As you are aware, each Year4 student has been busy studying a different special need. They will be experts and teach their classmates in an oral presentation in any style they like. When choosing how to present their chosen special need, they must keep in mind the questions of "How can I best show what I know?" and "How can I best make people understand?" We have been discussing at length the importance of these presentantions. We want to understand others and their special needs, and respect people for who they are.
In 4D the presentation dates are as follows:
Tuesday May 11th:
Marije
Camille
Helen
Megan
Francisco C
Marc
Matthias
Tomas
Wednesday May 12th:
Solene
Catarina
Tom
Mariana
Rita
Eduardo
Patricia
Thursday May 13th:
Francisco B
Joao
Sarah
Viviana
Ines
Tiago
Diogo
Students should work on these presentations at home (as many students have chosen to use technology as part of the presentation). The students should be sure to have their research notes at school EVERYDAY as we may be doing different activities that requires them.
This is turning into a fabulous learning experience for students and teachers alike!
Friday 30 April 2010
Tuesday 27 April 2010
Language Arts Homework Week of April 27th
Please note that the Language homework for 4LB and 4D will be different this week!
4Ds language homework is:
We have been looking a bit at Terry Fox and his inspirational Marathon of Hope across Canada. This week's Language Arts homework is to write at least 2 paragraphs (5 sentences for each paragraph) expressing how Terry Fox's story made you feel and how it changed the way you think about people with special needs. Remember to use proper paragraph structure and use the great adjectives that we have come up with to describe him.
This homework is due Friday April 30.
4LBs language homework is:
To learn the homophone spellings for homework.
To write a sentence for each of the homophones, clearly explaining what the word means.
eg. there, their and they're (they're = they are)
There is a spider on your shirt.
Julie and Sandra have lost their books.
The Thompson family told me that they're going on holiday to Greece in the summer.
This homework is due Monday 3 May and the sentences should be handed in on a piece of paper with your name on it with the homphone underlined!
Thank you!
Miss Lamb
4Ds language homework is:
We have been looking a bit at Terry Fox and his inspirational Marathon of Hope across Canada. This week's Language Arts homework is to write at least 2 paragraphs (5 sentences for each paragraph) expressing how Terry Fox's story made you feel and how it changed the way you think about people with special needs. Remember to use proper paragraph structure and use the great adjectives that we have come up with to describe him.
This homework is due Friday April 30.
4LBs language homework is:
To learn the homophone spellings for homework.
To write a sentence for each of the homophones, clearly explaining what the word means.
eg. there, their and they're (they're = they are)
There is a spider on your shirt.
Julie and Sandra have lost their books.
The Thompson family told me that they're going on holiday to Greece in the summer.
This homework is due Monday 3 May and the sentences should be handed in on a piece of paper with your name on it with the homphone underlined!
Thank you!
Miss Lamb
Monday 26 April 2010
Maths Homework - week starting 26th April 2010
Hello!
This week we are still working hard on fractions! We are continuing to explore equivalent fractions and will be using our knowledge of timestables, doubles and halves to help us. We will also be continuing our inquiry into comparing fractions and use this to help us start ordering fractions.
Homework this week - due Friday 3oth April
P. 93 of textbook.
Maths Practice
Monday: Doubling and halving
Tuesday: Times tables
Wednesday: Writing all the fractions that equal one whole and one half
Thursday: Writing all the fractions that equal one quarter and one third.
This week we are still working hard on fractions! We are continuing to explore equivalent fractions and will be using our knowledge of timestables, doubles and halves to help us. We will also be continuing our inquiry into comparing fractions and use this to help us start ordering fractions.
Homework this week - due Friday 3oth April
P. 93 of textbook.
Maths Practice
Monday: Doubling and halving
Tuesday: Times tables
Wednesday: Writing all the fractions that equal one whole and one half
Thursday: Writing all the fractions that equal one quarter and one third.
Thursday 22 April 2010
Unit of Inquiry homework update and field trip information
Unit of Inquiry homework update (due Tues 27/4)
The children should now have had the opportunity to have done some research on the special need they will be speaking about. The oral presentations will only take place in about 2 weeks so we will have plenty of time to prepare. We are doing it stage by stage so the children will have a lot of support and be fully prepared by the time their presentation date comes. All they need to do for homework is take the notes they have collected about the characteristics of the special need and put it into paragraph form. They can write it draft, edit it with you or an adult for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and then write or type it up in best. The paragraph should include a title at the top and their name at the bottom. Max 6 lines please!
If the children need to do any more research they can use the World Book encyclopaedias in the library at lunch time, non-fiction books or the internet. St. Dominic's has also subscribed to a fantastic search engine for kids called 'searchasaurus'. To access this website please go to search.ebscohost.com. The User ID is sd and the password is main. You will then be able to see the Searchasaurus link with the dinosaur next to it. Another great website for researching this unit is kidshealth.org and it has information for almost all of the special needs we have been researching. KidRex is also a wonderful one and there is a link to it on the right hand side of the blog. As the children are just learning how to research 'properly' it would be great if you could support them in this skill by showing them how to extract important information. Happy researching!
This homework is due on Tuesday 27 April.
Field trip information
Tomorrow, both Year 4 classes will be going on a field trip to the Gulbenkian museum to learn about the links there are between maths and art.
We are asking the children to come in school uniform and to bring a snack in a 'throw away bag' with their names on it. Please don't send any plastic tubs that you would like back as this makes it very difficult for us to take these things around the museum with us. If the children normally have lunch in the refectory or at the tuck shop lunch will be provided for them. However, if they normally bring a home lunch they will also need to bring a 'throw away' lunch from home in a plastic/paper bag with their name clearly marked on it.
Please could you ensure that your child arrives at school on time and that they bring a hat and apply sun cream as we will be spending the afternoon in the gardens.
I am sure it is going to be a fantastic day!
The children should now have had the opportunity to have done some research on the special need they will be speaking about. The oral presentations will only take place in about 2 weeks so we will have plenty of time to prepare. We are doing it stage by stage so the children will have a lot of support and be fully prepared by the time their presentation date comes. All they need to do for homework is take the notes they have collected about the characteristics of the special need and put it into paragraph form. They can write it draft, edit it with you or an adult for spelling, grammar and punctuation, and then write or type it up in best. The paragraph should include a title at the top and their name at the bottom. Max 6 lines please!
If the children need to do any more research they can use the World Book encyclopaedias in the library at lunch time, non-fiction books or the internet. St. Dominic's has also subscribed to a fantastic search engine for kids called 'searchasaurus'. To access this website please go to search.ebscohost.com. The User ID is sd and the password is main. You will then be able to see the Searchasaurus link with the dinosaur next to it. Another great website for researching this unit is kidshealth.org and it has information for almost all of the special needs we have been researching. KidRex is also a wonderful one and there is a link to it on the right hand side of the blog. As the children are just learning how to research 'properly' it would be great if you could support them in this skill by showing them how to extract important information. Happy researching!
This homework is due on Tuesday 27 April.
Field trip information
Tomorrow, both Year 4 classes will be going on a field trip to the Gulbenkian museum to learn about the links there are between maths and art.
We are asking the children to come in school uniform and to bring a snack in a 'throw away bag' with their names on it. Please don't send any plastic tubs that you would like back as this makes it very difficult for us to take these things around the museum with us. If the children normally have lunch in the refectory or at the tuck shop lunch will be provided for them. However, if they normally bring a home lunch they will also need to bring a 'throw away' lunch from home in a plastic/paper bag with their name clearly marked on it.
Please could you ensure that your child arrives at school on time and that they bring a hat and apply sun cream as we will be spending the afternoon in the gardens.
I am sure it is going to be a fantastic day!
Wednesday 21 April 2010
"Bunny Hop" date change
4D will be doing the Bunny Hop, but it has now been changed to NEXT Friday, rather than this Friday. So make sure you make a free moment to come in and see their FANTASTIC 4D dance moves!
Unit of Inquiry homework.
By now, the children should all know which special need they will be doing their oral presentation on for the summative assessment.
We have been working very hard with Mrs C, our librarian, on improving our research skills in preparation for this task. We have been focusing on using 'child friendly' encyclopaedias, non-fiction books and search engines.
For homework this week, we would like the children to write a short paragraph (about 6 lines) which explains, in child-friendly language, the characteristics of the special need they are researching. They will write this paragraph using the notes they have made whilst researching the special needs in class and during their own time in the library (no copying and pasting for Wikipedia!) Please remember the library is open at lunch time if you would like to get any extra information from the World Book encyclopaedias. This will make up the first part of your oral presentation (the introduction). Remember the longer you make it, the more lines you will have to learn for your presentation so try to keep it short but informative.
Please remember to include the title and present it in a neat way (typed or handwritten) as we will be displaying these paragraphs for other children to read within the classrooms. Remember to put your name at the bottom of your work so we know who did it!
Thank you,
Miss Lamb
We have been working very hard with Mrs C, our librarian, on improving our research skills in preparation for this task. We have been focusing on using 'child friendly' encyclopaedias, non-fiction books and search engines.
For homework this week, we would like the children to write a short paragraph (about 6 lines) which explains, in child-friendly language, the characteristics of the special need they are researching. They will write this paragraph using the notes they have made whilst researching the special needs in class and during their own time in the library (no copying and pasting for Wikipedia!) Please remember the library is open at lunch time if you would like to get any extra information from the World Book encyclopaedias. This will make up the first part of your oral presentation (the introduction). Remember the longer you make it, the more lines you will have to learn for your presentation so try to keep it short but informative.
Please remember to include the title and present it in a neat way (typed or handwritten) as we will be displaying these paragraphs for other children to read within the classrooms. Remember to put your name at the bottom of your work so we know who did it!
Thank you,
Miss Lamb
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Maths homework (finally!) due 23/4
Apologies for the delay in giving out the maths homework this week.
We are now looking at EQUIVALENT fractions and fraction walls. The homework includes daily practice, as usual, as well as a worksheet on fractions and page 92 in the textbook. We have also given out a fraction wall which children can colour in to help them with their knowledge of equivalent fractions.
Things to remember:
1. A fraction is a part of a whole.
2. The denominator is the number at the bottom (think D for DOWN) and tells us how many parts the fraction has been divided into (how many parts in total)
3. The numerator is the top number and tells us how many parts are shaded in out of the whole (how many bits you've got)
Hope you enjoy the homework and remember to let us know BEFORE the time if you are having any trouble with it.
Miss Lamb
We are now looking at EQUIVALENT fractions and fraction walls. The homework includes daily practice, as usual, as well as a worksheet on fractions and page 92 in the textbook. We have also given out a fraction wall which children can colour in to help them with their knowledge of equivalent fractions.
Things to remember:
1. A fraction is a part of a whole.
2. The denominator is the number at the bottom (think D for DOWN) and tells us how many parts the fraction has been divided into (how many parts in total)
3. The numerator is the top number and tells us how many parts are shaded in out of the whole (how many bits you've got)
Hope you enjoy the homework and remember to let us know BEFORE the time if you are having any trouble with it.
Miss Lamb
Monday 19 April 2010
Math Homework
This week in math we will continue our work on fractions! We are becoming real pros!!! This week's math homework will be given out on Tuesday and will be due on Friday, as usual.
Saturday 17 April 2010
Research Assignment
Just a reminder that students do not need to research their assigned special need yet as we will be working with Mrs. C in the library to learn proper research techniques and various websites and databases that the students can search on.
Have a great weekend!
Have a great weekend!
Thursday 15 April 2010
Unit of Inquiry homework
This week we would just like you to talk to your children about different kind of special needs (communication) and maybe find out about some of them.
Discuss with them how it makes them feel when they see wheelchair users or people with very obvious special needs. Is it always possible to see if a person has special needs or not? How has access and provision for people with special needs changed since you were their age?
Also, when you are walking around school, in a public place or at the park talk to them about whether people with special needs could access the buildings or equipment the same way they do. What things can you see that have been put in place specially for people that may have special needs...
The different special needs we will be focusing on in this unit are:
Dylexia, Dysgraphia, Dysphasia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Autism, Aspergers syndrome, ADHD, ADD, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Visual impairments (varying degrees of blindness), Hearing impairments (varying degrees of deafness), Epilepsy and mutes.
There are many other kinds of special needs but we have decided to limit our inquiry into the above.
Your children are not required to start their research until we have had our session in the library with Mrs C !
This unit may well evoke some feelings of sadness or may make children uncomfortable but we are hoping that after this unit we will have a better understanding about people who are different to us and be more open-minded about this important part of our society.
Discuss with them how it makes them feel when they see wheelchair users or people with very obvious special needs. Is it always possible to see if a person has special needs or not? How has access and provision for people with special needs changed since you were their age?
Also, when you are walking around school, in a public place or at the park talk to them about whether people with special needs could access the buildings or equipment the same way they do. What things can you see that have been put in place specially for people that may have special needs...
The different special needs we will be focusing on in this unit are:
Dylexia, Dysgraphia, Dysphasia, Dyscalculia, Dyspraxia, Autism, Aspergers syndrome, ADHD, ADD, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Visual impairments (varying degrees of blindness), Hearing impairments (varying degrees of deafness), Epilepsy and mutes.
There are many other kinds of special needs but we have decided to limit our inquiry into the above.
Your children are not required to start their research until we have had our session in the library with Mrs C !
This unit may well evoke some feelings of sadness or may make children uncomfortable but we are hoping that after this unit we will have a better understanding about people who are different to us and be more open-minded about this important part of our society.
The same but different!
Hello everyone!
I'm sorry that I didn't post last night but Miss D and I had to clarify some points about our new unit before we put up the information for you.
So here is what you need to know!
Key concepts: RESPONSIBILITY, FORM and PERSPECTIVE!
These are really important in terms of:
FORM - What different kinds of special needs are there? What are their symptoms? How would we know if someone had a particular special need?
PERSPECTIVE - What would it be like to have this kind of special need? How would my life be different?
RESPONSIBILITY - What responsibility do different communities have towards people with special needs? What responsibilities do we have? What responsibilities does our school community have?
A community has the responsibility to meet the needs of its citizens.
I'm sorry that I didn't post last night but Miss D and I had to clarify some points about our new unit before we put up the information for you.
So here is what you need to know!
Key concepts: RESPONSIBILITY, FORM and PERSPECTIVE!
These are really important in terms of:
FORM - What different kinds of special needs are there? What are their symptoms? How would we know if someone had a particular special need?
PERSPECTIVE - What would it be like to have this kind of special need? How would my life be different?
RESPONSIBILITY - What responsibility do different communities have towards people with special needs? What responsibilities do we have? What responsibilities does our school community have?
Central idea:
A community has the responsibility to meet the needs of its citizens.
Lines of Inquiry:
1. Different kinds of special needs (form)
2. Living with special needs (perspective)
3. How communities can support people with special needs (responsibility)
Summative Assessment:
During the course of this unit of inquiry, the children will choose a special need that they would like to 'specialise' in. They should then research this special need at home, with their parents, in preparation for the summative assessment.
The summative assessment will be an oral presentation on the special need that they have become an expert in. They should discuss our 3 lines of inquiry:
Title of the special need
What symptoms does this special need have?
How is daily life different for someone with this special need?
What strategies can be put in place to help this person lead an easier life?
We will be supporting and guiding the children through this process in class too and next week Mrs C, from the library, will be teaching us how to research effectively so you might want to hold on with your research until then!
Attitudes:
RESPECT and APPRECIATION
Although this is not ENTIRELY related to this unit, the teachers and adults around our school are finding that the children in Year 4 really need to concentrate on being more respectful towards other children, adults and staff as well as their own things and school property. Also, as the majority of the children in our school come from priveleged backgrounds they sometimes find it hard to show appreciation for small things that other people do for them or for the things that we have in school. We would be very grateful if you, as parents, could help us teach and model these 2 very important attitudes to our children.
Learner Profile:
During this unit we are looking for children to be OPEN-MINDED about different kinds of special needs and people who might look physically different from us. We are also looking for good COMMUNICATORS and communication skills within the summative assessment, which will be the oral presentation!
Hope you got all that!
Any questions or comments about the unit of inquiry please feel free to email me!
Bye for now,
Miss Lamb!
Monday 12 April 2010
Dance Dance!!
Hello Ladies and Gentlemen!!!
This an exciting post to let you know that Fantastic 4D has been selected by Mrs. Thompson (from all the classes in the whole junior school) to perform a dance at assembly on April 23rd. So be sure to come out and support your local year 4 dancers!!!
This an exciting post to let you know that Fantastic 4D has been selected by Mrs. Thompson (from all the classes in the whole junior school) to perform a dance at assembly on April 23rd. So be sure to come out and support your local year 4 dancers!!!
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