Kingfishers Newsletter
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Curriculum Newsletter Kingfishers Class Autumn 2025
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome to our first curriculum newsletter! A quick explanation of how teaching and learning works in a mixed year group classroom. Most lessons are taught with the class together, apart from maths. Maths needs to be taught by Year group and so the class split for this lesson with a teacher leading the lesson in different classrooms. The literacy is taught together because the targets and outcomes in the National Curriculum are set out for lower Key Stage Two (Year 3 & 4) to achieve over a two-year period anyway. The other subjects Science, History, Art, Geography, Design Technology, Physical Education, Music, Spanish and Religious Education are taught on a two-year rolling programme. This means that by the end of their time in Kingfishers class, your child will have covered all the required curriculum.
Literacy
In Literacy this half-term we are learning how to write non-chronological reports. We are working through non-fiction text looking at skeletons and muscles which cross links with a science unit of work from last half-term. Alongside this we are learning the grammar and punctuation which is relative to this unit of work. Your child is learning about noun phrases, time adverbials, headings and sub-headings and precise verbs. Your child is also receiving reading lessons which focus on expanding vocabulary knowledge as well as the comprehension skills of retrieval and inference. Finally, your child is being taught spelling rules within phonic families. These spellings are emailed home every Friday, allowing them to be practised at home as well as at school. There is a weekly spelling test every Friday.
Maths
In Kingfishers, the class splits for their maths lessons so that they can be taught. This half-term both Year 3 and 4 are following the same subject content but are working at their age-related levels within each maths topic. To begin with, we are focusing on addition and subtraction using three-digit and four-digit numbers. We explore how to use the column method to work out the answers to calculations. Next, we are learning to calculate the area of rectilinear shapes. Finally, we are focusing on multiplication and division. We will be exploring arrays, multiples and solving multiplication and division problems.
Geography
In Geography we are looking at maps and map skills. We learn about the Earth’s magnetic field and how we use the 8 points of the compass to navigate. Next, we learn that a cartographer is a person who makes a map and about symbols on a map and how a key works. We also learn about four figure grid references and how to find places on a map using these grid references. We explore the physical similarities between two locations – for us, this is London and San Francisco. We look at the layout of the cities and how they appear on maps.
Science
In Science, we are learning about the Cycles of Nature. We learn that the seasons change as the earth rotates and moves around the sun. We make links with the work in geography. We will learn about how the tilt of the Earth influences the seasons. The class then move onto looking at how plants regulate their growing cycles in cinque with the seasons. Next, we look at animal migration and make links with what we have learnt about the Earth’s magnetic field. Finally, we look at the life cycle of a frog and how some animals metamorphosise from a juvenile into an adult.
Spanish
We are continuing to build on our prior knowledge from the previous year’s teaching. We recap some of the letters in Spanish and the sounds they make when we speak. We are learning the names of animals and how to pronounce, read and spell them.
Computing
This half-term we are learning how to correctly log on and off our computers. How to search for information and save it. We are also exploring internet safety and this includes a talk from our community police officer about cyber bullying. The talk explains what it is and how to deal with it if it occurs.
DT
In DT we are making a torch. This links to previous science work where we looked at how batteries work and how to correctly connect a circuit with a light and a switch. We then use this scientific knowledge to design, build and review our torches.
Towards the end of the term, we will also be making a Christmas tree decoration.