Welcome to Week 6!

I can't believe we are at the halfway point of Term 2! All students have been striving to achieve their best in our classroom and are continuing to make improvements. It is getting to the busy part of the semester where students are undertaking some assessments to measure how far they have grown since the start of the year, ready for their Semester 1 reports.

Just a reminder about our homework expectations for Year 4, we only have two and these and they are;

Reading nightly (and getting reader diary signed)
Spelling Nightly (practice spelling in student's spelling books)

If your child has misplaced their reader diary or spelling book, please let me know and I will organise a replacement.

Read on to find more about all of the wonderful things that we have been learning about this term and will continue to learn about for the remainder of the term!

My email address is jtunks@sjeuroa.catholic.edu.au if you need to contact me.

Jake Tunks- Grade 4 Classroom Teacher

Literacy

Reading- We have been continuing on with novel studies this term as a part of OCHRE- the students really enjoy reading novels together as a class. Our first novel for this term has been- Uncle Xbox by Jared Thomas.

Here is the blurb; 'Dusty spends a lot of time playing games online, and usually with his stepdad, Marcus. One Saturday morning, Marcus loads his things into his car and leaves. He takes his Xbox Dusty is determined to buy an Xbox of his own and tries odd jobs that don't quite work out. That is until cool Uncle Rick turns up. Uncle Rick introduces Dusty to surfing and teaches him about culture and Country. Dusty swiftly discovers that there is more to life than gaming.'

Students will engage in novel studies throughout the year that focus on vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and spelling, all closely connected to our class texts. Each student will have their own copy of the texts to read along with during class. The other book for our class this term is 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan. To finish our term we will be studying poetry and will be looking at two poems, The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Who Has Seen the Wind? by Christina Rossetti.

Additionally, students can borrow books from the school library to take home as readers. Students will take home one book at their reading level, and one book that is interest based (reading for enjoyment). This term and throughout the year, we will emphasize various aspects of reading, including decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary expansion.

If your child is absent when we have been reading the novel, they have the chance to take the novel home to catch up on the chapter/section of the novel that they missed out on. I just ask that the novel is returned please so that they can continue reading it in class time.

Writing - Students have written a narrative story this term about the topic 'An Imaginary Friend'. They used great structures and made sure they included a beginning (characters and setting), middle (action and problem) and the end (resolution and conclusion).

Students are currently working on creating recounts. We are learning the structure of a recount by creating a class recount about the landing of the First Fleet and later in the term students will create their own recounts about a topic of their choice. We have learnt that recounts need a title, introduction, at least 3 supporting paragraphs in chronological order and a conclusion. To conclude our term, students will be learning about structures of different poems and then will create their own poetry, something I am looking forward to!

In addition, students are also learning how to improve their sentences by expanding them and making sure they have the right structure. Detailed sentences need who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Independent Reading - Reading a book that is familiar to you helps improve fluency, comprehension and decoding skills. Students have been borrowing books from the library for independent reading, one at their level, and one for enjoyment.

Handwriting - There is a strong focus on handwriting in Grade 4. Students all work towards receiving their pen licence. They begin on their ‘L plates’. They need to earn 10 stars on their L plates to receive their P plates (pen licence). Some students have already obtained their 'P Plates' which has been fantastic to see them demonstrating very neat handwriting.

Typing- In addition to handwriting, students have also been practising typing on a weekly basis. We have been using a program called Typing Club which teaches children correct posture, hand/finger placement with the ultimate aim of producing fluent and accurate typists (a much needed 21st century skill!)

WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT MY CHILD IN LITERACY?

Students need to be reading at least 4 times a week with a range of just right texts. Reading is a skill that needs to be practised in order to master.

When you are reading with your child, please record what you have read and the date in your child’s diaries. We check diaries each day to see how home reading is going. This is a vital part of the children’s schooling.

If your child takes home a classroom text can you please ensure you look after these and return them to school weekly.

Students are also sent home spelling lists each Monday to practice nightly.

Read at least 4 times a week with your child.
Fill in the diary, date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).
Encourage them to sound out, not guess.

Numeracy

In maths this term we have covered the topics of multiplication and division, decimals and have recently began exploring length and area. I was really impressed with students' knowledge of decimals this term, it was fantastic to see!

Most recently in the topic of length and area we have covered the following; calculating perimeter using formal and informal measurements, measuring the perimeter of shapes with curved sides and straight sides, calculating perimeter in real life situations and soon we will be looking at calculating area using formulas.

The next topics after length and area will be; Shape, Data Representation and we will also revisit Addition and Subtraction.

Students work in whole class, small groups and independently during our maths sessions.

Ways you can support your child at home with maths;

Practising times tables and related division facts by using flash cards or posters. (let me know if you need any of these and I can lend some flash cards out).
Using arrays to assist with multiplication and division.
Encouraging your child to use maths in everyday life at home. E.g helping add up the cost of things, measuring in the kitchen or outside etc.

Homework Expectations

Students are expected to read at least 4 times a week, fill in their reader diary with the date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).

Spelling- students get new spelling words each Monday to practice nightly. These spelling words are glued into their spelling books. Practising nightly will assist students having success in our spelling tests each Friday. The spelling words are derived from our work in OCHRE literacy, so students have multiple exposures to these words.

Inquiry

The unit we are currently completing in Inquiry is called The Earth's Environment. Students have explored different people’s views about their local environment, encouraging students to think about how opinions can vary and reflect on their own feelings about their surroundings. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ connection to Country and their environmental views have also been examined. Students have been focusing on sustainability, investigating how various people, groups, and communities protect and sustain the environment. Later on in the term we will be looking at Food and Fibre, how technology is used in food and clothing production.

Religious Education

Currently we are learning about Celebrating the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. Students have been exploring the role of the Holy Spirit in the mission of the Church. They have reflected upon Pentecost as a special feast of the Church for people who celebrate and proclaim the message of Jesus. We also explored the 9 Fruits of the Spirit; Love, Joy. Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control. Students worked in small groups to create collages displaying the Fruits of the Spirit.

The Resilience Project

Most recently in the Resilience Project we have been looking at Empathy and Mindfulness.

When focusing on Empathy, we have been looking at being kind online to others. We created a kindness pledge and students all came up with very thoughtful ways of how they will continue to be kind to others online.

In Mindfulness, students practised being mindful by doing some meditation as well as going outside and reflecting on things they could see, hear and feel. It was really powerful to see students take a moment to pause and be present in the moment.

Specialists

Specialist days have changed slightly for the remainder of this term.

STEM and P.E are on a Monday.

Art and Japanese are on a Wednesday.

Please ensure your child wears the correct sports uniform on a Monday until further notice.

Library

Grade 4 students will go to the Library to borrow every second Friday afternoon (when assembly is not on).

Could all students please bring their satchels and books on our Library day so that they can borrow/return. If any students have outstanding books from the library, can they please return these. Happy reading!!

School Hats and Drink Bottles

Just a friendly reminder that this term, students are to wear their school hats and to bring their own drink bottles.

Key Dates for Term 2

Tuesday 27th May- Arboretum Excursion -postponed

Tuesday 3rd June- Goulburn Valley Water- Water Week Incursion

Monday 9th June- King's Birthday Public Holiday

Wednesday 2nd July- Semester 1 Reports Released to Families

Friday 4th July- End of Term 2

Photos

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