Curriculum Overview - Term 1

Curriculum Overview Year 4

Term 1, 2016

Dear Parents and Carers,

This overview outlines the content that will be covered during this term with your child. It is a great reference to keep somewhere prominent so that you can refer back to it with your child and discuss specifics of their learning. Please don’t hesitate in contacting us if you have any queries or concerns about your child.

Religious Education

Lent: A Time For Reconciliation

In this unit there is an in ­depth analysis of the parable of the Prodigal Son in the context of a study of Lent as a season whose liturgy challenges and invites us to conversion and reconciliation with God and others. Students will interpret the parable's purpose/message within the context of the Lenten liturgy and the celebration of the sacrament of Penance.

Easter Triduum Passover: Exodus                                                                                      In this unit, students study the Exodus story and its celebration in the Jewish Passover meal drawing upon the experience of refugees and immigrants to Australia. The unit seeks to develop students' understanding of the new meaning Jesus gave to the sharing of bread and wine at the Last Supper and to relate the Church's celebration of the Eucharist to its hospitality and service to refugees and immigrants.

Easter Season: New Life                                                                                                     In this unit, students will explore experiences of ' death' and 'new life' in their lives and how this is related to the Church's celebration of the mystery of Jesus' rising and dying in the liturgies of Holy Week and the Easter season.

English

Reading, writing, talking and listening skills are strategies learnt through modeled, guided (small group), shared and independent experiences. The new English Syllabus states the key processes of responding to and composing texts are central to students using language purposefully and meaningfully, while engaging with a wide range of texts. This year students will study examples of spoken texts, print texts, visual texts, media, multimedia and digital texts. The students will create imaginative, informative and persuasive texts using a growing knowledge of text structures and language features. They will gain practice in understanding the process of planning, drafting and publishing these imaginative, informative and persuasive texts.

Mathematics

Students will be challenged to work mathematically in the areas of

Multiplication and Division: Recall multiplication fact up to 10x10(and beyond) and related division facts.

Whole Numbers: Recognise, represent and order numbers to at least tens of thousands.

Addition and Subtraction: Apply place value to partition, rearrange and regroup numbers to at least tens of thousands to assist calculations and solve problems.

Patterns and Algebra: Use equivalent number sentences involving addition and subtraction to find unknown quantities.

Three Dimensional Space and Position: Investigate and represent three dimensional objects

HSIE

Community and Rememberance

This topic provides a study of identity and diversity in both a local and broader context. Moving from the heritage of their local area, students explore the historical features and diversity of their community. They examine local, state and national symbols and emblems of significance, and celebrations and commemorations, both locally and in other places around the world.

Personal Development, Health and Physical Education

This term students will participate in a Peer Support program called 'Better Buddies'. They will meet regularly throughout the term in K-6 groups to interact with their buddy leaders and peers. The program focuses on the strand of Interpersonal Relationships and links to our whole school social skills program. The focus of Better Buddies is to create friendly and caring schools, fostering an environment where all students feel safe and happy. Younger students are supported by older students and learn about respect, responsibility, valuing difference, including others, care for others, friendship, negotiation and managing positive relationships with peers.

Miss Mel McCauley will teach Physical Education to both classes each Wednesday.

Visual Arts

Visual Arts will be taught in class and will explore various materials to create artworks. It will be integrated with Religious Education, English and History.

Music

Mr Thanh Nguyen will teach Music to both classes each Wednesday. In the music program this term, students will be learning how to play the ukulele. As a part of this study, they will be learning pitch and rhythm through the use of the ukulele. Students will all have an opportunity to learn basic chords on the ukulele and combine what they have learnt to perform songs on the instrument.

Library

Library borrowing day is Thursday for both classes. Students are to bring their library bag each Wednesday in order to borrow.

Homework

Homework in Year 4 will consist of the research and presentation of two speeches per term.

The students will be given three weeks to prepare their speech, and presentations will then take place the following week in class. Along side the speeches, students will be assigned a small Mathematical task each week.

Class Dojo

This year we will be using ClassDojo to encourage important skills, like working hard and participating. We will also use it to communicate to parents. More information will be going home in the coming weeks.

Please don’t hesitate in contacting us should you have any queries.

Mrs Sonia Awkar (4G)

Mr Patrick Mackey (4W)