Overview

English

In English we will be exploring the texts Piano Fingers and Rowan of Rin. The students will deepen their understanding of the textual concepts of imagery, symbol, connotation and characterisation. They will explore how authors use imagery and symbols in literature and identify how figurative language influences meaning. Year 3 will experiment with salience and figurative language to create a multimodal text. Additionally, they will make connections to characters in a text by composing a journal entry. Students will continue to read at home and in class to develop fluency and expression and to learn to find and apply meaning to texts. 

Soundwaves has been successfully incorporated into our spelling program and the students are learning to listen carefully to sounds in words and identify how letter combinations are connected to sounds. Students will continue to develop their ability to proofread for errors and apply their spelling and punctuation knowledge. They continue to learn and apply grammar concepts and are developing their handwriting skills to form letters in preparation for joining.

History

In History we take a step back in time to the beginning of Australia. We explore early Indigenous Australia to gain an understanding of what life was like before colonisation. We look at the life, culture and traditions of Indigenous Australians including clothing, weapons and the Dreamtime to gain an insight into how colonisation was to dramatically impact their life. Australia was a great mysterious continent that many sought to discover. Students will learn about some of the explorers and great voyages that came to be the Indigenous Australian’s ‘first contact’ with Europeans and the voyages that led to Australia’s discovery by Captain Cook and the first white inhabitants arrival in Australia. 

Mathematics

During Mathematics, students will continue to study measurement through length and deepen their understanding of numbers through fractions. They will explore position, chance, 2D shapes and symmetry. Students will also revise key aspects of number concepts, including pattern, algebra and place value. The exploration of multiplication will continue, with a focus on learning times tables and applying this knowledge to various tasks, including word problems. This Term’s learning scope will also cover 3D shapes, volume, capacity and fractions.

Students are encouraged to practise their times tables and skip counting at home to build and consolidate these skills. 

Practice makes perfect: To learn your times tables, practice skip counting, roll two dice or flip two cards and multiply them, make yourself a set of flashcards or pick one set of times tables to master for the week.

Science and Technology

Ever wondered what a shadow is? How does it get there? What is the difference between night and day? Year 3 students will ponder, hypothesise and experiment around this concept in Science and Technology this term. They will learn about our solar system and the role of the Earth, Sun and Moon in creating night and day.

Music

Year 3 will continue learning the recorder this term, as well as complete theory work in their Music for Cool Cats, Beginner Book A. After learning note G on the recorder last term and playing the note in a variety of songs, students will learn notes A and B in addition, to perform more complex pieces. Students will also continue to participate in a range of Kodály singing and movement activities.

Visual Arts

In Term 3, students will begin the term creating Olympic-inspired paintings of the Eiffel Tower and rings, focusing on proportion, perspective and acrylic painting techniques. Students will then read ‘Timeless’ by Kelly Canby and sew felt watches, learning various sewing stitches and techniques, including running stitch, blanket stitch and sewing on buttons. Later in the term, students will explore the Dreamtime story of the Rainbow Serpent and create mixed media artworks focusing on patterns, positive and negative space and concentric shapes. The term will end with abstract paintings exploring colour mixing, including tints and shades.

Religious and Values Education

Our Religious and Values Education program this term continues the learning from Semester One. We will be discovering more about Jesus, God’s chosen King sent to rescue his people from their sins. Students will investigate the events described throughout John’s Gospel and understand how these events point to Jesus as the anointed messiah. Students will engage with the content in an active way, using worksheets, games, videos, music, stories, drama and craft activities, to explore the Christian faith and see how it is relevant today.

Information Technology

This term students will be engaging in diverse and interactive digital projects. They will start by researching Olympic sports using the Australian Olympic Committee website and presenting their findings in Canva posters. This activity will help them practice skills such as inserting text boxes, changing fonts and adding graphics, photos and clip art, while focusing on overall design aesthetics. Next, students will dive into block coding projects using Scratch, where they will learn the basics of coding character sprites. Finally, they will develop their data handling skills by collecting data and presenting it in Google Sheets. These projects will enhance their research, design, coding and data presentation skills, building a solid foundation in digital literacy.

PDHPE

In Term 3, the students will enjoy exploring sports such as netball, hockey and volleyball in more depth which will see them continue to develop specific fundamental movement skills including passing, trapping, shooting, digging, setting and spiking and learn about different team strategies.  Paramount to the students’ learning will be to grasp how empathy can have a positive impact on our relationships, why nutrition is important to our wellbeing and how a growth mindset can improve our resilience.

Italian

In Year 3 Italian for Term 3 we will be focusing on the key theme ‘le parti del corpo’ Body parts (revisited). We will explore this through a fun, interactive and ‘hands-on’ approach using music, conversations, picture story books and drama with a strong focus on verbal communication and pronunciation. We will continue to send home memory/matching cards, song words and stories for your children to share with you which is a great way to reinforce their learning in a fun way with family. 

Library

Term 3 already! Where has the year gone? During library lessons this term students will be doing the following:

Pastoral Care

In Pastoral Care, students have been looking at concepts of resilience, grit and perseverance. They have looked at classroom expectations focusing on respect, listening and being self-motivated learners. We continue to focus on choice theory through Doug Dragster and The Get Happier Project to allow them to build social skills and reflect on their actions and behaviour. Students will also complete the Child Safe units provided by the NSW Department of Education. These lessons will focus on respect, empathy, personal identity and gender-based discrimination. 

Homework

Weekly homework sheets will be distributed on Monday and are due on Friday. These worksheets are designed to consolidate learned concepts and should mostly be completed independently. Additionally, Year 3 students are expected to prepare their fortnightly Talking Topic. They are encouraged to develop their writing skills and practice speaking skills, such as intonation and voice projection. Regular reading of various texts is required, with parents signing the diaries at least four nights a week. 

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden 

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden classes will be focusing on basic health and safety in the kitchen. We will learn how to communicate and work in small teams with respect, integrity and compassion. We will learn how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, nutritious, seasonal and delicious food. A selection of winter foods such as warm healthy soups, homemade breads, Chinese and Indian dishes will be cooked and eaten together.