Year 4 News
Text Study
The Year 4 students have recently completed their second text study for the year. This unit built beautifully on our earlier study of Greek mythology, as students explored two informative texts about life in Ancient Greece: Meet the Ancient Greeks by James Davies and Ancient Greece and the Olympics by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce.
While learning about Ancient Greek civilisation, students also analysed the key features of information texts. They identified common text features such as titles, subheadings, diagrams and captions, and further developed their understanding by learning how to structure an information report paragraph using the TEEL method. TEEL stands for Topic sentence, Elaboration, Example and Link, and provides students with a clear framework for organising their ideas effectively.
As a final task, students created their own information reports about Ancient Greece, applying both their historical knowledge and their understanding of informative writing structures. This week, they will transfer these skills to a new topic by writing informative paragraphs about rainforests as part of their next learning task.
Inquiry
The students have been learning about the organisation of rainforests as part of our current Inquiry unit. They have been developing their research skills by using the “stop and jot” method, which they recently learnt during our text study sessions.
The students have absolutely loved learning about the different layers of the rainforest. They have explored the plant life, animals and important features found within each layer, and worked collaboratively to present their findings through a class poster.
This week, each class will be learning about the Daintree Rainforest as well as one additional rainforest from around the world. Students will then share their learning with others by writing and creating a postcard from their class focus rainforest.
It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm and curiosity the students have shown throughout this unit of inquiry.
Maths
The Year 4 students have been developing their multiplicative thinking skills throughout the term. They have been learning a variety of strategies to solve multiplication problems involving larger numbers, as well as using counting sequences to solve real-world problems.
Students have also enjoyed participating in Esti-mysteries, where they estimate how many objects are in a jar and use the process of elimination and mathematical reasoning to calculate the final answer. This has been a fun and engaging way to strengthen their estimation and problem-solving skills.
Cybersafety
During the ‘Perspective Detectives’ Cybersafety lesson, the students reenacted scenarios to demonstrate their understanding of how to show integrity in online spaces. They were encouraged to consider how their actions affect others and how they can show respectful digital behaviour. Students have learnt that doing the right thing online matters, even when no one is watching. It is always important to consider the perspectives of others and show integrity in the decisions we make online.
House Cross Country
Our House Cross Country event was held in cool and foggy conditions before the sun broke through for a beautiful 19-degree afternoon. Students showed fantastic enthusiasm, determination and house spirit throughout the day, cheering each other on and giving their best effort across all races.
Congratulations to all students who participated and earnt points for their house. It was wonderful to see such positive sportsmanship and encouragement from everyone involved. Good luck to all our Year 4 students competing at the District Cross Country event next week.
