fun way.

Here are some examples of children's prayers;

Come Lord Jesus
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest,
And let this food to us be blessed.
Amen
Thank You, God, for Everything
Thank you for the world so sweet.
Thank you for the food we eat.
Thank you for the birds that sing.
Thank you God for everything.
Amen
The Yummy Prayer
For all food yummy
That fills my tummy,
Thank you, God!
Amen!

Bless This Bunch

Dear Lord, bless this bunch
As we munch on our lunch.
Amen.

A B C D E F G

A B C D E F G
Thank you, God,
For feeding me.
Amen.

Thanks for the Grub

Rub a dub dub
Thanks for the grub
Yay God!
Amen.

All these prayers are saying thank you to God for food. Some people say the Grace before they eat, others after they have eaten or before certain courses.

I would like you to write your own prayer thanking God for your food.

You could use rhyme like some of the prayers above, or make the lines short and punchy, or both!

Have fun writing them and do send them to me so I can share them with you all. 

Tuesday 23rd June

Good morning Year 4!

Last week we looked at prayer spaces, and what sorts of prayer activities you could do at home. I hope you enjoyed those activities and found some time to be peaceful.

Today we are going to look at some traditional prayers to think about what they teach us about God and what Christians believe in. You probably know some prayers already from school, but you might not have heard of these ones!

The Prayer of St Francis

St Francis was a monk from nearly 800 years ago. He is known for loving animals and having a special relationship with the natural world. This is his most famous prayer:

How did this prayer make you feel? 

St Francis is asking God to use him as his 'instrument', like a tool or musical instrument. These things need someone to guide them to do what they are capable of, so St Francis is offering his life and choices to do what God wants. St Francis wants to be of service to other people, putting the needs of others before his own.

The words to this prayer have also been used to create a popular hymn.

The Prayer of John Wesley

John Wesley was alive in the 1700s and founded the Christian denomination called 'Methodism'. He created this famous prayer: 

There are a few tricky words in here! Here is a glossary.

Thine = yours

Thou = you

Wilt = will

Thee = you

Yield = give up/give away

Thy = your

Covenant = agreement

Ratified - agreed to

John Wesley is saying something very similar to St Francis in his prayer. He is saying that what he wants is not important, and that he will do what God wants in his life.

How does this prayer make you feel? Which do you prefer? Why? Are there any words or phrases that feel very powerful to you?

An Irish Blessing

This prayer some of you may have seen if you have been on holiday to Ireland!

This one is a bit different. This one asks for a blessing and protection for another person. Say this prayer to someone you love, or ask them to say it to you. Spend some time thinking about or discussing these questions.

How did that make you feel?

• What do you think we can learn about what Christians believe from this prayer? 
• What other prayers do you know?
• Which bits do you like best in them?
• Which prayer is your favourite, out of these ones and out of every prayer you know? 

Tuesday 16th June

Hello everyone!

Last week you were Bible Detectives, finding out what Jesus taught us about prayer from his words and actions recorded in the Bible. 

Prayer is communication with God that helps us to build a relationship with him. 

Think about how you build relationships with friends, family, teachers, members of our community. Can we build a relationship like that with God? Why? Why not?

There are lots of different sorts of prayers:

• Praise
• Intercession (prayers said for another person)
• Giving thanks
• Confession (saying sorry and asking for forgiveness)
• Silence
• Meditation
• Planned prayers
• Spontaneous prayers (not planned!)
• Loud or quiet
• Fun or serious
• Or simply talking with God.

There is no 'right' way to pray! 

Your task this week is to pick a new way to pray that you have never tried before to see how you like it. For a list of interesting ways to pray at home with your family, take a look at the link below.

I am going to try one each day this week. Today I am having a go at 'Love > Fear' on page 2. 

See which ones you like the look of!

Tuesday 9th June

Good morning Year 4!

Today for our RE learning, you are going to be detectives!

We looked last week about what we know already about prayer and praying. We thought about who prays, where, when, why, how, and to who. We thought about what kinds of prayers there are, and whether we knew any prayers. 

This week, we are going to be Bible Detectives to figure out what Jesus teaches us about praying. We need to be detectives, because Jesus didn't often say things like 'you should pray like this'. Instead he showed us how to pray by example.

Use the worksheet below to read the clues, then record what you think we can detect about praying from the way Jesus acted. I have included some examples to get you started!

Good luck detectives!

Tuesday 2nd June

Good morning everyone!

Today we are starting our new RE unit called 'What is Prayer?'

Praying is something we have all done a lot in school, and maybe some of you pray at home, or at Church, or somewhere else instead!

Today we are just going to have a think about what we already know about prayer.

Some questions for you to think about are: 

• Who prays? Is it just Christians?
• Where do people pray?
• How do people pray? Does it need to be hands joined and eyes closed?
• Do you know any prayers?
• What sorts of prayers are there? (Asking for help? Thank you?)
• When do people pray?
• Why do people pray? How does it make them feel?
• Who listens to prayers?

You can record your ideas on the sheet below. There might be more than one answer to a question!

Tuesday 19th May

Good morning Year 4!

We have been looking at Churches during this unit, and what the important 'ingredients' are for a Church. We have seen that it isn't necessarily the building that is the most important thing! Instead it is the people coming together to worship in love that is the most important ingredient for a Church.

This month has been the holy month of Ramadan in the religion Islam. Followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims do not have Churches to worship in, instead they worship in Mosques. They have a lot of different beliefs to Christians, but they have the same important ingredient of coming together to worship. Most religions have this ingredient in some way!

Your task today is to find out more about Ramadan and why it is celebrated by Muslims. See if you can spot any differences and similarities to the way Christians worship!

Thank you to Erin for sharing this wonderful Blessing she has written with us.

Miss Byrne and I are sure the rest of you would like to read it too so have shared it with you all.

Take care, remain safe and remember, Our Lord is always with us.

Love from

Mrs Afford and Miss Byrne

Tuesday 12th May

Last week, your research task covered lots of different sorts of Christian festivals that were very different from a traditional 'Church', but still had those important ingredients of people coming together to worship God in a loving way. It didn't matter where they were, or whether there was a building, or who they were, as long as they wanted to worship together then they were a 'Church' of people.

What would you say are the key 'ingredients' to Church? People? Worship? Atmosphere? Does there need to be prayers? Does there need to be singing? Does there need to be some kind of service?

Your task today is to be creative and think of a new way to 'do' Church!

Maybe you would like a Cafe Church where you could have a coffee while you worshipped! Maybe worshipping outdoors...do you have a favourite place like a lake or field that could be suitable? Maybe a breakfast Church, or a skateboarding Church! We have Sweaty Church in school, maybe you would like something like that? Or a Messy Church where you get to arts and crafts? (I think this would be my choice!) The possibilities are endless - what would you like to try?

You might just want to talk about your ideas with someone else, or maybe you could design exactly what you want your brand new type of Church to look like!

Tuesday 5th May

Welcome back Year 4, today's task for RE is going to be mostly research based. 

What do you think of when you hear the word 'church'? Maybe you think of a tall, pointy building? Or maybe you think of the rules from St Paul that we looked at last week? Or maybe you think of crosses and benches? 

Today you are going to do some research about some different kinds of Christian worship. Some of the events have been changed due to the current situation, but you could search for photos of past years.

Your key question is: what do these events have in common? What is similar about these gatherings and the 'church' that you see in your head? You may want to discuss your ideas with an adult, or maybe create some kind of mind map showing what these churches have that is the same. You could use Microsoft OneNote to make a virtual mind map including voice notes. Your choice!

Tuesday 28th April

Today we are going to be thinking about the church again - but not the building this time!

The Church is made up of Christians coming together to worship in Jesus' name, where they do it is not important. They could worship outside if they wanted to!

Jesus set up his Church (or following of people) using Peter as the start of it. He called Peter the 'rock' that he built his Church on. 

Peter started off the Church, and St Paul later on gave all of the people who are in the Church some rules they should follow.

Have a read through 'St Paul's Rules' to see if you can spot what he tells us to do. 

(Here's one to start you off: feed those who are hungry.)

If someone asked you, "I want to be a good member of the Church - what should I do?" what would you tell them?

Your task is to make a poster or some sort of picture to help them understand one or a few of the rules St Paul gave us.

Tuesday 21st April

I hope you all had a peaceful and relaxing Easter break Year 4! Perhaps you found some time to reflect on what we learnt last half term about Jesus dying for us, then rising again on Easter Sunday and why we celebrate each year.

We are starting our new topic today of 'Are all Churches the Same?'

To begin with, think about what you know about where people go to worship. Christians go to a Church, but Jews (people who believe in the Jewish faith) go to Synagogues to pray. Muslims (who believe in the Islamic faith) go to Mosques to worship. You all know what a church looks like, but do you know what these buildings look like? What about places where Hindus go to worship, or Sikhs? Or other religions?

Your task is to research different places of worship around the world. You may want to create a powerpoint of ten different places of worship, including photographs and the country it is in. Your challenge is to have at least 5 different religions and countries overall!

If you find one you really like, you could use Google Earth or Google Maps to zoom in and get a close look like you are really there!

Tuesday 31st March

As we are approaching Easter, your tasks for this week are all to do with this celebration! There are a selection of activities on Purple Mash for you to choose from. They are set in your 'to do' lists.

If you would like more ideas and resources about Easter, please look at the Year 4 Class Plan for web links.

Enjoy and Happy Easter in advance!

Tuesday 24th March

Think about our diary entries we wrote as Peter after he had betrayed Jesus. He felt guilty, shamed and upset about what he had done. After Jesus forgives him, how do you think he felt then?

Forgiveness isn't easy, but we can do things that make it easier for people to forgive us. This might be an apology, or an action to show that we will not betray their trust again. For Peter, he said three times that he did know and love Jesus to make up for the three times he said that he didn't. 

What could you do to ask for forgiveness?