Term 1, 2020 

This term we have embarked on our ‘Sharing the planet’ unit where we explore our Rights/Responsibilities, which will be followed by our ‘How we organise ourselves’ unit, where the students will discover the importance of working together in a community. We have commenced our SMART Spelling program and wellbeing continues to be a priority in Year 4 with the Resilience Project. We are encouraging students to reflect on what they are grateful for each day. We encourage students to continue reading at home and work on their times tables.

Literacy

Reading

We are using the CAFÉ strategy (Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding Vocabulary) to continue to become better readers.  These strategies are taught and modelled by teachers during whole class reading sessions. This term students will begin conferencing one on one with teachers setting goals under these headings. Students are encouraged to read in a variety of ways, through the Daily 5 – Read to Self, Read to Someone and Listen to Reading. We encourage students to read at home on a regular basis. To support this habit, students are required to write what they are reading at least three times a week in their Year 4 student diaries and have this signed by both parent and teacher at the end of each week.

 

Writing

Students have commenced exploring a variety of the six writing traits through the Daily 5, “Work on Writing”. The focus for Term 1 has been exploring the traits of ideas and organisation through recount and narrative structures in writing. Focus will be determined after assessing their initial writing pieces. The likely focus will be idea generation and paragraphing.

 

Spelling

Students will continue to practise their individual spelling words in line with the SMART spelling approach.

Numeracy

Place Value: The value of a digit depending on its place in a number using knowledge of ones, tens, hundreds and thousands.

Vertical addition: With regrouping of up to four digit numbers.

Skip counting: Exploring number patterns of whole and fractional numbers.

Subtraction: Use subtraction strategies to find unknown quantities.

 

Early Morning Maths will commence on February 26 and is held each Wednesday morning from 8.30 – 9am. We encourage all students to attend these beneficial sessions. Students are able to revise topics covered in Maths lessons and discuss/complete maths homework or be extended through problem solving activities.

Units of Inquiry

SHARING THE PLANET

All children have rights regardless of who they are

 

Lines of inquiry:

  • The rights that all children should have
  • The similarities and differences between a right and a responsibility
  • Whether these rights differ throughout the world.

 

HOW WE ORGANISE OURSELVES

Communities evolve in response to many factors

 

Lines of inquiry:

  • Specific needs of individuals in order to survive
  • Specific skills individuals need to survive
  • Differences between needs and wants
  • The roles of individuals in a community

Speaking & Listening

Students have experienced a variety of listening and speaking opportunities sharing in whole class and group work.

The Resilience Project

We continue to work through the Resilience Project lessons to build gratitude, empathy and mindfulness.

Whole-school Focus on PYP Learner Profile

February: Caring

March: Principled