Specialist Teachers Term 4 overviews
STEM with Lauren & Alex
This term, students will explore sustainability and discover how they can care for their school, community and the environment. Through engaging, hands-on activities, students will identify common sustainability problems and investigate ways to solve them. They will explore what happens to rubbish after it is thrown away and learn how to sort waste correctly into different bins. Students will develop an understanding of how their everyday choices can help reduce waste and protect the environment. They will also apply their learning to a real-world problem of students putting rubbish in the wrong bins. Through a design challenge, students will plan, create and test their own smart bin to help others sort rubbish correctly. Throughout the unit, students will develop their problem-solving, creative thinking and design skills while learning that everyone can take small actions to make a positive difference to our planet.
This term, students will learn about the importance of water and sustainability, uncovering how our natural resources support life and how human actions shape the environment. They will engage with the Global Sustainable Development Goals and trace the journey of water from natural sources to our taps, taking part in experiments that demonstrate processes like evaporation and condensation. Throughout the unit, students will build practical engineering and inquiry skills by testing water usage, analysing surface infiltration and runoff, and designing and testing functional water filters to understand how clean water is secured for our communities.
This term, students will investigate biodiversity and sustainability, exploring the variety of living things in different habitats and how human actions and introduced species impact native ecosystems. They will examine the Global Sustainable Development Goals and learn how biodiversity underpins a healthy environment through immersive habitat hunts and wildlife survival simulations. Throughout the unit, students will develop their practical engineering and inquiry skills by tracking the impacts of invasive predators like foxes and feral cats, researching insect habitats, and building and evaluating their own functional insect hotels to support local wildlife.
This term, students will explore the principles of sustainable cities and communities, analysing how thoughtful urban design, infrastructure, and resource management can build liveable, eco-friendly environments. They will unpack the Global Sustainable Development Goals and discover how renewable energy sources (such as wind power) help reduce pollution and decrease reliance on non-renewable resources. Throughout the term, students will develop their engineering and inquiry skills by designing and constructing detailed 3D model cities featuring sustainable infrastructure, green spaces, eco-conscious buildings, and forward-thinking waste and water management systems.
Art with Gen and Charlotte
This term, students will be exploring the work of Kimmy Cantrell known for his bold, asymmetrical faces. Cantrell’s work celebrates the idea that beauty doesn’t come from perfect symmetry, and that the things that make us different are what make us interesting. Students will discuss what they notice: unusual shapes, features placed in unexpected spots, layered textures and bright, contrasting colours. From there, students will build their own asymmetrical mask design, sketching and experimenting with shape, line and pattern before creating a final piece. Students will cut and build up layered shapes using cardboard and coloured paper. Students will experiment with bold, contrasting and/or complementary colours that add personality and impact, before mounting their finished masks onto black cardboard. Later in the term, grade 4 students will move on to embossing foil, this time taking inspiration from the fascinating world of insects. They will observe the shapes, patterns and details of beetles, butterflies, dragonflies and more, looking closely at features like segmented bodies, wing veins and antennae. Using simple tools, students will press and draw into the foil to create raised and indented lines, learning how texture and pattern can bring their designs to life. Students will colour with sharpies, experimenting with different techniques such as blending colours together and filling sections with patterns to make their insects shimmer and pop. The Grade 3 students will experiment with printmaking using printing foam. They will draw and press designs into the foam, then use rollers and ink to transfer their designs onto paper. By printing their plates multiple times, students will create a variety of repeating patterns and experiment with different colour combinations, discovering how the same design can look different depending on the colours chosen. Students will enjoy the fun in swapping printing plates with a friend, combining their designs to create interesting new patterns together.
This term, students will create a reverse acetate portrait. Students will choose a subject, whether a self-portrait, an animal, or a favourite character from a book or movie, and trace its outline onto clear acetate. Students will colour using just two or three analogous colours (colours that sit side by side on the colour wheel) to create a harmonious, unified look. To finish, students will paint a watercolour wash background to sit behind their portrait. Students will decide whether to use similar colours so the background blends softly with their portrait, or to use complementary colours (those opposite on the colour wheel) to create a bold, high contrast portrait. Later in the term, students will experiment with printmaking, drawing inspiration from scientific illustration of insects. Students will trace detailed sketches of insects, paying close attention to body segments, wing patterns, legs and antennae. These sketches will be pressed into printing foam to create their printing plates. Students will experiment with a range of ways to print their insects, including chine-collé (layering pieces of thin, coloured or patterned paper beneath the print) and colouring the foam plate with texta to create vibrant, multicoloured prints. Students will see how each technique gives their design a different look and feel.
Chinese with Shan
What makes each season special? Through songs, stories, games and colourful activities, Prep students will discover the four seasons and explore how seasonal changes are celebrated in Chinese culture through the traditional 24 Solar Terms. Along the way, they will learn simple Chinese words and expressions to talk about seasons and share their preferences, building confidence in listening and speaking Chinese.
This term, students will explore traditional Chinese arts and cultural heritage, beginning with Beijing Opera masks and their symbolic colours, followed by 兔儿爷 (Lord Rabbit), 瓦猫 (roof guardian cats), 泥泥狗 and traditional Fish Lanterns. Through storytelling, cultural exploration and hands-on creative activities, students will revisit colours and body parts, learn animal vocabulary and develop their ability to describe animals using simple Chinese expressions. Students will also create their own artworks inspired by these traditions, bringing together their cultural understanding and language learning.
This term, students will learn about the traditional Chinese 24 Solar Terms, focusing on 夏至 (Summer Solstice) and 大暑 (Great Heat), and discover how seasonal changes influence Chinese customs and everyday life. They will develop their Chinese language skills by learning to describe seasons, temperatures and weather conditions. Students will also explore the origins and evolution of Chinese characters through Oracle Bone Script (甲骨文), recording their discoveries in their Chinese Character Dictionary. The unit will culminate in a collaborative Weather Forecast Project, where students will use Chinese to present weather information.
From traditional courtyard houses to modern school life, Year 5/6 students will explore how places shape the way people live. Their cultural inquiry will take them through Beijing’s Siheyuan, hutongs and the Forbidden City, examining connections between architecture, environment and everyday life. Building on this understanding, students will learn Chinese expressions for directions, school facilities, times and timetables. The unit will culminate in a My School Life Booklet, where students will use Chinese to describe their school environment and weekly schedule.
Music with Charlotte
In Term Four, Prep students will be exploring different musical instruments and the actions required to make sound with them such as strumming, hitting, shaking and blowing. Linking to this term's STEM unit of sustainability, students will be using their imagination, creativity and musical knowledge to make musical instruments out of recycled materials. To further explore their music knowledge, these instruments will be strummed, hit, shaken and blown to play along to different musical beats and rhythms. Towards the end of the term, students will work collaboratively to create music that communicate ideas, explores meaning and can be shared with an audience.
In Term Four, Year 1 and 2 students will further explore the music elements of tempo, dynamics and pitch through listening skills and composition. Year 1 students will explore how people across cultures and communities experience music while developing their listening skills of matching emotions to musical elements and combining these skills to compose and perform various pieces of music. Year 2 students will develop their skills for singing and playing instruments through writing lyrics and composing music. They will explore found and created sounds, recording found sounds from around school and selecting pre-exisiting created sounds to include in their composition pieces.
Physical Education with Curtis and Megan
Students will participate in a Mini Gymnastics unit, developing their rolling, jumping and balancing skills. They will learn to hold a tennis racquet correctly and practise forehand and two-handed side-arm strikes through fun, engaging activities, while developing an understanding of how to use equipment safely. Students will also continue to recognise and express their feelings, share and take turns, follow game rules, and demonstrate safe and respectful behaviour during minor games and active play.
Students will participate in a Mini Gymnastics unit, developing their rolling, jumping and balancing skills. In small groups, they will create, practise and perform their own gymnastics routines for their peers, building confidence, coordination and teamwork. Students will also develop their tennis skills by practising forehand and two-handed side-arm strikes through a variety of fun and engaging activities, while learning to use equipment safely. During minor games and active play, students will continue to strengthen their social skills by taking turns, sharing equipment, following rules, and demonstrating fairness, honesty and respect for others.
Students will explore a variety of activities in a Target Games unit, including frisbee golf, bocce and bowling. They will refine their aiming and accuracy skills, applying hand-eye coordination and control to successfully target objects at varying distances. Students will also develop their tennis skills by practising forehand and two-handed side-arm strikes, while learning to apply basic tennis rules and scoring systems during short games with their peers. Through team challenges and minor games, students will strengthen their leadership, communication, collaboration, problem-solving and decision-making skills. They will also be encouraged to demonstrate fairness, cooperation and respect for others while working together and participating in physical activities.
Students will develop their skills and understanding of Tchoukball, focusing on fundamental techniques such as passing, teamwork and scoring. They will apply these skills in competitive games, developing their tactical awareness and ability to work effectively with others. Students will also refine their tennis skills by practising forehand and two-handed side-arm strikes, while applying the rules and scoring systems of tennis during short games. Across both activities, students will strengthen their communication, collaboration and leadership skills by working cooperatively, encouraging their teammates, and negotiating roles and responsibilities. They will also demonstrate positive sportsmanship, respect for others and a commitment to fair play.