Year 4 Overview |
English consists of three interrelated strands: Language, Literature and Literacy. Through this subject students develop their ability to use the English language to communicate through both receptive and productive modes.
In Year 4, English comprises approximately 55 hours of dedicated teaching and learning time per term. This equates to approximately 20% of the total teaching time. Continued literacy development is considered paramount and the general capability of Literacy is developed through all other aspects of the curriculum, in addition to this dedicated teaching time.
Explicit teaching of content of the English curriculum is planned through English inquiry units, daily and weekly routines and through specific planned opportunities within other curriculum areas.
Ongoing teaching gives students to learn and practise skills in Spelling,Grammar, Handwriting and Reading.
In Year 4, English comprises approximately 55 hours of dedicated teaching and learning time per term. This equates to approximately 20% of the total teaching time. Continued literacy development is considered paramount and the general capability of Literacy is developed through all other aspects of the curriculum, in addition to this dedicated teaching time.
Explicit teaching of content of the English curriculum is planned through English inquiry units, daily and weekly routines and through specific planned opportunities within other curriculum areas.
Ongoing teaching gives students to learn and practise skills in Spelling,Grammar, Handwriting and Reading.
Spelling |
Weekly spelling focus lessons and independent word work is designed to assist students to:
- Spell topic words, more complex
irregular words, regular words and word families containing known letters and
letter clusters, and use strategies for attempting unknown words. (Literacy
continuum)
- Understand how to use
strategies for spelling words, including spelling rules, knowledge of morphemic
word families, spelling generalisations, and letter combinations including
double letters (ACELA1779)
- Recognise homophones and know how to use context to identify correct spelling (ACELA1780)
Grammar |
Grammar concepts are addressed through regular explicit teaching episodes and independent practice exercises. Wherever possible, grammar concepts are taught within the context of another topic and students have opportunities to practice skills when writing in context.
Handwriting & Keyboarding |
Regular handwriting and keyboarding practice is designed to develop and maintain fluency in these skills.
Reading |
Reading concepts and skills are addressed through regular explicit teaching episodes and independent practice. Wherever possible, reading skills are taught within the context of another topic.
Whodunnit? |
In Term 1, students investigate the strategies that effective readers use to infer information from contextual clues. They explore and compare a number of books in the "Mystery" genre and discuss personal opinions about the texts. They experiment with the language and textual features they have encountered to produce their own short stories. This unit has been developed to be taught in 30-40 hours across the term. Students would also be expected to spend some time outside of class time engaged in related activities, including reading.
Do we really need bees? |
In Term 1, students are involved in a scientific inquiry into the interdependence of bees, plants and other parts of the environment. Through close reading activities, students extend on their understanding of the language features of informative texts. At the conclusion of the Science unit, students reflect on what they have learnt through the construction of a persuasive text.
Just for laughs! |
In Term 2, students experiment with the use of quotation marks to show direct speech and investigate
how quoted (direct) and reported (indirect) speech work in different types of text including cartoons and narratives as they translate jokes between different formats, including play scripts. They recognise
homophones and know how to use context to identify correct spelling and experiment with use of homophones for the purpose of humour. They understand, interpret and experiment with a range of devices and deliberate word play in poetry and other literary texts, for example nonsense words, spoonerisms, neologisms and puns. They present a short comical routine to a familiar audience (e.g. read a poem, short skit, tell jokes etc).
Nim's Island |
In Term 2, students listen to the short novel, Nim's Island, by Wendy Orr. They discuss the way that the author has used language features (including noun groups/phrases and verb groups/phrases and prepositional phrases) to enrich the meaning of sentences. They examine the effect of substituting other vocabulary in the story. They review ideas about fact or opinion.
Linking with Geography, students create a map of the fictional island using cartographic conventions.
Linking with Geography, students create a map of the fictional island using cartographic conventions.