Year Four
Year 4 News
It has been a big Term in Year 4. We want to congratulate the students (and the parents!) for getting through remotely and supporting us all this term. It has certainly been a challenge to keep everyone motivated. We are so proud of our children and their attitudes online and their attendance particularly.
In closing the Term we are planning some fun, lighter activities for next week. A magic show, cooking morning and a pyjama day to mix it up a little. The students seemed excited at the mention of this and gives us all something to look forward to.
Sways
Our group Sway presentations are being delivered today. This is the second part of our Inquiry “Who We Are” Exhibition. The students have been working collaboratively on researching and investigating two events that significantly impact or cause a body system to become stressed or fail. Some examples are, smoking, excessive exercise, poor diet, no shelter, hyperthermia, hypothermia, Covid and lack of sleep.
The children have learnt new skills using the Sway app and have also learnt to work cooperatively online. A huge feat for 9 and 10 year olds – well done!
Literacy
In Literacy we have been exploring a CAFÉ strategy each week. This week it’s from the Expand Vocabulary section of the menu and it’s learning about Word Parts – prefixes, base words and suffixes.
We have been Reading to Self Listen to articles on Kids News and Reading to Someone. We have become informed with BTN and demonstrated our comprehension through answering questions on the news pieces in full sentences.
Please ask your children what they’ve learnt and understood. One of our “Success Criteria” is that students can explain orally the news story to a person in their own words. Sharing with family around the dinner table is a perfect opportunity for this and may also promote some discussion about current affairs.
We have also been constructing persuasive pieces on either, “Computer Games are Waste of Time” or “Playing Computer Games is Time Well Spent”. Children have constructed an introduction, main body with three main arguments and a conclusion. Some of these have been quite entertaining!
Maths
In Maths students have been working on the concept of division. In Measurement and Geometry we have just finished up Area.
Maths Antics clips are a great resource to go to if your children is having trouble grasping the concept. You’ll find them at the beginning of the children’s task on OneNote for most lessons. They are a nice reminder and review the steps involved in solving the problems clearly.
Sometimes these are helpful for parents to review also, if you’re unsure about supporting your child. Parents are often worried about explaining the “wrong way” to solve an equation. These Maths Antics clips can assist.
It may also be helpful to explain to children that there is more than one way to solve a problem and it’s nice to have a few in their ‘toolkits’ even Mum and Dad’s ‘old fashioned’ ways!
Welfare
Please keep reminding your children to access the Welfare lessons. These are mainly driven by the Resilience Project and Smiling Minds. These will assist in paying attention to gratitude mindfulness and empathy during these trying times.
Getting off a screen and into the fresh air is sometimes the best medicine especially as the weather improves.