Year 4 Spotlight

Year 4 students have settled back at school and have enjoyed connecting and playing with their friends. They have had fun participating in a variety of different challenges and activities.

Writing Fantasy Stories

This term students have been exploring, planning and writing their own fantasy texts. They have learned about fantasy motifs and how to plan and include one in their stories. Some of the motifs they have included are Magical Objects, Animals, Alternative Worlds and Hero’s Quest. Students have been extending their ideas by including lots of adjectives and similes. They have also been editing for correct punctuation such as apostrophes and dialogue. Here are some snapshots from some of their stories for you to enjoy!

I was running and running. I must find it. This world depends on it. Then I fell, falling and falling and falling.

I woke up, ready for yet another school day. Wondering how the day would end. Remembering the bad dream I had had, wondering if that dream could ever be a reality…

I started the short walk to school, turning down the dark but comforting alley, where all Miss Mediner’s cats stayed most of the time.

I was nearing the entrance to school, when I saw an orange glint.

“What is that?” I muttered to myself. Instinctively I followed the glint…

~ Written by Stasys L, 4A

I woke up to the sound of Laura crying in the living room. I ran into the room and saw Laura lying on the floor, with blood all over her! I screamed as loud as I could, and sprung into action. I searched up, ‘Vet near me’, and I picked up Laura. When we made it to the car, I jumped in with Laura and drove away.

We got the vet and I rushed her in. I went to the front desk and told the receptionist what happened to Laura in fear. The lady rushed me to the room with a young lady inside. When the lady went out of the room, the young woman turned around, asked me what happened and sprung into action.

~ Written by Sana R, 4A

One snowy winter’s morning, in a little village below a tall mountain, there lived a greenish blue parrot with an orange yellow stripe coming down its back. All the colours fitted together like a puzzle. But this was no ordinary parrot, this was a magical parrot. This parrot could do many things like fly at outstanding speeds and can talk clearly just like humans.

That morning it was as cold as Antarctica when Polly was flying around her village. Polly spotted something that looked like an old map, the map was all dusty and ruined.

~Written by Eddie F, 4B

Inquiry: A Material World!

Students started off a new science topic, ‘Material World’ during remote learning at the beginning of the term. During this time, they had an ‘online’ incursion with Mad About Science as a fantastic introduction to the topic. Here are some of their reflections:

We learned about the different materials and their properties. My favourite activity was making the putty out of cornflour, dishwashing liquid and oil. It felt very soft and was quite easy to make.

~ Jacob K, 4B

Our incursion was about materials. We looked at different types of materials and what they are used for. For example, cotton is soft and can be used for clothing. We made putty and it was very fun, I added blue food dye to make it more interesting. The teacher put a magnifying glass on different materials, and we had to guess what it was.

~ Haleli T, 4B

Since returning to the classroom, students have used their knowledge of materials to plan and design an outfit for a chosen outdoor scenario. Some of the scenarios were:

Going for a walk in the snow.
Walking in the desert.
Going into a dark, damp cave.

Students had to comment on the materials chosen for their outfit and explain why they chose them based on the material’s properties. Here are some of their designs:

Year 4 Teachers – Chiara, Jade and Elise – and Year 4 Students