Grade 4 News 

Important Reminders & Dates

Upcoming dates/Important Info

Monday 17th August: LPS Science Day

Wednesday 19th August: 4E Kinder Visit (see below for for 4R's visit this week)

Monday 24th August: Book Week Dress Up Day - Parade 2.40pm

Monday 31st August: Middle School Hooptime

Tuesday 8th September: 4FH Kinder Visit

Friday 18th September: Footy Dress Up Day

                                                 Last Day Term 3 - 2.30pm Dismissal

Looking Ahead to the Year:

Monday, October 5th - Wednesday, October 7th: Grade 4 Camp - ADANAC

Homework

📖 Literacy 

The students have continued to enjoy reading The Wild Robot. In the chapters we have read, they have followed Brightbill as he grows and becomes more independent. He develops new skills, makes friends such as Chitchat the squirrel, and learns to fly with the help of the other birds. Roz is proud of Brightbill’s growth and learns that being a parent means encouraging him to try new things and become more confident.

As autumn arrives, Brightbill learns that the geese will soon migrate south for winter. Although he and Roz are sad to be separated, Roz understands that Brightbill needs to follow the flock and experience life beyond the island. These chapters sparked many great conversations and thoughtful discussions among the students.

Students have begun writing their persuasive letters about whether they should have a robot at home! They have been learning how to structure a strong introduction using the GST structure:

G – General statement: An introductory sentence that introduces the topic.

S – Specific statement: Introducing the reasons and ideas that will support their opinion.

T – Thesis: Clearly explaining the purpose of the letter and what they are hoping to convince the reader of.

Students have also begun writing their first body paragraph using the PEPS structure:

P – Point: Clearly state the main idea or reason.

E – Explanation: Explain the reasons that support their opinion.

P – Proof: Provide evidence or examples to support their argument.

S – Statement: Restate the main point to reinforce their argument.

Here are some of the students’ introductions to give you a sneak peek at the fantastic persuasive writing they have been working on!

Preview: Grade 4 students will continue to read the novel The Wild Robot, and discover more about the challenges Roz and Brightbill will have to overcome. The students will also continue their writing, working on their other body paragraphs and a conclusion before publishing their letters.

🧠Knowledge Rich 

We have now come to the conclusion of our Knowledge Rich unit on Government. Throughout the unit, students have developed their understanding of how governments help to create safe, fair and well-functioning communities.

Students have explored:

• The difference between rules and laws, including who creates them and the consequences when they are not followed.
• How laws are created to promote safety and fairness within our community.
• The three levels of government in Australia: federal, state and local.
• The role of local government and how it works to support the community both now and into the future.
• How community members vote for councillors, who then make decisions that help serve and represent their local community.

Students have enjoyed learning more about how our government works and how decisions made at different levels can impact our everyday lives. 

➗ Maths

This fortnight, we began our Fractions unit. So far, students have been identifying equivalent fractions, including halves, quarters, eighths, sixths and twelfths. We have also been learning how to compare and order fractions and explain how we know which fraction is greater or smaller.

Students have also been exploring the relationship between fractions and decimals, including naming division equations as fractions, and using the bar model to calculate a fraction.

Preview: Over the next fortnight, we will continue our Fractions unit, focusing on converting between fractions and decimals involving tenths and hundredths, as well as recognising the connections between halves and quarters and their decimal equivalents.

We will then begin our Location unit, where students will explore how grid systems can be used to locate and describe positions. They will practise giving and following directions on maps and will create their own maps using grid systems.

🌿 Wellbeing

We had our first Circles sessions this fortnight, with a focus on our school value of Kindness. Students discussed the many ways we can show kindness to others at school, from including others and using kind words to helping someone. Each Circles group then worked together to create a Kindness Chain, which is now proudly displayed in our classrooms as a reminder of the importance of kindness in our school community.

We also spent time in RRRR les exploring gender stereotypes and gender pressure. Students discussed common stereotypes such as “boys should be tough and not cry” and “only girls can wear pink”. We explored how these messages can sometimes make people feel like they need to act, dress or enjoy certain things simply because they are a boy or a girl.

The students had some great conversations about the importance of being comfortable with who we are and allowing others to do the same.

Our key takeaways were:

✅ Everyone is different.

✅ It’s okay to like different things.

✅ We should respect other people’s choices and interests.

✅ Nobody should feel pressured to change who they are just to fit in.

Preview: In our next sessions, we will explore the rights and responsibilities we have as individuals and members of our community. Students will also consider whether there are gender stereotypes associated with certain duties and responsibilities, and discuss why these expectations should not limit what people can do or contribute.  

🏅 Sport in Grade 4

The students have come to the end of their swimming program! The past five weeks have been a lot of fun as students learnt and developed their skills in different strokes, diving and water safety and survival skills.

This week’s session was particularly exciting as it was their final session. To celebrate, students got to put their skills to the test while enjoying some fun activities in the pool, including water volleyball, diving through pool noodles and performing somersaults underwater. It was a fantastic way to finish the program, and we are so proud of the effort and enthusiasm the students have shown throughout the past five weeks!

Grade 4 Teaching Team

Bek Emonson, Will Robinson, Hayley Ward & Lex Fisher