Page 5 - SN October - Grade 4

EAL

MS. DIVNA STAKIC

Intermediate Group

Dear Parents,
This month we have started supporting the PYP trans-disciplinary theme Who We Are - Heroes, with
its central idea: We can all demonstrate the characteristics of heroes. We reinforced vocabulary and concepts
covered in 4A and 4B class. We enquired into the common characteristics of all heroes, their behav-
ior, and what choices the heroes make. We made a comparison between a hero and a super-hero, i.e.
fictional characters the students know from the popular media. We also discussed a difference be-
tween a heroic person and a celebrity. We have read various texts about heroes – “The Little Boy
Who Could, No Lock Could Hold Him, “Dogsleds to the Rescue”, focusing on new vocabulary, syn-
onyms/antonyms, and comprehension. We also compared the heroic acts in each of these stories,
and practiced paraphrasing skills – saying what we read in our own words. In speaking, the students
practiced interviewing skills, and using correct tense while asking/answering questions. We focused
on listening comprehension, and introduced basic note-taking skills. In grammar, we practiced using
verbs in present simple tense. All EAL students were engaged in selecting questions and preparing
our EAL Essential Agreements. The students used modal verbs and imperative as they wrote the
agreements for the class. We also talked about the meaning of “agreement” vs. “rule.”