Prep | Year 4 News

Maths

In Mathematics students have been inquiring into whole numbers and how they are an integral part of everyday life. Students revised the relationship between representing numbers and their place value. In the next three weeks of term we will experiment using mental and written strategies for addition and subtraction involving two-, three-, four- and five-digit numbers. Ask your child to demonstrate strategies such as the split, jump, compensation or bridging strategy.  Through employing flexible thinking and creative problem-solving, students are encouraged to develop their mathematical reasoning as they explain and check solutions to problems, including by using the inverse operation. Students are encouraged to practise their multiplication facts at home in order to increase fluency and confidence in class.

English

Sizzling starts, tightening the tension, show don’t tell, and dynamic dialogue are some of the engaging conversations taking place in Year 4. We have been busy co-creating success criteria, so we become experts in how to structure a narrative to engage the reader. Through our writing, we will explore concepts on change, connection and perspective and make connections to our How We Express Ourselves Transdisciplinary Theme. We will also explore how people connect to their culture through poetry.  

UOI

Year Four commenced the year with an Inquiry into Who We Are. We shared perspectives and discussed how we can get to know each other as people and as learners. We established what kind of learning community we want to be and how we can ensure learning thrives in our classrooms. Over the course of the year, students will inquire into the complexities of friendships, their growing responsibilities as learners, and contributing to healthy, safe and active communities.

This week Year Four have begun their new inquiry into How We Express Ourselves. Within the unit, boys will be examining how society perceives culture, expresses their understanding of different cultures, and how our cultural experiences and understanding have changed over time.  To begin our inquiry, we had the boys navigate their way to various corners of the room as they identified with a particular culture. Boys felt conflicted to move from their dominant culture as they began to connect with multiple cultures. The provocation led to some excellent discussions around how people formulate their cultural understanding.

Music

In Music this year the compulsory Band Program and Strings sight-reading classes introduces boys to a range of Band Instruments that will inspire them to strive to learn the skills associated with their chosen instrument under the tutelage of Cross-Campus Instrumental Music Staff. Later in the term this dedication will enable them to participate in the combined Band sessions where they will develop ensemble skills. In Classroom Music the students are inquiring through an Indigenous lens the Transdisciplinary relationship between Music and Visual Art in the Collaborative Unit of Inquiry How We Express Ourselves.