Focus on Learning

Stage 3 Focus on Learning

It has been a very busy term for our Stage 3 students. From in-class learning to Tamworth and Armidale travels and filling our stomachs with a delicious meal at Breakfast Club, our students have experienced many great opportunities. 

The Tamworth Eisteddfod

Our success in the Tamworth Eisteddfod has already been widely celebrated with our school community and our students were immensely proud of their efforts and achievements. The recital of poetry and our participation in the Eisteddfod has formed the basis of our Creative Arts unit focusing on drama. By reciting the two chosen poems with expression, poise and precision timing, students have demonstrated their skills in the drama elements of voice, movement, focus, atmosphere and mood. 

We will be performing our Eisteddfod entry during our Grandparents Day celebrations next week and we can’t wait to showcase our talent for you! 

Here’s what some of our students had to say about their favourite part of being involved in the Eisteddfod:

How we got to show other schools how well we'd revised after hard work. ~ Dani

How we won because we were such a little school but we still won. ~ Babesh

My favourite part was performing and winning because it proved that our hard work was worth it. ~ Sienna 

Having fun, having an experience, overcoming my fear and having a go. ~ Cynthia

Mathematics  

Students have been learning about Time and Length in their Measurement strand this term. The unit on Time allowed students to develop their skills of reading and drawing 12 hr time on analog clocks (a skill that is still very relevant in our digital society), converting between 12 and 24 hr time and reading and interpreting timetables. This unit provided valuable skills that students will take with them through life as they encounter rosters and timetables for school, work and recreation. 

Within our unit on Length, students have built their skills in converting between the different units of length (mm/cm/m/km) with a focus on the relationship between the metre and kilometre. We have now moved on to calculating the perimeter of different 2D shapes and using our knowledge of unit conversions to help us solve perimeter problems that include different units of measurement. 

Writing 

We have been exploring informative texts this term, particularly historical recounts. This learning has led us to our final writing task; researching, planning, drafting and refining individual historical reports on an Indigenous Australian. As students research, they will be seeking information that tells us about the chosen person’s early life, their career and aspirations and their role in Aboriginal Australia’s history. The identities that students could choose from include:

Nicky Winmar - fighting against racism in sport 

Cathy Freeman - Olympian Athlete fighting for equal representation 

Albert Namitjira - fighting for citizenship of Aboriginal people 

Oodgeroo Noonuccal - protest writer 

Eddie Mabo - fighting for land rights 

Adam Goodes - fighting against racism in sports 

Linda Burney - first Indigenous woman elected to Federal Parliament 

The above is just a snapshot of the learning and opportunities our students have experienced this term. Please keep reading to hear what the students have to say about term 2. 

Here’s what some of our students have enjoyed about writing this term:

Writing persuasive and narrative texts. ~ James

Writing because of all the exciting topics. ~ Lily

Writing about Gough Whitlam. ~ Logan 

There’s been many more enjoyable moments that our students have experienced this term. Some of these have been:

Breakfast club -  it was good if I did not have time for breakfast. ~ Harold

Sport -  oztag and basketball ~ Charles

The athletics carnival because it was my last one for primary school. ~ Hendrix

I love breakfast club! ~ Kendall

Breakfast club, people take their foods and go play and a have a great day. ~ Oliver

Athletics carnival because it’s a fun experience and I liked the Bishops visit because I wanted to know more about him. ~ Bradley 

Maths because we are learning about fractions and decimals. ~ Cruze 

The athletics carnival and also the breakfast club, because you might forget your breaky and it’s good to see friends before school. ~ Reuben

Maths because I've been learning about decimals. ~ Delia