Nǐ hǎo (hello) Year 4 Families,

Womenjeka (Welcome) back to school for Term 2! The Year 4 students have transitioned respectfully by showing great resilience skills by settling back into learning routines quickly.

This term we will continue our specialist focus areas which are: PE, Performing Arts, Mandarin and STEM.

Curriculum:

Literacy

During Literacy this term, we will immerse ourselves in Persuasive Letter writing and we will continue to develop our understanding within both fiction and non-fiction texts, and as well, endeavour to build your child’s vocabulary.

This term in Reading, we will continue investigating fiction and non-fiction texts and their purposes, sub genres within the overarching fiction genre, structure and text features. We will use a variety of texts to allow your child ample opportunities to compare and contrast the themes and big ideas within a text. This will build on your child's ability to analyse why authors make specific choices and the effect this has on the reader. Through regular modelling and practise of comprehension strategies such as summarising, inferring, analysing and critiquing, students will gain a deeper understanding of the texts they are reading. Within reading lessons, we will develop our understanding of how texts are structured and the effect this has on the reader, identifying the purpose and audience of these texts and also analysing how the author includes language and text features to keep us interested in the text.

This term in writing, Year 4 students will be exploring how to write a persuasive letter and we will continue developing our knowledge around the 6+1 writing traits, with a particular focus on Ideas, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Organisation. Students will discover the text structure to help support the creation of their own persuasive piece through the plan, draft, edit, revise and publish stage. There will be a constant focus on conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation) and presentation throughout this term. Every fortnight, students will have the opportunity to complete a free-write with the aim to build up writing stamina and apply the skills they have learned each week. Each week, students will continue to engage in SMART spelling as well as handwriting practice to help improve their understanding of spelling patterns and letter formation in preparation for a pen licence.

Numeracy

Year 4 students will make connections to maths in their everyday lives across all learning areas this term, with a focus on problem solving where students can use a range of problem solving strategies. Multiplicative thinking is a focus that we continue to develop to support your students' fluency with multiplication facts, specifically using the double double strategy to use their known facts to solve their four and eight times tables. This term we will be learning about place value and additive thinking and investigating the properties of odd and even numbers. We will also be exploring Financial Math, Decimal Place Value and Additive Thinking. Students will focus on solving purchasing problems and calculating the change to the nearest five cents. This will develop their knowledge in understanding that the place value system can be extended to tenths and hundredths. Following this, we will investigate Mass, Capacity and Temperature to build on their knowledge of comparing objects with different metric units. We will commence the term with a focus on Common Fractions where students will build on their connections between fractions and decimal notations.

SEL -

Our SEL program consists of the PATHS program, Respectful Relationships and teaching to your child’s social and emotional needs as they arise. This term, the Grade 4’s have been chosen to partake in the Active kids program which is designed by Wyndham City to encourage healthy eating habits and increased physical activity. This will encourage your child to make healthier choices and also deepen their knowledge through in-school activity partners. Community clinics will be run as incursions where your child will have the opportunity to partake in dance classes with Rockstar’s Academy. Additionally, SEL learning will be centred on problem-solving and goals and identity.. As part of the PATHS program, we will continue to do PATHS Kid this year with a new PATHS Kid each day and students will be given the opportunity to give and receive compliments from their classmates. The PATHS Kid will also give themselves a compliment as we build your child’s capacity to recognise their personal strengths. We will continue to explore what makes a good learning partner, the wheel of choice and control signals (which provide strategies to settle disagreements), and how to uphold the school expectations of striving for excellence, respect and being safe as well as the school values (teamwork, integrity, respect, kindness, learning). We will also be introducing the Zones of Regulation where students will be able to deepen their understanding of their own emotions and learning strategies to help them self-regulate and make positive choices in different situations that may arise.

Inquiry

This term, Inquiry is a fantastic time for all students to become critical thinkers and be curious. Year 4 students will be exploring History and the driving question is, How have significant historical events impacted life in Australia today? Through this inquiry, your child will research and explore Australia’s first people and their connection to country and land, the impact of the first fleet, significant events and people and also the significance and meaning of celebrations, emblems and symbols Year 4 students will take action by writing a letter or diary entry from the perspective of either a member from the Australia’s First people or First Fleet.

Ways to Help Your Child At Home:

Home Reading - We have started our Home Reading program. The expectation is for your child to read their take home book 5 nights a week, answer some comprehension questions that a family member asks them and record the title, date and a comment in the green reading journal themselves. Take home books are for enjoyment and for your child to practise their reading strategies, and are not meant to be a challenging task for your child. In addition to the Home Reading program, Wushka and Reading Eggs are extremely valuable resources to help your child practise their reading.

Learning Goals - Your child’s individualised learning goals are listed on Compass (starting at the end of Week 5). There is a reading goal, a maths goal, a writing goal and an Inquiry or SEL (social and emotional learning) goal for your child. Please read these and support your child by going through the suggested strategies to help at home. These goals are changed every five weeks (twice a term), and you will also be informed of your child’s achievement of these goals.

We look forward to continuing working and building relationships with both you and your child this year. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns. After school is best for a quick chat, otherwise send your child’s teacher an email to set up an appointment time for a longer chat.

Xièxiè (Thank you) from the Grade 4 Teachers,

Year 4 Team

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