Room 1 Years 3 -6
Cowwarr Primary School
Exploring Poetry Through The Way of Dog
This term, we will be exploring The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon as part of our learning about poetry. Told through verse from a dog’s perspective, this text offers students an opportunity to discover how poetry can tell a story, express emotions and help us see the world through someone else’s eyes.
As we read, we will explore the author’s use of imagery, descriptive language, repetition and rhythm. Students will consider how the arrangement of words and lines influences the way we read and how carefully chosen words can create powerful pictures in our minds. We will also discuss the characters’ experiences and feelings, using examples from the text to explain our thinking.
Inspired by our reading, students will experiment with these techniques in their own poems. Through shared discussions, reading aloud and creative writing, we will build confidence in responding to poetry and finding our own voices as writers.
Numeracy
Our financial maths learning will focus on making informed choices with money, including budgeting, calculating costs and change, and comparing value for money. When exploring integers, students will build confidence in recognising, ordering and working with positive and negative numbers, making connections to everyday examples such as temperatures.
In statistics, students will collect, organise and display data, using tables and graphs to interpret results and draw conclusions. Probability activities will give students opportunities to describe the likelihood of events, make predictions and compare their predictions with the results of simple chance experiments.
Across these topics, students will be encouraged to explain their thinking, try different strategies and discuss their discoveries!
Social and Emotional Learning
This term, our Social and Emotional Learning will focus on Topics 7 and 8 of the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program, with learning tailored to students’ ages and developmental needs.
Topic 7: Gender and Identity encourages students to explore their interests, strengths and individuality, while recognising and respecting differences in others. Students will examine gender stereotypes and consider how these can influence expectations, choices and opportunities. A key message is that everyone deserves respect and the freedom to pursue their interests.
Topic 8: Positive Gender Relations focuses on building relationships based on fairness, equality and respect. Students will explore respectful communication, personal boundaries and consent, alongside strategies for responding to disrespectful behaviour and seeking help. Discussions and practical activities will support students to apply these skills in everyday interactions.
This learning directly supports the Australian Curriculum: Health and Physical Education, particularly the Personal, social and community health strand. The curriculum explicitly includes building respectful relationships, challenging stereotypes and discrimination, and developing understanding of diversity, inclusion and consent. These are essential skills that help students contribute to safe, welcoming classrooms and communities.