Grade 4 Community News

Dear Grade 4 Families,

Welcome back to Term 4! The students have made a positive start to the term and have settled back into classroom routines with enthusiasm. Over the first two weeks, they have been building on their previous learning, developing new skills and showing increasing confidence and independence across all areas of the curriculum.

English

In English, students have continued to develop their persuasive writing skills. They have been learning how to strengthen arguments by choosing precise and powerful nouns and by using evidence effectively. Students have continued reading articles about robots to build their background knowledge and use relevant information in their persuasive letters. They have practised using the PEPS structure (Point, Explanation, Proof and Summary) to construct well-organised body paragraphs. Students have also continued exploring The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, strengthening their comprehension and understanding of language features. They have been developing their vocabulary through words such as instincts, withered, plummeted, truce, engulfed, remedied, camouflaged and mingled. Students have also practised identifying the most important idea in a text, writing clear summary sentences, constructing Single Paragraph Outlines (SPOs), and combining dependent and independent clauses to create complete complex sentences.

Maths

In Maths, students have been strengthening their understanding across a range of number concepts. They have explored fractions using number lines and visual representations, including improper fractions and mixed numbers. Students have practised recognising equivalent values and locating fractions on number lines. They have also continued to develop fluency with multiplication and division facts, using related facts to solve calculations efficiently.

Students have also worked with rounding and estimation, rounding numbers to the nearest ten and hundred and using these skills to estimate the results of calculations. They have developed their understanding of inequalities by comparing numbers and calculations and selecting the correct symbols to show whether one value is less than, greater than or equal to another. In addition, students have continued developing their understanding of number lines, including identifying values positioned between known numbers. They have also begun exploring different types of angles and learning how to identify and describe angles using their mathematical properties.

Humanities

In Humanities, students have continued learning about the Age of Exploration, focusing on European exploration during the 15th–17th centuries. They have explored the motivations behind exploration, including the search for new trade routes, wealth and territorial expansion, and examined the important roles played by Portugal and Spain. Students have considered how exploration changed connections between different parts of the world while reviewing important geographical concepts such as continents, oceans and hemispheres.

Students have also explored the journey of Marco Polo along the Silk Road and how his experiences contributed to European curiosity about Asia. They have investigated why sea routes became an important goal for European explorers and how navigation tools and techniques supported longer journeys. Students have also examined Christopher Columbus's 1492 voyage and his encounter with the Indigenous Taíno people, developing their ability to think critically about the consequences of contact and colonisation and how historical figures can be remembered in different ways.

Across multiple days from 24th to 26th of November our grade 4 students will have an exciting opportunity to visit Polly Woodside as part of our Humanities learning. This excursion will provide students with an opportunity to further connect their classroom learning about the Age of Exploration with an engaging experience. A big thank you to the parents and carers who have already provided consent through Compass. If you have not yet provided consent, please remember to complete it on Compass as soon as possible.

Looking Ahead

As Term 4 continues, students will build on the strong start they have made and continue to deepen their knowledge, practise applying their skills and take greater ownership of their learning. We look forward to an exciting and productive term filled with new learning experiences and opportunities for growth.

Reminders

Please ensure students bring a clearly labelled water bottle to school each day.
As we enter term 4 hats should be clearly labelled and brought to school every day.
iPads should be fully charged and ready for learning each morning.
Please ensure all uniform items are clearly labelled.
Regular reading and practising multiplication and division facts at home will continue to support students’ learning. Timetables Rockstars and Numbots are good platforms to support students to develop mathematical fluency.

Thank you for your continued support as we begin Term 4. Working together helps students feel confident, prepared and ready to learn each day. We look forward to sharing their continued progress and celebrating their achievements throughout the term.

Warm regards,

Grade 4 Team