YEAR FOUR
Grade Bulletin - Term Three, 2023
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School provides a range of holistic learning experiences to enable students to:
- Participate in the life and mission of the school.
- Deepen their knowledge and engagement with the Catholic faith and tradition.
- Build the capacity to continuously reason, reflectively, logically and critically.
- Embrace interdependence of human existence as global citizens, who are responsible to and for themselves and others.
- Engage in learning in a multitude of ways, through personalised and self-paced learning.
Religious Education
Our first unit explores ‘Mary, Mother of God’, the students explore ways Mary listened and responded to God throughout her life. It highlights the importance of listening to and trusting in God. They will explore Marian prayers and feast days as ways in which the Church honours Mary, the Mother of God. The unit highlights St Mary of the Cross MacKillop as a role model who listened and trusted God.
In our second unit the ‘Law of Love’, students recall the purpose of rules in groups and communities. They will examine the Ten Commandments, focusing on their purpose and principles for living in a relationship with God and each other.
English
The Literature unit this term will be integrated with our History unit. Students will explore the following texts ‘The Little Wooden Horse’ by Mark Wilson, ‘Meet Captain Cook’ by Rae Murdie and the novel ‘The Goat Who Sailed the World’ by Jackie French. These texts will provide students with the opportunity to share prior knowledge respond and think critically around the theme of exploration.
The students will develop their skills in persuasive writing through a Stage 2 public speaking competition. They will be taught explicit skills in relation to grammar, punctuation, vocabulary and specific concepts about print.
Page 1
Year 4 Grade Bulletin Term Three, 2020 continued
Students will continue practising their reading strategies in Reading groups. They will also engage in the ‘Soundwaves’ spelling program, which is encouraged to be used at home.
Mathematics
Flexible learning groups will continue this term for Mathematics. Each lesson in Mathematics will involve problem-solving skills and the students will have opportunities to explore, complete routine problems and consolidation of concepts. Activities are differentiated in order to cater to the students’ needs and abilities. This term we will focus on the topics of Multiplication and Division, Mass, Chance, Position, Patterns and Algebra. The students are encouraged to continue to revise their times tables up to 10 at home.
Science and Technology
This term the students will be participating in a range of STEM activities to develop their knowledge of Forces and Motion. They will design and make a variety of products that use the force of gravity, air resistance, friction, magnetism, thrust and tension. In addition, the students will participate in Science Week.
Mandarin
This term students in Kindergarten to Year 6 will continue to participate in the Chinese language program called the Meg Language Program. The Meg Curriculum is written by the co-author of the Australian Curriculum. All students and teachers will participate in the digital learning platform via Zoom weekly sessions with educators in China.
History
This term the students will be studying ‘First Contacts'. This unit gives students an insight into what it was like to explore the seas in the early modern period. They will identify how the major discoveries changed the world and the positive and negative effects of world exploration. The students will examine the impact the arrival of Captain Cook had on the Indigenous Australians.
Amadeus Music Program
Amadeus Music Education will continue weeklyproviding students with a high-quality music education program. The program offers students expert classroom music lessons, ensemble lessons, and group tuition.
Students will participate in activities in listening, performing, and organising sound, within their regular Classroom Music lessons. Within these lessons, students will:
- Sing in unison and in parts
- Play tuned and untuned percussion instruments
- Play available instruments such as Ukulele, Guitar and Keyboard (Grade appropriate)
For students in Year 4, the program has three essential elements:
- Classroom Music: Whole-class music lessons taught by specialist Music tutors for up to 1 hour per week.
- Small Group Tuition: Students in groups of five to seven, will spend 30 minutes per week learning to play on a string, woodwind or brass instrument.
- Ensemble Rehearsal: Students will play their instrument in a string ensemble, orchestra or concert band (whole of class) for up to 1 hour per week.
Small Group Tuition (Grade 4)
Students are required to attend weekly small group tuition lessons with their Instrumental Tutor.
- Small group tuition lessons are 30 minutes in length and occur during the school day.
- Students are required to attend all scheduled lessons.
- Students will be given a music timetable at the start of each term and are responsible for being on-time and prepared.
- Students are responsible for catching up on any work missed in class. They must speak to their teacher to ensure they understand any missed content.
- It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they:
- Arrive on time for each lesson
- Bring their instrument and required accessories to every lesson
- Bring their Essential Elements* music book
- Bring a lead pencil and eraser
*Each student has been issued an Essential Elements Music Book with their instrument. This contains all of the repertoire and material they need for their ensemble and tutorial lessons.
Creative Arts
In Creative Arts for this term, students will participate in 5 weeks of Music and 5 weeks of Drama. During Music lessons, students will be learning the ukulele as well as focusing on music from countries around the world including Greece and India. Students will be learning about notation, composition and some of the elements of music including pitch, dynamics and structure.
During Drama lessons, students will learn to perform a play. Students will use the elements of drama including vocal expression and projection, character creation and costumes to create and perform engaging characters.
Students will be creating artwork based on the shortlisted Book Week Texts and Aboriginal storytelling. The creative arts unit will further explore artworks created in the early years of Australian colonisation.
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education
Open Parachute will continue weekly. Open Parachute aims to provide practical support on mental health to students. The program aims to reduce stigma and generate authentic dialogue in classrooms about the real issues students face. The psychological skills-building exercises aim to increase empathy, self-compassion, self-awareness, mental health literacy, and self-efficacy in students.
Physical Education lessons will be taught by Miss Belle Reid. There will be a focus on Basketball and Soccer where students will have opportunities to consolidate skills based on teamwork, communication and respect.
Our Lady of Fatima will also be participating in Jump Rope for Heart. Your child will learn new skills, increase their physical activity, and learn about heart health. The program will end with our school-wide ‘Jump Off Day’ where your child gets to show off their new skipping skills to their friends. When you register your child online you’ll get access to additional skipping resources to help give your child a great reason to get away from the screens and get outdoors. Register and create your own secure webpage at jumprope.org.au/parents .
By signing up online, you and your child can:-
- Easily raise funds online
- Track skipping skills progress and earn virtual badges along the way
- Post updates to your page so family and friends can follow their progress
Your child will receive a ‘fundraising guide’ flyer to take home, which includes further information on the program. If you don't receive this, visit jumprope.org.au/parents for all the information that you need.
Homework
Students in Year 4 are expected to complete 40 minutes of homework nightly. Twenty minutes is expected to be dedicated to reading. The homework grid will be shared through Google Classroom.
We look forward to continuing to work with you and your child this term. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher via a note, email or by appointment via the office.
Mr Michael Faber (4Blue)
Mrs Lisa Mann (4Gold)
Mrs Margaret McCarthy (4White)
Important Dates for Year 4
Sport, Music and Library lessons will take place on Mondays for Year 4.
Jump Rope for Heart activities will also occur on Fridays, we ask that students wear their Sport Uniform on Mondays and Fridays for this Term.
Grandparents Day - Friday, 28 July
Book Week Parade - Friday 25 August
Father's Day Liturgy - Friday, 1 September
School Term - 17 July - 22 September 2023
Refer to the School Calendar for Staff Development Days