3/4 V

Maths

In maths we have been exploring the connection between addition and subtraction. This has included a variety of fun strategies to support students learning. We have been working through real life problems that involves students needing to select the correct operation and use an efficient strategy to solve the problem, as well as many hands on tasks and of course some games! In the snapshots below students worked in pairs to build a 'minecraft tower'. Students rolled a six-sided dice, collecting unifix cubes to build their tower. After each roll, students count and say the running total of their tower. As a group we compared and figured out the difference between the height of their towers by counting back from the tallest tower, then checking the difference by counting on from the shortest tower. 

Respectful Relationships

This term our Respectful Relationships topic is Help Seeking.  Our Learning Intentions are to assist students in normalising help-seeking behaviour, identify strategies for peer and adult support and identify sources of help for children experiencing a range of problems.  Our activity last week involved each group of students being given a different help-seeking scenario.  The students had to read the problem, then discuss help-seeking strategies and then share back with the group.  The students enjoyed these activities and identified the importance of help-seeking from peers and/or adults.

Education in Faith

This term some of our students will be receiving the Sacrament of Eucharist.  In preparation for this our lesson last week was learning about the important symbols and words related to Eucharist.  One of the activities the students participated in was to match the words with the explanation and the goal of this activity was to learn the specific Catholic terms and words from the bible to explain the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.  For example the word 'Gospel': Where the words and actions of Jesus are described.

Inquiry

In 3/4V we have been busy learning many new and important concepts that contribute to sustaining our environment. Some of our recent inquiry lessons have been looking at our carbon footprint, life cycles of different living things such as plants and animals, deforestation and ecosystems. During our ecosystem focused lesson last week, students enjoyed the opportunity to get out in the school yard and complete an 'ecosystem scavenger hunt' which required them to investigate our 'schoolyard ecosystems' and find examples of producers (plants that produce their own food from sunlight - we learnt a big name for this process called 'photosynthesis'), consumers (birds and other animal life that have to consume their food from other sources), and decomposers (mushrooms and fungi that breakdown dead plants). We were amazed at the many types of producers, consumers and decomposers we had just in our schoolyard! Most of us were very impressed with the bright orange fungi that was growing on a tree trunk near the shed.