Mathletics
- Mathletics is an excellent online Maths website with activities that revise the topics being covered in School.
- The school pays for each pupil on Mathletics so please use this resource.
- The children are motivated to earn points and credits.
- A pupil who gets over 1000 points in a week (each week ends on Sunday evening) receives a Bronze Certificate. Every fifth cert is a Silver or Gold Cert.
- Pupils can go online at home at any time to do Mathletics. Google Chrome is the best search engine to use for Mathletics
- Pupils should choose Activities that challenge them.
- In Mathletics Live, levels 3 and 4 suit most pupils in 4th.
Homework
- Homework should take approximately 30 mins. This is an average.
- Please sign the Journal each night.
- All work should have a ruled topline, a title and date.
- Pupils are required to present their work neatly, using joined writing and their best handwriting
Revising Tables
- “Skip Counting” is a good method ( 8,16,24,32,…….). Pupils will be familiar with various online games.
Spellings
- As in previous years, pupils follow the Jolly Grammar Programme.
- Pupils get a Spelling List to learn each week.
- There are 18 Spellings on each list but the teacher may not test pupils on all spellings.
- Write the spellings out at home (Look – Cover – Write – Check Method)
Reading
Pupils can give themselves a huge educational boost by becoming “readers at home”. They will enjoy authors such as Michael Morpurgo, David Walliams, Jacqueline Wilson, Roald Dahl, Anne Fine, Jeff Kinney, Francesca Simon, Lemony Snicket, JK Rowling ……. and there are lots more.
Becoming a reader is the single most important thing you can do for your progress in education
- Guided Reading is continued in Fourth Class with pupils grouped for reading and each pupil reading at their own level.
- The SRA Reading Programme also runs over the course of one of the terms. Each pupil is challenged to read at a level appropriate to them as they advance through a series of colour levels.
- There is also a Speed Reading component called Rate Builders.
- The Novel for 4th Class is “The Wreck of the Zanzibar” by Michael Morpurgo.
- As part of Homework most nights, the children will read a story/piece from “Read at Home”
Writing
- Increasingly, pupils will plan and draft their writing. On occasions, the children will go through a number of drafts before the “Final Version” is written.
- It is important that pupils leaving 4th class be able to sentence properly.
- Pupils should “focus” their writing in 4th – stay on topic and develop single ideas into paragraphs.
- Handwriting: Pupils use joined handwriting and Pen Licences are awarded to those pupils whose work reaches a consistently high standard in terms of handwriting and presentation.
- Pupils will get the opportunity to do the “Write a Book” project in the 2nd term (Jan to March)
Gaeilge
- The emphasis will be on the spoken language through songs, poetry and drama. Pupils will be encouraged to use words and phrases they’ve learnt at home.
Christmas Concert
- Fourth Class is the final year in which pupils perform a Christmas Concert.
- The rota includes Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, The Wizard of Oz and Oliver.
Swimming
- Pupils do not do swimming in Fourth.
Extra-curricular
- Depending on the time of year, there are opportunities to play hurling, camogie, Gaelic football and Girls Football. Mrs McMahon and Mr Vaughan organise Chess and Draughts.
- Auditions for Mrs de Buitléir’s band take place in September and Ms Mc Mahon runs the choir.
Lego Project and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths)
- Both of these projects focus on designing and making.
- Pupils must work together in pairs or groups and learn to co-operate.
- STEAM projects will be spread over the year while Lego will take place over the course of one term.
Contacting the Teacher
- Write a note in the Journal or contact Emer in the office if you wish to arrange a meeting and we’ll get back to you.
