From the Year 3 Classroom
Sacred Heart Primary School Yarrawonga
We hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful long weekend and had the opportunity to relax and recharge. As we move further into Term 4, things are certainly starting to get busy as we head towards the end of the school year. One of the highlights over the past fortnight was the Kanga 8s Cricket competition, which students thoroughly enjoyed. It was fantastic to see them demonstrating teamwork, sportsmanship, resilience, and enthusiasm throughout the day. Back in the classroom, students have continued to work hard and engage positively with their learning. We look forward to a productive and exciting few weeks ahead as we finish the year strong and celebrate all that our students have achieved.
Reading:
This week, we will finish reading The One and Only Ivan. Students have thoroughly enjoyed following Ivan’s journey and exploring the themes of friendship, courage, and kindness throughout the novel. As a reward for their engagement and effort, students will have the opportunity to watch the movie adaptation on Friday and compare how the story is presented in both formats.
Next week, we will begin our new class novel, Mr Stink by David Walliams, as our teacher-choice text. Students are sure to enjoy the humour, memorable characters, and important themes explored throughout the story.
We will also be launching our Literature Circles program. Students will work collaboratively in small groups to read a shared novel, with each student taking on a specific role to support their understanding of the text. These roles will encourage students to think deeply about what they are reading, develop their comprehension skills, and engage in meaningful discussions with their peers. Literature Circles are a fantastic way to foster a love of reading while building students’ confidence in analysing and discussing texts.
Writing
We have recently finished and published our persuasive writing pieces, in which students argued for an end to animals being kept in captivity. Students were incredibly passionate about this topic and did an outstanding job applying a range of persuasive devices, including emotive language, rhetorical questions, facts and statistics, and strong arguments to support their viewpoints. The quality of writing produced was impressive, and students should be proud of their efforts.
Students have now begun working on a new persuasive writing task, writing to the Mayor of the Moira Shire to convince him that someone important in their life deserves a Hero Award. Many students have chosen to write about their mums, dads, grandparents, coaches, or other significant role models. It has been wonderful to read about the positive impact these people have had on their lives and the thoughtful reasons students have given as to why they believe their chosen person is a hero. We look forward to reading the finished pieces and celebrating the special people who inspire our students every day.
Spell Ex- Tricky Words
New- Uncle, aunt/aunty, impossible, trouble
Old- Family, tried, interesting, probably
Maths
We have begun an exciting new Mathematics unit focusing on Multiplication and Division. Students have been using Think Boards to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways and to help explain their mathematical thinking. This encourages students to develop flexibility in the strategies they use and build confidence when solving problems.
Students have also been introduced to a new method for multiplying numbers by 10s and 100s using Base 10 blocks. This hands-on approach has helped students develop a deeper understanding of place value and how numbers change when multiplied.
Over the coming weeks, we will continue to strengthen our multiplication and division skills through a range of activities, with a particular focus on solving worded problems. Students are learning to identify key information, select appropriate strategies, and explain their reasoning when solving real-world mathematical situations.
Inquiry
In Inquiry, students have begun exploring the concept of day and night. They have been investigating how the Earth's rotation causes the cycle of day and night and developing their understanding of how this affects our daily lives. Students have enjoyed sharing their prior knowledge and participating in discussions and activities to deepen their understanding of this scientific concept.
Over the coming weeks, we will also begin learning about heat energy. Students will investigate different sources of heat, how heat can be transferred, and the ways heat energy is used in everyday life. Through hands-on investigations and real-world examples, students will develop their understanding of this important area of science while building their inquiry and observation skills.
RE
This week, we will be finishing our unit Jesus Models Forgiveness. Students will reflect on what they have learned about forgiveness and reconciliation and make a personal commitment to be a person of forgiveness, following Jesus’ example.
As we move into the season of Advent, students will then begin our final Religious Education unit, The Message of Joy and Peace. Students will revisit Advent and the Christmas story, exploring the key people and events surrounding Jesus’ birth. Using Luke’s Gospel, students will begin to investigate the question:
Why is the birth of Jesus Good News for Christians?
As we explore the themes of joy, peace and hope, students will deepen their understanding of why Jesus’ birth remains an important celebration for Christians today.
Art
Over the past two weeks in Art, students completed a perspective drawing of a zoo, linking their learning to our class novel and excursion to Mansfield Zoo. Students learnt about the key features of perspective drawing, including horizon lines, vanishing points, and techniques for creating depth within an artwork.
Students were thoroughly engaged throughout the project and demonstrated excellent precision, perseverance, and attention to detail as they applied these new skills. It has been wonderful to see their creativity shine while developing their understanding of perspective and spatial awareness.
The finished artworks are outstanding, and students should be very proud of their efforts. We look forward to displaying their creations and celebrating the artistic growth they have shown throughout the unit.
Have a good week,
Year 3 Team
Kellie - kcowan@shyarrawonga.catholic.edu.au