Year 3-4

Spelling Year 3: position displace harbor humorous powerful chef machine parachute brochure moustache

Spelling Year 4: position displace harbor humorous powerful science crescent discipline scent scissors

Dear Parents and Children,

I am pleased to report another full and busy week of learning has passed in the year 3-4 classroom.

Firstly, we were happy to welcome back Nathan after his absence. We are glad he is well.

The year 3-4 students conducted an excellent assembly about teamwork and showed off what they have been learning about in IPC. Well done to them for their hard work!

In English this week, the year 3 students learned about “ch” words that make an “sh” sound and the year 4 students learned about “sc” letters making an “s” sound. We also started a new unit on humorous poems looking at limericks and other funny poems. They got to write their own valentine’s poem using rhyme and syllable rhythm.

In Math we also started a new unit in geometry with a quick revision of 2-D and 3-D shapes and how we can see examples of these in everyday life. We moved on to understanding coordinates on a grid and the students had fun being pirates hunting for treasure.

In IPC we continued our exploration of active earth, looking at tsunamis in relation to earthquakes. In groups we created a “active earth dance showing how plate tectonics, earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis are related.

In P.E. we started net and wall games by learning about the fundamentals of volleyball. We will look at badminton and tennis as well in the coming weeks.

That is all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Kearney

Spelling Year 3: tremor boundary epicenter coordinate quadrant chorus echo stomach scheme ache

Spelling Year 4:  tremor boundary epicenter coordinate quadrant submerge submarine subway supervise supersede

Dear Parents and Children,

It is great to have a full week under our belt. We have accomplished much and had a lot of fun in the Year 3-4 class this week.

The highlight of this week was the Pajama Day today. I am pleased that so many children came dressed up in the name of a worthy cause. Well done to Anna, the winner from our class, for her amazing unicorn outfit. I am sure the students enjoyed the popcorn and juice treats, courtesy of the HFS PTA, as they watched the short movie. A great day was had by all.

In English this week the students made story maps out of our class reader, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.” and planned and started their own fantasy stories. I am excited to see what their creative minds can concoct. We also learned about “ch” words making “k” sounds and the “sub” and “super prefixes in our grammar.

In Math the students practiced their short division methods and applied that to solving word problems. They also had fun playing math games. Next week we will start on our Geometry unit looking at coordinates and axes.

We had a lot of hands-on learning fun in IPC as we explored earthquakes. The students built towns and then created earthquakes to see what would happen to them.

We then learned about how earthquakes are measured in terms of how strong they are and how long they last and made seismographs to test this.

We had a special lesson about the different types of germs and the sicknesses they cause and how they spread in light of the current corona-virus outbreak. I am glad that the students are well-informed about this situation.

On Monday the year 3-4’s will conduct the school assembly. the theme is Teamwork and they have prepared a fun activity around that topic. Join us at 1:30 pm on Monday to see that as well as the work that they have been doing these past few weeks.

That is all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr Kearney

More…

Spelling Year 3: fault friction remainder comic earthquake misspell misbehave misplace mistrust misread

Spelling Year 4: fault friction remainder comic earthquake radiation translation vibration creation nation

Dear Parents and Children,

A short but busy week has passed us by in the year 3-4 Johannesburg class.

In English we have continued to read about the exploits of Mr Fox as he tries to escape the three farmers. we are almost finished the book and we are excited to see what happens. The students had fun dressing up and acting out the first part of the book.

In our grammar we learned about the prefixes “Mis” and “Dis”  and how they change the meaning of a word.

The students also learned about the “Ly” suffix and how it can be used for different purposes as an adverb.

In Math we reviewed division, first learning how to create basic division facts using our multiplication charts and understanding that division is the inverse of multiplication. We learned about the dividend and divisor and practiced short division using the bus stop method. The students then applied this to working out logical problems involving division.

In IPC we continued our exploration of our “Active Planet”, this week focusing on earthquakes. The students put together a map of the Earth’s tectonic plates and understood how, where and why earthquakes happen.

Next week we will look at how earthquakes are measured and we will build our own seismographs. The students will be required to bring a shoe-box, similar to the picture below, for the project. Please send a shoe-box to school with your child for the lesson on Tuesday.

We also looked at lava flow and completed an experiment exploring why different liquids move at different speeds.

In P.E we continued to focus on object control in games by practicing our controlled dribbling for basketball.

That is all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr Kearney

.

Spelling Year 3: Pressure chicken tectonic negative positive gardener gardening focused focusing offered

Spelling Year 4:  Pressure chicken tectonic negative positive cereal serial through threw stairs

Dear Parents and Children,

A short but eventful week has passed at HFS in the year 3 – 4 Johannesburg class.

The two big events being the open day on Monday and our Seollal celebration. I am glad that parents could get the opportunity to see our students engaging with augmented reality in the classroom. The students had fun using AR to research different countries.

The students also looked spectacular in their Hanboks and clothing from their country for our Seollal celebration.  We made posters and wish cards and the students prepared presentations about Seollal for the assembly. We then enjoyed some traditional Korean games to round-off the fun-filed program. An enjoyable day was had by all.

We kept busy the rest of the week with regular learning. In English we read through chapter 9 of “The Fantastic Mr. Fox” and the students prepared plays about the first part of the book. We will watch them next week.

In Math the students moved on from decimals to negative numbers understanding that tenths and hundredths, while very small, are still larger than 0 and negative numbers. We applied this to looking at thermometers and performing calculations in changes of temperature in degrees Celsius.

In IPC we had a blast making clay volcanoes and then watching them erupt by mixing water, baking soda, dish washing liquid and adding vinegar. The students also worked in groups researching actual volcanoes from around the world and making posters for our display board. Next week we will continue with plate tectonics and look at earthquakes.

Finally, we are all glad that Reyansh has returned (Now we can eat).

That is all for this week. Have a joyous and prosperous Seollal and Lunar New Year

Mr Kearney.

More…

Spelling Year 3: fantasy decimal active dormant core myth gym pyramid mystery system

Spelling Year 4: fantasy decimal active dormant core accept except affect effect aloud

Dear Parents and Children,

In our second week of term 2 we have had a lot of fun in our learning. We are glad that Leo has returned from the Winter break. The highlight of the week was no doubt the International hat day festivities. I am so impressed with the creative designs the students made for the day. Well Done Leo! Your towering colorful hat was a worthy winner from our class.

In English we began our unit on fantasy stories by reading the first few chapters of Roald Dahl’s “The Fantastic Mr Fox”. The students are enjoying each chapter as we complete comprehension questions, act out plays and create a comic book of the story. They have already made excellent wanted posters to help the farmers catch the fox.

In Math we continued with place value and decimals, learning to multiply and divide by 10 and 100 by moving the correct number of places. The students then applied that to completing word problems.

In IPC we continued with our exploration of volcanoes, understanding the parts and types of volcanoes and how they are formed. Next week we will make a lava flow and, in groups, research a volcano from around the world.

In ICT the students researched the meaning of Seollal in groups and created presentations for our Seollal celebration on Tuesday. I look forward to seeing their work.

We continued with our fundamental skills in P.E. playing 2 different games that focused on passing. These were “Bull in the Ring” and “End-Zone” – a game using bouncing basketballs.

That is all for this week. I hope to see you at the open day on Monday and our Seollal celebration on Tuesday next week.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr Kearney. More…

Dear Parents and Children,

Welcome back to a new term in the Year 3-4 Johannesburg class at HFS.

The students hit the ground running this week plunging straight into learning despite being away for the wonderful winter break.

We got placed into table groups and already have begun with group projects about HFS.

In learning this week, the students were busy. In English we reviewed the grammar and writing from last term, including capitals and punctuation, connectives and sentence openers. Next week we will start our unit on Fantasy stories and we will read “The fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl which the students are sure to enjoy.

In learning this week, the students were busy. In English we reviewed the grammar and writing from last term, including capitals and punctuation, connectives and sentence openers. Next week we will start our unit on Fantasy stories and we will read “The fantastic Mr. Fox” by Roald Dahl which the students are sure to enjoy.

It was also Chris’s birthday on Tuesday which we celebrated in HFS style.

In P.E. we started our unit on fundamental control activities by focusing on two-handed throwing for accuracy.

In math we continued from fractions from last term understanding how to show fractions as decimals of tenths and hundredths and performing calculations to make whole numbers.

We started a new unit called “Active Planet” in IPC and In the coming weeks we will be exploring volcanoes, earthquakes and other phenomena that make Earth so dynamic. The students researched volcanoes and created their own glossaries of new terminology about the subject.

On Wednesday 15 January we will celebrate International Hat Day. Please encourage to make or obtain a silly hat to wear on the day. Classes will vote on the best hat and we will vote as a school for the best one out of the finalists.

That is all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Kearney

Dear Parents and Children,

And we have come to the end of a fantastically busy, challenging and exciting term in the Year 3-4 class. As I look back on all that we have covered over the last few months I am filled with pride.

Congratulations to Seongyun and Cherry Blossom on their commendation and Citizenship awards. Your names will be up on the HFS Wall of Honour when you return.

Thank you to Lois for her thoughtful Christmas cards, it is really a touching gesture. Thank you to Logan for the candy treats. They really made the last day special.

I am so proud of the students for all their hard work this term. It was clearly visible in their biographies and news reports which everyone enjoyed. Well done to all of you! Here is a link to video 1 and video 2 and video 3

Despite it being the last week of term the students kept busy in their learning, eagerly working on their news report projects and biographies. We also had a special cultural exchange lesson with a middle school in Seoul. We got to talk to students from another school and see their presentations about their school. We  discussed ideas for what would be the perfect school. I am very glad that our students had creative and sensible ideas for creating the ideal school. Please enjoy these pictures of the learning that has taken place this week.

The students have earned a well-deserved Winter break and I hope that you have a joyous and blessed festive season. Have a wonderful holiday everyone and I will see you on for Term 2 on Monday 6 January.

Mr. Kearney More…

Dear Parents and Children,

What a fantastic week it has been. The students outdid themselves in their performances in the Winter Show last night. Well done to everyone for all their hard work in creating an amazing evening of entertainment. The students enjoyed being creative making crafts and stage props for their set.

In class this week the Year 3-4 students were still busy. We completed our news report scripts in groups and rehearsed them to be ready to record next week. They have linked this to their IPC unit to include an interview with a significant person from history in their news report.

In Math the students made pie charts from pirate treasure and reviewed fractions, understanding equivalent fractions.

In P.E. the students had fun in their cooperation games unit using the parachute to work together to control balls. What a spectacle!

There is no spelling this week but the students do have homework in the form of writing a newspaper story on one of the images provided. It should include all the typical features of newspaper articles that we have learned about. The students must also interpret pie charts as we have done in class and the Year 4 students must create a pie chart using the information given.

Please be advised that reports went home with your child today. Please review the report and complete the parent’s comments section and bring it with you to the parent teacher conferences on Wednesday. I look forward to seeing you there.

A further reminder that there will be no club activities next week (except for swimming lessons on Tuesday and Wednesday). Please make arrangements to collect your child from school at 3:30 pm if they do not take the school bus home.

That is all for this week. Do have a wonderful weekend and keep warm.

Mr. Kearney

More…

Year 3 Spelling percentage radius frequency wisdom courage believe appear breath arrive height

Year 4 Spelling percentage radius frequency wisdom courage although dough rough through bought

Dear Parents and Children,

A dynamic week of fun and learning it has been in the Year 3-4 Johannesburg class.

In English the students are working on their final group project creating a news report. They will write, rehearse and record a video news report and link with their IPC unit “They made a difference” and research a significant person from history to interview.

In Math we learned about percentages and their relationship to fractions as we continued our section on data handling now moving on to pie charts.

In IPC The students worked in groups and selected and researched a person of significance from history for their ICT class to create a fact file towards creating a biography. Next week the students will work individually, choosing a person that they feel is important in history and create a biography of that person.

We continued with our cooperation games unit in P.E. and the students had to work together to create continuous chains to carry a ball using pool noodles They also had to solve the riddle of the farmer crossing the river with a lion, a rabbit and a bag of carrots, acting it out with P.E. material. I am pleased that they could work out the complicated solution in teams.

Other than subject learning, the students enjoyed making colorful snowflake crafts for sale at the Winter show next week and we enjoyed show and tell presentations from Logan who shared his baseball medal winning with the class and an interesting presentation from Reyansh and Jeremy about the universe.

I am so proud at their hard work in rehearsing their songs for the Winter Show next week. The lyrics for the songs wen t home with their homework today so please ensure that they practice over the weekend. The lyrics for “Santa’s stuck up in the Chimney” can be found by clicking here and the words for “I hate Christmas” can be found by clicking here. A gentle reminder that students should wear a combination of red, white and black clothing for the show.

A reminder that the Parent-Teacher conferences will take place on Wednesday 11 December from 10:30 am and throughout the day. the sign-up sheet is in the office so please fill in your desired slot by Friday 6 December. That is all for this week. Have a wonderful weekend.

Mr. Kearney. More…