Grade 4

Maths

Over the past two weeks, we have had a big focus on multiplication. Students have learned and explored a variety of mental and written strategies. They've been learning the basics of times tables, understanding how repeated addition works, and exploring different strategies such as arrays and partitioning to solve multiplication problems. Students have enjoyed many different activities - making their learning experiences engaging.

Over the next week, students will continue to learn multiplication - focusing on short multiplication and long multiplication.

Respectful Relationships

Students have been learning about how the words they say can affect the feelings and emotions of others. We spoke about the importance of showing kindness towards others and to think before we speak.

The students engaged in a powerful activity that illustrated the impact of hurtful words. Each student received a paper heart and were instructed to scrunch it up tightly. As they did so, we could see their expressions shift, reflecting the physical act of crumpling as a metaphor for emotional pain caused by unkind words. Despite their efforts to smooth out the paper afterward, the creases and wrinkles remained, serving as an important reminder that words, once spoken, cannot easily be undone or forgotten. This activity sparked thoughtful discussions among the students about the lasting effects of hurtful language and the importance of kindness in their interactions with others.

Literacy

Last week most students wrote a recount about their time on Grade 4 camp. They enjoyed reflecting on their adventure, displaying emotions of pride and happiness.

This week, the students had a lot of fun learning about cinquain poems! They discovered that a cinquain has just five lines and a special pattern for counting syllables. We picked topics like animals, hobbies, and seasons. They counted syllables and chose words carefully: a noun (like "dog" or "snow"), two describing words (like "fluffy" or "cold"), action words (like "barks" or "falls"), a short phrase (like "on the grass" or "in the winter"), and a word that means the same as the first noun. They loved how their poems turned out, and it showed them how cool and creative poetry can be. Make sure to ask your child to read their poem out to you!