Year 3 Spotlight

Rights, Resilience & Respectful Relationships

In term 4, we are starting to explore the topics of ‘Gender and Identity’ and ‘Positive Gender Relations’. 

Throughout both of the topics students will explore the concept of gender, helping them understand that gender identity is unique to each person and may not fit traditional expectations. 

While unpacking Gender and Identity, students will participate in investigating the role of gender roles and stereotypes in children's media.

Positive Gender Relations builds on this by teaching students how to develop respectful and equal relationships regardless of gender. These lessons encourage students to foster positive interactions and create inclusive, diverse environments where everyone is treated with kindness and respect.

Design and Technology Incursion

Grade 3 students participated in an incursion with ‘Hands On Science’ where they explored the properties of different materials and looked at the building strength of different shapes. This learning is linked to our design and technology inquiry unit. 

During this incursion, students:

• Built a tower to experiment with the ways you can build to have stability.
• Designed a building that focussed on how the building looks to see how design and aesthetics affect each other.
• Built a catapult learning about where the ‘fulcrum’ could be placed to affect the height and distance of the catapult. 
• Tested the strength of different bridge shapes while designing and testing bridges to hold weight.

Student Reflections:

• I liked the catapult because it was hard to get it in the target and I figured out that the amount of force had to be not too hard and not too soft. ~ Henry, 3C
• The bridge design was really challenging because you had to use soft materials to make something that supports a heavy weight. I liked that challenge. ~ Jules, 3C
• I liked building the most interesting tower because you could design it however you wanted. ~ Heide, 3C
• I liked the challenge of making the catapult because you could experiment with where the fulcrum was. ~ Harvey, 3C
• It was really fun to see if our designs worked. ~ Jemima, 3A
• I really liked how you could add certain materials to make your design work. ~ Sam, 3A
• It was fun to work together to complete the challenge. ~ Sophie, 3A
• Testing how our designs against an “earthquake” was really fun. ~ Nell, 3A
• I really really liked how we made the bridges and how the weights kept making them fall down. Tarquin, 3A
• It was amazing, we got to make so many buildings, towers and bridges and catapults. ~ Aviva & Theda, 3B
• It was so fun because it gave us lots of opportunities to make things and have little challenges. ~ Monte & Seb, 3B
• It was really fun, even when I lost two projectiles. The bridge that I made was really strong even though it was a mess. ~ Toshi, 3B

~ Year 3 Teachers (Millie, Monique, Jourdan, Steph & Brendan) and Students