Week 4

 Dear Parents and Students,

We have well and truly settled into the new school year by now, and we have enjoyed another busy and productive week in Grade 4.

In the Classroom:

Maths

We have completed our second topic of Maths, and we will hold a topic test on Tuesday. Topic 2 was all about adding and subtracting whole numbers. There is no homework set for the weekend, but links to resources may be found in the posts below this one for anyone who would like to review subtraction further. Next Thursday, we will begin Topic 3, which focuses on multiplication.

Literacy Workshop

In Reading this week, we followed our theme of Journeys, this time following the journey of Akiak, the determined member of a sledding team in Alaska’s Iditarod race. We will be thinking about the various journeys and stories we have been reading about as we prepare for our first major writing assignment. On Monday, we will begin planning our Personal Narrative stories, and we will spend the best part of the next two weeks drafting, writing, and publishing our work.

Science

Our main science question for the week was Could a volcano pop up where you live? We learned about a farmer in Paricutin, Mexico, who experienced just that. We then charted a selection of volcanoes around the world and established patterns in their formation. What we learned this week will add to the clues we are collecting to solve the mystery of how the fossilised animals in Nebraska came to be. We will continue with the mystery next week.

Social Studies

We have been studying the various climates of the USA, and how they compare to other places around the world. We have also learned how location, elevation, and landforms can affect climate. We finished our Landscapes Postcards this week, with some very impressive results. Next week, we will be focusing on natural resources.

Other important information

As you know, our Parent Introductory Evening has been postponed until next Thursday, 11th September. I look forward to meeting you all then. As always, other important dates can be found below. I hope you all enjoy your weekend, and I will see you all on Monday!

Dates to remember:

Tue Sep 9: Math test – Topic 2

Thu Sep 11: Parent Introductory Evening

Mon Sep 15: Global Awareness Week

Fri Sep 26: Assembly

Mon Sep 29: Teachers’ Day Holiday  – school closed