I am starting as a new grade 4 teacher at this school this year and am looking forward to it so much! A little bit about me is that I enjoy trying to get as many new experiences as I can and one of my favourite texts to read is the Witcher series.

Thomas, D., & Thomas, A. (2022). Teaching and Learning Primary English. Oxford University Press.

Spelling is taught through explicit instructions and linguistic inquiry. This helps students explore how words are built and why they are spelt the way they are (NSW Department of Education, 2023).

The spelling game that AI came up with was:

Build-a-Word Challenge: With the word "Peck"

Objective:
Students create as many real or sensible words as possible by adding prefixes and suffixes to the base word "peck".

How to Play:

1. Materials:

   • Word cards: prefixes (re-, un-, over-, under-), suffixes (-ing, -ed, -s, -er, -ish)

   • Base word card: peck

   • Whiteboards

2. Instructions:

   • Students start with the base word "peck".

   • Each student takes turns selecting a prefix and/or suffix card and building a word.

   • They must say the word aloud, write it down, and use it in a sentence.

   • If the word is real, they earn 2 points.

   • If it’s invented but plausible, they earn 1 point and must explain its meaning.

   • Silly or non-sensical combinations earn 0 points.

References:

English -Stage 2 Instructional sequence -Spelling English -Stage 2 -Instructional sequence -Spelling | 1 © NSW Department of Education, Dec-23. (n.d.). https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/en/home/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/english/documents/english-s2-spelling-instructional-sequence.pdf

Thomas, D., & Thomas, A. (2022). Teaching and Learning Primary English. Oxford University Press.

This engaging piece features Robert Irwin, conservationist and wildlife photographer, calling on young people to become leaders in protecting animals and the environment. It highlights challenges such as climate change, land clearing, and bushfires, while also sharing inspiring conservation efforts at Australia Zoo.

To deepen understanding, students engaged with this issue using multimodal texts, including:

• Articles and quotes from Robert Irwin to develop comprehension and note-taking skills.

• Images of injured animals, conservation spaces, and wildlife care, shown on the Australian Zoo website. This sparks empathy and curiosity.

  
  

Curriculum links:

VCELY337: Clarify ideas in formal and informal settings by connecting to personal experiences, and use interaction skills to share and justify a point of view.

VCELT336: Express a viewpoint on literary texts using appropriate terms, while considering others' perspectives.

Students critically discussed the article’s key message: that small actions can make a big difference. They reflected on questions like “How can we help?” and “What is our responsibility to native animals?”

References:

Australia Zoo. (2024). Australia Zoo - Home of The Crocodile Hunter. Australia Zoo. https://australiazoo.com.au/

Calling all kids: our wildlife needs your help. (2021, February 15). KidsNews. https://www.kidsnews.com.au/environment/calling-all-kids-our-wildlife-needs-your-help/news-story/f27ccb54a7cc43052731fc455f766375

VCAA. (2025). English - Curriculum - Victorian Curriculum. Victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au. https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english/curriculum/f-10#level=5

The content descriptors that are relevant to this review are,

VCELA180: Compare different kinds of images in narrative and informative texts and discuss how they contribute to meaning

VCELA215: Identify visual representations of characters’ actions, reactions, speech and thought processes in narratives, and consider how these images add to or contradict or multiply the meaning of accompanying words

VCELA212: Understand that different types of texts have identifiable text structures and language features that help the text serve its purpose

References:

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. (2017). English - Curriculum - Victorian Curriculum. Victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au. https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/english/english/curriculum/f-10#level=1