Year 4 Term 4 Overviews

Nǐ hǎo (hello) Year 4 Families!

Womenjeka (Welcome) back to school for Term 4 in 2025! The Year 4 students have transitioned successfully back into learning routines. 

One more term to go!

Reminders for this term:

Monday 27th October: 4ABGHI Forces in Motion Incursion

Wednesday 29th October: 4CDEF Forces in Motion Incursion

1st December-5th December: Intensive Swimming Program

Curriculum:

LiteracyThis term in Reading, Year 4 students are reading a variety of procedural and explanation texts. They are identifying a range of structural and language features to incorporate these in their own. Students are identifying: the purpose of texts, the headings, subheadings,  precise nouns, verbs and adverbs. They are also learning what strategies to use when encountering unknown words in challenging texts. For example, they are learning to decode unfamiliar words and to break words into syllables to better identify the sounds. Students are also learning how to use an online dictionary for the pronunciation and meaning of unknown words. They are reading about scientific procedures linking Reading to our Inquiry topic on Forces. Students are learning how authors use visual features in their text to enhance the reader’s understanding of procedure texts. Students are revisiting identifying the main idea and supporting details in non-fiction texts, including literary techniques authors use to make their texts more powerful.

This term in Writing, to connect to reading, students will learn how to use cohesive vocabulary such as text connectives; first, next, and since to show order, cause, and effect in their writing. Students are developing their ability to plan and organise ideas into clear paragraphs, choosing text structures that best suit their purpose. They are also learning how to use different verb, noun, and adverb groups to create detailed and purposeful descriptions. Linking to our inquiry investigations, students will apply these skills to write about their experiments, explaining how and why things happen. Through model texts, shared writing, and hands-on experiences, students will continue to strengthen their ability to inform, explain, and engage their readers.

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 further exploring symmetry and shape transformations, and how these transformations can be used to create tessellations and repeating geometric 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 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum this term covers a variety of important topics. We began by learning about the different types of gender-based violence that can occur in familiar settings, such as physical, verbal and psychological violence. Students have discussed the negative impacts of violence, the importance of showing respect for others, and how to respond safely as a bystander when they see unkind or unsafe behaviour.We have also been learning that everyone has basic human rights, and how these rights are protected and respected. As the term continues, students will explore how to build and maintain positive, gender-friendly relationships, find ways to ask for help when needed, and understand why showing gratitude is important for themselves and others.Later in the term, students will learn strategies to manage stress and anxiety during assessments such as PAT or NAPLAN. To finish the year, they will set positive and achievable goals for the future and celebrate their learning and achievements from what has been a very 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. In Week 4, students will be participating in a Science incursion at school to better understand forces in motion. They will then apply this knowledge later in the Term towards designing a Marble run to demonstrate their understanding of the 3 laws of motion and force. 

Types of Forces:-Pushes and Pulls: Understanding that forces can make objects start or stop moving, change direction, or change shape.-Friction: Learning how friction slows things down when two surfaces rub together, and how it varies on different surfaces.-Gravity: Introducing gravity as a force that pulls objects towards the Earth.-Magnetism: Exploring how magnets attract or repel certain materials and affect objects without touching them.

Ways to Help Your Child At Home:

Home Reading - We encourage your child to continue reading each night and answer some comprehension questions that a family member asks them. We ask students to 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 is extremely valuable resources to help your child practise their reading.

IXL- IXL is a great online resource for both Literacy and Numeracy skills, where students can practice at home. From a diagnostic assessment completed at school, students are given carefully selected tasks and activities suited directly to the level where they are at. Students can use what they have learnt at school and revise/practice this same skill at home on IXL!

Maths Games - To practice our multiplicative thinking, students can play maths games at home. You can find a range of games on the Love Maths website - https://www.lovemaths.me/ - or ask your child to teach you a game that they play in their number sense workshops.

We look forward to working and building relationships with both you and your child this year. 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.

Xièxiè (Thank you) from the Grade 4 Teachers,

Year 4 Team 

Natalie, Madi G, Shanelle, Emily, Natasha, Mugdha, Maddy C, Sandra, Victor and Linda