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The end of Term 2 has arrived, and the Year 3/4 class has had an excellent term, covering so much learning and making great progress. To end the term, the children enjoyed their trip to the Busan Science Museum. The class split up for the activities, with the Year 3s joining Ms. Sims’ class to make an automated toy and the Year 4s joining Ms. Temple’s class to create a robot that could draw.

In English, we wrapped up our unit on nonfiction writing. The children used their plans to write a persuasive information text, carefully considering the structure and features. Once these were complete in their books, the children used a leaflet template to create their final piece. This template was on the laptop so they could easily add pictures.

In maths, the children reached the end of the unit on mass and capacity. This week, the children moved on to capacity—adding and subtracting capacity and volume, comparing volume and capacity, and identifying equivalent capacities and volumes.

To end our IPC unit, Young Entrepreneurs, the children finished the toy product they started last week. Next, we carefully considered the importance of packaging in attracting and informing people about our product. The children looked at different packages, identifying key features that would allow them to successfully make their own. After that, they created a persuasive poster advertising their toy.

No homework was sent home today, but I have sent home Sumdog logins and I will add additional practice activities for the children to complete during the break.

Have a fantastic break, and I will see you all on April 7th!

Hello everyone

With just one week left in Term 2, we’re gearing up for an exciting finish packed with engaging learning opportunities and our class trip to Busan Science Museum. Thank you to everyone who has signed the permission form for the trip. A gentle reminder that the school kindly requests parents to contribute 3,500 won to cover the entrance fees.

For the trip, each child needs to bring a snack and a lunch that does not require heating, and they should wear their school uniform. We will be leaving promptly at 9:00 am, so please ensure your child is at school by 8:50 am if you drop them off in the morning.

Here are some highlights from the week’s learning:

Literacy: The children started the week by researching a sea creature to produce their persuasive information text. After that, they planned their text, carefully considering key features, and began writing the introduction and a section on the creature’s appearance.

Maths: We started a new unit on mass and capacity. The children explored measuring in grams and kilograms, comparing mass, adding and subtracting mass, and working with volume and capacity in milliliters.

IPC: At the start of the week, the children added to their presentation on imports and exports by researching the currency of their chosen country. Next, they were put into groups to begin a project. Each group started designing a product they could create in class, spent time researching different crafts, and considered the materials and equipment needed. As they began making their products, they had to think about redesigning or altering their work if necessary.

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

Hello everyone!

What a fantastic way to wrap up the week with our International Day. It was a celebration filled with delicious food and sharing and learning about different cultures. A thank you to everyone who contributed to making it such a memorable and enriching day; your efforts and support are appreciated.

I am excited to inform you about our upcoming class trip scheduled for Wednesday, March 19th. On this day, our students will explore the Busan Science Museum, including visits to the main museum and the children’s museum, along with participation in a museum-led science activity.

Please note the following important details:

• Students are required to wear their school uniforms.
• Students should bring a morning snack and their water bottle.
• Each student should bring a packed lunch that doesn’t need a microwave.
• We kindly request a contribution of 3,500 won per student to cover entrance fees.

To ensure your child’s participation, please complete the permission form using the link provided. Should you have any questions or need further information, feel free to contact me or the school office.

Here are the highlights from this week’s learning.

During Literacy, the class delved deeper into persuasive information texts, focusing on techniques such as shocking facts and rhetorical questions. They analyzed a model text to identify key structural features and literary devices, enhancing their understanding of persuasive writing.

In maths, the students concluded the ‘Fractions A’ unit by completing an end-of-unit assessment. They tackled calculation and reasoning questions related to improper fractions, mixed numbers, and conversions between the two, solidifying their grasp of these concepts.

In IPC, as part of the ‘Young Entrepreneurs’ unit, students explored unique products from around the world. Working in groups, they created posters featuring products from each continent, accompanied by informative descriptions, and integrated these into a world map display.

Hello everyone!

The Year 3/4 explored new concepts, developed key skills, and engaged in hands-on learning across all subjects, here is a quick overview of the learning from the past week.

This week in Literacy, we continued learning about whales, using the book Big Blue Whale to help us find key facts. The children used atlases and information from the book to plot the whale migration journey and add a caption. After that, they used this knowledge to write a paragraph explaining the journey, using conjunctions. Then, we gathered more facts from the book and a video and wrote a paragraph about the size of a whale.

In Maths, we continued to explore fractions. The children answered questions and solved problems on fractions beyond a whole, partitioning mixed numbers, comparing and ordering mixed numbers, and understanding improper fractions.

In IPC, we finished our unit on electricity, with the children making an electromagnet. We then created a quick poster to show our learning as an Exit Point. We also started our new unit, Young Entrepreneurs. As an Entry Point, we played a game where four students chose a box and then had to make up what was inside and persuade the rest of the class that their box contained the best item. Next, we explored businesses and services in our local area and created a map to show them.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hello everyone!

The children have been very busy and productive. Let’s take a look at some highlights from the week.

In English, we started reading our class texts: The Morning I Met a Whale by Michael Morpurgo and Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies. The children worked on extending sentences using conjunctions while thinking about different facts about whales. They also wrote poems about an animal of their choice, incorporating various description types.

In maths, the children began a unit on fractions. They developed their knowledge and understanding of the numerator and denominator and how fractions represent parts of a whole. They also compared and ordered fractions and explored fractions on a number line.

During IPC, we spent a lot of time experimenting with circuits. First, the children explored building different circuits by changing various components. After that, we investigated complete and incomplete circuits, observing what happened and explaining how they could be fixed. Additionally, the children experimented with different materials to determine which were conductors and insulators. The children also role-played as a circuit to help embed their understanding.

Hello everyone!

It was great to meet so many of you during the parent-teacher conferences. If you weren’t able to meet with me please don’t hesitate to get in touch so we can arrange a meeting. Here’s an overview of what we did last week.

In Literacy, we finished our fantasy story writing unit, inspired by our class text Winter’s Child. The children looked at writing setting descriptions to show the change in seasons from winter to spring. We also began our new unit, which will use two stories to support our writing: The Morning I Met a Whale by Michael Morpurgo and The Big Blue Whale by Nicola Davies. To excite the students about this new unit, we listened to whale singing, watched whales move through the water, and then created sentences around different images using “I see,” “I notice,” and “I wonder.”

During IPC this week, we also started a new unit. We began with an entry point to engage the students, asking them to think carefully about what school would be like without electricity. Then, we searched around the school for different appliances and devices that use electricity. After that, we had a knowledge harvest lesson to assess what the children already knew and what they wanted to find out. I demonstrated some effects of static electricity, then the children had a turn before finally coming up with a definition of electricity and thinking of some questions we could explore.

In Maths, the children continued working on perimeter and length. We looked at how to calculate the perimeter of rectangles, rectilinear shapes, and polygons, applying our knowledge of shapes to find missing lengths. We ended the week with our end-of-unit assessment.

Hello everyone!

I hope you all had a wonderful Seollal break! The Year 3/4 class jumped straight back into learning and exploring. Mid-year reports were sent home yesterday, and parent-teacher conferences will take place next Monday and Friday. I look forward to meeting with you then!

Here are some highlights from our week:

In IPC, we tested the parachutes we made before the holiday break. The students also wrote up their investigation, results, and conclusion, demonstrating what they learned about air resistance. To end the unit, I challenged the children to create a video showcasing some of their learning. They worked in groups, wrote scripts, and practiced their presentations. We will begin our new unit next week.

During Literacy, the students planned their fantasy stories based on the class text Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister. We used a model text to support their planning. After that, we began writing a paragraph each day, encouraging them to think carefully about what to include. To support their writing, we also created a class story together, generating ideas as a group.

In Maths, we continued our unit on length and perimeter. The students practiced using rulers to measure, explored different units of measurement, learned how to convert between them, and worked on adding and subtracting lengths. They also applied their knowledge to calculating perimeter.

Dear Parents,

On the Friday 7th February Mid Year reports will be sent home with your child and Parent Teacher Conferences will take place the week beginning 10th February. Please sign up to make an appointment with me to discuss your child’s progress using this LINK. I look foward to meeting with you soon.

Thank you

Mr Dunn

Hello everyone!

This week was extra special with our Seollal celebration on Thursday. It was wonderful to see so many children wearing their hanbok or traditional clothing from their home countries. Each class performed Sebae to teachers and staff and the children enjoyed playing traditional Korean games.

Here are some highlights from this week’s learning:

This week in Literacy, the students explored character motives. They sorted reasons for the Winter’s Child to stay with his friend, Tom, and reasons for him to leave and return so that spring could arrive. The children also created their own fantasy characters and wrote descriptive passages to accompany them. Additionally, we examined a short story based on Winter’s Child, where the students underlined and labeled key features of the text.

In Maths, we concluded the Multiplication B unit. The students explored different methods of division, including partitioning, place value charts, and using counters to solve problems. They also completed the end-of-unit assessment.

This week in IPC, our focus was buoyancy and air resistance. The children experimented with clay, shaping it in different ways to see if they could make it float. We also explored why boats are designed the way they are. To finish the week, the students began making parachutes in preparation for an investigation into air resistance when we return from the Seollal holiday.

That’s all for the week, have a great Seollal holiday.

Hello everyone!

Another busy and productive week in the Year 3/4 class. Below are a few highlights from this week’s learning.

A few reminders: Clubs will start next week—I hope you’ve had a chance to sign up! Next Thursday, we will be celebrating Seollal, and it would be wonderful to see your child wearing a hanbok or traditional dress from their home country.

 You can view an overview for the learning for each subject by clicking on the following link Mr Dunn’s Termly Curriculum Plan.

You can also view the presentation I gave at the start of the academic year which informed you about the learning and classroom expectations for the year by using this link Curriculum Overview.

In Literacy this week, we continued our learning around Winter’s Child by Angela McAllister. The children explored the main characters by creating a “role on the wall” diagram—writing the character’s personality traits inside the outline and their appearance, thoughts, and possible dialogue on the outside. Since our text is set in winter, we went outside to engage our senses and help the children create similes. We also examined another fantasy story, comparing and contrasting it with Winter’s Child.

In Maths, we continued our unit on multiplication. The children learned different methods to solve three-digit by one-digit problems, both with and without exchange. We then explored related multiplication and division calculations. To end the week, we focused on solving division problems using partitioning. The children did a fantastic job using mathematical equipment to support their learning.

For IPC and our unit on Forces, we investigated how to measure forces using a Newton meter. The children revisited their friction experiment, this time using the Newton meter to pull a shoe across different surfaces and measuring the force in Newtons. We also had a lesson on gravity, where we discussed this fundamental force and explored the relationship between mass and weight, again using a Newton meter for hands-on learning.