Grade 3/4 News

Grade 3/4B - Cursive Champions in the Making!

Since the start of the year, Grade 3/4B have been on a mission: to master the mysterious, swirly art of cursive handwriting. We have been practising diligently, perfecting every loop, tail, and join, and it’s paying off!

Did you know that handwriting actually reinforces letter recognition and formation, which are essential for both reading and spelling? (So yes, all that loop-the-loop practise is not just for show!) Students have been learning where the exit and entry points are for each letter, which sounds like a traffic report, but thankfully has fewer accidents.

One of the big reasons we are learning cursive is because it is faster than printing. The letters are connected, which means you lift your pen less often, less time in the air, more time on the page. Beauty and speed? It is like the Ferrari of handwriting. Students have seen the benefits firsthand when practising the art of note-taking. With their smooth, connected writing, they can keep up with key information, and even decide what is important enough to jot down quickly using cursive handwriting.

While the Victorian Curriculum says students should develop legible, fluent, and automatic handwriting, it is ultimately up to them whether they use cursive in the future. But now, at least, they have the choice, and the skills to write like pros. Below are a couple students discussing handwriting in our class.

Grade 3/4 Fossil Frenzy at Earth Ed.

Last week, our Grade 3/4 students swapped their pencils for digging tools (well… pretend ones) as they boarded the bus to Earth Ed in Ballarat for the Fossil Hunters experience. The excitement levels on the bus were so high, I am still not sure whether they were more pumped about dinosaurs… or just the fact they got to go on a bus trip.

At Earth Ed, the students stepped into the world of palaeontology. They explored and analysed fossil evidence to discover fascinating facts about ancient animals and plants. Using Virtual Reality (VR), they travelled back millions of years to see current interpretations of dinosaurs.

Armed with the scientific method, the students worked like real palaeontologists to uncover, interpret, and identify dinosaur species. They classified fossils as either body fossils (actual bits of the creature) or trace fossils (footprints, burrows, or… let’s just say “other” evidence of dinosaurs).

From making inferences about the past to comparing prehistoric giants with today’s animals, our budding scientists were on a roll. The day wrapped up with a mix of excitement, curiosity, and perhaps a few sore necks from all the VR dino-gazing.

Who knows, in a few decades, we might be reading about one of our own students making a groundbreaking discovery. 

Grade 3/4A Wendy Orr Writes: A Special Note to Our Class

What an amazing opportunity it was to write to celebrated author Wendy Orr, whose book Nim’s Island was made into a movie! In 3/4A, we were full of awe as we read her beautifully crafted letter.

Last term, we explored Nim’s Island, the story of Nim, a young girl on a remote island whose scientist father disappears during a storm. With help from her animal friends and favorite author Alex Rover, Nim faces her fears in a thrilling rescue mission about courage, imagination, and connection.

This book was perfect for our students, showcasing the power of strong writing through its suspenseful story. From Wendy, we also learned that storytelling helps develop empathy by allowing us to explore different emotions and perspectives. This is exactly why reading and writing narratives are so important—they help us understand others and express ourselves more deeply

The students were grateful for Wendy’s thoughtful responses and insights into her writing process. She shared that the idea for Nim’s Island came to her when she was nine, and it took 30 years to publish! This inspired our class to think about their own stories and the importance of persistence. Wendy encouraged them to write often, reminding us that writing is a skill built through practice.

I’ll leave you with a famous quote: “When you read a book as a child, it becomes part of your identity in a way no other reading does.” I think this rings very true on this special occasion