3/4 Mainstream 

Wominjeka (Welcome) back for Term 4. We are excited to start the final term of 3/4 … it’s going to be a big one!

With the new building nearly complete it’s almost time for us to move! We will be moving to the new space next week. We are excited to move to the new space while reflecting on some great memories we have made in our current rooms.

Learning this term

To kick off the term, we have jumped back into our Reciprocal Reading Groups with leveled texts, and our spelling program where students will get a new focus and set of words to learn every fortnight.

In Writing, we have started to dive into the mechanics of language using targeted syntax lessons, focusing on components of language such as adjectives and adverbs, and the difference between fragments and complete sentences. In Maths, students have been exploring a range of strategies to apply mathematical modelling to solve practical problems involving single-digit division while recalling multiplication facts from last term.

Integrated Unit

Our integrated focus this term will be on Design and Technology with particular focus on materials and building. We will begin the unit attempting a number of challenges using a variety of materials which include. We will investigate the properties of certain materials and where they can be effectively employed within different construction projects. We will learn about the design process and use these stages of; research, imagine, plan, create, test, improve, to design and build Rube Goldberg machines.  

This week we undertook a number of challenges that were designed to test our creative and team work skills. These challenges required students to; 

• Build the tallest free standing tower: using only icy pole sticks and blu tac. 
• Engineer a boat that floats and can carry weight: using only foil.
• Ball bounce: using different balls and surfaces and predicting, recording and explaining why different balls bounced to different heights. 
• Toy car to travel the furthest: Using different toy cars and different surfaces, how can you get the car to travel the furthest 

What you can do at home:: 

You can support our learning in class by doing a few things: 

• Read: students should be reading for a sustained period of time (approximately 20 mins per night). 
• Times Tables:  help build number fluency by practising times tables. (a times table chart and a matrix of activities  has been included with the newsletter - contact your class teacher if you would like a paper copy).
• Spelling: students will have a copy of their fortnightly spelling words to take home that they could practise.