Year 4

English

Reading

During term two the grade four students focused on summarising their texts. This unit required students to understand and summarise a fictional story including the key events and details and sequencing information in a logical order when reading non-fiction. They learnt the skills and importance of paraphrasing an author’s words while maintaining the author’s view of the text. During the summarising unit students built the skills in determining important information, inferring, and identifying and understanding text structures and features of both fiction and non-fiction genres using textual evidence to support their thinking.

Writing

Term two saw the students continue to build their skills in the craft of writing with a key focus on Persuasive writing. They learnt the correct textual structure and the persuasive language techniques and devices within a persuasive text to engage and persuade their reader. This included features such as emotive language, exaggeration, rhetorical questions, adjectives, and modal verbs. They are able to identify how to hook their reader through well-constructed introductions and use evidence to support their views or opinions through facts and statistics that reflect on universal issues.

During this focus, students continued to learn the writing craft of paragraphing, sentence structure and word choice using both digital and print forms of presentation.

Mathematics

Throughout term 2, the grade 4’s covered several units. We started the term by focusing on  on the formal units of measurement -  millimetre (mm), centimetre (cm) and (metre (m) and we will continue to study  place value and extend students' knowledge  to decimal fractions including  10ths and 100ths

We then moved into our main focus of addition and subtraction where students learnt to identify unknown quantities in number sentences and using strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems of up to four digits. They learnt how to describe these strategies while developing a preferred method to solve addition and subtraction using a place value method e.g., jump strategy (number line), split strategy, vertical method and mental strategies. 

Students finished off the term with patterns and algebra where they were able to review and extend their understanding of skip counting, growing patterns and looking at odd and even number patterns.

Inquiry 

In year 3 and 4 students  began the ‘everybody wants to rule the world’ unit. Throughout this unit we learned that decisions can be made democratically along with the role of local government. Students recognised the importance of rules and distinguish the differences between rules and laws. We also review how people can be active citizens in their community and how the different kinds of authorities we may encounter. During this unit we also looked at different cultural norms and the impacts that they can have on rules that are accepted within that culture.

Science

This term in Science, Grade 4 students have focused on the Earth and Space Sciences. Students in Grade 4 have looked at different human activities that cause changes to the Earth’s surface (e.g. farming, mining, damming of river and the development of cities). They have investigated the impact of these activities on Earth’s natural environment. Grade 4 students have also identified some of the effects, both positive and negative, that weather events have on the natural landscape (e.g. storms causing flooding and erosion, heatwaves contributing to drought and bushfires, earthquakes causing damage to Earth’s surface). The overarching key idea students have explored is that Earth’s surface changes over time, as a result of natural processes and human activity.

LOTE = Chinese

During Term 2 in Chinese, Grade4 students learnt basic colours in Chinese, such as 黑色hei se (black), 白色bai se（white), 红色hong se (red),绿色(green), 蓝色lan se (Blue) and 黄色 huang se (yellow).  They started using iPad game (Blooket) to review their learning. Also Grade4 students continued to learn numbers 1-30 in Chinese characters and pronunciation, together with pinyin song and Gongxi Gongxi song.

Art

In term 2, the Grade 3 to 6’s have been getting very messy with paint. They have been experimenting with painting on a variety of surfaces including on rocks, walls and on vinyl records. They have been learning about Australian Indigenous Art and have had the opportunity to create and replicate their own inspired versions. The students have been learning about Aboriginal Symbols, the meaning of each symbol, why they are important and how they were used by Indigenous Australians. The students experimented with dot painting using cotton buds on vinyl records and paper. They painted their favorite symbol and carefully placed dots around it. The students really enjoyed learning about Indigenous Art. I look forward to more messiness in the Art room in Term 3.

P.E.

This term the grade 4 students have focussed on different sports to help with their understanding of the fundamental movement skills. They have been taking these skills and applying them to game-based sporting situations and activities. Basketball and athletics track & field were what we worked on this term and were used to showcase various fundamental movement skills. While learning about basketball, the students were able to learn about the required skills to play with sport. These have included dribbling, passing, and shooting. Our students can now apply the skills required in basketball to participate in mini and small-sided games of 2 v 2 and 3 v 3 basketball. They also began to work in real game stations of 5 v 5 basketball. Students have really enjoyed the opportunity to play in these games and learn as they play. The grade 4 students were engaged and excited to play in these games. In the second half of the term, students have participated in track & field events that have focussed on their running, catching, and throwing. Our class athletics competition has been postponed to next term where students will be able to compete and win different events within their class. These events will include short distance running, relay running, discuss, shot put, and hurdles. Teamwork and working collaboratively was a top priority for the grade 4 students during this term and it was wonderful to see so many embrace these qualities. This term was so much fun, and all the students were engaged and keen to learn. I look forward to the second half of the year and all the learning and sporting opportunities that will take place.