
Year 4 Newsletters
Wednesday 31 May 2023
HOW WE ORGANISE OURSELVES
For the last week, students have been tuning into our new and final unit of inquiry, How We Organise Ourselves.
CENTRAL IDEA:
People create organisations to solve problems and meet basic needs.
An inquiry into:
How different organisations are structured. (Function)
How organisations support basic needs. (Connection)
How organisations respond to challenges. (Responsibility)
Over the next few weeks, we will be learning about different non-government organisations. Students will consider the differences between needs and wants, in order to understand how lucky we are to live in Hong Kong. We are so fortunate to have shelter/secure homes, freedom and access to education and a plentiful supply of food.
We will introduce the United Nations' Sustainable Goals to raise awareness of the key issues presently identified around the world.
Students will have the opportunity to select one of these Sustainable Goals that they feel passionate about and do research to find out how these issues are being addressed in Hong Kong and globally.
This will then formulate their ideas for creating their very own charity; whether it be focusing on Climate change (and the issues of pollution locally), Life under Water, or Life on Land.
In the next few weeks, students will then work in small groups to create their unique NGO, deciding on a specific logo and slogan, as well as clearly specifying their aim and mission statement for their particular charity.
If you work at an NGO and are interested in giving a talk at school for the Year 4 students, please contact your child's class teacher. It is always inspiring for children and teachers to hear experts speak about their professions and organisation.
Maths: Time
In this unit, students will learn how to read and write time to the minute, convert between units of time, and use am and pm to describe time and duration.
Throughout the unit, students will explore the relationships between seconds, minutes, and hours and learn how to convert between them. They'll also apply their new time-related skills to real-life situations, like figuring out how long it takes to complete a task or how long an event lasts. By the end of the unit, they'll be able to calculate elapsed time using both digital and analogue clocks.
We encourage you to frequently ask your child to tell the time using 'to' and 'past', using both analogue and digital clocks. If your child has an analogue (or digital) watch lying around at home, encourage them to wear it to school - it'll help them develop a better understanding of time in a hands-on way. Smart watches are not allowed in Year 4.
Christian Action Talk
H.K Shark Foundation Talk
We were informed about the plight of sharks in the world and how we may shortly have many species of shark becoming extinct.
We were told of the charity's very catchy phrase:
'When the buying stops, the killing stops too!"
We were encouraged to follow the following:
STOP - stop buying shark products, such as shark fin soup, makeup and other shark products.
START - meat-free Mondays and Fishless Fridays.. and raising awareness
CHANGE- how people regard sharks, especially at weddings in Hong Kong
DO - take action to make a difference to protect our oceans and wildlife, through beach cleaning, volunteering, etc.
The presentation was very impactful for all and certainly raised awareness of the need to take action.
Pathfinders Talk
Catherine Gurtin, the CEO of Pathfinders Hong Kong, outlined her charity's mission and goals to give all children a fair start in life with a focus on the children of migrant mothers.
We came away realising the importance of being caring and kind.. and valuing the work that our helpers do every day!
Hands On Hong Kong Talk
The Year 4 students very much enjoyed also listening to Catherine Dannaoui from the charity, Hands On HK.
Students learned about the valuable work that the charity does; that of empowering the community to help address the needs and challenges that many people face in Hong Kong.
Cath informed us of how their charity is run and organised, as well as how they network with other local charities to organise volunteers, to support very much-needed events for fundraising, training, and support.
The students were very enthused by knowing that small acts can have noticeable impacts on the community.
English: PERSUASIVE WRITING
In our new Unit of Inquiry, students will be focusing on the art of persuasion.
They will analyse a variety of persuasive texts that aim to convince the reader to take a particular point of view.
During lessons, students will deconstruct a variety of texts to identify the text's organization and language features, as well as other elements such as vocabulary and statements of argument that help the writer convey their message effectively.
After deconstructing the text, students will compare and contrast the persuasive examples to identify similarities and differences.
Through drama and artwork, students will also get the opportunity to apply their understanding of persuasion to design different products as well as state their point of view, in regard to homework, wearing school uniforms and owning pets!
Using the skills and knowledge they have gained, students will also create their own persuasive writing pieces. They will then work towards creating a website to support their own NGOs and persuade their classmates to support their specific cause.
SWIMMING
Swimming is well underway. Swimming days for each class are as follows:
Wednesdays - 4J
Thursdays - 4C, 4O, 4R, 4W
Please ensure that your child has the correct swimwear and that all equipment is clearly named. A special reminder that swimming caps are required for children with hair below the tops of their ears.