From the Year 3 Classroom
We can't believe it is already week 7! This term has flown by, and we are extremely busy in the back end of this term, with lots of fun to be had!
Book Week Celebration
Book Week is this Friday, and we are looking forward to a wonderful day celebrating the joy of reading and storytelling. Students are encouraged to come dressed as their favourite book character and showcase their creativity. We can't wait to see the fantastic costumes and share in the excitement as we celebrate the many books and characters we love.
Reconciliation
Congratulations to the students who will be making their Reconciliation. This is a very special milestone in their faith journey, and we keep them and their families in our thoughts and prayers as they prepare for this important sacrament. We wish them a blessed and memorable celebration.
Just a reminder that the first presentation Mass is this Sunday at 9am. All students are most welcome to attend to support their peers.
Reading:
We have just begun reading our new class novel for the term, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Students are already enjoying the story and are excited to get to know the memorable characters, including Wilbur the pig, Fern, Charlotte the spider, and the many other barnyard animals.
As we read, students will explore themes such as friendship, kindness, loyalty, and perseverance. They will participate in discussions, literacy activities, and comprehension tasks that help develop their reading, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. We look forward to sharing their learning and responses to this much-loved classic throughout the term.
Writing:
Students have begun the planning process for their narrative writing based on the prompt, "Write a narrative with an unlikely friendship at its core." They have been busy developing their ideas and planning their setting and introduction, action, and problem. This week, students will continue planning their resolution and conclusion, with writing their story coming next week.
We are loving the creativity and imagination being shown through their unique and unlikely friendship characters. It has been wonderful to watch their stories slowly come to life as they carefully plan and develop their ideas. We can't wait to see these narratives grow into engaging and memorable pieces of writing over the coming weeks.
Spellex:
Last week in SpellEx, students participated in a review week where we consolidated our learning from previous lessons. We revised schwas, contractions, and the /ir/, /ur/, /er/, and /ore/ sounds, practising how these patterns appear in different words and contexts.
This week, our focus is on the letters c and k when they make the /k/ sound. Students are learning some helpful rules and handy hints to support them in deciding which letter to use when spelling words. We look forward to seeing them apply these strategies with increasing confidence in their reading and writing.
This week's new tricky words: work, talked, walked, colour, caught
Congratulations to our very own Zali Bolton in 3C who came Runner Up in the 3/4 Regional Lion’s Club Public Speaking Competition. Zali did us proud displaying excellence performing her self-written speech about holidaying in Sydney. Way to go Zali!
Maths
We have recently commenced our new Addition and Subtraction unit. Students are learning how to use bar models to represent and solve addition and subtraction problems. Through this, they are developing their understanding of whether a problem requires them to compare quantities or combine them.
Students are also exploring a variety of problem-solving strategies and are encouraged to experiment with different methods to find what works best for them. By building a toolkit of strategies, students are developing confidence, flexibility, and mathematical reasoning as they tackle increasingly challenging problems. It has been wonderful to see students sharing their thinking and discovering new ways to solve mathematical problems.
Congratulation to Gurasees, and Ollie and Jobe who became our newest multiplication masters!
Please continue to practice timetable retrieval at home. It is expected that students know their 2x, 5x, 10x and 11x timetables by the end of Year 3.
Inquiry
We are continuing our Inquiry unit, The Mystery of Australia’s History, and students have been enthusiastically exploring the early history of Australia. We have begun investigating the First Fleet and learning about important world explorers, including Captain James Cook.
Students have enjoyed researching this significant period in Australia’s past and discovering what life was like for convicts during the early years of colonisation. Through discussions, research activities, and historical sources, they are developing a deeper understanding of the challenges, experiences, and perspectives of people living during this time. It has been wonderful to see students asking thoughtful questions and engaging with Australia’s rich and complex history.
Religion
We have recently started our new Religion unit, Living Jesus’ Mission. In this unit, students are learning how Jesus showed God’s love through the way he cared for, welcomed, and served others. They are exploring how Christians believe they are called to continue Jesus’ mission by helping to make the world a more loving, just, and caring place. Through discussions and learning activities, students will discover how everyday acts of kindness, compassion, service, and care for others and creation allow us to live out this mission. We are encouraging students to reflect on how their words and actions can share God’s love and make a positive difference in the lives of those around them.
Art
Our classrooms have been buzzing with creativity as students create artworks inspired by our class novel, Charlotte’s Web. Students have been making adorable pigs using pink paper plates and designing intricate spider webs using yarn and icy pole sticks. To complete their creations, they have added some creepy spiders to their webs!
These hands-on art activities have allowed students to connect with the characters and themes from Charlotte’s Web while developing their creativity and fine motor skills. We are loving seeing their wonderful artworks come to life and can't wait to display their finished creations. 🕷️🐷
Have a good week,
Year 3 Team