English / Year 4 / Language / Language for expressing and developing ideas

Curriculum content descriptions

expand vocabulary by exploring a range of synonyms and antonyms, and using words encountered in a range of sources (AC9E4LA11)

Elaborations
  • building vocabulary from research about technical and learning area–specific topics; for example, gravity and magnetic forces
  • determining or clarifying the shades of meaning of synonyms and antonyms
  • using words encountered in texts that are formed from a First Nations Australian language; for example, Woomba Woomba or Toowoom was the place referred to by First Nations Australians on the Darling Downs and then the name was referred to as Toowoomba by the drovers
ScOT terms

Word meanings

Video

My Place - Episode 18: 1838: Davey, The bushranger

This 3-minute film clip is from the ABC My Place series and tracks the fictional experiences of Davey, a young boy in 1838 in Australia. In this clip, we see Davey and his friend witness a bushranger on the run from some local soldiers, and they misdirect the soldiers to ensure his swift escape. This clip depicts Davey's ...

Text

Integrity

In this lesson, students will define the word integrity and explain why it is an important life skill. They then identify ways in which they can show integrity in school, at home, and in the community. Students will discuss the benefits of showing integrity.

Downloadable

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 3 and Year 4 English

This webpage includes a unit of work focuses on behaviour in and around tracks and rail infrastructure. Activities build subject-specific vocabulary and understanding of procedural text structures. Guided writing activities support students to develop a series of track safe procedures while a slogan writing activity focuses ...

Text

Waterways: behaviour change

We have the power to help keep our coastlines, rivers, lakes, swamps, creeks, floodplains, billabongs and estuaries clean by diverting rubbish from our waterways. We can all be change makers. By altering our everyday habits such as limiting our use of single-use plastic items, we can also inspire others to do the same. This ...

Interactive

Syllabus bites: types of sentences

A web page resource with information, teacher guides and activities on types of sentences to support the Australian Curriculum in English K–10. It has detailed activities, links to resources and quizzes.

Video

Describing household chores

There are several different types of verbs. In this video, most of the verbs are transitive verbs, which means they are action verbs with direct objects that receive the action. Identify the transitive verbs and the direct objects in the examples provided in the video.

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: pets

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a cat and a fish to make the sentences more interesting. Substitute different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animations for the sentences. Use your two lively sentences as the start and ending of an imaginative story. Check ...

Interactive

Syllabus bites: Visual literacy

A resource with information, study guides and resources on visual literacy to support the English K-10 Australian Curriculum in English. It provides a series of activities, guidelines and tasks about visual texts from a variety of sources. Contains writing scaffolds, templates and proformas for responding and composing ...

Online

A comparison of the effectiveness of two strategy tutoring programs for children with persistent spelling difficulties

This teacher resource describes a small-scale research study into the capacity of two strategies of one-on-one tutoring (Look-Say-Cover-Write-Say-Check and Old Way/New Way - Mediational Learning) to help primary school students with persistent difficulties develop effective spelling strategies. It is presented in nine sections: ...

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: space

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a rocket and an astronaut to make the sentences more interesting. Try out different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animated images in each sentence. Use your two lively sentences as the start and end of an imaginative story. ...

Interactive

Finish the story: boat disaster

Edit a comic book story about an adventure where a couple spend a day fishing from a boat, but then get stranded. Look closely at the narrative and make it more exciting and complete. Choose an ending. Improve the story by adding adjectives, choosing verbs and linking sentences using text connectives. Choose a title and ...

Interactive

Super stories: The Sea Cave: nouns and adjectives

Help a publishing director create a bestselling horror story. Read the story. Choose effective nouns and adjectives to increase the impact of the story and make it scarier. Select illustrations that highlight the horror of the events. This learning object is one in a series of four objects.

Interactive

Super stories: The Abandoned House: nouns and adjectives

Help a publishing director create a bestselling horror story. Read the story. Choose effective nouns and adjectives to increase the impact of the story and make it scarier. Select illustrations that highlight the horror of the events. This learning object is one in a series of four objects.

Interactive

Finish the story: bushfire

Edit a comic book story to make it more exciting and complete. Look closely at a narrative about an adventure where a couple driving home are trapped by a bushfire. Choose an ending. Improve the story by adding adverbs, choosing verbs and changing nouns to pronouns. Choose a title and image for the cover.

Interactive

Super stories: The Abandoned House: verbs and adverbs

Help a publishing director create a bestselling horror story. Read the story. Choose effective verbs and adverbs to increase the impact of the story by making it scarier. Select illustrations that highlight the horror of the events.

Interactive

Wonderful words, creative stories: beach

Add descriptive words to two simple sentences about a boy and a girl at the beach to make the sentences more interesting. Try out different descriptive words in each sentence. Notice how your choice of words affects the animated images in each sentence. Use your two lively sentences as the start and ending of an imaginative ...