Dohertys Creek Newsletter

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! Only one term to go! Here is a brief overview of the learning, events and activities we have planned for this term…

 

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! Only one term to go! 

Here is a brief overview of the learning, events and activities we have planned for this term…

Curriculum:

 

Literacy

In Term 4 we are focusing on increasing student engagement and student voice in their writing by utilising the 6+1 Writing Traits framework. This approach breaks down writing into key components, rather than having solely a genre focus, helping students focus on specific areas of their writing. By introducing these traits one at a time and reinforcing them with fun, creative exercises, Year 4 students can build a strong foundation for writing. This has a close link to Reading where we are exploring the different traits through exploration of engaging and rich mentor texts. Students will analyse and critique the various aspects of the author's craft and then set goals on implementing these where they can into their own writing.

 

The Traits areas include:

  1. Ideas: Focuses on the clarity and originality of the message or main idea.
  2. Organisation: Ensures the writing has a clear structure with a beginning, middle, and end.
  3. Voice: Reflects the writer's personality and tone, making the writing engaging.
  4. Word Choice: Involves using precise, descriptive, and interesting vocabulary.
  5. Sentence Fluency: Ensures sentences flow smoothly and vary in length and structure.
  6. Conventions: Covers correct spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting.
  7. Presentation: Focuses on the overall appearance of the writing, making it neat and readable.

Numeracy

To begin the term, year 4 students will be continuing to develop their understanding of collecting and representing data. Students will explore purposeful questions, how to effectively collect data, the different ways to represent data, such as using bar graphs, pie charts, and line graphs, and then in turn how we can interpret the data. Students will use appropriate units to measure length, and then measure and estimate the perimeters and areas for regular and irregular shapes. Students will continue to investigate different angles and compare them to a right angle. They will be exploring symmetry by identifying lines of symmetry and using their knowledge to create symmetrical shapes and patterns. Students will further extend their understanding of decimals and the decimal notation through solving problems involving purchases and the calculation of change. 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. 

 

SEL

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 Technology. Year 4 students will explain how solutions are designed to best meet the needs of the communities and their environments, through our driving statement: How the World Works.

In Year 4 Science, the topic of Forces introduces students to how objects move and interact with each other. The students will be exploring various types of Forces, and completing Scientific Investigations in small science teams to develop their understanding. They will then apply this knowledge later in the Term towards designing an inclusive playground, where they will need to demonstrate and explain what different Forces are at work.

  1. Types of Forces:
    • Pushes and Pulls: Understanding that forces can make objects start or stop moving, change direction, or change shape.
  2. Friction:
    • Learning how friction slows things down when two surfaces rub together, and how it varies on different surfaces.
  3. Gravity:
    • Introducing gravity as a force that pulls objects towards the Earth.
  4. Magnetism:
    • Exploring how magnets attract or repel certain materials and affect objects without touching them.
  5. Balanced and Unbalanced Forces:
    • Discussing how balanced forces mean no movement, while unbalanced forces cause a change in motion.

Special Events

During this term, the following events will be coming up:

4AFGH Sunnystones Camp- Monday 28th October-Wednesday 30th October

4DFGH Wyndham Park Excursion- Wednesday 6th November

4ABCE Wyndham Park Excursion- Thursday 7th November

4BCDE Sunnystones Camp- Monday 11th November-Wednesday 13th November

Year 4 Open Water Learning Experience at Altona Beach- Tuesday 3rd & Wednesday 4th December

Please check Compass for any information regarding these special events.

 

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 Epic 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.

 

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)!Millie, Linda, Shanelle, Victor, Maddy, Madi, Tim, Skye and Nathanael

Year 4 Team