This Term
Below you will find information about what the classes in Year 3 and 4 are learning about this term. You might also like to view our Homework page for ways that you can support learning at home.
Summer 2026
English
This half term Year 3/4 will begin the term with a non-fiction unit learning about persuasive texts. The children will be looking at a text called Stop Polluting the Ocean. The children will focus on developing their persuasive vocabulary and integrating facts and figures into a persuasive piece of writing. The next unit will be a fiction text in which the children will produce a goblin portal story. The children will use the original text called ‘The Impossibly Possible Bookshop’ to support their understanding of how to send their characters into a new world. We will then move on to our poetry unit which will be based on stories through poetry. The original text will be a story poem based on the journey of a Viking long ships journey over the water ready to battle. The children will be looking and how to structure their verses and how to include rhyming couplet. Our final English unit will be a non-fiction recount. The children will learn about the features of a recount focussing on chronological order and writing in the past tense. The children will be using the text ‘A Trip to the Museum’ as their guidance and will write a recount of their trip to Murton Park.
Maths
The children will continue to study a range of concepts and calculations focused on number. In the first half term, the children will focus on building their knowledge of number, place value, addition and subtraction looking at more formal written methods. They will then move on to shape including angles and lines of symmetry and geometry and then ending the half term focussing on data. During the second half term, the children will return to their learning of multiplication, division and fractions to again build on their understanding with new concepts. This will then be followed by a unit about measure focussing on different units of measure, area, time and money. The children will be focussing on their reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Science
The first Science unit of the term is Plants: Plant reproduction. The children will be able to identify what plants need to grow healthily, describe the structure and function of flowering plants and investigate how plants transport water. We will then move on to our making connections unit: How does wind force affect seed dispersal. The children will be exploring the relationship between the force of the wind and the distance seeds are dispersed. They will be able to recall key knowledge from previous learning, apply knowledge in new contexts and carry out a full scientific enquiry.
History
Unit Question: What happened when the Vikings came to Britain? (Travel and Exploration, Conflict and Power)
In this unit, the children will learn about where the Vikings came from and understand that they were great travellers who sailed to other parts of Europe to raid, trade and settle. They will investigate what happened at Lindisfarne, how the raids led to the use od Danegeld and how peace was made by the agreement to settle in Danelaw. We will end the unit by understanding what led the Vikings to leave Britain.
Geography
Unit Question: Are all mountains volcanoes?
In Geography, the children will be learning the names of the world’s most significant mountain ranges and locating them on a map as well as locating where the world’s volcanoes are and identifying the ‘Ring of Fire’. The children will understand how volcanoes and mountains are formed and that there are different types as well as gaining an understanding about tectonic plates and that volcanoes and mountains largely occur at the boundaries. They will also consider the positive and negative effects of living near a volcano.
Computing
The first unit the children will complete is Data Handling: Investigating Weather. They will learn how to search the web efficiently to find temperatures of different cities and record this accurately. They will also design a weather station that gathers and records sensor data and record the weather forecast information using a spreadsheet. The next unit is Skills Showcase: HTML. The children will recognise the role of HTML in a web page and how to alter the HTML to change the text and images.
P.E.
During summer 1, pupils will build on their striking and fielding skills by developing greater accuracy, control and consistency in batting, bowling and fielding techniques. They will have the opportunity to explore tactics including field placement, anticipating play and effective decision-making during game situations. Lessons will also include small-sided games with a focus on teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship with lots of opportunities to self and peer reflection/feedback. For summer 2, pupils will develop their athletics skills across running, jumping and throwing events, focussing on improving technique, control and overall performance. They will have the chance to practise a range of disciplines such as sprinting, distance running, long jump, high jump and different types of throws.
Art
The children will be completing a unit focussing on Sculpture. They will be learning about the works of Orla Kiely focussing on exploring printing. The children will experiment with different print effects and patterns with a range of surfaces. They create prints from a printing block and will explore position, symmetry and repetition in their artwork.
DT
The children will be completing a unit of work focussing on cooking and nutrition. The key question for the unit is ‘What ingredients will we use to cook a tasty nutritious Italian meal?’ The children will research Italian food and create an Italian dish for a family that tastes delicious. The designer that we will be focussing on for this unit is Jamie Oliver.
Life Curriculum
Unit question: How can our choices make a difference to others and the environment?
The children will learn that people have a shared responsibility to help protect the world around them and that everyday choices can affect the environment. The children will learn ways to show care and concern for others and know ways to carry out personal responsibilitoes in a caring and compassionate way.
Unit question: How can we manage risk in different places?
The children will learn about how to recognise, predict, assess and manage risk in different situations. They will know ways to keep safe in the local environment and will learn that people can be influenced by their peers’ behaviour, as well as understanding that people’s online actions can have an impact on other people.
Music
For the first unit of the term, we will be using the music program charanga to learn about feelings through music. The children will learn three different songs, composing and performing playing different instruments and singing in rounds. Then we will move on to learning Viking Saga’s which will relate to our History unit about the invasion of the Vikings in Britain. The children will learn the story or the Viking Gods and Goddesses through songs and different musical styles.
French
Au Cafe is the first unit the children will study. Children will learn the nouns and corresponding articles for a variety of food and drink items, building a practical vocabulary for discussing meals. They will be challenged to role-play ordering a selection of food and drink from a French menu and practice asking for the bill, developing conversational skills useful in real-world dining scenarios.
The children will then move on to the unit this is my family – ‘Voici ma famille!’. Children will learn to identify and introduce family members and pets, building confidence in describing personal relationships. They will further develop their understanding of possessive adjectives ("mon," "ma," and "mes") when referring to family members, enhancing their grammatical accuracy.
R.E.
The children will continue their unit following Pathway 6: How are the stories of Holy Week important to Christians? The children will learn about how Christians celebrate Holy Week and will have a visit from Reverend Balding to learn more about the celebrations. The next unit of the term is ‘Why do people follow inspirational leaders?’ This unit is based on Pathway 3 – A good life and Pathway 5 – Influence and Authority. This unit will begin in Summer 1 and continue into Summer 2. The children will explore the concept of leadership and will be an introduction to Jesus, The Prophet Muhammad and Moses as important leaders for Christians, Muslims and Jews.