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
Reciprocal Teaching Role Cards
Assign reciprocal style teaching roles to your students during small-group reading sessions with this set of 4 reciprocal teaching role cards.
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Visual Literacy Techniques Poster Pack
Teach your students how to uncover hidden meanings in images with this vibrant set of Visual Literacy Technique Posters!
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Editing and Revising Checklist Pack
Download this editing and revising checklist pack to support your students when revising and editing their written work.
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Informative Text Writing Task – Why Do Volcanoes Erupt?
Research and write about how volcanoes erupt with a scaffolded informational writing task.
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Genre of the Month - Writing Prompt Grids (Upper)
Introduce your students to a variety of writing genres with our printable genre-specific writing prompt grids.
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Koala Information Report – Writing Project
Get your students writing a koala information report using this age-appropriate fact file and writing scaffold.
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Information Report Checklists
Use these information report checklists when teaching your students how to edit their informative texts.
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Informative Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 information report posters in your classroom during your informative writing unit.
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Dealing With Direct Speech - Worksheet
Use this worksheet when teaching students the rules for punctuating direct speech using double quotation marks.
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Procedural Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 procedural writing posters in your classroom during your procedural writing unit.
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Persuasive Devices Crossword
Familiarise your students with the most common persuasive devices with an engaging crossword puzzle.
- Free Plan
Uses of Magnets Comprehension Worksheet
Download this magnets worksheet to teach your Year 4 students about the uses of magnets in our everyday lives.
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Persuasive Devices Sorting Activity
Explore persuasive devices with your students using this set of sorting cards.
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For and Against Worksheets
Explore 'for' and 'against' arguments for five different topics with this set of 'for' and 'against' sorting activities.
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PEEL Paragraph Structure Poster and Worksheets
Explore the acronym PEEL to help with paragraph technique during persuasive writing lessons.
- Free Plan
Finding the Main Idea - Graphic Organiser Templates
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to find the main idea of a text.
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Using Suffixes - Grammar Worksheet
Review concepts related to suffixes with a printable grammar worksheet.
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Common Spelling Rules PowerPoint
Boost your students' spelling skills with an instructional slide deck teaching the different spelling rules.
- Free Plan
Informative Writing Word Wall
Display key vocabulary related to informative writing with a set of 48 word wall cards.
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Persuasive Writing Bump It Up Wall – Year 4
A visual display for your classroom to help students 'bump up' their persuasive writing.
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Epic Editing Workbook – Year 3 and Year 4
Use these paragraph editing worksheets to get your students practising and refining their proofreading skills.
- Free Plan
The Secret Society of Vegetable Venerators – Worksheet
A comprehension worksheet for a narrative from the Year 5 magazine (Issue 2).
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Their, There, They're Poster
Teach students to differentiate between their, there and they're with this classroom poster.
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Year 4 Dictation Passages PowerPoint
Use this set of Year 4 dictation passages to promote listening and transcription skills in your students.
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Recount Writing Checklist Pack
Use this recount writing checklist pack when teaching your students how to edit their writing.
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Everyday Grammar Punctuation Warm Ups - Middle Years Interactive PowerPoint
An engaging 44 slide interactive PowerPoint to use in the middle years classroom when learning about grammar and punctuation.
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Writing Procedural Texts Teaching Slides
Use this procedural writing PowerPoint to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of procedure texts.
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Comprehension Task Cards - Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion
A set of comprehension task cards to help students distinguish between fact and opinion when reading.
- Free Plan
Persuasive Text Planning Template (Using OREO)
A planning template for students to use when writing a persuasive text.
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Exploring Poetry Worksheet - Alliteration
A worksheet to help students understand alliteration in poetry.
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Information Report Writing Template
Use this information report template to help your students correctly structure their informative writing.
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Persuasive Writing Word Wall Vocabulary
Persuasive language for a word wall.