Year 4 Term 4 Overviews
Wominjeka (Welcome) to Term 4, Year 4 families!
Students have already made a smooth and motivated start to Term 4 of Year 4 and remain committed to their learning, across the scope of the curriculum. Term 4 is always a busy and exciting term in every school year and, of course, this one is no exception!
Here is a brief overview of the learning, events and activities we have planned for this term…
Curriculum:
Literacy
Literacy this term is connected to two major topics - procedural texts, which allow students to investigate the language, details and processes involved in creating a procedure (instructions on how to do something) for others to follow and explanation texts, which again use technical language and text structures to explain how something happens.
Reading
In Reading throughout Term 4, students will use a range of both fiction and nonfiction texts to investigate the purposes of embedded forms which exist within texts and use the features of physical and online texts to gather and use information purposefully. They will also recognise and explain a writer’s use of text structures to create engaging pieces of literature and use academic language to express opinions and critique texts they have read, both individually and in a collaborative setting.
Throughout the term, students will also continue to take part in small group Guided Reading sessions, designed to provide students with appropriate and relevant challenges based on their individual learning needs and goals. Students will also participate in PAT and Fountas & Pinnell reading assessments in the latter part of the term, providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.
Writing
In Writing throughout Term 4, students will further investigate procedural and explanation texts, creating pieces of writing which demonstrate their understanding of relevant technical language, authors' purposes for creating texts and variable text structures. Across all writing genres, students will continue to develop their understanding of writing conventions such as spelling, punctuation, grammar and sentence structures.
This term also marks the beginning of the Writer’s Workshop as a key part of our Year 4 Writing curriculum. Held at least once per week, these sessions allow students the opportunity to receive valuable knowledge regarding the writing craft, which can be applied across a wide range of genres. During these lessons, students have the opportunity to create writing pieces in a genre of their choosing, allowing them to express themselves as a writer in a way that they choose and are most engaged in. Although early in the term, we have already found that students are keenly engaged in these sessions and have shown a renewed enthusiasm towards writing as a whole!
Numeracy
To begin the term, year 4 students will develop and apply their understanding of time, including using the language of half past and quarter to/ past. Students will convert between units of time (seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks ect) and convert between digital and analogue time. Students will also calculate the duration of events, using their addition and subtraction skills.
Students will be exploring symmetry by identifying lines of symmetry and using their knowledge to create symmetrical shapes and patterns. Multiplicative thinking is a focus that we continue to develop to support the students' fluency with multiplication facts, through number sense workshops and problem solving tasks. Students will also be exploring regular and irregular shapes by calculating area and volume. Students will be extending their knowledge of decimals by applying them to measurements and converting between decimal and fraction notation.
Social & Emotional Learning
Our SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) curriculum for this term will, once again, encompass a wide range of topics. We began this term by learning about the negative impacts that violence can have on those around us, as well as discussing how we can show respect for others, regardless of any personal beliefs or opinions.
As the term progresses, we will be learning about how to construct and maintain positive gender-friendly relationships, the various ways in which we can seek help when we need it, why expressing gratitude is important to ourselves and those around us and how we can prepare ourselves for the stress and/or anxiety that may be associated with tests and assessments (such as PAT or NAPLAN).
To conclude the year, we will also investigate the basics of water safety before heading off on our Open Water Experience excursion in the second half of the term, investigate some strategies to set positive, appropriate and achievable goals for the future and set aside some time to reflect upon and celebrate what has been an extremely successful year!
Inquiry
This term, Inquiry will have a focus on science and design tech and explore how the world works. Grade 4 students will explain how solutions are designed to best meet needs of the communities and their environments, through our driving question: How do designers and engineers create sustainable solutions for the community using knowledge of materials and forces? In this unit, students will explore the different forces that create movement and research about different materials, properties of materials, where they come from and whether they are renewable and sustainable. Students will use these skills and knowledge to innovate on pre-existing objects using more sustainable materials.
Ways to Help Your Child At Home:
Home Reading - We have started our Home Reading program. The expectation is for your child to read their take home book 5 nights a week, answer some comprehension questions that a family member asks them and record the title, date and a comment in the green reading journal themselves.
Take home books are for enjoyment and for your child to practise their reading strategies, and are not meant to be a challenging task for your child. In addition to the Home Reading program, Wushka and Reading Eggs are extremely valuable resources to help your child practise their reading.
Learning Goals - Your child’s individualised learning goals are listed on Compass (starting at the end of Week 5). There is a reading goal, a maths goal, a writing goal and an Inquiry or SEL (social and emotional learning) goal for your child.
Please read these and support your child by going through the suggested strategies to help at home. These goals are changed every five weeks (twice a term), and you will also be informed of your child’s achievement of these goals. Make sure to check Seesaw and complete the DCC Goal Cycle activity posted there weekly.
Home Learning via Seesaw - To support home learning this year, we will be using Seesaw. Seesaw will become a portfolio of your child’s work towards meeting their goals. Every week activities will be posted for your child to complete. Please encourage your child to log on to access the home learning and engage with their learning process at home.
We are looking forward to concluding what has been an exciting year for our Year 4 cohort throughout Term 4 and ensuring they are all as ready as possible for the challenges that lie ahead in Year 5!
Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. After school is best for a quick chat, otherwise send your child’s teacher an email to set up an appointment time for a longer chat.
Noon gudgin (Thank you)!Gerry, Tom, Gabby, Nathanael, Jess, Kelcey and Christian
Year 4 Team