Year 3 News
Reading
Over the last fortnight, our Year 3 students have been learning all about similes! Students discovered that similes are phrases that compare two unlike things using “like” or “as”. They had lots of fun exploring the meaning behind different similes and learning how they help readers visualise what is being described. Students also discussed how using similes can make our writing more interesting and descriptive.
They then expanded their knowledge by learning about independent and dependent clauses. Students learnt how to identify each type of clause and discovered that clauses contain a subject and a verb. They also practised using dependent clauses alongside independent clauses to create complete and more interesting sentences.
“ A simile uses the words like or as to compare two things” Mya 3B
“An example of a simile is; The boy was as busy as a bee” Ivaan 3B
“ An independent clause has to make sense on its own” Charlotte 3B
Writing
Over the last fortnight, our Year 3 students had the opportunity to write their own procedural texts about something they are good at and could teach to someone else. Students came up with lots of creative ideas, including how to play a game, draw a character and bake food. They enjoyed sharing their knowledge and using clear, step-by-step instructions to guide their readers.
After completing our procedural texts, they have now begun exploring narrative writing. Students have already learnt about the different parts of a narrative and are focusing on one feature at a time, including characters and settings. Students had the opportunity to create and draw their own characters and settings, before using adjectives and detailed sentences to bring their ideas to life.
“ I wrote about how to make a paper aeroplane" Zac 3B
“ I wrote about how to tie my shoelaces” Aliyah 3B
“ I enjoyed writing my procedural text” David 3B .
Maths
Over the last fortnight, our Year 3 students have been coming to the end of our addition unit, which they have been working on since the beginning of the term. Students have developed their addition skills from using Friends of 20 to solving 3- and 4-digit addition problems involving regrouping. Some students have also challenged themselves by applying their addition strategies to worded problems.
They have now moved on to subtraction! Students have enjoyed revisiting the Friends of 20 as a warm-up at the beginning of each lesson and using this knowledge to support their subtraction strategies. This week, they have been focusing on 2- and 3-digit subtraction with regrouping.
“ It was really fun doing addition, we got to play games” Lionel 3B
“ Subtraction is when the number gets smaller” Hamza 3B
Inquiry
Over the past fortnight in Inquiry, Year 3 students have been learning about food chains and habitats. They have been exploring the different habitats where plants and animals live and what they need to survive. Students learned how living things are connected through food chains and how energy moves from one living thing to another. Students also investigated how animals depend on plants and other animals for food and how all living things are connected within their habitat.
“ A food chain involves a plant, a herbivore, an omnivore, and a carnivore” Harry 3B
“ Some food chains have lots of different animals in them” - Saskia 3B
Social and Emotional Learning
In SEL, Year 3 students have been enjoying different weeks of learning.
During Science Week, students watched videos of fun science experiments, including elephant toothpaste and a rain cloud in a jar. They talked about what they noticed and shared ideas about how and why the experiments worked.
In Week 7, students celebrated Book Week. They shared their favourite books with the class and talked about what they enjoy about them. Students were also introduced to new types of books and stories.
AUSLAN
Over the past two weeks, Year 3 students have learnt and revised signs for restaurant foods and dinner, such as restaurant, dinner, order, chicken schnitzel, chips, pie, meat, and vegetables. They also learnt how to sign School Signs such as, book, pencil, pen, paper, scissors,and rubber. Students had fun practising their School Signs with a game of charades!
Special Event
Book week
Last week was all about celebrating the love of books during Book Week! Our annual CPS Book Week Parade was a wonderful way to bring the school community together. Students came dressed as characters from some of their favourite stories, with so many creative and colourful costumes on display. It was especially impressive to see the fantastic effort from Year 3, who brought their favourite books to life in so many fun and imaginative ways. It was a joy to see everyone celebrating reading together, and the teachers are already looking forward to seeing the amazing costumes next year!
