Grade 4 Community News

Term 3 is already in week 4 and proven to be a busy one!

Reading – R2L Unit: African Kingdoms

Students have completed their studies of the African Kingdoms. During week 3 we looked at King Sundiata in the Mali area, the hidden treasures of Timbuktu and the pilgrimage of Mansa Musa. In week 4, Songhai & Askia Muhammad and Ibn Battuta’s travels were researched and discussed. The completion of these Kingdoms broadened our students' understanding on how Africa developed through time and gives them the skills to incorporate this knowledge during their Geography lessons. 

Students will start their new unit in week 5, which will stretch over a period of 2 weeks on World Mountains.

Classes are continuing to read the book A Long Walk To Water, learning more about how the lives of the two main characters Salva 1985 & Nya in 2008 can be so different even though both children are in Southern Sudan.

Writing – Information Reports 

In Writing, Grade 4 students have continued to work on drafting their information reports about Ancient African Civilizations such as The Kingdom of Kush and Ghana. They have been using an ‘SPO’ Single Paragraph Outline to write their reports which include a topic sentence, supporting details and a concluding sentence. The students continue this process over the next couple of weeks until they have multiple paragraphs in which we then move onto the introduction and conclusion of our reports. 

Maths – Angles and Fractions

With the completion of Multiplication and Division in week 3, students will start their next unit on angles. They have previously learned to recognise angles as a measurement of turn and compare various angles to right angles. They refine these skills by identifying, naming, classifying and comparing angles. At this stage, students are introduced to the naming of different types of angles, but not yet the measurement of angles in degrees.

In Week 4, we will begin our fractions unit which will be over a period of 2 weeks. During this time students will extend their understanding from representing halves, quarters, thirds, fifths, and tenths to identifying and comparing equivalent fractions for various denominators. They will use shaded shapes and parallel number lines to grasp equivalence and order fractions, preparing them for fraction operations and linking fractions to decimals. And lastly students will use bar modelling of fractions to represent operations with fractions, tenths grids and hundredths grids to support their understanding of decimal notation.

STEM Incursion - Ecolink Life Cycles

During Week 3, the Grade 4 students participated in a STEM incursion about life cycles. The students learnt about the 3 types of mammals: marsupials which have pouches, monotremes which lay eggs and placental which have live babies. They also learnt a little about amphibians (frogs) and reptiles. They received images and descriptions of various animals and their life cycles and they students had to place them in the correct order. They were also lucky enough to touch a frog, blue tongue lizard and a spiny leafed insect.

📚 Book Week is Coming! 🎉

Get ready to celebrate stories, imagination, and the joy of reading! Book Week is just around the corner, and we have an exciting lineup of activities planned — from dress-up days to book-themed games, school scavenger hunts, and a chance to show off your favourite books. Don’t forget to bring your love of reading and your best costume for our Dress Up Day!

Let’s dive into the magical world of books together! 📖✨

When: Week 5, Dress Up Day - Friday 22nd August

Theme: Book an Adventure

We are also having a Book Fair throughout this special week. 

Children will be visiting the Book Fair in Room 6 during Week 5.

Books will be able to be purchased from the Book Fair before school from 8:15am - 8:40am and after school from 3:10pm - 3:45pm.

Reminders:  

• Weather Ready: Term 3 brings colder weather. Ensure your child brings a jumper or jacket daily, and that it's labelled.
• Punctuality Matters: Aim for on-time arrivals—learning starts right at the bell!
• Reading Every Night: Support your child by setting aside time each evening for reading and recording in the student journal.
• Seesaw/Compass/School App: Stay updated with classroom news, learning highlights, and important notices through our school communication platform Compass.
• Student Wellbeing: Let your child’s teacher know of any changes at home or concerns—working together supports the best outcomes for your child.

Your continuous involvement in your child's education does make a difference - and for that we as teachers say ‘Thank You!’ 

PLC 4