Year 3/4 Mainstream
Celebrating Learning
What we’ve been up to:
Over the past fortnight, 3/4 have been diving into our history unit ‘The Causes and Effects of Colonisation’, explored entirely through First Nations perspectives for NAIDOC. Students examined spoken word pieces and historical First Nations figures from 1750–1800, using their research and summarising skills to create class timelines for this period. NAIDOC Day was a success, with students taking part in a variety of workshops and experiences. They came away feeling more informed and inspired about the meaning and importance of NAIDOC. Meanwhile, preparations for Book Week are underway! Students have been decorating classroom doors, re-designing illustrated covers of their favourite stories, writing 50-word short stories, and participating in the bookworm guessing competition. We can’t wait to find out the winners next week!
Maths
In Maths, students have been working on two key topics: Area and Perimeter, and Multiplication and Division.
In our Area and Perimeter unit, students explored measuring space using informal units and then moved on to standard units like square centimetres. A highlight was creating pixelated letters on grid paper to calculate area. They applied their learning in real-life tasks, such as measuring classroom objects and estimating and comparing perimeter.
In Multiplication and Division, students revised the 2, 5, and 10 times tables and used strategies such as arrays, area model, number lines, partitioning, and the grid method to solve problems. They explored the relationship between multiplication and division using fact families and inverse operations. We have been doing a ‘Fast Fact Friday’ times table challenge each week to help reinforce learning and build quick recall of multiplication facts.
We are now moving on to strengthen understanding of the 3, 6, 4, and 8 times tables, building on these strategies to tackle more complex problems with confidence. Additionally, we are going to learn about landmark numbers (easy, friendly numbers like 10, 25, 50, and 100) that help us multiply and divide more quickly and with greater confidence.
Together, these two units have supported students in building confidence with number, measurement, and problem solving, creating strong foundations for future mathematical learning.
Literacy
In Reading, students have continued researching our History Unit on “The Cause and Effects of Australian Colonisation”. We continued our unit by exploring different perspectives of the British and Aboriginal people during the first years of colonisation in Australia. Students also explored significant Aboriginal figures at the time who had interactions with the British including Patyegarang, Bennelong and Bungaree.
In Writing, students have been writing 50 word short stories for the Book Week Writing Competition as well as developing their writing skills through the Writer’s Workshop process.
What’s coming up:
- Book Week dress up day next week: Friday 22nd August with an assembly at 9:30am.
- In Maths, students will continue to explore multiplication and division through mental and written strategies, with a focus on one by two digit - distributive property - partitioning strategies.
- In Literacy, students will be practicing public speaking through forming debates.
Things families can talk about at home:
- Students can practice multiplication and division at home by using flashcards or quick “fast fact” questions, turning learning into a fun and speedy game that builds their confidence and recall.
- Multiplication and division in the real-world: cooking, shopping, sharing, making.
- In the lead up to Book Week you can discuss favourite books and characters, for book week dress up day inspiration.
- Practise arguing ‘for’ a topic they don’t agree with eg. “packing the dishwasher is the best house chore” or “students should do two hours of homework after school every day”.