Year 4

Welcome to Week 9!

Wow hasn't this term flown by! Students have been working hard in all areas of the curriculum and have made some fantastic growth already.

Thank you to all of our families that attended our Curriculum night. Hopefully this was a great opportunity for you to learn all about the Magnify Sandhurst program and OCHRE Education. If you have any further questions or would like more information about Magnify or OCHRE, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Read on to find more about all of the wonderful things that we have been learning about this term!

My email address is jtunks@sjeuroa.catholic.edu.au if you need to contact me.

Jake Tunks- Grade 4 Classroom Teacher

Literacy

Reading- We have completed our first novel for the term- Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. The students thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel as a class and completing the novel study involved.

We are currently reading the narrative text- 'Leo and Ralph' by Peter Carnavas.

Here is the blurb; 'Leo and Ralph have been best friends ever since Ralph flew down from one of Jupiter's moons. But now that Leo's older, his mum and dad think it's time to say goodbye to Ralph. When the family moves to a small town in the country, they hope Leo might finally make a real friend.'

Students will engage in novel studies throughout the year that focus on vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and spelling, all closely connected to our class texts. Each student will have their own copy of the texts to read along with during class.

Additionally, students can borrow books from the school library to take home as readers. Students will take home one book at their reading level, and one book that is interest based (reading for enjoyment). This term and throughout the year, we will emphasize various aspects of reading, including decoding, fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary expansion.

If your child is absent when we have been reading the novel, they have the chance to take the novel home to catch up on the chapter/section of the novel that they missed out on. I just ask that the novel is returned please so that they can continue reading it in class time.

Writing - Students have finished a unit on persuasive writing linked to the book Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. The story is about a boy named Michael who, after falling off a boat during a world sailing trip, ends up stranded on an island. There, he meets Kensuke, a Japanese doctor who has been stranded there for 40 years. Michael learns a lot from Kensuke, especially about caring for animals and nature.

For their persuasive writing, students worked on the topic "We must protect our forests." They had to choose whether they agreed or disagreed with the topic and support their opinion with logical reasons. They followed a structure: Introduction, three arguments with details, and a conclusion.

Next, students are working on imaginative stories based on the class novel Leo and Ralph. They’re planning their stories, focusing on the beginning (introducing characters and setting), the middle (action and problem), and the end (resolution). So far, they've been working on creating detailed characters and settings. In the coming weeks, they’ll focus on adding action, problems, and conclusions to complete their stories.

In addition, students are also learning how to improve their sentences by expanding them and making sure they have the right structure.

Independent Reading - Reading a book that is familiar to you helps improve fluency, comprehension and decoding skills.

Handwriting - There is a strong focus on handwriting in the Grade 4. Students all work towards receiving their pen licence. They begin on their ‘L plates’. They need to earn 10 stars on their L plates to receive their P plates (pen licence).

Typing- In addition to handwriting, students have also been practicing typing on a weekly basis. We have been using a program called Typing Club which teaches children correct posture, hand/finger placement with the ultimate aim of producing fluent and accurate typists (a much needed 21st century skill!)

Sample of what typing club looks like on student's screens.

Students working away on their typing skills!

WHAT CAN I DO TO SUPPORT MY CHILD IN LITERACY?

Students need to be reading at least 4 times a week with a range of just right texts. Reading is a skill that needs to be practised in order to master.

When you are reading with your child, please record what you have read and the date in your child’s diaries. We check diaries each day to see how home reading is going. This is a vital part of the children’s schooling.

If your child takes home a classroom text can you please ensure you look after these and return them to school weekly.

Students are also sent home spelling lists each Monday to practice nightly.

Read at least 4 times a week with your child.
Fill in the diary, date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).
Encourage them to sound out, not guess.

Numeracy

So far in maths this term we have covered the topics of addition and subtraction, fractions and time. We are beginning Multiplication and Division this week in week 9.

Most recently in the topic of time we have covered the following; AM and PM notation, measuring elapsed time to the hour, measuring elapsed time to 5 minutes, calculating start and finish time of events and reading/interpreting timetables.

In Multiplication and Division we will cover the following; Multiplication and division facts for three, four, six, seven, eight and nine, number sequences for multiples, multiplying and dividing by powers and multiples of 10, doubling and halving strategies, and four digit by one digit multiplication.

Students work in whole class, small groups and independently during our maths sessions.

Ways you can support your child at home with maths;

Practising times tables and related division facts by using flash cards or posters. (let me know if you need any of these and I can lend some flash cards out).
Using arrays to assist with multiplication and division.
Encouraging your child to use maths in everyday life at home. E.g helping add up the cost of things, measuring in the kitchen or outside etc.

Homework Expectations

Students are expected to read at least 4 times a week, fill in their reader diary with the date, name of book, notes (teachers and LSO’s check this daily).

Spelling- students get new spelling words each Monday to practice nightly. These spelling words are glued into their spelling books. Practicing nightly will assist students having success in our spelling tests each Friday. The spelling words are derived from our work in OCHRE literacy, so students have multiple exposures to these words.

Inquiry

The unit we are currently completing in Inquiry is called Before Contact. In this unit, students learn about what life was like for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples before their first contacts with European explorers. Students have researched first Australians, their culture, artefacts and have learned about the Mungo Man and Mungo Lady. Students have also learned about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples deep connection with land and have had the chance to listen to and reflect upon many songs that mention Indigenous culture and/or Indigenous issues.

Religious Education

Currently we are learning about Lent and Easter. Students have been introduced to Lent and Easter as part of the liturgical year. They are exploring the significance of Lent and Easter for Christians and will develop an awareness of the signs and symbols associated with Lent and Easter. Students have learnt about the 3 pillars of Lent being Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. Students have each created a prayer for Lent that we have been sharing and adding to our class Lent Tree.

The Resilience Project

Most recently in the Resilience Project we have been looking at Empathy and Mindfulness.

When focusing on Empathy, students created a cup each, they then created positive affirmations for their fellow students and filled each other's cups with some positive things about each student. It was really great to see students reading and writing some nice things about their peers.

In Mindfulness, students practiced being mindful by doing some meditation as well as going outside and reflecting on things they could see, hear and feel. It was really powerful to see students take a moment to pause and be present in the moment.

Specialists

Art is on a Monday.

STEM and Japanese are on a Wednesday.

Physical Education is also on a Wednesday.

Please ensure your child wears the correct sports uniform on a Wednesday.

Library

Grade 4 students will go to the Library to borrow every second Friday afternoon (when assembly is not on).

Could all students please bring their satchels and books on our Library day so that they can borrow/return. If any students have outstanding books from the library, can they please return these. Happy reading!!