Classroom News
Grade 3 & 4

Term 1, Week 2

Dear Year 3 and 4 Community,

We have been so impressed with the settled and calm way in which our 3/4 students have begun the 2025 year! As the 3/4 teaching team for this year, we are very excited to kick off the learning journey with the students and are looking forward to everything to come in the year ahead.

Literacy

In Reading, we have begun the year focusing on revising the structure of the Reader’s Workshop. We investigated what an effective reader looks like and the expectations during Reader’s Workshop. We discussed the importance of borrowing books that are a ‘good fit’. This means we understand the purpose of reading the book, it is a book that is of interest, they are able to understand the context and are able to read most words. With NAPLAN in Term 1 this year, our reading lessons will incorporate a range of different genres where the children will practise answering questions and inferring meaning for different text types. We will also be ensuring conferencing and mini lessons continue to provide targeted and explicit teaching of our Big 6 reading skills.

In Writing, the students have each completed a writing survey to discuss with their teacher in a one-to-one conference. The discussion will focus on how they view themselves as writers, as well as identifying their strengths and challenges. We have also been focusing on revising the structure of the Writer’s Workshop, the writing process and our shared language of the 6 + 1 Traits of writing. The traits are the writing skills students need to improve as writers. Each of the traits has been carefully unpacked so that students understand what the characteristics are in each one. Goal setting will also begin in the coming weeks and students will have independent writing goals which they will work towards achieving. Our genres we will be focusing on this term are persuasive and narrative writing. For each of the genres students will be explicitly taught the correct structure, language features and word choices.

Numeracy

In Maths, we have also begun the year with establishing our routines and expectations. Our focus is on the strategies that promote a growth mindset. This is to help students reach their potential and promotes risk taking and acceptance of challenges. During Maths we will predominantly focus on improving our Number & Place Value skills. We will practise using mental and written strategies to solve additional problems. Each lesson is underpinned by the 4 maths proficiencies as outlined in the Victorian Curriculum - understanding, problem solving, reasoning and fluency. We will be teaching a new fluency game each week where students can work with maths buddies to improve their skills.

In Inquiry, the students have been discussing and exploring the key components of what technology is in our class involving responsible and safe iPad use, alongside classroom expectations for this year. We have also looked into creating a class Acknowledgement of Country and identifying the traditional owners and custodians of the country. Next week we will begin our learning journey with our new unit “how do I solve problems?”. This unit will begin by building knowledge and skills based on the Digital Technologies and Creative and Critical Thinking curriculum and we will incorporate student self-directed learning in the second half of the unit. We can’t wait!

NAPLAN & Homework

Lastly, as NAPLAN approaches, we want to remind all families to help their children prepare for the test. The best thing we can do is encourage our students to be confident and do their best. NAPLAN is a standardised test that all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across Australia take part in. It assesses reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy skills. NAPLAN tests will occur between the 12th - 14th of March.

We understand that standardised tests can sometimes be stressful for students, and we want to assure you that there is no need to place undue pressure on your child. It's important to remember that the test is just one part of your child's overall education, and it does not define their worth as a student.

We encourage parents to support their child by ensuring they eat a nutritious breakfast on the day of the test and get a good night's sleep. This will help them feel alert and focused during the assessment.

Our homework expectations for students consist of 30 minutes reading each night, which is recorded in student diaries and signed by a parent. Teachers will be regularly checking student diaries. Homework outside of reading may be intermittently assigned depending on various learning units.

Reminders

Please remember to bring a hat and drink bottle to school every day.
All students need a named Art Smock and Library bag
Give consent for Patch Cooking information via ‘Insight’ on Compass
Give consent for Electronic Recording and Publishing via ‘Insight’ on Compass
iPads need to be charged at home every night
Please check your email and Compass regularly for any important notices and dates

We thank you for all the support and a great start to the year.

Kind regards,