Mr Dunn – 2023/24

As we wrap up the final week of school for the 2023/2024 year, the Year 3/4 class has had an exciting and memorable time! This week we had an amazing trip to Gyeongju World, the children enjoyed many rides and made some great memories together. W for Water games looks like it will become a permanent fixture in future ABC countdowns, the children had a lot of fun playing games, using the water guns, and getting their teachers soaked. Our last day was filled with yearbook signing, pizza party and saying a few goodbyes to some of our classmates as they move on to new schools. I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer break, see you all next year.

Hello everyone!

A change to next week’s ABC countdown, we are changing W to Water Games. Please ensure your child has a change of clothes, a towel and a water gun if they have one for Tuesday. This will be a lot of fun and a great way to enjoy the weather.

As we edge closer to the end of the term and finish off our final units, the children are still working hard and producing good work. Here are a few highlights from the week:

ABC countdown: We had fun this week, playing quizzes, reading, designing t-shirts, having a snack party and sitting with our friends.

In English this week, we concluded our persuasive writing unit. The students planned and wrote their final hot task assessment for this unit. I was very impressed with the outcome, as the children put in a lot of effort. Next week, we will review some previous learning.

In maths, we are still working on our Shape unit. The children examined the features of 3D shapes and constructed them using clay and matchsticks. They also explored lines of symmetry and completed drawings of symmetrical shapes and objects, using mirrors to assist them.

In IPC, the children studied the impact explorers had on the native people of the countries they discovered. We then started our Exit Point project, where the children began creating an interactive presentation to showcase all their learning. They are applying their knowledge to a different explorer they hadn’t researched in detail before.

Hello everyone!

There are only two weeks left of school, the ABC Countdown certainly adds some excitement for each day. A quick reminder that Parent-Teacher conferences are tomorrow and Thursday, please use this link to make an appointment if you haven’t done so already. Parent-Teacher Conference.

Here are some of the highlights from last week:

English

We are almost at the end of our persuasive writing unit. Last week, the students planned their persuasive letters and began to write them. The letters were linked to how they might change the school, allowing us to showcase all our recent learning and include different persuasive devices.

Maths

In maths, we continued to explore our unit on the properties of shapes. The children learned about horizontal and vertical lines, parallel and perpendicular lines, recognizing and describing 2D shapes, and types of triangles.

IPC

For our IPC lessons, the students finished their group research projects on what life was like on a ship during the Age of Exploration. After that, each child made a timeline of key explorers from this period. They also added additional explorers to ensure they were placed in chronological order.

I hope you all had a great weekend.

Hello everyone!

Wow, only three weeks until the end of the school year after another action-packed, full of fun and learning. Here is an overview of what we got up to.

English

This week in English we continued our learning about persuasive writing. We compared examples of persuasive letters, answered questions based on them, explored subordinate clauses, and planned a persuasive letter to showcase all our recent learning.

Maths

In maths, we started a new unit on the properties of shapes. We began by looking at angles, exploring turns and angles, identifying different types, and comparing and ordering them.

IPC

For our IPC lessons, we finished our independent research project on a significant explorer. Then, we started to explore what life would be like on a ship during an explorer’s voyage. The students worked together to produce a poster, drawing a picture of a ship, and adding their research on different aspects, such as work, conditions, and the diet of a sailor.

That’s all for the week, I hope you had a great weekend.

Hello everyone!

A very productive week filled with fun and excitement as the ABC countdown is in full swing. Here are some highlights from the week.

English:
In English, we continued our unit on persuasive writing. We examined a persuasive letter, identified its features, and analyzed its structure. Next, we explored persuasive devices such as emotive language and rhetorical questions, then applied these techniques to our own writing. Additionally, we studied causal conjunctions.

Maths:

In Maths, we concluded our unit on statistics. To wrap up this unit, the students collected their own data by coming up with a question, conducting a survey around the school, using this data to create a bar chart, and analyzing their findings. We also had a mini-assessment to check our understanding of this unit.

IPC:

In IPC, we began exploring our unit ‘Explorers and Adventures’ from a historical perspective. The students completed a scavenger hunt on famous explorers from the Age of Discovery, discovering where they were from and what they were famous for. Afterwards, they selected one of these explorers and conducted further research to learn more.

That’s all for the week, I hope everyone had a great weekend.

The Year 3/4 class had an incredibly busy and exhausting week with their residential trip.

On the first day, we arrived and immediately jumped into playing on the obstacle course before lunch. Afterwards, the children had some free time. Then we checked into our cabins, explored the area, and started the onsite activities. We divided into two groups for pottery and tie-dyeing. Later, we reconvened for rock climbing, where I was impressed by the children’s fearlessness as many reached the very top. This was followed by more free time, showers, and dinner before a nighttime walk to the planetarium. By then, some students looked tired, but others were still full of energy. At the planetarium, the children learned about the stars and the moon, looked through a telescope at the night sky, and watched a movie to learn more. When all that was done, we returned to our cabins and got ready for bed.

The next day, everyone was up early to pack their bags, get ready, and have breakfast. After a few final tasks of clearing up, packing, and ensuring we had everything, we left for the luge and zipline. This was a thrilling experience as we whizzed down the track on our luge carts. Most of the class demonstrated their bravery by conquering the zipline as the thrill seekers glided through the sky. After all that excitement, it was time for lunch and the journey back to school.

For the rest of the week, the students continued with their lessons as usual. In English, we finished our unit on suspense writing and began a new unit on persuasive writing. In Maths, we continued our unit on statistics and progressed to learning about line graphs. In IPC, we started our new unit on Explorers and Adventurers. We examined where the class had travelled by marking locations on a world map, collected the data to create a bar chart, and then mapped the journeys of famous explorers.

That’s all for this week, I hope you all had a great weekend!

Hello everyone!

A short and action-packed week which included a day off for Buddha’s Birthday, Sports Day, and our class trip to Taewha River Park. The class did an amazing job on Sports Day, showing great teamwork, responsibility, and resilience throughout the event. I am very proud of each student for their participation and support of their teammates. The trip to Taewha River Park was fun but challenging with lots of walking, allowing us to explore much of the area; this was a great way to kick start our new IPC unit, ‘Explorers and Adventures’. As it was a short week, there is less homework than usual. Below are some photos from our trip.

Don’t forget the class will be on their residential trip to Busan from Tuesday to Wednesday, please check the slides Mr Green shared for a packing list. If you have any questions about the trip, please let me know.

Have a great weekend everyone!

A few reminders for next week:

Thursday is sports day, please check what team your child is on and ensure they wear a t-shirt to match that team. We will be on the pitch for most of the day, so please bring sun cream, a hat, water and lunch which will be enjoyed on the field. It would be great to see parents come along and watch.

Sport Day Teams

Our class trip is on Friday, please remember to send your child to school wearing their school uniform on that day. This will not affect clubs, as we will return to school before 3:30. Please fill out the permission form below if you haven’t done so already.

Trip Permission Form

Apologies as I forgot to hand out homework yesterday afternoon, it will be sent home on Monday.

Here’s a snapshot of what your children have been up to:

English: In our English sessions, we embarked on a thrilling journey into the world of suspense stories. Your children took the reins in crafting their own suspense narratives, honing their creative writing skills with each passing day. Through daily planning and writing exercises, they worked diligently to ensure the success of their stories, exploring suspenseful plotlines and character development along the way.

Maths: In Maths, we wrapped up our unit on money, delving into problem-solving scenarios that put their understanding of the four operations. Additionally, we kicked off a brand-new unit on statistics, starting with the basics of interpreting data through pictograms.

IPC (International Primary Curriculum): Our IPC unit ‘Making Waves took us on a fascinating exploration of sound and light. To demonstrate how sound travels, we got hands-on with string telephones, illustrating how vibrations travel through different mediums, we tested our telephones around the school. Building on our understanding of light, we revisited what we had learnt previously and then explored how light travels using mirrors and a torch.

Have a great weekend everyone.

We have some exciting trips coming up soon, don’t forget to sign up for the residential trip if you haven’t done so already. In addition to this, we have another trip planned for the 17th of May to act as our entry point to our new IPC unit ‘Explorers and Adventures’. Please fill out the permission form for this trip using this link.

Some of this week was spent completing INCAS assessments. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve been up to in class this week:

English: In our English sessions, we delved deeper into our unit on Suspense Writing. We focused on crafting suspenseful settings through vivid descriptions, honing our skills in using direct speech effectively to help create tension. While exploring the five senses we engaged in role-playing an activity. The students had to sneak and hide in the hall while a shadowy figure (me) searched for them. This immersive experience enabled them to create suspenseful paragraphs based on their role-play.

Mathematics: Our math lessons revolved around the theme of money. We worked on ordering money, estimating amounts to tackle problem-solving tasks, and mastering addition and subtraction with money values. The students engaged in many different problem-solving skills, and challenges and reviewed many of these concepts through Sumdog and Education City.

IPC (International Primary Curriculum): This week, the children took centre stage as they presented their findings on either how the ear or the eye functions. Following the presentations, we engaged in a comprehensive review session to reinforce our understanding of the topics covered. Additionally, students had the opportunity to explore various musical instruments, discovering how each instrument produces high and low sounds.

That’s all for this week, have a great weekend.

Dear Parents,

A few reminders, next week there will be an information meeting about the residential trip. Mr Dunn’s Class Information Meeting – Thursday 25th April at 2.30pm.

At these meetings, parents and students will find out about all the exciting things we have planned and how you can help the trips run safely and smoothly. If you are unable to attend these meetings, notes will be published afterward via the newsletter.

Next Tuesday, is also World Book day, children are encouraged to come to school dressed as a character from a book. This is also the last day for read-a-thon, it would be great to have these forms collected on Tuesday.

Here’s a brief update on learning in class this week.

English: This week in English, we embarked on an exciting journey into the world of suspense writing. The students delved into a new unit where they explored the features of suspense writing. To kick things off, we analyzed an example text, pinpointing its key features. Moreover, the children had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the shoes of the main character by engaging in an exercise known as hot seating, where they portrayed Lara and delved into her perspective. Furthermore, they explored the main character more by writing diary entries based on the events of the story.

Mathematics: In mathematics, we commenced a fresh unit focusing on decimals and money. Throughout the week, students have been diligently learning how to compare, order, and round decimals to the nearest whole number. This foundational knowledge will help them move onto problems involving money next week.

IPC (International Primary Curriculum): Our journey through the IPC curriculum took an exciting turn this week with the commencement of our new unit titled “Making Waves!” To kick things off, we embarked on an immersive entry point activity centred around the exploration of light and sound throughout our school environment. We also conducted a knowledge harvest to see what children already know and what they want to find out. Also, the students were engaged in various hands-on stations, each showcasing how sound is created by vibrations, which in turn generate sound waves that travel through either solid, liquid, or gas.

That’s all for this week, have a great weekend everyone.