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Grade 4
In Grade 4, students build on the foundations established in the earlier years of schooling, broaden the scope of their understandings, and begin to extend their knowledge in many different aspects of the curriculum. Students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning by building independence and responsibility. Social skills become more nuanced, and students are empowered to examine their identity to become the person they want to be.
Literacy
Our focus in Grade 4 is to:
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become independent, fluent, and thoughtful readers
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examine texts for their message or theme, including considerations of author’s purpose and intended audience
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employ comprehension skills to gain information through reading related to other learning areas
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bridge from phonological to morphological spelling strategies
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become confident writers through the Talk for Writing process (memorisation and close examination of model texts, identification of writer’s tools, explicit and guided practice of these skills in isolation, then finally planning, drafting, editing and publishing complete texts)
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improve cursive handwriting so that it becomes fluent and automatic
Numeracy
Our focus in Grade 4 is to:
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experience the real life applications of mathematical concepts
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work with concrete or hands on materials to consolidate skills and move towards more efficient mental computation
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build on place value knowledge, moving into 5 digit and decimal numbers
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consolidate understanding of addition and subtraction and increase automaticity of efficient strategies to solve equations
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deepen understanding of multiplication as arrays and regions and increase fluency of multiplication facts
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build on knowledge of fractions up to the fifthing family through making, representing and counting fractions
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represent money in different ways and solve money problems
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use scaled instruments to measure and compare length, mass, capacity and temperature
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expand understanding of 2- and 3-dimensional shapes and their features
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consolidate knowledge of gathering, interpreting and representing data
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conduct experiments involving chance and describe possible outcomes of an event.
Our Inquiry topics for 2024 are:
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Who We Are: There are many parts that make up a whole self.
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Where We Are In Time And Place: A nation’s identity is influenced by its history.
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How We Organise Ourselves: Different human-made systems contribute to our lives.
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How The World Works: The natural world is a series of interconnected systems.
Wellbeing
Our wellbeing focus is on:
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identity and friendships
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managing our emotions
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help seeking
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personal character strengths
These are taught through weekly wellbeing sessions and embedded throughout all aspects of the week, both in the classroom and outside. We also participate in the whole school Kooramook (multi-age) program three times a term to focus on character strengths.
Kitchen/Garden
On Thursdays, students in Grades 3 and 4 participate in our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen/Garden program.
Students work in the school’s Kitchen Garden to develop an understanding of how to care for plants, our chickens and worm farms. They then use this produce to cook simple dishes in the kitchen. Students are taught basic kitchen safety and skills.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM)
On Fridays, students in Grades 3 and 4 participate in our STEM program. Students work in mixed class groups and participate in the following lessons:
· Science and Technology
Students explore the different aspects of science and conduct experiments to learn more about how the world works. They also use technology to solve problems.
· Engineering and Maths
Students learn about space and shape and measurement areas of maths. Following the design technologies process, students think like engineers to apply their skills to solve problems and create solutions.
· Digital Technology
Students learn about how to use a range of digital technologies including iPads, Chromebooks and Robotics safely and efficiently.