Reader’s Workshop 

This term we have had the exciting opportunity to begin a new class novel, ‘A Long Walk to Water.’  This text links with our learning in Geography (investigating Africa), and Science (The Water Cycle), and enables us to grow as readers by learning and practising reading strategies together from Jen Serravallo’s Reading Strategies Book. We are continuing to build the range of strategies students need to become confident readers. All students have individual reading goals which they are working towards in conferencing and indpenedent reading time. 

 Students Voice: 

“In reading this term, we have been reading A long walk to water, a dual narrative about Nya, and Salva, who live in South Sudan. The author is Linda Sue Park, and she chose to write about the war in 1985, and Nya’s life in 2008. This story has lots of key features that we have been noticing throughout, like different fonts, and shorter sentences. We noticed that shorter sentences raise awareness and make the story more tense, while different fonts represent the perspectives of writing that was modern at that time. We have been practising a strategy where we write down the plot, so what is actually happening, and then we look for the theme for that part of the book. This strategy helps us to understand what the character is feeling.” 

 ‘I am learning to understand characters more by thinking about how they are feeling.’ ‘I am working on my goal and reading harder and longer books’ 

‘I am learning new words that help me with my reading’ 

‘I am excited about starting book club’ 

‘My goal is to build my vocabulary. I understand a lot more parts of words using clues like –tion.’ 

 Writer’s Workshop 

Year 4 are writing to entertain with a focus on the genre of ‘narrative non-fiction,' beginning with considering language features and literary devices that can be used to engage the reader. In Wirter's Workshop we are using the book “Fire” by Jackie French as a mentor text. Students are learning how to effectively collect ideas from the texts they read and record them as drafts as we work through the writing cycle. We are using strategies from Jen Serravallo’s Writing Strategies Book on how to elaborate on ideas and learning that organising our writing is more than paragraphing, it is about making sure the ideas within our writing fit together in a thoughtful, sequential order. 

 Student Voice: 

‘I’m growing as a writer as my vocabulary is growing and I’m learning new ways to describe things.’  

‘I’m growing as a writer by using more detail and learning new strategies.’ 

‘I love doing alliteration and I’m getting good at writing rhymes.’  

‘My handwriting is getting better, and I am starting to get more ideas when writing a narrative.’ 

‘Getting better at similes...’ 

 Student Work: 

First was a spark, then a big fire arose like a lion waking up hungry for prey. The black smoke was so thick I could barely see and there was some falling debris. The noise was like a tiger roaring from pain.  The fire gave wood a black stain.  The sky was like a war between smoke and the ruby red fire. 

• Akela, 4NS 

 Red blood wall, a bushfire sea. On goes the fire. On goes the fire. An oven’s breath swallows the day.  

• Tomas, 4NS 

 The crumbling house was turned to ash as the blood-red monster set it alight. Debris from the house flew all over as it was burnt bare. A bright blue hose turned black as night. 

• Atticus, 4NS 

 The flames flickered like lightning. The marshmallow melted in my mouth.’ 

• Charlotte, 4NS 

 A person with black clothes was seen walking away suspiciously from the chair and stopped right in front of an abandoned house. With a loud crack, a big tree fell onto the red chair. The red chair crumbled loudly as it broke. 

• Aurora, 4NS 

 Maths

To support learning in Geography, Year 4 started the term by learning about mapping conventions, including grids and grid references, cardinal directions, and keys. In week 2, we had a whole-year group treasure hunt around the school, using the knowledge from week 1. Students worked in small teams following cardinal directions on a map of the school marked with grid references, to reach their destination. 

Student Voice: 

‘I have also been focused on reviewing my times tables. I have been using multiplication grids and other activities to help me remember.’  

‘I love doing mapping!’ ‘It’s on the fun side of maths for me!’ 

‘I like playing battleships and looking at maps.’ 

‘I enjoyed doing maps on the Chromebooks.’ 

 Geography 

We have begun to investigate the importance of environments to people and animals in Australia and on other continents, including vegetation and water sources. We will compare our learning about Australia with our investigations about Africa and South America. 

 Student Voice: 

‘I have enjoyed learning about climate. I am looking forward to learning about continents like Africa and South America’ 

‘I like learning about the Aboriginal people’s seasons.’ 

‘I have learned that Aboriginal people use fire to protect country.’ 

‘I enjoyed learning how Aboriginal people can predict the weather from looking at the stars.’ 

‘I’m enjoying reading a story about Africa as well as research.’ 

 Science 

Our learning in Science continues to support our learning in Geography as we investigate the Water Cycle, including key sources of water. This week, we will go on a ‘water walk’ in our local area to observe local waterways, collecting data about the litter that may be present, and use this information to investigate the effects of litter on water. We will also use this as a stimulus for some amazing descriptive writing. 

 Student Voice: 

‘I’ve learned about all the –tion parts in the words of the water cycle like in our spelling.’ 

‘I’m looking forward to doing water cycle experiments in science.’ 

‘I enjoy learning about the water cycle.’ 

‘I can’t wait to do the water cycle dance in our assembly.’