Year 4
The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus on developing students' knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.
In Years 3 and 4, students experience learning in familiar contexts and a range of contexts that relate to study in other areas of the curriculum. They interact with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These encompass traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of print and digital texts, simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry, non-fiction, film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances and texts used by students as models for constructing their own work.
The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 3 and 4 as independent readers describe complex sequences of events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts include content of increasing complexity and technicality about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These texts use complex language features, including varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high-frequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and a variety of punctuation conventions, as well as illustrations and diagrams that support and extend the printed text.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
Achievement Standard
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 4, students understand that texts have different text structures depending on purpose and context. They explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interest of audiences. They describe literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different textsÂ
They fluently read texts that include varied sentence structures, unfamiliar vocabulary including multisyllabic words. They express preferences for particular types of texts, and respond to others' viewpoints. They listen for and share key points in discussions.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students use language features to create coherence and add detail to their texts. They understand how to express an opinion based on information in a text. They create texts that show understanding of how images and detail can be used to extend key ideas.
Students create structured texts to explain ideas for different audiences. They make presentations and contribute actively to class and group discussions, varying language according to context. They demonstrate understanding of grammar, select vocabulary from a range of resources and use accurate spelling and punctuation, re-reading and editing their work to improve meaning.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
- Plus Plan
Landform Report – Mini Book Template
Download this information report template to use when teaching informative writing to primary students.
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Australian Conservationists: Tim Flannery – Comprehension Worksheet
Learn about Tim Flannery and his conservation work with this 2-page reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
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Subordinating Conjunctions Game Show Interactive Activity
Use this interactive digital activity to assist your students in practising identifying and constructing sentences using subordinating conjunctions in a fun way!
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Subordinating Conjunctions Board Game
Use this set of 24 task cards to help students practise identifying and constructing sentences using subordinating conjunctions.
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Using Tables of Contents Worksheets
Download these table of contents worksheets to provide your students with practice working with this valuable non-fiction text feature.
- Free Plan
Non-Fiction Text Features Flipbook – Read and Define
Use this text features flipbook as a student-centred literacy activity to teach your students about the purpose of text features in non-fiction books.
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Non-Fiction Visual Features Cut and Paste Worksheet
Use this visual text features worksheet when exploring text features such as photographs, maps, charts and diagrams with your students.
- Free Plan
Nonfiction Text Features Worksheet
Download this nonfiction text features worksheet so students can practice locating different types of text features found in an information text.
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Year 4 Reading Comprehension - The Day of the Dead Reading Passage
Read and learn about the Mexican holiday, Dia De Los Muertos, with a reading passage and Year 4 reading prose comprehension test.
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Report Writing – Firefighter Activity Pack
Engage your class with firefighter activity that combines informative writing practice with real-world learning about community helpers.
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Homophone Mandala Flower Worksheets
Have your students create a colourful mandala flower while simultaneously demonstrating their understanding of common homophones.
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Which Homophone? Interactive Game
Add some excitement to your vocabulary lessons with an interactive game exploring homophones and their definitions.
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My Strange Shrinking Parents – Literature Task Cards
Deep dive into the characters and themes of Zeno Sworder’s highly acclaimed book, My Strange Shrinking Parents, with this set of 12 literature task cards.
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Positive, Comparative, and Superlative Adverbs Task Cards
Use these task cards to help students practise using positive, comparative, and superlative adverbs in sentences.
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Grammar TVs
Grammar presented on TVs.
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Inspirational Authors – Speechwriting Project
Get you students to research and celebrate an inspirational author with this speechwriting activity.
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Comparing Characters - Graphic Organisers
Encourage your students to compare story characters with this set of differentiated graphic organisers that can be used with any text.
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Prefixes and Suffixes Flipbook
Review and assess prefix and suffix knowledge with a printable vocabulary flipbook.
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Using Suffixes - Grammar Worksheet
Review concepts related to suffixes with a printable grammar worksheet.
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Word Building Bricks - Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots
Build, read and write multi-syllable words using prefixes, suffixes and base words with a fun word-building literacy activity.
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Four in a Row Vocabulary Game - Suffixes
Practise matching words to their common suffixes and build vocabulary with a suffix vocabulary game.
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Prefixes Vocabulary Word Game
Practise matching words to their common prefixes with an exciting Four in a Row Vocabulary Game.
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Suffix Dominoes - Vocabulary Game
Identify new words that include common suffixes with a fun suffixes vocabulary game.
- Free Plan
What is an Affix? Suffix Puzzle Pack
Practice building, reading, and understanding the meaning of words with suffixes with a fun set of printable puzzles for kids.
- Plus Plan
Dictionary Definitions Match Up Game
A set of 20 word cards for students to match to their definition.
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The Moon of Planet Earth Worksheet
Engage your students with a high-interest reading passage about the moon with this informative article and accompanying response sheet.
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Antonym Worksheets - Middle Primary
Practise identifying and using antonyms with a set of worksheets for students in Year 3 and Year 4.
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Vibrant Varieties – Other Words for 'Very' Wheel
Replace the word 'very' in your students' writings by giving them a 'wheely' good synonyms reference guide.
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Explanation Texts Writing Scaffold
A scaffolding sheet that can be used to write an explanation text.
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Example of a Formal Letter with Template
Use this example of a formal letter featuring the Big Bad Wolf’s humorous apology to the Three Little Pigs to teach letter structure in an engaging way.
- Plus Plan
Argument Planning Template (Castle)
A castle-themed persuasive argument planning template.
- Free Plan
Digital Warriors: Scroll Trolls – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for the comic from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 3).