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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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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Finding the Main Idea Poster
A poster highlighting how to find the main idea when reading a piece of text.
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Im- and Non- Prefixes Worksheet
Consolidate students' understanding of im- and non- prefixes with a prefix worksheet.
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Prefix Task Cards - Vocabulary Activity
Build your students’ skills in determining the correct prefixes to use with a set of task cards.
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Reading Response Journal Task Cards
9 reading comprehension task cards focusing on a different skill.
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Reading Response Journal – Comprehension Templates
A journal with comprehension sheets designed for students to study texts.
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'Pick Three' Writing Inspiration Worksheet
A worksheet to use when students need writing inspiration for a narrative piece.
- Free Plan
Tricky Tongue Twisters – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a magazine article from the Year 3 magazine (Issue 3).
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Dr Mae Jemison Biography – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a biography from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 2).
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Argument Planning Template (Castle)
A castle-themed persuasive argument planning template.
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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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Sensory Poems Poster and Template
Use this sensory poem example and accompanying template to teach your students how to write a sensory poem.
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iFoundit 4 – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a fake advertisement from the Year 4 magazine (Issue 3).
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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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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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Fairy Tales Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about fairy tales, including an annotated example.
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Out of the Book - Comprehension Board Game
A fun comprehension strategy board game for students to play during literacy rotations.
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Literacy Tasks - Posters
5 Literacy Task posters and 1 Guide poster.
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Adverbs Worksheet
A 2 page worksheet that explores the use of adverbs.
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Procedural Writing Checklists
Use these procedural writing checklists when teaching your students how to editing their procedure texts.
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Author's Purpose - Sentence Writing Game
A teaching resource to help teach your students the different reasons authors may write.
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120 Comprehension Strategy Question Cards
A set of 120 open-ended question cards to help students apply comprehension strategies when reading.
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Comprehension Task Cards - Recalling Facts And Details
A set of comprehension task cards to help students recall facts and details when reading.
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Reading Detectives Bookmarks
8 colourful reading detective bookmarks to use during guided reading sessions in the classroom.
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Reading Detectives Posters and Banner
8 colourful reading detective posters and a banner to display in the classroom.
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Elephants Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about elephants with this fact file and writing scaffold.
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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.
- Free Plan
Inference vs Prediction Poster
A poster outlining the similarities and differences between inference and prediction.
- Plus Plan
Read and Roll - Comprehension Dice Game
A fun reading comprehension strategy game to play in the classroom during literacy groups.
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5 Procedural Writing Prompts
Use this set of 5 procedural writing prompts to assess your students’ procedural writing skills.