Year 4 Update

Year 4 News

Term 3, Weeks 1 & 2

What a fantastic start to Term 3! Year 4 students have settled back into their classroom routines and have begun the term with enthusiasm, focus and a positive attitude toward their learning. It has been wonderful to see students reconnecting with their classmates and embracing new learning opportunities. The excitement is also beginning to build for Year 4 Camp on 26th August. The countdown is officially on!

A Snapshot of Our Learning in Term 3: Weeks 1 & 2

English

• This fortnight, students have continued developing their joined handwriting skills by learning touch joins. We have been practising how letters gently touch without needing an additional joining stroke. It has been wonderful to see students becoming more confident and taking pride in the presentation of their handwriting.
• We have continued our daily partner reading sessions, where students practise reading aloud smoothly and with expression. This is making a real difference to students’ fluency and confidence.
• We have also been building our literacy skills through word study. Students explored the root words ‘per’ and ‘join/junct/joint’, investigating how prefixes and suffixes can be added to create new words. They then applied their growing vocabulary by using these words in meaningful sentences.
• We have begun exploring the structure and language features of procedural texts. Using the mentor texts How to Make a Bird and How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth, students identified important features such as titles, materials, numbered steps, action verbs and time-order words. These engaging texts have inspired plenty of creative thinking and helped students understand how clear, detailed instructions support the reader.

Maths

• In Week 1, students began to understand different subtraction strategies, with a particular focus on Jump Back and Jump the Difference. Students used number lines and efficient mental strategies to solve subtraction problems, while explaining their thinking and choosing the strategy that worked best for each equation.
• In Week 2, students began learning two new subtraction strategies: Pump It Up and Drop It Low. These strategies involve adjusting numbers to make an equation easier to solve, before making the necessary adjustment to find the correct answer. Students have enjoyed building their confidence and adding new strategies to their mathematical toolkits!

Inquiry

• This fortnight, students began our Term 3 Geography unit, Australia and Beyond: Climate and Vegetation. We started by exploring how the world is represented through maps, identifying continents, oceans and important geographical features. 
• Students then investigated the difference between weather and climate and explored the major climate zones found around the world. They have enjoyed examining maps, making observations and discussing how climate can influence the environments, plants and animals found in different places.

KINDNESS CAMPAIGN

This term, Hillsmeade Primary School has launched a whole-school Kindness Campaign, with a strong focus on using kind words, understanding others’ feelings, including others, building positive friendships and helping our school community. In Year 4, students will take part in regular classroom discussions and short activities that explicitly teach and reinforce kindness.

Kindness is also being recognised beyond the classroom. During recess and lunch, teachers are acknowledging students who demonstrate kindness through their words and actions.

We encourage families to continue these conversations at home by noticing and celebrating kind choices. Together, we can help students understand that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference at school, at home and in the wider community.

Homework Reminders

Reading

As we begin a new term, we encourage students to settle back into a consistent home reading routine. Regular reading supports fluency, comprehension and confidence, so please continue to make time for reading throughout the week. Students are also reminded to bring their diaries to school each week so their reading can be checked by their teacher.

Spelling

Our spelling words will recommence this term. Please keep an eye out for your child’s new spelling words and encourage them to practise regularly at home. Consistent practice will help strengthen students’ spelling knowledge, vocabulary and overall writing skills.