Grade 4: Week 1: Welcome Back to School

 Hello everyone, we are going to start another exciting school year at Xinmin Elementary School.

Every school year has its own challenges and triumphs so I hope that students experience lots of learning and growth throughout their time in Grade 4.

The first story will be a historical fiction text about the famous ship Titanic.

Vocabulary List

1 prepay (v.): to pay for something before you receive it 

 2 nonstop (adj.): not stopping; continuing without a break 

 3 disagree (v.): to express or show a different opinion 

 4 nonfiction (n.): writing based on real facts 

 5 preapprove (v.): to approve something in advance 

 6 imperfect (adj.): not perfect; having flaws or mistakes 

 7 impolite (adj.): not polite; rude 

 8 insecure (adj.): not safe or confident 

 9 incorrect (adj.): not correct; wrong 

 10 indirect (adj.): not direct; roundabout 

 11 enormous (adj.): extremely large in size 

 12 interfere (v.): to get involved in something without being asked 

 13 stationary (adj.): not moving; staying in one place 

 14 abandon (v.): to leave somebody/something behind; to give up 

 15 appear (v.): to come into view; to become visible 

 16 take someone in (phr. v.): to give someone a home; to adopt 

 17 harbor (n.): a place where ships anchor safely 

 18 voyage (n.): a long journey by sea 

 19 cabin (n.): a room on a ship for passengers to sleep in 

 20 bunk (n.): a narrow bed on a ship or train 

 21 afford (v.): to have enough money to pay for something 

 22 occupy (v.): to fill a place or time 

 23 cramped (adj.): having very little space 

 24 lifeboat (n.): a boat used to rescue people from a sinking ship

Story Summary:

Below Deck: A Titanic Story

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pL27wU3f-7c

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN1tEg4WPPo

Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9gvmYhWP5Q

Grace is a young girl who has to leave her home in Ireland and say goodbye to her Auntie Nora to go to America.

Grace goes to live with her Uncle Patrick in New York City in the United States of America.

Auntie Nora tells Grace that there are more jobs in America than in old Ireland and that it is a good place for a clever girl to grow up in.

Auntie Nora took the train from Dublin to Queenstown to board a ship to the USA.

The giant new ship-named the Titanic had been built in Belfast, Ireland and is said to be unsinkable.

Grace boards the enormous ship and says goodbye to Auntie Nora.

A man on the ship checks Grace's ticket and she goes through long hallways to her cabin.

The Titanic started its voyage in Southampton, England before coming to Queenstown, Ireland and the final stop of the trip is New York City, USA.

Grace has only a third class ticket which is at the bottom of the ship.

The cabin has six bunks, and the other five are occupied by a family.

They spoke a different language so Grace is not able to communicate with them.

Grace puts her suitcase under her bunk which has some clothes, Uncle Patrick's address, and a photograph of Auntie Nora.

Grace went to look at the second class decks and rooms which looked much nicer than hers.

She is not allowed to even see the first-class rooms because a man is guarding it.

She finds a window that does show first-class passengers sitting inside with fine clothes and tables covered in spotless white linen.

Later, Grace gets mistaken for a thief by a girl named Catherine.

However, the Catherine's father tells her to stop.

Catherine and her family are first-class passenger and saw some boys stealing food.

The next three days of the journey through the Atlantic Ocean were nice and had good weather.

There were many people, especially first-class passengers, who went up to the main deck and saw an iceberg on the ocean.

Some people were yelling that the Titanic hit an iceberg.

The newspapers said that the Titanic was unsinkable, but this was proven wrong.

The passengers start to get on the lifeboats for safety, but Grace does not want to leave her suitcase that has her clothes, the address of her uncle, and the photo of her Auntie Nora.

While looking for her cabin, she helps Catherine who is lost and confused.

Later, Catherine's family helps them get into a lifeboat while the Titanic sinks below the Atlantic Ocean.

Week 1	Homework 回家功課
Monday August 31st	1. Vocabulary #1-8 x3 + definitions x1 2. 5 sentences
Tuesday September  1st	1. Vocabulary #9-16x3 + definitions x1 2. 5 sentences 3. Shared Worksheet
Wednesday September 2nd	1. A2 Level Worksheet 2. Vocabulary # 17-24x3 + definitions x1 3. 5 sentences
Thursday September 3rd	1. Knowledge Building Worksheet
Friday September 4th	1. Week 2 Vocabulary #1-8x3 + definitions 2. 5 sentences