Who are we? (A Data Investigation)
This month, we have been getting to know each other through Mathematics. We’ve been writing questions, designing surveys and collecting lots of data about our classmates. We’ve learned to find and interpret the mean, median, mode & range of data sets. We’ve learned to use different graphs for different purposes. We’ve discovered the importance of scale and labels on our own graphs. We’ve gathered data on our ages, learning strengths, birthday months, time at BISS and modes of transport. We even measured our heights and jump lengths. Here we are, busily collecting data: In the end, we hope to describe our class composition and even answer the question: Who is the average Grade 4 student? Stay tuned for our...
Read MoreCongratulations on being Caring!
We focused on caring in the Learner Profile this month. Congratulations to Na Youn for being recognised at assembly! Here’s what we noticed: Na Youn has been a most kind, thoughtful helper to our new student in Grade 4. She often repeats instructions, models tasks, write words and shares equipment. Na Youn has made our new student feel very welcome with her caring manner. Have you noticed anyone else being caring? Let’s all speak kindly, support each other and be a helpful team of learners. Have you noticed anyone demonstrating the other Learner Profile traits? Which Learner Profile trait would you like to work at?...
Read MoreQuote of the Day!
“I feel like I just swam across the Atlantic in one day.” By Dave What a wonderful comment! It describes a huge effort and a great achievement. Congratulations on your progress in Mathematics, Dave! You have been working hard to understand place value in large numbers. Your friends and teachers are very proud of you. Keep sharing your thoughts and feelings with us. from Ms Y., Ms O’Dwyer & all your Grade 4...
Read MoreStrategies make all the difference.
The word of the week in Grade 4 is strategy. We have learned that applying the right strategies makes all the difference to our learning. This week, each person chose 2 learning stations: one represented an area of strength and one was an area of weakness. We pre-tested ourselves, then applied some learning strategies, then tested ourselves again. For example, at the logical station, people made lists, drew pictures and found patterns to solve hard Maths problems. At the musical station, people clapped rhythms, sang melodies and wrote the letters above the notes. At the visual-spatial station, people used basic shapes, shadows and hatching to improve their drawings. Here’s someone at the musical intelligence. Look at that concentration! Here’s someone at the bodily-kinesthetic station. Their strategies were watching the ball, keeping the bounces low and only moving their wrists. We’ve had great fun this week but Ms O’Dwyer designed the tasks. Next week, we are in charge of our own potential! We are making action plans and taking charge of our own strengths and weaknesses. Stay tuned! Which strategies worked well at each station? Which strategies didn’t work? Did you use more than one intelligence at each station? Tell us about this....
Read MoreDoodling Designers
Yesterday we strengthened our visual spatial intelligence. We asked our art teacher, Miss Davies, to help us understand how visual intelligence is useful in the world. She told us about people who are architects, graphic designers, advertisers, fashion designers and typographers. Inspired by the designers at Google, we decided to re-design our own names. We aimed to use line, colour, theme and shadow to create eye-catching images and fill a space. Here are some examples: Can you recognise our names? Which is your favorite? What can you learn about a person just by looking at their design? Miss Davies is now helping us strengthen our visual-spatial intelligence even further. In Art lessons, we are becoming real typographers and designing a whole alphabet of letters. Stay tuned to see our display...
Read MoreOur teacher is still learning
Our teacher, Ms O’Dwyer, has a lot to learn about technology. She is still trying to understand how digital tools help us become better learners. Here’s some research she did recently about Edmodo. (This is boring for kids – but might be interesting for parents or other teachers)....
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