Grade 4

Reading

In Reading, we have been continuing with our novel Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo, delving deeper into the story while expanding our vocabulary. This week, we explored new words such as pondered, ravenously, and frantically, discussing their meanings and thinking of synonyms to enhance our understanding. We also practiced using these words in sentences, helping to develop our writing skills and enrich our descriptive language. It has been wonderful to see everyone confidently applying their new vocabulary in their own writing!

Writing

Over the past fortnight in our writing lessons, we’ve been engaging with sentence-level skills, focusing on subordinating conjunctions. These help us connect ideas and create more complex sentences. Students have been practicing using them to enhance their writing and make their ideas flow more smoothly.

We’ve also worked on sentence completion exercises where students used high modality words to persuade the reader. By incorporating strong, convincing language, they've learned how to make their arguments more impactful.

As part of our ongoing persuasive writing unit, students have been planning and drafting introductions and body paragraphs for a persuasive piece on the important issue of deforestation. They’ve been exploring how to effectively argue for the protection of our forests, applying the persuasive techniques we've learned about.

Maths

In our recent Mathematics lessons, we have been diving into various subtraction strategies to strengthen our understanding and problem-solving skills. One of the key methods we've been focusing on is vertical subtraction, where students have been learning to line up numbers carefully to perform subtraction step-by-step. This approach helps students visualize the process, making it easier to manage numbers and borrow when needed.

In addition to vertical subtraction, we have also been working on solving word problems. Word problems help students apply their subtraction skills to real-life situations, improving their critical thinking and reasoning abilities. It’s been wonderful to see the students engage with these problems, analysing the scenarios and using the strategies they've learned to find solutions.

It has been fantastic to witness the progress each student has made in understanding and applying subtraction concepts.

Integrated

Integrated has seen the year fours looking at where the indigenous people lived before the settlers came to the country. They have learned that there were more than 200 hundred different tribes and languages over the whole of Australia. They also looked at specific mobs and researched where they lived, what language they spoke, and what their country was called.

Respectful Relationships

RR has been looking at when to ask for help. We have looked at times when we needed help and who to ask. The have also looked at how big the problem is. If it a small problem or a major problem, then how they need to approach the problem and how to ask the appropriate questions and people.

Year 4 Sports

Our Year 4 students have been having a fantastic time engaging in Year 4 Sports, with a focus on learning the fundamentals of soccer. They've have had the chance to verse each other in friendly team matches. It’s been a great way for them to build teamwork and sportsmanship while having fun!