Hello, I'm Mrs Makinde and I teach in Goldfinch class. My favourite subjects are English and Computing. This is my third year of teaching and my first year teaching here at St John's. 

In my spare time, you'll find me reading and exploring outside with my two daughters.

 

Other staff working in our class are:

Mrs Gavriilidis – Class TA

Mr Hasker (Fridays)

Our weekly timetable:

Important dates for the diary this term for Goldfinch Class

Wednesday 14th January - Year 4 trip to the Beaney to see Greek Pots

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English

​Our class book this term is Who let the Gods out? By Maz Evans. We will read this fantastic book linked to our history topic and focusing on reading comprehension. Year 4 will be writing some imaginative poetry as well as narratives and beginning to write biographies about Greek Gods and Goddesses. We will continue our focus of subordinate clauses and adding detail to our writing.

Reading

While reading our class book, the children will be building on their inference skills and justify their answer using information from the text. Year 4 will continue to read independently every day and use Accelerated Reader to complete quizzes about the book.

Maths

This term, we will be focusing on multiplication and division as this is an essential part of building a strong mathematical foundation. Using concepts from the White Rose curriculum, pupils will develop a deep understanding of multiplication and division by working through various stages of learning and using concrete, pictorial, and abstract methods.

Key Learning Points:

Multiplying and Dividing by 10 and 100: Pupils will learn how to multiply and divide two-digit numbers by a single-digit number. This will involve strategies such as exchanging, scaling, grouping and dividing and using factor pairs to multiply larger numbers.

Times Tables: A significant emphasis will be placed on learning and recalling multiplication tables up to 12x12. Pupils will engage in activities that encourage quick recall, and they will use their times tables knowledge to solve both multiplication and division problems. We will be using TTRS to support our learning, as well as practical activities to reinforce these facts.

Division as Inverse of Multiplication: Pupils will explore the relationship between multiplication and division. They will understand that division is the inverse of multiplication and practice using division facts to solve missing number problems.

Word Problems: Applying multiplication and division to real-life contexts is a key aspect of this topic. Students will solve word problems that involve both operations, helping them develop problem-solving skills. These word problems will often involve multiple steps and will require students to select the correct operation based on the context.

Key words: commutative, factor pairs, inverse operation, efficient methods, informal methods of multiplication and division.

 

Curriculum

This term we are exploring the history topic of 'Grooving with the Greeks'. We will be exploring the Ancient Greek life and civilisation as well as famous architecture, theatres and the Olympic games.

Science

This term we are exploring Electricity. Year 4 will be learning what is needed to make a circuit work and how we can fix ones that don’t work. We will learn the symbols for the components of a circuit too.   ​

 

RE

This term RE, our focus is on the big question, "What kind of world did Jesus want?" We will explore the core teachings of Jesus, examining how his messages of love, compassion, and forgiveness can guide us in our daily lives. Through stories from the Bible, we will learn about his actions and words that emphasised kindness, justice, and helping those in need.

We will also reflect on how Jesus' teachings challenge us to create a world where everyone is treated equally, with respect and dignity. Pupils will have the opportunity to discuss and think about how they can apply these values in their own lives, whether it's through acts of kindness, standing up for what is right, or helping others in their community.

By the end of the topic, pupils will have a deeper understanding of Jesus’ vision for a better world and will consider how we can work together to make the world a kinder, fairer place for all.

 

Learning at home for Goldfinch Class

• Reading expectation for year group
• Spelling shed
• TTRS (Times Tables Rock Stars)
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Be ready for learning! In Goldfinch Class, your child will need to have these items in school:

• Full uniform to be worn everyday, including black shoes
   
• PE kit (to be worn on PE day) 
   
• Water bottle (no squash or juice) 

• Small rucksack (big enough to hold lunchbox and reading books) 

• Wellington boots (to leave in school) 

• Coat (weather appropriate) 

 

Please don’t bring other items into school, as we do not have space to store these, and it can cause upset if things are lost or damaged.

 

 

 

Highlights of our learning so far this year: