Grade 4 News
Important Reminders
- Hats - As per our school's SunSmart policy, all students are required to wear hats till the end of April 2024.
- Shoe-box- as part of our Maths Investigation this term, students are required to bring a box the size of a shoe-box to hold all of the bits required for the task.
- Grade 4 camp - 18th-20th October (NEXT WEEK!!)
- Don't forget: arrive at school at 7.30am for 8.00am departure
- bring a small day-bag with your snack, lunch, water bottle, suncream & hat (you need to provide your own snack & lunch on the Wednesday)
- meet in the Senior School building to mark the roll (parents can wait with luggage under the shade & shelter)
- Production: we had our dress rehearsal this week. Week 4 will be the real thing! Please remember to wear a black t-shirt & black pants/leggings. A-K on Wednesday & L-Z on Thursday. The students have been practising really hard, so please support your child in this exciting experience. Don't forget to buy your tickets.
- Maths Masters- the students practise their goal every day. You can also practise your goal at home in order to increase numerical fluency. The goals can be found online here: Maths Masters Belts folder.
Learning in Action
Literacy: As part of our author study, the students have been studying the craft that different authors use to ascertain what makes a good description of a setting and of characters. They have looked at Roald Dahl, J.K. Rowling, Robin Klein, and Lemony Snicket (just to name a few). They have noted the excellent word choices and sentence structures that determine the feel of a story to come. After pulling apart the works of other authors, the students have practised writing their own descriptions of settings and characters. This is designed to enhance their narrative writing later in the term.
Preview: Next week the students will look at relevant themes contained in short stories. Mem Fox and Jackie French will provide excellent sources of worked examples for the students to study.
Maths: The students have begun to develop their knowledge of fractions. They have revised fractions of a shape, a collection, and on a number line. They have explored the language of fractions: denominator (the total amount) and the numerator (the amount on which we need to focus). It's important to focus on equal parts of the whole.
The students have also started their Maths Investigation. They have learned about the elements: mass, volume, capacity and temperature. This week week they have created a sculpture out of architect bricks that comply with their given mass. They had to check if it matched the amount of grams by weighing on kitchen scales, whilst also engaging their creativity.
Preview: Next week the students will be exploring equivalent fractions. They will be making, drawing and representing fractions, and comparing which are smaller/ larger.
The next part of the Maths Investigation is to create a cube/cuboid that can hold their sculpture. This will draw upon their knowledge of 3D shapes. They will then measure the volume of their shape with centicubes.
Wellbeing:
The Respectful Relationship topic for the term is Positive Gender Relationships. The current Friendology focus is on identifying tricky situations so that they don't become a friendship fire. Students have continued to practise using a 'quick comeback' and walking away when presented with challenging behaviour in role plays.
Inquiry: The students have explored the difference between open and closed questions. They have developed their own questions based upon unusual pictures, and checked in with others as to the validity of their questions. This week the students acted as detectives. Their questioning skills came into play, and they needed to call upon their critical and creative thinking to solve the problem: a fun way to develop their skills.
Preview: After camp the students will be focusing on sustainabilty in different global forms.