Teaching Team

4A- Georgie Maher

4B- Georgina Aquilina

4C- Matilda O’Brien (PLT Facilitator)

4D- Sarah Connors (M-W)/ Kristen Pepyat (Th-F)

4E- Molly Power

4F- Ben Frater

Just a reminder that you can contact us via Compass or email to make an appointment if you would like to discuss your child’s learning.

Term 1 Curriculum

Welcome to Year 4, 2023!

All students have settled beautifully into their school routines and have had a great start to Term 1. As I am sure that you are aware, we will be heading to Surf Camp in Week 2! This will be a great opportunity to bond and get to know each other. We are very excited! Please feel free to ask us any questions throughout the year. You can contact classroom teachers via Compass or email to make an appointment if you would like to discuss your child’s learning. Year 4 will be dismissed each day from the Water Tank Gate on the Office side of the school grounds. 

Reading

This term, the Grade 4’s will select appropriate ‘Just Right’ books to read and explore in class. They will deepen their understanding of a variety of texts through inferring, predicting, questioning, visualising, making connections, and summarising. Additionally, there will be a focus on identifying the features and purpose of different text types. Teacher-led guided reading groups will also be conducted throughout the term to support and extend students at their point of need.

Writing

Year 4 students will be setting up the Writer’s Workshop and exploring a variety of genres in their writing. They will use their Writer’s Notebooks to generate ‘seeds’ or ideas that they can use in their writing throughout the year. We will be setting up the expectations for writing through our First 20 days of Literacy unit, before beginning weekly writing conferences.

Conventions/ Spelling

During our conventions sessions we will work on spelling rules, grammar and punctuation, encouraging students to apply these to their writing. We will also revise knowledge of letter–sound relationships, recognise high-frequency words and letter blends. Throughout the term we will investigate the three tiers of vocabulary and revise the meaning of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbs.

Speaking and Listening

Year 4 students will have regular opportunities in all areas of the curriculum to share their learning and listen to others. Students will be encouraged to collaborate in a team learning environment to develop social skills and understand the various language contexts of English. This will allow students to understand specific and appropriate vocabulary for learning areas and develop their content knowledge. Our Humanities unit will give students a chance to share their research with their peers and work together.

Mathematics

In Numeracy, students will consolidate their knowledge of place value and extend their knowledge into decimal place value. A central focus for term 1 will be exploring different mental computation strategies for addition and subtraction. Students will be able to extend their own learning through open-ended activities and rich tasks, ensuring that every student is working at their point of need. We will also be exploring time using am and pm notation, solving time problems and calculating elapsed time.

Other learning areas

This term the Year 4s will be exploring the similarities and differences between the continents of Australia, Africa and South America. We will be looking at geographical landforms and topography. Students will also learn about citizenship and discuss how and why decisions are made democratically in communities. Throughout the citizenship unit students will also gain knowledge of the three levels of Government in Australia and the roles and responsibilities of each. All classes have created an Acknowledgement of Country to show our respect for the traditional owners of the land in which we live, learn and play.

Respectful Relationships

Student wellbeing remains a priority. The Respectful Relationships program helps to support our emotional and social wellbeing as well explore the effects that personal feelings can have on how people behave in situations. Students will engage in two Wellbeing lessons per week, activities may include mindfulness, yoga, gratitude, recognising and coping with our various emotions, safety and our school values.

Home Learning Expectations and Needs

Year 4 students are encouraged to read for 20 minutes per night to improve their reading ability, and in turn, their writing and vocabulary acquisition. Doodlemaths will also be available shortly for students to practice their mathematical fluency at home, we encourage this for at least ten minutes once per week