3/4 Area

We are fast approaching the end of the term and it has been a busy one for our 3/4 students. In the second half of Term 2, our students have been working on the following. 

Literacy Learning

We have covered a number of genres during term 2, starting with a book of poetry by T.S Eliot, called 'Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats'. Children also tried their hand at writing poems, experimenting with different styles such as Haiku, free verse, A/B patterns and rhyme. Our novel study for Term 2 was The Elephant by Peter Carnavas. This book covered themes of family, loss, emotions and friendship. The students investigated writing strategies such as the use of simile and metaphor and descriptive language to use in their own narrative stories. 

After this, we turned to reading a beautiful narrative picture book, called 'The Mess We Made', that focused on the theme of sustainability and ocean pollution. It also offered a hopeful message of small acts humans can do to reduce our impact. This book has linked to our Discovery area of Sustainability, and provided opportunity for lots of rich discussion. 

Lastly, we are working with a non-fiction information text, 'Your Passport to Australia'. This text has been really popular with our classes, providing lots of interesting information about the country we live in and allowing students to share their own knowledge. This text is also assisting the cohort in writing their own information reports on various aspects of Australia. 

We have also continued with our PLD spelling program as well as grammar and punctuation lessons. 

Maths Learning 

In Term 2, grade 3/4 have worked through a number of areas. Our learning has taken the students through additive thinking, multiplicative thinking, place value knowledge and now, fractions. They used various strategies such as compensation, split and jump strategy. They used their knowledge of number patterns and additive thinking to translate to multiplication and worked with ordering numbers on number lines, and some students were able to move from whole numbers to working with decimals. We've had a lot of fun with fractions lately, making fraction walls to help identify equivalent fractions and solve problems. 

Discovery 

Term 2 discovery has been all about sustainability and how we can be more sustainable citizens. Our big idea was 'Science as a human endeavour', with our being questions being: What is overconsumption and how does it link to consumerism? What are the effects of waste on our society? How can we share the responsibility to make the world more sustainable? 

The cohort have discussed and investigated waste, the Three R's, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Inlander perspectives and practices, different power sources, created sustainable menu's looking at seasonal produce and finally, ways to save resources and use less around the home and school. 

The students have made a start on their projects, working in small groups to focus on a big question or area of interest. They will research and use their creativity to present their information to class as well as families on our Discovery open afternoon. 

FOOTY!

The grade 3/4's were so lucky to have 4 players from the Essendon AFL team visit and take questions from our students. It was a great afternoon organised by Ms Chris. The studnets had some terrific questions, and one even resulted in being shown how far Mason Redman could kick Taim's football. 

Reminders!

With winter upon us, it is the season of lost jackets and jumpers. Please be sure to label your children's clothing so it is easier to return. 

3/4 Discovery Open Afternoon on Tuesday 23rd June at 3:30 pm in the 3/4 classrooms. 

This special afternoon provides an opportunity for students to share their learning, showcase their discovery projects, and celebrate their projects with family members. Our focus this term has been on Overconsumption, Sustainability and Protecting our Earth. Students are excited to demonstrate their understanding of how we can make a positive difference in our world by sharing their investigation research projects with you.