MrJennings

In maths we worked on pie charts on Monday, interpreting these and using them to solve problems. We concentrated on explaining the solution to the problems using fractions. Today we did some work on averages - the mean, median and mode.

In English we spend Monday's lesson looking closely at some writing we did last week as a practice test. We discussed examples of our writing - highlighting the strengths and the points that could be improved and we also looked at some examples that had been printed in the teachers' mark scheme. Then we had a go at improving our own pieces of writing. Today we did our writing in history. We planned and drafted the writing for a wartime leaflet informing householders how to use a stirrup pump.

On Monday afternoon, we watched the Years 3 and 4 production and this afternoon, after doing PE with the YMCA, we began some science revision (about electric circuits) using a BBC video. School was closed this Tuesday.

In maths, after considering some more ratio problems, we have spent time thinking about questions which require interpretation of graphs and charts. We have focused in particular on questions which are based on pie charts, and learning that we often need to think carefully about the numbers represented by the whole pie chart as well as the fractions shown.

In English we looked at a short story by Dick King-Smith which we read together. We thought about how the author made the ending relate to the start of the story and how he used expanded noun phrases in description.

We have completed our unit of work about micro-organisms by investigating the growth of yeast in different conditions, setting up different tests in which we had yeast with or without sugar (to act as food) in both warm and cold conditions.

Today we also had our usual Friday maths and English groups.

After an INSET day on Monday, things returned to normal yesterday. In maths we began some work on ratio and proportion, thinking about identifying ratios, simplifying them and tackling some problems involving ratios. In English we focused on punctuation - that is, punctuation of speech and the use of commas in longer sentences. In the afternoon we had our PE session with the YMCA, French and handwriting.

Today we had a go at a previous year's English SATs spelling and short writing task. In maths we thought about problems based on pie charts in which we had to work out fractions shaded and compare them with values shown on other charts. This afternoon we worked on science. The work was about microbes and their role in decay and decomposition and how people attempt to preserve things (like food) by using methods which make it harder for microbes to live, grow and reproduce.

We thought more about converting larger to smaller units and vice versa on Thursday before moving on to consider the use of imperial units. We had our Road Safety Quiz at school today and we also used this as our theme for some descriptive writing, in which we described a road sign - trying to show a range of punctuation and sentence styles in the simple context. We finished the day with PE after we had done our weekly spelling test and completed some work on classifying the major groups of vertebrates.

Today we had our usual Friday maths and English groups and, this afternoon, we completed our water colour landscape paintings.

In English we are concentrating on "sentence level" work this week - focusing on punctuation. We have also had a go at another past reading paper - the one that was produced for 2005.

Our maths work is about measures - converting between measurements (e.g. cm and m; kg and g etc.) but on Monday and Tuesday we continued last week's theme to make sure that we were secure on finding areas of compound shapes and could work out perimeters.

We have spent quite a lot of time on science this week. We have had a go at the second part of the SATs test that we began last week and produced some labeled diagrams/concept maps about life processes in plants.

Also this week, we have had our PE session with the YMCA, French, handwriting and music.

In our "arguments" work in English, we have written a "protest letter" to a newspaper, complaining about the building of a factory on a common and sports field. We concentrated on making sure our paragraphs were coherent and we used the most appropriate connectives.

In maths, we have continued with our work on angles and shape. We have also spent quite a lot of time on our food chains work in science and also had a first go at a past science SATs test.

Today, we had our usual Friday maths and English groups and, this afternoon, a visitor came to school to talk about flight and the forces involved in flight.

In English, we have continued our work on argument and discussion texts. We finished writing an argument in favour of the World War 2 evacuation scheme, making sure that the text had an appropriate structure. We have also planned ideas for two discussion texts.

Our maths unit this week has begun with work on angles. We have measured and drawn angles, including reflex angles, and calculated "missing angles" on a straight line and about a point, using our knowledge that angles on a straight line sum to 180 and angles about a point sum to 360 degrees.

We have started some science work on food chains and today we had our PE session with the YMCA, French and hand writing.

Today we had our usual Friday English and maths groups this morning.

This afternoon, the photographer came to school to take our class photographs. After that, the week's homework was given our and we had a look at the activities and then we did art. We learn some water colour painting techniques - learning not to use white, to use the sky colour as the key colour and to use graduated washes when creating the sky and ground regions.

In English we have used our annotated discussion texts to help us list connectives and phrases which may be used in argument. Today we wrote an argument together (why the WW II evacuation was a bad idea) and then, with a partner, began writing a counter argument (why it was a good idea). We have continued to practice and discuss mental maths strategies in our maths lessons.

Yesterday afternoon we revised the notion of seed dispersal by creating a powerpoint to illustrate the different methods and today we moved on to thinking about identification trees. We created decision trees and used others to identify small animals. We also had a PE session, learning how to hold a cricket bat safely and properly and to play the "straight drive".