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
Spelling Spinner Homework Activity - Differentiated
Have fun practising spelling words with an engaging Spelling Spinner Game for any spelling word list.
- Plus Plan
Monitor and Clarify Reading Strategy Digital Task Cards
Help students gain more practise in monitoring while reading using these Monitoring and Clarifying Reading Strategy Practise digital task cards.
- Plus Plan
Biography Checklist Pack
Use this biography checklist pack to help students review and refine their writing with structured guidance on essential biography features.
- Plus Plan
Reading Making Predictions Worksheet Pack
Practise reading and making predictions with this making predictions worksheet pack.
- Plus Plan
Write a Biography Booklet
Use this biography booklet to help your students organise and present information about any person in a structured, engaging format.
- 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.
- Plus Plan
Subject and Object Pronouns Worksheet
Download this 2-page worksheet to get your students using objective and subjective pronouns.
- Plus Plan
Multiple Meaning Match-Up Cards
Determine the meaning of multiple-meaning words with an engaging Vocabulary Card Game.
- Plus Plan
Fact or Opinion? - Digital Learning Activity
Practise identifying, sorting, and writing facts and opinions with an interactive digital learning activity.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension Task Cards Summarising
Practise summarising text with these relevant events-based texts.
- Plus Plan
Exaggeration and Hyperbole Sorting Activity
Explore examples of hyperbole with your students using this set of 24 sorting cards perfect for your collaborative group work.
- Plus Plan
Non-Fiction Text Features Flipbook – Read and Find
Get your students to find text features in non-fiction books with this student-centred flipbook activity perfect for literacy groups.
- Plus Plan
Reading Response Template – Inferring and Predicting
Guide your students to make inferences and predictions with a piece of text using the one-page template.
- 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.
- Plus Plan
What Causes the Seasons? Explanation Text Writing Task
Use this scaffolded writing task to have students write about how seasons change.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Tarsia Puzzle
Challenge your students to identify and match pairs of homophones with this differentiated Tarsia puzzle, perfect for your primary school vocabulary lessons.
- Plus Plan
Defining Homophones Matching Game
Help your students become familiar with the meanings and spellings of common homophones with this set of 36 differentiated matching cards.
- Plus Plan
Year 4 Magazine – What's Buzzing? (Issue 3)
Issue 3 of our beautifully designed, 24-page reading magazine specifically designed for Year 4 students.
- Plus Plan
Finding the Main Idea Poster
A poster highlighting how to find the main idea when reading a piece of text.
- Plus Plan
Mini Anchor Charts - Prefixes
Give your students a visual reminder of the meanings of 36 different prefixes with a printable set of miniature prefix anchor charts.
- Plus Plan
Prefix Puzzles - Literacy Centre
Grow your students’ vocabularies with prefix puzzles in your literacy centres.
- Plus Plan
Suffix Mini Anchor Charts
Give your students a visual reminder of the meanings of 28 affixes with a printable set of miniature suffix anchor charts.
- Free Plan
Narrative Writing Word Wall
Review terms related to narrative texts and narrative writing with a set of 33 narrative vocabulary word wall cards.
- Plus Plan
Syllable Types - Teaching Presentation
Teach students about the six syllable types with this comprehensive interactive teaching presentation.
- Plus Plan
Prefixes, Suffixes and Roots - Dictionary Hunt Worksheet
Investigate the morphological meanings of word-parts with this dictionary hunt.
- Plus Plan
Reading Response Questioning – Template
A comprehension template for students to practise questioning.
- Plus Plan
Book Review Chatterbox Template
Help your students review a book using this hands-on chatterbox.
- Plus Plan
Write a Diamante Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a diamante poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.
- Plus Plan
-Ment Suffixes Worksheet
Improve students' understanding of the suffix -ment with a printable suffix worksheet.
- Free Plan
Advertisement Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about advertisements, including an annotated example.
- Plus Plan
Make Connections Poster
A poster highlighting how to make connections when reading a piece of text.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Crossword Puzzle
Challenge your students to complete this vocabulary crossword puzzle by completing the sentences with the correct homophone.