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)
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Frida's Fiesta: Open for Business - Inquiry Project
An inquiry project where students get the opportunity to design their own restaurant.
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Canine Communication Collar – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a fake advertisement from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 2).
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Concrete Poem Poster and Templates
Use this concrete poem example and accompanying template to teach your students how to write a concrete poem.
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Land Rights Crossword
A printable Land Rights Crossword worksheet for your students to complete in your classroom.
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Recess Rules: The More the Merrier – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a comic about the importance of making a variety of friendships.
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The Hovering Hoverboard – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a fake advertisement from the Year 3 magazine (Issue 2).
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Books for Sharing Indigenous Perspectives - Poster
A list of Indigenous storybooks for the classroom recommended by Aboriginal education organisation, Wingaru Education.
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Spring Is Here Poem – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a poem about the season spring.
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Year 4 Magazine – "What's Buzzing?" (Issue 3) Task Cards
A set of five literacy rotation task cards to be used in conjunction with Issue 3 of Teach Starter’s Year 4 magazine.
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Literary Description Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about literary descriptions, including an annotated example.
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Personal Response Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about personal responses, including an annotated example.
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Discussion Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about discussions, including an annotated example.
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Literacy Tasks - Posters
5 Literacy Task posters and 1 Guide poster.
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Inference vs Prediction - Presentation
A teaching presentation outlining the similarities and differences between inference and prediction.
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Preposition Activity Sheet Pack – Read and Draw
Download this preposition activity sheet pack, where students read a series of instructions to draw scenes by identifying prepositions.
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Adverbs Worksheet
A 2 page worksheet that explores the use of adverbs.
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Adver-relays Active Learning Game
A whole class active game that encourages learning through a physical setting.
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Poetry Poster with Annotations
Use this poetry poster to introduce your students to the structure and language features of poems through an annotated example.
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Finding Word Meaning In Context - Word Meaning Cards
A teaching resource to help teach your students how to find word meaning in context.
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Inference or Prediction? Worksheet
A worksheet to use when teaching your students the difference between an inference and a prediction.
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Recalling Facts - Newspaper Worksheet
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to recall facts and details when reading.
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Cause and Effect - Scenario Worksheet
A worksheet and answer sheet to use when teaching students the cause and effect comprehension strategy.
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Reading Detectives Name Tags
8 colourful reading detective name tags to assign students during guided reading sessions.
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Homophones Practice Workbook 2
Consolidate your students’ ability to recognise homophones in context with this set of 9 worksheets with answers.
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Comprehension Chatterbox
A fun reading comprehension strategy activity for students to use after reading a text.
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Rio de Janeiro - Comprehension Task
A comprehension task that encourages students to apply a range of comprehension skills when finding out interesting fun facts about Rio.
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Reading Detectives Worksheets
8 reading detective worksheets to use during guided reading sessions in the classroom.
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NAPLAN-Style Assessment Rubric for Poetry
A NAPLAN-style rubric designed to help teachers to assess student's poetry.
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Archetype Characters Booklet
Explore archetype characters with this engaging 8-page mini book that helps students analyse a character from a book they have recently read.
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Using Inclusive Language Worksheet Pack
Teach your students about using inclusive language to promote respect and understanding in your classroom with these five engaging worksheets.
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Inclusive Words Matching Game
Help your students recognise and replace exclusive language with respectful, inclusive words using this engaging matching card activity.
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Literary Comparison Task Cards
Encourage deeper thinking through literary comparison with this engaging set of task cards designed to prompt meaningful analysis between two texts.