Grade Four Snapshot 2021 - Term 2

Term 2 Week 6 Snapshot

Welcome to Week Six of Home Learning

The Grade 4 team would like to again thank you for the continued support you are giving to your child/ children at home. We really appreciate all your effort! We continue to encourage all students to remember to have breaks away from their devices, to move their bodies and to stay hydrated.

 

Over the next few weeks, we will continue our  inquiry into Where We Are In Place and Time and how events shape societies. Students will explore primary and secondary sources and significant historical events. They will also gain a deeper understanding of the concept of impact.  In English this week, students will develop their skills in making text-to-text connections and continue to explore the structure of information texts. In Mathematics, students will explore mental and written strategies for multiplication. 

 

Please read the following overview of the learning tasks for Week 6. These tasks will continue to be posted on Google Classroom with additional instructions and resources the night before each day of learning.  

 

If your child has completed the day's tasks, they may be interested in completing one of these optional tasks. These tasks are open-ended, inquiry based and hands-on. 

Optional Home Learning Tasks (1).pdf

English

An overview of tasks for reading and writing this week are as follows:

 

READING

Students should be completing at least 20 minutes of independent reading a day as well as completing the tasks set by the teacher. Tasks this week include:

  • Making text-to-text connections by exploring similarities between theme, genre, and characters across texts.
  • Using the thinking tools of  Venn diagrams and mindmaps  to identify similarities and differences between texts.
  • Developing background knowledge and learning about history through reading assigned texts from the online library, Epic.

 

WRITING

Writing tasks for week 6 include:

  • Developing writing skills to construct information texts.
  • Identifying topics of interest, categorising and questioning.
  • Developing skills in note taking by exploring and researching topics of interest.

Writing this week is designed to develop students' ability to construct information texts. While writing information texts, we encourage students to use the writing cycle to ensure they are continuously developing and improving their writing.

The writing cycle consists of five stages:

1. Plan

2. Draft

3. Revise

4. Edit

5. Publish

 

Note: Not all pieces need to be published. We encourage the students to write many different writing pieces which they revise and edit. At the end of a unit of work we ask students to choose their best piece to publish. 

 

Word Study

Students will continue to practice 30 "codes" of the English language through watching videos uploaded by their class teacher. They will also begin to explore a new reading rule which will help them when they decode words. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D will learn when "c" will make its second sound "s". 4E will learn about 3 of the 5 jobs of the silent final e. The rule is introduced through an explicit lesson on Monday and then a "bootcamp" begins where the students practice the new skill or information over a period of 2 weeks until it becomes "automatic" in their brains. 

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students will continue learning about multiplication. They are also encouraged to play number games or use Mathletics to continue practicing basic number skills. Tasks for the week include:

  • Learning a new multiplication game to consolidate understanding of arrays.
  • Explaining and using a range of mental strategies for multiplication.
  • Learning and using written strategies for multiplication.
  • Completing Mathletics tasks.

Unit of Inquiry

This week, we continue our unit inquiring into how events shape societies. Students will engage in the following tasks:

  • Sharing of an artefact that tells a story about their past.
  • Explaining the difference between primary and secondary sources.
  • Exploring the concept of impact by identifying cause and effect.
  • Describing significant events that had an impact on Australian society.
  • Planning and conducting an interview with a family member about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wellbeing

This week we invite the student to write a series of mantra cards. A mantra is a phrase that is repeated over and over which expresses a strong belief and is designed to promote positive thinking.  We encourage the students to use their prior knowledge of growth mindset as inspiration for their mantras. Having a growth mindset is about believing that if you work hard you can learn and improve.  It is hoped that this can be one of many strategies that your child is using to support their wellbeing throughout the home learning period.  

 

Here are some additional ideas and resources to support wellbeing during Home Learning:

Reminders

Make sure to check the Specialists Snapshot for learning tasks from the Specialist team.

Grade 4 Team

4A Melanie Davis 

4B Andrew Yeaman

4C Phoebe James

4D Nicole Klaassen

4E Heather Jenkins & Zoe Picton

Hearing unit - Amy Chadwick