I was warned that Grade 4 is a huge jump from Grade 3, but I was hoping that it wouldn’t be as bad as I was told. Oh man, it was even worse. I planned to share a few Grade 4 resources last year, but then life happened. So much life. But now I can honestly say that these resources really helped. And we are continuing with most for Grade 5. I am now a homeschooling mom (words I never thought I would say!) and I need ALL the help I can get. I hope a few of these resources will help you too…
Resources to help parents survive Grade 4 and beyond
Last year was a tough one for us. For various reasons. Grade 4 is rough. Tests, exams, tasks and the pace of it all was a huge adjustment. And every year that follows just builds on it. Cara was attending school for the first 3 terms of grade 4 and then we ‘homeschooled’ via remote learning for the last term. I had support from the school, but it was still tough. This year we are homeschooling with Impaq and I am so thankful for all the resources that I discovered last year as it is already a great help for grade 5. Please feel free to share any homeschooling tips!
Let’s get cracking with those resources…
Afrikaans vir Almal and English for All by Isabel Uys was recommended to my sister and we both rushed to get copies when 2021 school year started. These books are a must and they will be a great tool up to Matric. It’s fantastic to have a book on hand when your child comes to you with a Grammar question or asking for a synonym, antonym, degrees of comparison, abbreviations, etc… You won’t believe how quickly you get stuck. Quite embarrassing to be honest, haha.
If you are looking for a great Afrikaans-English bilingual dictionary, this one from Pharos is great. It’s easy to use, gives grammar guidance and improves vocabulary.
Below is a collection of books (some of which are available in English) that are great for tasks and additional learning. Pop over to NB Publishers for more info.
Cara loves books but she is not an avid reader. She loves stories and to be read to, but she is not too keen on doing it herself. I am hoping that the reading bug will bite soon and I am thankful that we have a bookshelf stocked with great, funny and entertaining reads. NB Publishers truly have a fantastic selection.
A friend told me about Studymaster / Studiemeester and both my sister and I are ever so grateful. You sign up for a year and they supply you with summaries for the chosen grade based on the text books used by your school. Most text books are summarised, but if certain books are not on the list, they will add it. Last year we worked with Platinum text books and I was very happy with the summaries. I was pleasantly surprised that they also have Impaq summaries. My heart basically skipped a beat when I realised this and it feels like a mountain has been lifted from my shoulders. They also have a ‘test’ section where you can find tests and memorandums for all subjects. Studymaster can also assist learners with class speeches and assignment research. Studiemeester has been a godsend. You can’t go wrong.
Raising Brightness has been on my radar for a few years and last year I decided to give them a try. As I mentioned, we schooled at home for the last term of grade 4 and Raising Brightness was a huge help. Raising Brightness offers audio visual learning material (aka informative and fun videos) that cover subjects from grades 1 to 6 based on the CAPS curriculum. They also have a test and memorandum with every video, as well as other fun courses on offer. I love that you can buy the specific theme/chapter that you need. We are using their Grade 5 videos for maths, social sciences, natural sciences and technology and life skills this year. As I’ve mentioned, I need all the help I can get.
I discovered Twinkl when Cara was in Grade 3 when I was looking for a few posters to help Cara remember the different parts of speech. Most of the resources are aimed at younger kids, but I have found a couple of great ones that have proved to be incredibly valuable. You can either sign up or just purchase the item you need for download.
I haven’t used WorksheetCloud myself, but my sister is very impressed with what they offer…
“Worksheetcloud removes the guesswork, stress and frustration that all parents and children experience with class tests and school exams. WorksheetCloud is an app with thousands of online and printable CAPS and IEB practice questions to help your child study for school exams and tests in South Africa. You’ll find a huge bank of questions and answers with hints, tips and explanations in Mathematics, Afrikaans, English, Natural Science, History and Geography.”
During the initial lockdown, Worksheetcloud uploaded free lessons on YouTube and Cara loved watching them. And thank you to Worksheetcloud for keeping them on your site! Cara loved the Grade 4 videos and they were a great help when we needed to do revision or study for a test. I am thankful that they also have videos for grade 5. Go have a look.
I really hope that you find these resources valuable. Please feel free to share your favourites in the comments below.
Happy learning.
xoxo
Disclaimer: Please note that most of these resources have been bought by myself, but NB Uitgewers has been super generous by supplying us with a few of these amazing books. The Raising Brightness link is an affiliate link.