Sender, receiver and the postal system

The parts of a message (sender, medium, receiver, feedback) and how the postal system works. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

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The parts of a message

Lerato writes to Ayanda in Knysna: Lerato is the sender, Ayanda the receiver.

A national TV programme has the most receivers at once. A radio station in George has its listeners as receivers.

A letter’s journey: from the sender to the receiver.

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

The postal system

The post office sends and sorts letters and parcels; the postman or postwoman delivers.

The receiver’s address goes in the middle of the front of the envelope, with the postal code last. The stamp goes in the top right corner, and the sender’s return address goes on the back. A postmark shows when and where it was posted. A PO Box is a rented locker where your mail waits.
In 1500 a sailor left a letter at a milkwood tree in Mossel Bay: today the Post Office Tree.
A hundred years ago mail travelled by train between Cape Town and Johannesburg; long ago letters took weeks or months. Today email is faster and cheaper.

Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary

The sender sends the message; the receiver gets it; the medium (channel) is how it travels.
The receiver’s response is feedback. Noise (a train) can interfere with a message.
A receiver must understand the code: Morse code doesn’t help if you don’t know it.
A stamp shows the postage is paid; the postal code helps sort the letter to the right area.
The first sticky stamp, the Penny Black, was used in Britain in 1840.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

S-M-M-R: Sender, Message, Medium, Receiver — and feedback comes back.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

Now the real quiz!

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For parents

Read one part together and ask your child to tell it back in their own words.
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Follows CAPS for Grade 4 Social Sciences (History). Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.