Homework

I was a bit disappointed today to find that some people hadn't done their homework. Not many, only three or four but as I'd given everyone four days to do it, I wasn't expecting people to say that they hadn't had time. So this message is partly for our class and partly for the mums and dads.

If there is ever any problem with the homework: you don't understand it, you can't remember what to do, you've left your books at school, you didn't have time to do it, you were visiting grandparents, you went to a party or even the cat was sick on it ASK YOUR PARENTS TO WRITE A NOTE IN THE DIARY.

Coming to school and telling me that you didn't have time or you forgot it in the car is not good enough. It isn't acceptable in Y4. You should be able to organise yourselves to bring your books to and from school when you need them.

Now I don't mind this happening once. Everyone forgets things once or twice, even me! But some people are telling me the same excuse every time they have homework and time's up.

Thanks for reading.

Outdoor Ed 2

The first day went really well and everyone had a nice time, even those who forgot their swimming kit, towels or lunches. Let's hope everyone is a bit more organised today.

Here's a couple of photos of the day.

Outdoor Ed

Remember everybody, Saturday and Monday are our Outdoor Ed days. We will be spending most of those days on the beach and in the water, learning team work, co-operation and independent problem solving. It will be a lot of fun but it is also an important part of our social and physical education in Y4 so, see you there!
Mr Patterson reminded us of things that we need to bring with us on those days and, in case anyone has forgotten (not my class!) here's the list again:

• Lunch - bring lots as you 'll be using a lot of energy
• Water - in a plastic bottle. It will be hot! (no fizzy drinks)
• Swimming costume or trunks
  
• 3 old t-shirts
• Plastic bag - for your wet clothes
• Mask and snorkel - no mask = no diving!
• Sun cream - make sure it is water proof, otherwise it will wash off straight away
• Flip flops - for wearing to and from the beach
• Dive boots or water sports shoes - so they don't fall off in the water. Not trainers!
• No cameras!

There we go then. Try to bring all that stuff, and yourselves and we'll have a great time!

The First Module

So, we're beginning with our first unit of study: Significant People. The sub-title of it is 'They Made A Difference' and in it we'll be researching and studying people from different cultures and different countries, looking at the way that they have changed the world and what effect they have had on the people around them.

We'll be asking the children to think about famous people and to consider whether famous is the same as important. They'll be looking for famous artists and musicians and trying to find out what it is that has made those people famous. Why do we know their names all these years after they lived? Or perhaps they are famous now.

To help you in your research, I have listed some internet resources in the sidebar on the right. Please use them, along with anything else you might find, to help you find out about the lives of these significant people. Please remember though, the information that you find is for you to take and use, changing it into your own words. Do not just print off a page from a website and try to hand it in.

If you find anything interesting anywhere else that you think might help the rest of us, post a comment on this post and I'll share it with the class.

Our New Curriculum

This year, we will be using the International Primary Curriculum as the basis for our study, instead of an adaptation of the English National Curriculum.

There are quite a few differences between the two, one of which is the greater flexibility that we have when using the IPC. It allows us to choose different units of study, or modules, instead of following whatever they do in the UK. Another difference is the way that all of us work together.

If we had the idea before that the teacher passes on information to the children and the children soak it up, that isn't the case any more. Teachers and children will be working together, with teachers acting as guides. The children will be given a lot more responsibility over their own work this year. Of course, teachers will still be supervising and helping, but they will not be there to stand at the front and talk at the class.

It's going to be an interesting, challenging year. Let's get it started!

New Start

Ok, here we are again. Hmm. Not much has changed here in a while, has it? Well, I'll use the excuse that I thought that the class names were all changing, so y4-5.blogspot wouldn't be the right name any more. But, we've kept the old names so I guess that I can keep the old blog as well.

Now, that's not the only change. There are lots of new things happening at school this term, including a new class (Hello!) so I'll get around to adding the necessary new bits as soon as possible.

One of those is about the new units of study we'll be covering. I've been looking for some useful websites to help with research and I'll be adding them to the link list on the right. In the meantime, be patient!

Back soon.