Year 4
Depth, fluency and independence
How we teach in the Primary band — and why
The developing mind (Piaget)
Concrete operational: children reason logically about things they can see and manipulate. New ideas start concrete (materials, drawings, acted-out scenarios) and move to representations before abstract notation — the concrete-pictorial-abstract sequence.
Learning together (Vygotsky)
Scaffolds are structured and fading: worked examples first, then guided problems with on-demand hints, then independent work. Lessons script 'thinking aloud' so children internalise expert self-talk.
Our design commitments
- Explicit instruction with worked examples before any independent work
- Concrete–pictorial–abstract progression in mathematics
- Daily review and spaced practice built into the sequence
- Guided exploration tasks where children apply — not discover unaided — new ideas
Programmed scope
English
Novel study, information writing, author's craft
Mathematics
Multiplicative fluency, fractions and decimals, angles and area
Science
Forces, life cycles and food webs, Earth's surface
Humanities and Social Sciences
First contacts, early European exploration, sustainability of places
Health and Physical Education
Movement strategy, resilience and friendships
The Arts
Composing, choreographing and curating
Technologies
Data, digital systems and user-centred design
Languages
Everyday conversations and cultural windows
✍️ Full interactive lessons for Year 4 are being authored to the same standard as our Year 3 exemplar — explore Year 3 to see exactly what every year level will feel like.