Class Novel

Our class novel this term is...

This term our class novel will be Bill's New Frock written by the famous author Anne Fine. It is a story that the children will soon love and will look forward to hearing the next chapter each day in our story time!

If you have not read the story you can find out a little more here...

One morning, a horrified Bill wakes up in a girl's body! He is sent to school in a frilly pink frock with fiddly shell buttons, and finds that life is suddenly very different. The school bully whistles at him instead of kicking him, and - not being a 'big strong boy' - he isn't allowed to lift and carry. His schoolwork is supposed to be ultra neat, and (worst of all!) he gets cast in the school play as Lovely Rapunzel, who never gets to say anything! By the time Bill gets home, the pink frock is covered in mud, and - thank goodness - he will never have to wear it again!

Reading at Home

Each Wednesday our class enjoy time in the school library with our dedicated librarians. All children are encouraged to spend quality time exploring the books and choosing one they would like to take home to enjoy! We expect parents and children to spend time enjoying their chosen book before changing it the next week!

Reading Lessons

This unit uses the contemporary story Lost or Stolen? by Narinder Dhami to explore the themes of relationships, suspicion and trust. Opportunities for writing involve using a story 'roller coaster' to plan and write a new chapter for the story. Linked via a Big Question, the Non-fiction week looks at information texts presented in a variety of styles, in a magazine feature format. Where appropriate, the children will be encouraged to develop an awareness of audience and purpose in relation to the fiction and non-fiction texts they are reading and writing.

Children will:

• link the theme of dilemmas in Lost or Stolen? with their own experiences and other stories.
• explore the characters, including what they think and how they change as the story develops.
• understand how suspense is created in a story.
• explore how they can use their voices to create tension when reading aloud.

Writing

Key writing purpose to be shared with the children:

To use the structure and characters from Lost or Stolen? to write a new chapter of the story with a different dilemma and setting.

In Year 4 writing we will learn to:

• write to suit purpose and with a growing awareness of audience, using some appropriate features.
• organise writing into sections or paragraphs, including fiction and non-fiction.
• appropriately use a range of presentational devices, including use of title and subheadings.
• use dialogue, although balance between dialogue and narrative may be uneven.
• describe characters, settings, and plot, with some interesting details.
• evaluate own and others' writing; proof read, edit and revise.

We will also secure the use of joined writing that is fluent and legible.