This term, Grade 4 students have explored the world of animation in the Inquiry Frame by Frame unit. They have created their own stop motion animations, learning about the principles of motion, timing, and storytelling. Through hands on activities, students designed plasticine characters, sets, and scenes. Students worked in pairs and collaborated to plan, storyboard, and produce short animations. They gained a deeper understanding of the animation process and proudly showcased their creative animated projects. We can’t wait to share their animations with you all.

Mathematics

In our Grade 4 mathematics sessions, we have been exploring the fascinating world of angles! Students have learned to identify, compare and draw angles, with a focus on right angles. We've also discovered how to name angles as acute, obtuse, reflex and right. Through hands-on activities, including using our own names in a structured typeface, we have uncovered the presence of angles in architecture, art and nature, as well as in everyday activities, like kicking a soccer ball. It's been an exciting journey of discovery!

English

Grade 4 Students were given two visual stimuli, where they were required to write a narrative text. Students used the writing

process to plan, draft, revise, edit and publish their completed story. Students have been busy publishing their work, creating a

book, with illustrated covers to share amongst their peers. We are looking forward to using what was learnt during our Toonworld in school event to make our stories come to life.

Personal and Social Learning

For Personal and Social Capabilities, students have been exploring the topic Coping Strategies. We are learning that our emotions can vary depending on the depth and strength towards something occurring. Students created a thermometer focusing on one emotion to describe situations that can lead to strong emotions.

Last week on the 9th of October, we had the Brunswick Proactive Policing Unit visit Avondale Primary to teach us about Bullying. The unit discussed that Bullying comes in the forms of verbal, cyber, psychological and physical. We learnt about their differences and strategies we can use to minimise these negative behaviours. The advice particularly for cyber bullying was to: 1. Block and report 2. Tell a trusted adult 3. Be an up-stander and stick up for those bullied If we work together we can create a culture where everyone feels safe and valued. Together, we can make a meaningful difference and empower individuals to stand against bullying, ensuring a brighter future for all.

Term 3 2024

Term 3 Highlights 

As Term 3 comes to an end, we celebrate our Grade 4 students’ impressive progress and achievements. This term's highlight for many students was our engaging inquiry unit First Contacts, where students delved into the rich culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and gained an insight into European settlement. This was enhanced by a hands-on excursion to CERES where we explored ochre, role-played Dreamtime stories and learnt more about the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung people who are the traditional custodians of this land that we learn and play on. In mathematics, students focused on mastering various multiplication strategies and understanding the concepts of area and volume of 3D objects. Students explored different approaches to multiplication, enhancing their problem-solving skills, and discovered how to calculate the area and volume of various shapes, deepening their grasp of spatial relationships. In writing, students used their persuasive skills to convince others of their own views through small classroom debates, persuasive letters, book and movie reviews, and advertisements. Each activity challenged them to present their ideas convincingly and thoughtfully. We had lots of special moments this term that allowed us to work collaboratively and come together as a cohort. We loved dressing up for Book Week and checking in on each other during RUOK? Day, where students learned about the importance of mental health and supporting one another. We enjoyed getting active with our Sports Day last Friday. It has been a big term of learning, and we applaud our students’ hard work and look forward to more exciting opportunities in Term 4. Congratulations on a fantastic term Grade 4!

Inquiry Learning

For Inquiry, after exploring the traditional lives of Australia’s First People, 4A then focused on early European exploration of our Great Southern Land. This led to the causes and reasons why England decided to send its First Fleet to create a settlement in New South Wales. Students created their own historical child convict character and then wrote journal entries about their unfortunate life, desperate and poor, committing a crime. They then attended court at the Old Bailey, where they took part in a class role play. Teachers enjoyed being the judge, showing no mercy and sentencing students to be transported to Botany Bay, New South Wales on board the First Fleet.

This term in inquiry 4B have been learning about the lives of the First Australians before European settlers arrived in Australia and the causes and reasons for the journey of the first fleet. This week we have been researching the lives of convicts aboard ships on the first fleet, how they came to be sentenced to transportation and immersing ourselves in their lives.

4C students have been busy researching the lives of convicts and the ships they sailed on. They got to experience how it would have felt to be closed off in a 1.8m x 1.8m space where convicts journeyed, slept, ate and toileted. Student’s discussed the difficulties convicts would have faced, the unsanitary conditions and repercussions of that environment. They also discovered that the minor crimes committed by these convicts, such as stealing a loaf of bread or 10 pounds, resulted in severe punishments, long imprisonment and some in execution. Students reflected on the ways that society, rules and laws have changed over time.

Literacy and Book Week

Book Week 2024 was a spectacular celebration of imagination and creativity! Grade 4 students brought their favourite book characters to life. We dressed as heroes, villains, and magical creatures and paraded our costumes with excitement and pride to our chosen songs. It was a week filled with exploring shortlisted books, students sharing their love of books and showcasing their creativity. Throughout Writing we have been focusing on Persuasive text styles. This fortnight we have been busy creating advertisements, publishing posters and presenting to our class to persuade our peers to buy our product. We have been overwhelmed with the creativity and passion students have shown in these lessons. Take a look at their posters, can they persuade you?

Mathematics 

In Grade 4, we have been learning how to solve multiplication using arrays. We have also been using tangrams to

explore geometric shapes and spatial reasoning. Tangrams, which are puzzles consisting of seven flat pieces,

challenge students to create specific shapes and figures. This task allowed our students to investigate properties of

shapes, such as symmetry and congruence, and to understand how shapes can be combined or subdivided to form

new shapes. Through manipulating tangram pieces, students gained hands-on experience with concepts to reinforce

their ability to identify and describe two-dimensional shapes while enhancing their problem-solving skills.

Personal and Social Learning

Over the last two weeks Grade 4 students have discussed and defined the different forms of violence and how to

identify Gender Based Violence. We role-played an age appropriate scenario and discussed who was the

perpetrator, who was the target/victim and who were the bystanders/witnesses. Students then talked about how

the feelings and emotions of all the people involved were impacted.

In 4C students learnt to recognise the different ways to balance their use of technology, explaining the difference

between digital consumption and digital creation. Students were challenged to create a flipbook animation to

share joy and creativity with a friend. This activity inspired students to see they too, can become creators.

Term 2 2024

Mathematics

Last week Grade 4A, engaged in shop experiences shops to learn more about using money to purchase items and calculating the change to the nearest five cents. We used our imaginations to fill our shop with items in our classroom and invented our own money system using different coloured connector blocks and play money. Students were enthusiastic at promoting their wares, it felt like we were in a market place.

In 4B this week alongside the rest of the Grade Four cohort, we took a hands-on approach to environmental awareness with a rubbish audit immediately following lunch. The Grade Four team sorted through our discarded items, from food wrappers to containers, and measured the physical space our trash occupied on the school grounds. The results were eye-opening, underscoring the need for mindful consumption and waste reduction efforts.

In 4C, we have been learning about Money. We collected supermarket catalogues and cut out items and added up their totals. We had to calculate the amount of change we would receive from various amounts, e.g. $20. We also used the school’s canteen menu to calculate orders and work out what change we would receive if we paid by cash.

The Grade 4s were absorbed in our ANZAC Day topic this week, reading nonfiction texts and the fiction book ‘Meet...the ANZACs’ - by Claire Saxby and Max Berry. Students researched why and how we celebrate ANZAC Day. Students used this research to create information reports to answer their wonders. We also explored the poem ‘Why We Wear a Poppy’ - by Don Crawford and how this makes us feel. We also discussed the author’s choice of words and the author's craft.

During Mathematics lessons, the Grade 4 students have been focusing on place value, measuring length and collecting data. They also practised visually representing it using picture, bar and line graphs. We have used our problem-solving skills to explore the importance of place value and the number zero. We headed outside and measured our broad jumps, estimated using our steps and measured the futsal court using standard units of measurement.

This week we have continued to explore formal and informal units and investigated whether the lengths of both arms, extended out, equate to our height. Using streamers, students tested this theory, measuring out a length of streamer, lying down on the floor to check if they were accurate. Students then used a combination of rulers to measure their heights. They had so much fun.

In Grade 4, we have been immersed into the impact that disabilities have on people. In this learning experience, we wanted our students to experience what it would be like to be blind. Students were then asked to complete an activity in pairs, where one would be blindfolded and one would assist. This allowed students to put themselves in somebody else’s shoes to experience the daily implications.

Another valuable learning experience was taking the students on an accessibility experience. This time students were putting themselves in the shoes of someone who uses a wheelchair. Using a map students investigated and identified areas in our school that are inaccessible. We then discussed how this would impact their ability to feel included in our school community.

Grade 4 students had deep and rich discussions about the feelings and attitudes we experience when we are in particular zones. We often can shift throughout these zones depending on the situation. Students shared and wrote statement examples of what they feel or experience when they are in each of the zones. Some students also shared their phobias and anxieties connecting to being in the yellow zone. This learning experience was helpful in getting to know our students and peers.

This year we will be learning more about emotions, coping strategies and positive behaviours. We are working towards being able to self regulate.