Grade 4 News -
Important Reminders/Dates
Looking forward to Term 4
Tuesday, November 5th: Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Friday, November 8th: Colour Run in the afternoon
Monday, November 11th: Curriculum Day - no school
Friday, November 22nd: Up Session 1 - 2pm
Friday, November 29th: Up Session 2 - 2pm
Tuesday, December 10th: Statewide transition day
Friday, December 13th: Meet the teacher 2pm
Thursday, December 19th: Last Day Term 4 - 1.30pm Dismissal
Learning in Action
Literacy:
This term the Grade 4’s have started another narrative unit, this time focusing on the author Pamela Allen. We have used the picture story books, ‘A lion in the night,’ ‘Mr McGee and the Big Bag of Bread,’ and ‘Alexander’s Outing,’ to map out the narrative hill, explore characteristics and symbolism, whilst expanding our vocabulary by looking at the author’s word choice. Students have been looking at picture story books in preparation to write their own for their 2025 buddies! This means they are focusing on easy-to-follow storylines, engaging literary techniques such as repetition and rhyme and keeping their target audience of 4 and 5 year olds in mind. So far we have brainstormed characters, settings and mapped out our plans on the narrative hill.
Preview for Learning: Students will continue their author study on Pamela Allen, whilst drafting and publishing their buddy books.
Word Work:
Maths:
Over the past fortnight the Grade 4 students have been learning all about Fractions! The students have learnt what a fraction is, how they are represented in a collection and how to show fractions on a number line. Here are some quotes from the students about what they have learnt about fractions:
“The numerator is the top number, and the denominator is the bottom number” - Jemma
“The denominator tells us how many pieces are in the whole, and the numerator tells us how many pieces we are using” - Zane
“Using a fraction wall and a ruler, we can work out equivalent fractions by seeing where different fraction line up” - Mitch L
“To convert from improper fractions to mixed numbers, I ask myself how many times the denominator can go into the numerator. If there is remaining, put the number as the numerator over the original denominator” - Angus
“To make fractions related, you times them by the same number which you find by looking for the LCM (lowest common multiple) of the two numbers” - Brandon
In our applied unit, we have had a focus on measurement, particularly looking at mass, volume, capacity and temperature. They have learnt what each of these words mean, how we measure them and what the differences between them are. Students also had the challenge to build a sculpture that weighed as close to 20g as possible, you can see some of their creations below.
If possible, it would be great if the students could bring in a shoe box (or a box of similar size) each for our applied unit, as they will be building on their creations and the shoe box will be a great space for them to store and then display in at the end.
Preview for Learning:
The students will continue looking at fractions and start finding equivalent fractions.
Inquiry:
This fortnight in Inquiry, students have begun their sustainability topic, with a focus on World Lakes. They have explored lakes in Africa and discussed the resources and benefits of these. Students learnt about the lakes of South America and why these are important natural resources. They also looked at why the Great Lakes of North America are such important transportation routes.
Preview for Learning: Over the next fortnight we will be looking at the lakes of Eurasia and Australia.
Wellbeing:
In the 4Rs sessions over the last fortnight, the students enjoyed sharing their plans for a picture storybook. They discussed events that might trigger sadness, fear, loneliness, or anger. The students also discussed what can often happen to our body when we experience such emotions, e.g. shaky, fast heartbeat, sore tummy, and crying. The students were using younger children as their audience when thinking of their plans. The students also discussed how they can take responsibility, and show respect for others and their rights. They recorded ideas regarding themselves, their home, the classroom, school, and the wider community.
Preview for Learning: Over the next fortnight, students will continue discussing the actions they can take to build respectful, gender-friendly relationships in different parts of their lives. They will discriminate between problems that they can solve and those they might need help with. They will also identify strategies they can use if they need to withdraw from a conflict to protect their own or others’ safety.
From The Grade 4 Teachers