Year 4

Welcome to Year Four. The following is an outline of this Year's content and routines.

Excursions/Incursions

Wedderburn Christian Campsite - 27th-28th June (Term 2)

Students Observing Sustainability Incursion - Term 4

Curriculum

Bible

Prayer and lessons on set books of the Bible: Galatians, 1 Kings, Ecclesiastes and Proverbs and Hebrews.

English

Reading Fluency and Comprehension: Students experience a variety of reading material and activities based at the grade level when being taught with the English units. They also experience activities at an individual level when participating in groups or completing comprehension skills activities. We expect every child to have a book (novel) they can read that has been either, borrowed from the Library or brought from home. Students will be expected to complete Literacy Pro quizzes at home on the book that have read.
Creating Written Texts: Students plan, create and revise, imaginative and informative texts to engage the audience. Some classes have a specialist EALD teacher to give explicit teaching. Grammar skills are embedded within English lessons.
Students receive explicit handwriting lessons in cursive writing weekly.
SRA Spelling Mastery scheme (grade groupings).
Oral Language and Communication: includes class speeches as part of the Public Speaking Challenge (Term 3).
Classes will also be using a combination of BYOD (devices e.g. iPads, tablets) and school iPads in the classroom. Devices may be brought in every day and will be stored in the classroom. They will be used across a variety of lessons throughout the day.

Mathematics

Mathematics is taught across three areas: Number and Algebra, Measurement and Space and Statistics and Probability. Working Mathematically is embedded throughout these areas.

Times Table Mastery is an essential part of the Year 4 Maths Curriculum. We encourage TT Rockstars daily.

History and Geography/Science and Technology

Topics treated this year:

HSIE

Terms 1 & 2 History: First Contacts:

Aboriginal culture
European sea explorers
The First Fleet and the impact upon the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

Terms 3 & 4 Geography:

The Earth’s Environment and Protection of the Environment

Science and Technology

Term 1: Forces and Simple Machines

Term 2&3: Beneath Our Feet which includes Agriculture

Term 4: States of Matter

Creative Arts

Music (Band Program) Blurb required - we don’t know enough
Drama (Term 3)

PDHPE

PE Times

4HF – Mondays

4D – Thursdays

4N – Thursdays

4W – Thursdays

■ Physical Education

■ Personal Development and Health

■ In school and IPSSO (Interschool sport), Wednesdays

SECOND STEP

We are looking forward to implementing our “Second Step” program across K-6 this year. “Second Step" is a well known social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum designed for students Prep to Year 8. The core principles of the “Second Step” program often revolve around three main themes: being safe, being respectful, and being responsible. These themes are essential in helping students develop healthy relationships, manage their emotions, and make informed choices. As a community we will be learning the skills for learning, empathy, emotional management, problem solving and friendships.

Students will participate in lessons throughout the year and there is an opportunity for this to be a partnership between school and home. By following this link https://www.secondstep.org/ you can create an account as a parent/carer. Please use the activation code SSP4 FAMI LY74 to access information for your child's grade. In Year 4, family reflection sheets will be uploaded to Seesaw throughout the year for you to work through with your child. We are looking forward to this becoming a part of our school culture here at William Carey.

Homework

Consolidating work covered in class and Reading.
Literacy Pro – comprehension quizzes on books read
English, Mathematics booklets, TT Rockstars and Studyladder. (Some classes)

Other Information

Progressive Assessment

During each Term, a variety of assessment tasks will be sent home to provide information about how your child is tracking in their learning.

BYOD

Devices are strongly encouraged. Please use the WCCS portal to get your child’s device ready for use at school.

ICT

In Year 4 we use a variety of apps and websites for students to creatively communicate their knowledge and collaborate with their peers. Some of the most regularly used platforms used include Seesaw, TTRockstars, Literacy Pro, Essential Assessment, Read Works and Google Classroom. Students will have logins for any program used stored in their school planner.

Seesaw will enable families an insight into the learning journey of their child and will be a great way to keep connected. Classes will use a blended approach of

written book work, ICT tools and collaborative group tasks. This will mean that learning won’t always appear in written form at the end of year but will be present in books, on Seesaw and in items created by groups of students.

Planner

■ Homework, assignments and important events

■ Communication between home and school

■ Signed and returned weekly to acknowledge completion of homework.

Communication

This is very important. If you have any issues or concerns you wish to make please write a note, send an email or contact Mrs Katzberg in the Primary Office and make an appointment. Seesaw is a great platform for communicating encouragement for your child on their work samples. Students love receiving comments and messages from their parents when they’ve completed tasks in the classroom.

End of year snapshot

By the end of the year a student in Year 4 will have been working towards the following goals:

Pen license
Working towards a Literacy Pro level of around 600-700
Full use of a planner assisting with organisation
The setting of personal learning goals
Mastery of times tables 1-10
Successfully navigating an overnight camp

Reminders

Students are to wear full school uniform, which includes a hat & school coloured hair ribbons only.
The only jewellery permitted is for girls to wear are small stud earrings or sleepers.
The students eat lunch in their classrooms, if they are not finished when the lunch bell rings, they are sent to the quad to sit and finish their lunch. In preparation for taking their lunch to the quad, please practise with your child rewrapping their partly eaten lunch.
Please be on time to school. The students are unsettled and miss essential learning and announcements if they are not here in time for morning assemblies.
If you collect your child from car lines; please note they are escorted to the basketball courts adjacent to the car park. ALL primary students are to walk with their teachers to this area and seated before being collected by a high school sibling or adult. The K-2 students are to say goodbye to their teacher. This is for the safety of ALL students. Students should be collected by 3.10pm.