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Date: October 2015 - Unit letter Two Unit Reflection Maths Reflection In Grade 4 we have been enjoying working with real examples of very large and very small numbers. We began exploring place value by using children’s literature as a springboard for mathematical inquiry. Children’s books can be effective vehicles for motivating children to think and reason mathematically, stimulating their imaginations in learning important maths concepts and skills. Central Idea: Self­awareness enables people to become more effective learners. We began this unit by drawing a picture of our understandings of what a learner looks like. However, we quickly began to realise how many different ways there are to learn and construct knowledge. We carried out a visible thinking routine looking at photographs of a range of people all learning in different ways, writing what we saw, thought and wondered about each. In PE we invented and taught a new game to students in our class, afterwards reflecting on all the things we did in order to enable students to develop a knowledge and understanding of our game. We kept a learning journal which also helped us focus on not just what we had learnt in a day but how. As we recorded our observations about the different ways we are learning and constructing knowledge each day, we looked for patterns in determining what learning style best suits us. We also completed various surveys which helped us determine what type of learner we are, our multiple intelligences and how the style of learning at ISSH compares to other schools students or their parents may have attended. We were very excited to find out more about the brain and how this affects learning and especially putting our learning into action by exploring the different parts of a pig’s brain! This book led to a discussion about which numbers are likely or whether people sometimes exaggerate when telling stories using big numbers. We thought up our own ideas, for example: “150 million could not be the number of people in Switzerland but it could be the number of asteroids in the solar system.” We explored numbers further using lots of practical mathematical games to challenge and extend our understanding. The final assessment activity was based on students’ discoveries about themselves as a learner. They created and presented a poster or document for their teachers current and future explaining how they learn, ways the teacher can support them to become more efficient learners and also how the students can help themselves to become more effective learners. We look forwards to students putting their learning into action over the year and hope that this unit has helped them to become more effective learners. Grade 4 Unit Letter Two 2015 ­ 2016 Newsletter Oct 2015
Grade 4
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Homework reminders Homework is given out on a Wednesday, to be returned the next week on Tuesday. Grade 4 students are expected to complete a minimum of 40­50 minutes per day of homework. Reading 20 mins per day. Maths Whizz 45­60 minutes per week. Revision of multiplication facts. Spelling revision. Grade 4 students are expected to be able to spell high frequency words accurately: http://www.oxfordwordlist.com
/pages Calling all experts….. Please let me know if you would like to share some of your experiences of exploration or you have any other useful contacts or ideas. [email protected] Upcoming Language Focus: Genre: ​
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Narrative Students will be reading and writing short fiction. Ideas will be linked to our unit on Exploration and we will begin by focussing on a modelled story about an explorer. This will act as a springboard for students creating their own stories. They will be focussing on developing their ideas and the process of writing: planning, drafting, editing and publishing their own work. Grade 4 Unit Letter Two 2015 ­ 2016 Current Unit WHERE WE ARE IN PLACE AND TIME Central Idea: ​
Exploration can lead to discovery and impacts the people involved Key Concepts : Causation, Perspective Lines of Inquiry: ❖
Reasons for exploration ❖
The impact of exploration ❖
How exploration is perceived During this unit we will be investigating famous explorers with an emphasis on why they explored and the impact of exploration on the land and people. We will be looking at exploration both from the perspective of the explorer and the indigenous people, as well as the changing motives for exploration through the ages. Maths Focus: ​
Shape and Space Linked to our unit on Exploration, students will develop their understanding of systems for describing position and direction; describing lines and angles using geometric vocabulary and identifying and using the notation of bearing to describe direction and position. Number (Fractions, Decimals, Percentages) The students will continue to extend their understanding of fractions, decimals and percentages. Throughout, the emphasis will be on real­life application. This will include how to: ● model, read , write and compare fractions, improper fractions, mixed numbers, decimals to thousandths and percentages ● simplify fractions in mental and written form ● convert improper fractions to mixed numbers and vice versa ● understand the relationship between fractions, decimals and percentages and convert between them ● use fractions, decimals and percentages interchangeably in real­life situations ● estimate and make approximations in real­life situations involving fractions, decimals and percentages. ● model and use mental and written strategies for adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing fractions and decimals in real­life situations ● estimate and make approximations in real­life situations involving fractions, decimals and percentages