Apollo

What an amazing start to term 2! Brrrrr it’s getting cold out their, but that hasnt stopped our year 4’s from completing some amazing work. Some things to look forward to include:

• Pyjama Day (Friday 30th May)
• Swimming Week (Monday 2nd June-Friday 6th June)
• Athletics Day (Wednesday 25th June)

So much fun happening here at AHPS in year 4. We can’t wait to see what else the rest of the term brings!

Year 4 Team :) 

Reading 

In Reading this term the students have begun a new theme of Diversity where they have been immersed in stories about characters from different cultures and experiences. 

They have used their comprehension strategy of highlighting to locate the answers within a text when asked a literal question. 

The students have been refining their skills of story prediction and then comparing what they predicted the story to be about, and what it actually was about. 

They have explored a visual text that helped them understand how the framing of an image can infer meaning and add to their understanding of a character or situation. 

The students have continued to form opinions about a text or character within the text and to ensure that there is evidence within the text to back up their formed opinion.

 The students have been learning about direct and reported speech, and how an author uses both to tell the story. The students have been working towards increasing their reading stamina, reading for greater lengths of time and remaining focussed whilst reading. It has been wonderful to watch them become immersed in the books that they are reading.

Writing

This month in Writing, students delved into the world of procedural texts, learning how to craft clear, step-by-step instructions to guide others. They explored the purpose, structure, and language features of procedural writing, focusing on the use of instructional verbs like "mix," "cut," and "fold," as well as time connectives such as "first," "next," and "finally." Using a planning template, students selected a topic, conducted research, and organized their ideas before drafting their texts. They chose various formats, including posters, booklets, PowerPoint presentations, and Word documents to publish their procedural texts. This hands-on approach not only enhanced their understanding of procedural writing but also allowed them to express their creativity and communicate information effectively.

Students began exploring information texts, focusing on the features of nonfiction writing to help them write their own informative pieces.

Maths 

This term, during our ‘Number’ work in numeracy, the students have been working hard on consolidating their place value knowledge, as well as exploring multiplication, division and a range of problem-solving strategies to support them in this. They also had the opportunity to further developed their understanding of different currencies around the world, and practise their rounding skills with Australian currency. They put all these skills into practice when planning a ‘school fundraising evening’, in which they created a budget, calculated costs for hiring food trucks and other vendors, and planned out the scheduling of the event.

This term in Applied Maths, the Year 4 Apollo students have explored key concepts including measures of turn, angles, and direction. They used mathematical vocabulary to describe quarter turns, half turns, and full rotations, and identified angles in everyday contexts. Students also investigated symmetry by recognising and creating symmetrical shapes and patterns. In our unit on chance, they learned how to describe and compare the likelihood of events using terms such as "certain," "likely," "unlikely," and "impossible." They also began calculating simple probabilities by working out the possible outcomes of familiar events. It’s been a term full of hands-on learning and developing confidence in applying maths to the world around them.

SEL

Over the past few weeks, our students have been deeply engaged in Social and Emotional Learning lessons focused on developing emotional awareness, empathy, and problem-solving skills. They have learned how to recognise and manage angry feelings, use calming strategies, and practise making sincere apologies when their actions affect others. Students explored what makes a good team, how to clearly define a problem, and how to use the ‘Roads and Roundabout’ model to think through possible solutions and their consequences.

A key highlight was our focus on empathy and kindness. Students reflected on what it means to be empathetic, identified qualities of empathetic people, and practised spreading kindness by writing thoughtful messages to their peers. We also celebrated character strengths, encouraging students to recognise their unique qualities and use positive self-talk as a coping strategy. Mindfulness activities helped students tune into their surroundings, thoughts, and emotions, building their ability to stay present and calm.

These lessons have supported students in developing stronger relationships, increased self-confidence, and essential life skills for both inside and outside the classroom.

Inquiry 

This term, the grade 4s have been learning about all things sustainability. They have begun to explore the impact that we as humans have on nature, and reflect on their own interactions with he environment. This week, they have moved into further exploring biodiversity and ecosystems, consolidating this with a visit to CERES Environmental Sustainability Park in Brunswick. Moving into the second half of the term, the students will now have the opportunity to put their learning into action by creating a project to promote change in a chosen area of sustainability in our school and/or local community. We can’t wait to see the amazing work they produce!