September
A big welcome back to all the students in 4th class. Here are some things we got up to during the month of September!
English: The students were working on the reading strategy of 'predicting' during the month of September. They were making predictions as to what would happen next in their stories as they read them. This helps them to stay focused and interested in the story and thus improves their understanding and comprehension. The students were revising capital letters and full stops and the writing strategy for September was 'Recount'. The students wrote recounts of trips to the butchers and to Oldbridge. There were lots of opportunity for discussion in the class as we discussed topics such as 'The Battle of the Boyne', 'Friendship' and 'Feelings'. We came across some challenging new vocabulary such as snarled, stubborn, scowled and many more! Some brave students were first up to deliver a 'Friday Speech' and they did wonderfully well. They were trying to be aware of tone of voice, eye contact, body language and some other key aspects of good public speaking.
Maths: The students were working closely with Subtraction during the month of September. They were careful when doing subtraction sums that the bigger number always has to be on top. We are constantly trying to improve our speed at tables and the students played numerous games to help improve their speed at adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. We also worked on the topic of time for the month of September. We were practising reading time off the clock and changing the time from analogue to digital and vice versa. We were doing some word problems involving time and the students we careful to remember the RUCSAC model for problem solving.
Gaeilge: We learned about the theme of 'Mé Féin' (Myself) during the month of September. The students learned how to say how many people were in their family, where they live, what they like and more. All of the boys and girls made a great effort to speak Irish as much as possible. Maith sibh!!
SESE: We had a busy month in SESE, learning all about the Battle of the Boyne which took place at Oldbridge in 1690. The students worked in groups to research the topic and they had a great interest in the topic. We even got a chance to visit the site of the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge. We also learned about jobs in the local community and we listed and learned about jobs that the students may not have heard about before such as a radiologist. We wish to offer our appreciation to Tuites butchers in Yellowbatter for allowing us to visit their premises to hear about the job of a butcher. The students in 4th class had close to a million questions!!
English: The students were working on the reading strategy of 'predicting' during the month of September. They were making predictions as to what would happen next in their stories as they read them. This helps them to stay focused and interested in the story and thus improves their understanding and comprehension. The students were revising capital letters and full stops and the writing strategy for September was 'Recount'. The students wrote recounts of trips to the butchers and to Oldbridge. There were lots of opportunity for discussion in the class as we discussed topics such as 'The Battle of the Boyne', 'Friendship' and 'Feelings'. We came across some challenging new vocabulary such as snarled, stubborn, scowled and many more! Some brave students were first up to deliver a 'Friday Speech' and they did wonderfully well. They were trying to be aware of tone of voice, eye contact, body language and some other key aspects of good public speaking.
Maths: The students were working closely with Subtraction during the month of September. They were careful when doing subtraction sums that the bigger number always has to be on top. We are constantly trying to improve our speed at tables and the students played numerous games to help improve their speed at adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing. We also worked on the topic of time for the month of September. We were practising reading time off the clock and changing the time from analogue to digital and vice versa. We were doing some word problems involving time and the students we careful to remember the RUCSAC model for problem solving.
Gaeilge: We learned about the theme of 'Mé Féin' (Myself) during the month of September. The students learned how to say how many people were in their family, where they live, what they like and more. All of the boys and girls made a great effort to speak Irish as much as possible. Maith sibh!!
SESE: We had a busy month in SESE, learning all about the Battle of the Boyne which took place at Oldbridge in 1690. The students worked in groups to research the topic and they had a great interest in the topic. We even got a chance to visit the site of the Battle of the Boyne at Oldbridge. We also learned about jobs in the local community and we listed and learned about jobs that the students may not have heard about before such as a radiologist. We wish to offer our appreciation to Tuites butchers in Yellowbatter for allowing us to visit their premises to hear about the job of a butcher. The students in 4th class had close to a million questions!!
Art: The students created bridges using cardboard boxes and other materials. The students also drew some of the historical structures around Drogheda such as Laurence's Gate and the Viaduct.
PE: We were practicing Athletics for the month of September. The students were trying to improve their running technique, along with their speed and stamina. There were some fantastic races out in the schoolyard.
october
English: There was great English work done in 4th class during the month of October. The students were practising the reading strategy of visualising. This is making pictures and videos as they read texts. It helps them to build on their understanding of text by making it more real and vivid. The students began working on the writing genre of Narrative. They spent some time preparing characters, a setting and a plot for their story. We came across some new and challenging vocabulary such as collage, foster, concise and many more. Along with Friday speeches, we had some interesting oral language topics such as 'The Romans', 'Persuasion' and 'Human Environments'. Students are working hard on their joined writing in their school copies.
Irish: The themes for the month in Irish were Bia (Food) and Oíche Samhna (Halloween). The students were learning vocabulary associated with food and we practising asking questions such as 'Cad ba mhaith leat?'(What would you like?). The students were also learning the verbs Ith, Ól, Téigh and Faigh during the month of October.
Maths: Maths for Fun continued during the month of October. Thank you to the parents who came in and were a part of it. The children enjoyed playing games and doing activities to help them with their Maths skills. The students are continuing to practice their tables and number facts as they play a very important role throughout the Maths curriculum. The topic for the month of October was Fractions. The students were learning about equivalent fractions.
Tips to improve tables: https://www.pinterest.ie/pin/161637074106336848/?lp=true
SESE: Our SESE topics for the month of October were 'The Romans' and 'Human Environments'. The students worked collaboratively using books from the Drogheda library and school iPads. They discovered lots of interesting information about one of the most impressive empires of all time. The students also learned about human environments. They learned why cities were traditionally built on rivers or by the coast. The students also learned about the geography of County Louth and filled in blank maps with the towns and villages of Louth. In Science we learned about how forces are applied to materials and how friction can influence materials. The students also learned about the atomic makeup of solids, liquids and gases and conducted a simple experiment to show water changing through its different states.
Art: We looked at old Roman mosaics and made mosaics of our own. The children drew Halloween fireworks on black card using pastels and the students also made some of their own designs using materials from the junk art box.
Music: We learned the song 'The Green Grass Grows All Around' and the students had great fun singing it. We practised musical structure and timing using musical resources on the Internet.
PE: We were practising various forms of movement during the month of October. The students were travelling from one side of the hall to the other doing various movements such as crab walks, gorilla jumps, Russian walkers, etc. These exercises were helping the boys and girls to develop their core muscles and strength all over their bodies.
November
English: The students continued their fantastic work with their Narrative stories. The students completed their final drafts and then they wrote in their publishing drafts into booklets. Check out some pictures below to see some of the great work! Friday speeches continued as usual with great speeches on things like 'The Syrian Refugee Crisis', 'Spain' and 'Baton Twirling'. The students did lots of dictionary work in November- finding new words in the dictionary, putting them into sentences, giving definitions for them, finding antonyms and synonyms for them, etc. The word box is checked every Monday for new words that the students came across during the previous week. We practiced the reading strategy of connecting during the month of November. This is when readers make connections with the books they are reading- book to self, book to film, book to other book.
Irish: We were learning about the theme of 'Siopadóireacht' (shopping) during the month of November. The students were learning how to say what they bought in the shop and how to ask for things in the shop as Gaeilge. We also learned about the verbs 'Cheannaigh, oscail and caith'. The students learned how to put those verbs into sentences in the past and present tense. They wrote sentences in their Irish copies using these verbs.
Maths: The students were practicing multiplication during the month of November. They were working hard in class to improve their speed regarding their multiplication tables because this helps them greatly when completing long multiplication sums. The students completed long multiplication sums with one and two digit numbers. For example, when multiplying 364x45, the students learned that they are first multiplying 364 by 5 and then multiplying 364 by 40 and that's why they need to put down the extra zero. We also learned about the topic of data during the month of November. We compiled pie charts and answered data based problems. We went onto Census.ie and looked at different pieces of data and statistics on the website such as the housing stock in Ireland compared to population. There was also time spent on solving word problems. The students were practising using the RUCSAC approach (Read, Underline/Understand, Choose, Solve, Answer, Check). They were also encouraged to break the questions up step by step and to draw pictures and diagrams to accompany their answers.
SESE: We were learning about the country of India during the month of November. The students worked in groups to find out information about India under a number of different topics such as sport, language, economy and weather. They used iPads and books from Drogheda library about India to find the information. The students did similar project based learning on the Celts. They collected information and then wrote about our ancient ancestors. The students learned about renewable energy and non-renewable energy in Science. We collected data on the temperature of all of the classrooms in the school and discussed reasons why the temperature was low or high- open windows, amount of body heat, open doors, etc. We also learned about Nutrition and healthy eating. We viewed ingredients on foods and discussed the difference between homemade meals and ready made meals. The children were shocked to see what goes into a chicken fillet roll!!
Art: Our Art for the month was based on the Ancient Celts and India. The students drew their names on Ogham stones and drew Celtic patterns. We watched videos of monks preparing Indian mandalas with sand and the students learned how to draw and colour their own mandalas.
Music: We spent some time experimenting with musical instruments in conjunction with an Internet programme for developing musical skills.
SPHE: The students were discussing the topic of making decisions in SPHE. They were recalling times in the lives when they had to make decisions and how they came to make those decisions. The students also discussed the topic of 'Fear' and how they can overcome certain fears.
Drama: The students had great fun acting out scenes from their own Narrative stories. They had to direct others students to learn lines and complete actions to make up a scene from their Narrative stories.
Irish: We were learning about the theme of 'Siopadóireacht' (shopping) during the month of November. The students were learning how to say what they bought in the shop and how to ask for things in the shop as Gaeilge. We also learned about the verbs 'Cheannaigh, oscail and caith'. The students learned how to put those verbs into sentences in the past and present tense. They wrote sentences in their Irish copies using these verbs.
Maths: The students were practicing multiplication during the month of November. They were working hard in class to improve their speed regarding their multiplication tables because this helps them greatly when completing long multiplication sums. The students completed long multiplication sums with one and two digit numbers. For example, when multiplying 364x45, the students learned that they are first multiplying 364 by 5 and then multiplying 364 by 40 and that's why they need to put down the extra zero. We also learned about the topic of data during the month of November. We compiled pie charts and answered data based problems. We went onto Census.ie and looked at different pieces of data and statistics on the website such as the housing stock in Ireland compared to population. There was also time spent on solving word problems. The students were practising using the RUCSAC approach (Read, Underline/Understand, Choose, Solve, Answer, Check). They were also encouraged to break the questions up step by step and to draw pictures and diagrams to accompany their answers.
SESE: We were learning about the country of India during the month of November. The students worked in groups to find out information about India under a number of different topics such as sport, language, economy and weather. They used iPads and books from Drogheda library about India to find the information. The students did similar project based learning on the Celts. They collected information and then wrote about our ancient ancestors. The students learned about renewable energy and non-renewable energy in Science. We collected data on the temperature of all of the classrooms in the school and discussed reasons why the temperature was low or high- open windows, amount of body heat, open doors, etc. We also learned about Nutrition and healthy eating. We viewed ingredients on foods and discussed the difference between homemade meals and ready made meals. The children were shocked to see what goes into a chicken fillet roll!!
Art: Our Art for the month was based on the Ancient Celts and India. The students drew their names on Ogham stones and drew Celtic patterns. We watched videos of monks preparing Indian mandalas with sand and the students learned how to draw and colour their own mandalas.
Music: We spent some time experimenting with musical instruments in conjunction with an Internet programme for developing musical skills.
SPHE: The students were discussing the topic of making decisions in SPHE. They were recalling times in the lives when they had to make decisions and how they came to make those decisions. The students also discussed the topic of 'Fear' and how they can overcome certain fears.
Drama: The students had great fun acting out scenes from their own Narrative stories. They had to direct others students to learn lines and complete actions to make up a scene from their Narrative stories.
December
English:
December is always a busy month in classrooms around Ireland and ours was no different. Our Friday speeches continued throughout the month of December. The students had to learn and recite a great deal of songs and poems for the Christmas show. We held a competition in the class for the best Christmas poem and after a tight vote by the students, a winner was chosen and it was learned by the class and performed at the show. There was a large amount of dictionary work done during this month. Students had to find new words in the dictionary with a partner and then challenge each other to put the words in sentences, find antonyms and synonyms and say a sentence with that word blanked out. Christmas narrative stories were also planned carefully and some wonderful Christmas stories were created and entered into the school's Christmas writing competition. We practised the reading strategy of 'questioning' during this month. This is when the reader asks themselves questions as they read a text. The boys and girls in 4th are always being reminded to practice their reading strategies as they read. We have actively practised 'questioning', 'connecting', 'visualing' and 'predicting' so far this year.
Maths: We were learning about Decimals during the month of December. The students were learning about numbers smaller than one and how to find out which ones are bigger than other by looking at their place value. We were also adding and subtracting decimals in class. The importance of tables is always reinforced in class and we continue to play games and do activities to improve speed and accuracy. We were also learning about symmetry. We sorted items that were symmetrical and non-symmetrical.
Gaeilge: We were working on the theme of Nollaig during the month of December. The students were learning vocabulary associated with Nollaig and were putting these words into sentences as well as reading texts that contained these new words. The students also learned the verb 'Tabhair'. The students were putting this verb into sentences in the past and present tense.
Geography: During the month of December the students were learning about countries in Europe. They went through lists of countries and had to say if the countries were in Europe or not. We also looked at countries around the world and studied their customs surrounding Christmas. These countries included Nigeria, Japan, Germany and South Korea.
Art: The students made some fantastic artwork that were used as displays for the Christmas show. They also made Christmas decorations out of clay that were hopefully hanging proudly on Christmas trees all over Drogheda during the festive season.
Christmas show: The students worked very hard rehearsing songs and their lines as part of a Christmas play. They had a great time performing in front of all of their parents, grandparents and siblings.
December is always a busy month in classrooms around Ireland and ours was no different. Our Friday speeches continued throughout the month of December. The students had to learn and recite a great deal of songs and poems for the Christmas show. We held a competition in the class for the best Christmas poem and after a tight vote by the students, a winner was chosen and it was learned by the class and performed at the show. There was a large amount of dictionary work done during this month. Students had to find new words in the dictionary with a partner and then challenge each other to put the words in sentences, find antonyms and synonyms and say a sentence with that word blanked out. Christmas narrative stories were also planned carefully and some wonderful Christmas stories were created and entered into the school's Christmas writing competition. We practised the reading strategy of 'questioning' during this month. This is when the reader asks themselves questions as they read a text. The boys and girls in 4th are always being reminded to practice their reading strategies as they read. We have actively practised 'questioning', 'connecting', 'visualing' and 'predicting' so far this year.
Maths: We were learning about Decimals during the month of December. The students were learning about numbers smaller than one and how to find out which ones are bigger than other by looking at their place value. We were also adding and subtracting decimals in class. The importance of tables is always reinforced in class and we continue to play games and do activities to improve speed and accuracy. We were also learning about symmetry. We sorted items that were symmetrical and non-symmetrical.
Gaeilge: We were working on the theme of Nollaig during the month of December. The students were learning vocabulary associated with Nollaig and were putting these words into sentences as well as reading texts that contained these new words. The students also learned the verb 'Tabhair'. The students were putting this verb into sentences in the past and present tense.
Geography: During the month of December the students were learning about countries in Europe. They went through lists of countries and had to say if the countries were in Europe or not. We also looked at countries around the world and studied their customs surrounding Christmas. These countries included Nigeria, Japan, Germany and South Korea.
Art: The students made some fantastic artwork that were used as displays for the Christmas show. They also made Christmas decorations out of clay that were hopefully hanging proudly on Christmas trees all over Drogheda during the festive season.
Christmas show: The students worked very hard rehearsing songs and their lines as part of a Christmas play. They had a great time performing in front of all of their parents, grandparents and siblings.
JANUARY
ENGLISH: During the month of January we were practicing the writing strategy of 'Explanation'. The students were learning the difference between Explanation writing and Procedural writing, despite being very similar. The students wrote explanations of how a bike works and how certain games such as chess or soccer are played. They used checklists to check if they were sticking to the genre of Explanation. The reading strategy that we practised was declunking. This is where words are broken up into smaller parts when you cannot read the word. The students were also looking at the etymology of certain words to help us understand what the word might mean. There was a lot of great discussions in 4th class during the month of January including discussions on houses in the past, Friday speeches, talks during Grandparents Day and discussions about communicating verbally and non-verbally. The students also started reading novels in the class. We are asking questions as we read and discussing plot, characters and setting.
GAEILGE: During the month of January, the students were learning about the theme of Sa Bhaile (At Home). The students were learning vocabulary associated with this theme. The students were learning the names for all the rooms in the house and how to put these words into sentences and questions. The students also learned the verbs 'Fág', 'Tosaigh', 'Dúisigh' and 'Glan'. The students put these words into sentences in the past and present tenses.
MATHS: The topics that were studied in Maths during the month of January were lines, angles,length, fractions and word problems. The students were learning about the characteristics of parallel lines, perpendicular lines and right angles. They were also learning about different angles and how to recognise if an angle is an obtuse, acute or reflex angle. We also did a lot of work on estimating and measuring length, both around the classroom and in the wider school environment. The students were learning about the differences between different units of measurement. The students were also doing a re-cap on fractions as they had been causing some difficulties in homework. The students were making sure to use diagrams such as fraction bars while completing problems.
SESE: We had a great month in SESE during January. The students were learning about houses in the past and different styles of architecture. We looked at Georgian and Victorian architecture and their main features. The students saw many photos and listened to a podcast for kids about Georgian buildings. There were some fantastic projects completed at home where students designed their own houses using various materials such as Lego, cardboard and blocks. Some students even used computer programmes to The students were also learning about houses in the past and the artefacts and old appliances that would have been used in them. Thank you to the students who were able to bring some old items from their grandparents' houses. We were able to supplement some of this study by visiting the Milmount Museum in Drogheda. We saw numerous artefacts from houses in the past and we also got some fantastic stories and insights into local history. In Science lessons this month we learned about the parts of the flower. We had a wonderful day in the classroom when some grandparents visited Rang a ceathair! The students got to ask them numerous questions about their lives in the past and growing up in Drogheda.
MUSIC: Congratulations to the boys and girls in 4th class who took part in the annual Peace Proms in the RDS this month. They practiced very hard with Ms. O'Reilly and Ms. McVeigh and everyone had a great day out singing songs and dancing.
PE: The students in 4th class were doing Dance for the month of January. The students worked together in groups of six to choreograph dances and perform them in front of the class. They were able to develop their movement skills as well as their teamwork skills.
GAEILGE: During the month of January, the students were learning about the theme of Sa Bhaile (At Home). The students were learning vocabulary associated with this theme. The students were learning the names for all the rooms in the house and how to put these words into sentences and questions. The students also learned the verbs 'Fág', 'Tosaigh', 'Dúisigh' and 'Glan'. The students put these words into sentences in the past and present tenses.
MATHS: The topics that were studied in Maths during the month of January were lines, angles,length, fractions and word problems. The students were learning about the characteristics of parallel lines, perpendicular lines and right angles. They were also learning about different angles and how to recognise if an angle is an obtuse, acute or reflex angle. We also did a lot of work on estimating and measuring length, both around the classroom and in the wider school environment. The students were learning about the differences between different units of measurement. The students were also doing a re-cap on fractions as they had been causing some difficulties in homework. The students were making sure to use diagrams such as fraction bars while completing problems.
SESE: We had a great month in SESE during January. The students were learning about houses in the past and different styles of architecture. We looked at Georgian and Victorian architecture and their main features. The students saw many photos and listened to a podcast for kids about Georgian buildings. There were some fantastic projects completed at home where students designed their own houses using various materials such as Lego, cardboard and blocks. Some students even used computer programmes to The students were also learning about houses in the past and the artefacts and old appliances that would have been used in them. Thank you to the students who were able to bring some old items from their grandparents' houses. We were able to supplement some of this study by visiting the Milmount Museum in Drogheda. We saw numerous artefacts from houses in the past and we also got some fantastic stories and insights into local history. In Science lessons this month we learned about the parts of the flower. We had a wonderful day in the classroom when some grandparents visited Rang a ceathair! The students got to ask them numerous questions about their lives in the past and growing up in Drogheda.
MUSIC: Congratulations to the boys and girls in 4th class who took part in the annual Peace Proms in the RDS this month. They practiced very hard with Ms. O'Reilly and Ms. McVeigh and everyone had a great day out singing songs and dancing.
PE: The students in 4th class were doing Dance for the month of January. The students worked together in groups of six to choreograph dances and perform them in front of the class. They were able to develop their movement skills as well as their teamwork skills.
February
ENGLISH: We were practising the reading strategy of 'Determining Importance' during the month of February. This is when the students actively decide the scale of importance of events in terms of the plot, setting and characters of the story. We read a number of comprehensions and practised answering questions on them. The students read lots of material about New Zealand and had to use their skills in Determining Importance to pick out things for their project that were of greater importance. The writing strategy that we practised during February was 'Procedural Writing'. The students wrote procedures on 'how to make pancakes', 'how to build a snowman', 'how to tie shoelaces' and more.
MATHS: The main topic covered in Maths this month was Division. The students were working on improving their tables skills as they as so important for division activities. They learned of division as fast subtraction and they looked at different ways to complete division sums. We continued to use the RUCSAC methodology for problem solving questions. The students also learned about the topic of Weight and answered word problems on this topic as well as estimating and weighing various items around the classroom.
GAEILGE: The topic of An Teilifís was studied in Irish during the month of February. The students learned lots of vocabulary associated with this theme. We have also introduced a pop up Gaeltacht to our morning activities. The students are enjoying the challenge of trying to speak only in Irish for a 15-20 minute period.
SESE: The students completed a project on New Zealand during the month of February. They used library books and iPads to research information about New Zealand. This time however, the students had to present their project in Podcast form. It will hopefully be uploaded at a later date as I am currently unable to do it now. The students were also learning about Earthquakes and how they occur. We watched videos and discussed how earthquakes and tsunamis are formed. For Engineers Week, the students learned about different types of Engineer and they got to work as an Engineer by designing structures using spaghetti and marshmallows.
DRAMA: The students worked in groups to choose scenes from their class novels and act them out in front of the rest of the class. The were aware of themselves being in role and how props can aid the delivery of a scene. The students are also continuing to take turns at delivering a Friday Speech.
PE: The students worked on developing their skills in soccer during February. They practised skills of dribbling, passing and shooting and also played some small sided games to practice these skills in a competitive context.
BREAKFAST MORNING: We had a wonderful breakfast morning in the class before the midterm break. We all worked together to make pancakes from scratch and then we sat down together to eat them!
MATHS: The main topic covered in Maths this month was Division. The students were working on improving their tables skills as they as so important for division activities. They learned of division as fast subtraction and they looked at different ways to complete division sums. We continued to use the RUCSAC methodology for problem solving questions. The students also learned about the topic of Weight and answered word problems on this topic as well as estimating and weighing various items around the classroom.
GAEILGE: The topic of An Teilifís was studied in Irish during the month of February. The students learned lots of vocabulary associated with this theme. We have also introduced a pop up Gaeltacht to our morning activities. The students are enjoying the challenge of trying to speak only in Irish for a 15-20 minute period.
SESE: The students completed a project on New Zealand during the month of February. They used library books and iPads to research information about New Zealand. This time however, the students had to present their project in Podcast form. It will hopefully be uploaded at a later date as I am currently unable to do it now. The students were also learning about Earthquakes and how they occur. We watched videos and discussed how earthquakes and tsunamis are formed. For Engineers Week, the students learned about different types of Engineer and they got to work as an Engineer by designing structures using spaghetti and marshmallows.
DRAMA: The students worked in groups to choose scenes from their class novels and act them out in front of the rest of the class. The were aware of themselves being in role and how props can aid the delivery of a scene. The students are also continuing to take turns at delivering a Friday Speech.
PE: The students worked on developing their skills in soccer during February. They practised skills of dribbling, passing and shooting and also played some small sided games to practice these skills in a competitive context.
BREAKFAST MORNING: We had a wonderful breakfast morning in the class before the midterm break. We all worked together to make pancakes from scratch and then we sat down together to eat them!