Year Four
Dear Year 4 Families,
It has been a busy few weeks of learning in Year 4! Students have been enthusiastically engaging in rich learning experiences across all areas of the curriculum. Our classroom has been filled with curiosity, discussion, and creativity as students continue to make meaningful connections between their Reading, Writing, Maths, and our current Unit of Inquiry, How the World Works. We have been exploring how environmental processes can lead to transformations in the Earth’s surface, with students showing great interest and wonder as they investigate natural phenomena such as cyclones, volcanoes, and earthquakes.
Inquiry
In our Unit of Inquiry, students have continued engaging with provocations to deepen their understanding of environmental processes and how they transform the Earth’s surface. They participated in a Visible Thinking routine (Colour–Symbol–Image and Feel) after listening to sounds of landforms such as volcanic eruptions and cyclones, expressing their interpretations creatively.
Reading
As part of our author study, students have been reading Cyclone by Jackie French. Through this text, they have explored Cyclone Tracy, identifying the causes and effects of natural disasters. Our discussions have focused on how communities respond to challenges and demonstrate resilience in times of change.
Writing
Students have begun exploring explanation texts, learning how to explain processes clearly using cause-and-effect language. We began by unpacking the question ‘What is an Explanation Text?’, focusing on its purpose, structure, and key features. Students identified how explanation texts aim to describe how and why something happens, often using technical vocabulary and logical sequencing. They read and compared several examples related to our inquiry, such as How Cyclones Are Formed, to analyse similarities and differences in structure and language. Using a rubric, students then evaluated these texts to identify what makes an explanation clear, detailed, and informative.
Mathematics
Over the past few weeks, our students have been developing a deeper understanding of fractions through hands-on learning experiences. They explored how fractions represent equal parts of a whole and applied this knowledge to real-life contexts.
Using visual models, fraction strips, and number lines, students learned to identify, compare, and order fractions with like and unlike denominators.
Important Reminders
No Hat No Play: Students are reminded to wear their bucket hats (not caps) when outside the class at recess and lunch times.
MacBooks: MacBooks must be brought to school every dayfully charged.
Mobile Phones: If brought to school, mobile phones must be handed in to the classroom teacher at the start of the day and collected at the end of the day.
Uniform: Students must wear full academic uniform every day On days with sports or PE, they can wear their PE uniform. Long hair should be tied back.
Late Arrivals: Students arriving at school from 8:40 am must sign in at the office before going to class.
Absences: Absences must be logged on Xuno as early as possible to avoid messages home for unexplained absences.