Silver Birch Class - Y3/4 2022-2023
Our Class Novel

Miss Staples teaches Year 3 and 4 and believes in making lessons both exciting and interesting but also providing memorable learning opportunities. This year our curriculum has a range of topics including Extreme earth, Ancient Egyptians, Anglo Saxons and Greek civilisation.
Miss Staples is also supported by Mrs Rowland Smith, who provides a valuable role for all of the children in Silver Birch Class in the mornings or afternoons.
Term 5 Ancient Greece
During Term 5, we will look at Greek civilisation, where we will have a particular focus on Gods and Mortals. We will look at the timeline of Ancient Greece, focusing on trade, Alexander the great, the Olympics and the differences between the Athenians and the Spartans. We will also have a chance to look at what an Ancient Greek classroom looked like and compare it to ours.
We will also look at Greek patterns in particular mosaic and the use of lines and shape. We will research famous Greek patterns and incorporate this with designing and making our own mosaic collage.
Developing Maths Skills - Key Instant Recall Facts
What are KIRFs?
To develop your child’s fluency and mental maths skills, we are introducing KIRFs (Key Instant Recall Facts) throughout school. KIRFS are a way of helping your child to learn by heart, key facts and information which they need to have instant recall of.
KIRFs are designed to support the development of mental maths skills that underpin much of the maths work in our school. They are particularly useful when calculating, adding, subtracting, multiplying or dividing. They contain number facts such as number bonds and times tables that need constant practise and rehearsal, so children can recall them quickly and accurately.
TERM 4 VIKINGS
During Term 4 we will continue to focus on the Vikings with a particular focus on Design and technology. This is where we will be exploring cross-stitch and appliqué. We will use this to design and make our own Bayeux tapestry.
We will also focus on Electricity in Science which is where we will be learning about what electricity is and what it is used for. This will follow on looking at the scientists behind Electricity and doing our own research on them. We will follow on with an investigation in making our own circuit and looking at insulators and conductors.
Forest School Sessions this term!
Reading In Silver Birch
Term 1- Extreme Earth
During Term 1 we will be looking at Extreme Earth, we will start off the term by looking at the Earth and what is under our feet, where we have a focus on the earth’s layers. We will follow on by looking at how Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Tornadoes are each formed and the devastation that it caused afterwards. We will also be going on a school trip to Pevensey Castle and Battle Abbey to start our topic of the Anglo Saxons off.
Term 2-Ancient Egypt
During Term 2 we will look at Ancient Egypt, where we will start off by looking at who were the Ancient Egyptians. We will look at what life was like in Ancient Egypt and compare it to our time now. We will also look at writing like an Egyptian by using Hieroglyphs and compare this to our own writing. We will spend some time focusing on mummies and Tutankhamun. Finally we will look at the different Egyptian gods and their different powers.
We will also look at using pneumatics to design our own pop up Egyptian mummy in Design and Technology. We will investigate air and look at demonstrations of making mechanical systems to design and make our own prototype
In English we used our investigating skills to work out how we think Tutankhamun died. We used the clues around the classroom and had to work like detectives to work out what happened.
TERM 3 VIKINGS
In Term 3 we will focus on the Vikings. Having a particular look at, where they came from, where they invaded and settled and why they left Scandinavia. We will have the chance to learn about the Viking warrior's weapons, particularly the key features of a longship and how they were made. We will also learn about the Vikings beliefs, farm settlements and the traders.
In Science we are hoping to have someone come in to talk about different reptiles and rodents which links to what we are learning about - Animals including humans.