Year 3/4 News

Thanks for coming to our page! We have started off this term with a bang and have lots of exciting things happening in Year 3/4! 

Good Luck Mrs Clausen!

We are overjoyed for Mrs Clausen and her family as she departs on Maternity Leave. We made sure to take some time to celebrate this occasion as a class, and our students reflected on some of their best pieces of advice for parents. Please enjoy reading a few of these below!

OK so maybe not the most practical advice ever....but well intentioned! 

Next week we will welcome Mrs Eadaoin Lorigan to our class who will be with the students each Thursday and Friday. We know our class and community will make her feel very welcomed! 

Biological Science 

We are excited that we will be completing not one but two units of science this term for our integrated learning! 

The second of these, which will begin later in the term, will be Chemical Science, where students will learn about the different states of matter such as solids, liquids and gasses. They will think about the different materials in our world such as metals, plastics and woods, and the best use of each. 

Our first unit though is Biological Science, where students are already busy unpacking information about living and non living things. This includes plenty of time to learn super interesting information about animals in our world big and small! 

One reading session this week was all about the cute critter, the Pangolin! Students read through the article on this animal as a class.  They were also very enamored with the video of 'Honey Bun', letting them see the cheeky and inquisitive nature of these animals. 

Students took the information they had learnt about this animal and condensed it into a bright and informative piece of work in their books. You will see below the students have made their cartoon animals speak, but that each of these features information gained from reading together as a class. 

Students have also been practicing the grouping of living things fitting different categories. They have experimented with doing this through categories such as their size, name, diet, appearance and more! They are developing an understanding that scientists often combine many of these categories to officially classify a living thing. This gives us categories of animals such as mammals, invertebrates, reptiles and more. 

We look forward to complimenting all of this learning next week as we head off on an excursion to Werribee Open Range Zoo! This will allow students to reflect on these concepts some more and see some wonderful animals up close. 

Perfect Symmetry!

In mathematics students have started by learning about all things Symmetry. Students have reflected how there are two main types of symmetry, and have worked to create examples of both! 

Line Symmetry is where a line breaks an object into two equal or symmetrical parts. Students have discussed how these two parts are not exactly the same. Rather they are a mirror or reflection of the other. 

Students have discussed how line symmetry can often be used to create impressive art, where sides reflect each other in a pleasing way. They have used symmetry to complete images, even though this is not a simple process! Students worked diligently to ensure that the sides of their images matches as closely as possible. 

The second type of symmetry students covered is called Rotational or Radial symmetry. This is where when an object is rotated on its axis it has one or a few points where the shape looks exactly the same. In effect these are shapes where when placed down it may not be immediately obvious where the top and bottom are! 

Students practiced identifying examples of rotational symmetry, or alternatively identifying objects that are close to rotational symmetry but not quite there. For example students were able to list a dartboard as an example, however noting that the numbers on the side are what breaks the rotational symmetry. Once again students used their understanding and artistic skills to make some hands on models of this mathematical concept! 

"So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy..."

We know that the important events of Easter Sunday were celebrated during our school holidays, however, Year 3/4 students have begun the term reflecting on the scripture related to this time of year. 

Students read through the story of the empty tomb, creating posters that used strong vocabulary relevant to this scripture. These posters represent the thoughts and words of those who witnessed the miracle of Jesus' resurrection. 

Students read further in the scripture to events in the Book of John. They learnt about Thomas, a follower of Jesus, who proclaimed he would only believe that the Lord had returned if he was able to see evidence with his own eyes. Students imagined they were Thomas in a modern context, crafting email responses to the news that Jesus had returned. 

We know in this story that Jesus appeared to Thomas and he finally believed. From this story we get the term doubting Thomas! 

This story allowed our students to reflect on the concept of faith. Particularly that we will not always see evidence of God in action, just like Thomas. Students drew connections to the fact that our prayers are not always immediately answered and sometimes seemingly not at all, but that faith goes beyond this and into the belief that God has a plan for all of his flock. We believe that when we follow the teachings and words of Jesus, even when they are challenging, that everything will work out for us and the world will be at peace. 

Students will continue to read and reflect on scripture with further important events such as the Ascension and Pentecost taking place in May. 

There's more!

We could keep writing and writing about all of the fantastic things taking place in our classroom! We have begun a new class novel, continue to practice our writing skills, are working through Social and Emotional lessons to be better able to work with each other, and much more! 

We are so proud of our students and the way that they apply themselves to their learning each day, and our classroom is a joyous space to be in each school day. 

We truly appreciate you reading through this section, and look forward to sharing our further learning soon! 

Take care! 

The Year 3/4 Team

Tim O'Mahoney

Emma Clausen

Luisa Henderson

Vesna Simic