Year 3 Update

Our Learning - Weeks 3 & 4

✍️ English

In Reading, we have continued reading The Great Kapok Tree and Dear Greenpeace, two persuasive picture books that explore environmental themes. Students have been learning to summarise key ideas, identify the author’s message, and compare persuasive texts.

We are summarising texts using main ideas.
We are identifying and comparing different points of view.
We are exploring persuasive language and author’s purpose.
We are comparing The Great Kapok Tree and Dear Greenpeace.
We are analysing advertisements and their persuasive techniques.

In Writing, students have planned and written persuasive letters using clear structure and audience-appropriate language. We will explore how advertisements persuade their audience using slogans, images and emotional language, as well as continue to practise compound sentences and key spelling rules.

We are planning and writing persuasive letters.
We are writing compound sentences using FANBOYS.
We are revising, editing and publishing our persuasive texts.
We are learning how to use apostrophes for contractions and possession.
We are designing and creating persuasive advertisements.

➗ Maths

In Weeks 3 & 4, we are continuing to exploring fractions through hands-on games, number lines, and real-world activities. Students have been learning to read and write fractions using “out of” language, work with water to estimate fractional amounts like halves and quarters, place fractions on number lines, and begin understanding equivalent fractions by comparing different parts of a whole.

We are building and reading fractions using the language “__ out of __”.
We are representing fractions as words, symbols, and using visual models.
We are playing active games (Fractions Basketball and Coin Toss) to practise real-life fractions.
We are estimating fractions using water and containers.
We are placing fractions on number lines and comparing their sizes.
We are exploring equivalent fractions and using our fraction wall to make connections.
We are creating and solving fraction challenges using number lines and think boards.

🌏 Inquiry

This term in Inquiry, we are exploring where our food comes from, how it's produced, and the journey it takes from farm to table. As part of our Lunch Box Legends unit, we are also looking at sustainability and food waste, encouraging students to think critically about the food they eat and how we can make more environmentally friendly choices.

Week 3

Discovered how cheese is made by watching a video and reading a fact file.
Students research and created their own fact file showing the cheese-making process.
Investigated the origins of different cheeses from France, Switzerland, Greece and England.
Rotated through ‘cheese stations’ to explore the fun facts and origin of each cheese.

Week 4

Discussed how ice cream is made and wrote a simple procedure.
Begin brainstorming other foods and investigating how they get from farm to table.
Chose a food to research and began learning how to gather and present information independently.

🧠 Social and Emotional Learning

In SEL, we have continued exploring the importance of respect in our relationships, homes, and communities. Students have been learning how to recognise what respect looks, sounds, and feels like, and how their personal strengths can help them show respect in different situations.

In weeks 3 & 4, students have been:

Describing what respect looks, feels and sounds like using a ‘Circle of Respect’ diagram.
Recognising respectful and disrespectful behaviour in home, school, and community settings.
Exploring the emotions associated with being treated respectfully or disrespectfully.
Learning how to use personal strengths like kindness, fairness, and courage to show respect.
Playing teamwork games like 'Thread the Needle' to identify and use strengths cooperatively.
Acting as 'Respect Advisors' to give thoughtful advice on how to treat others kindly in various scenarios.

🗞️News and reminders

Drink bottles:

Please remember to bring a drink bottle to school every day. It saves disruption to your child's learning when this is accessible within the room. They are able to fill up their bottles in a nearby classroom.

Homework:

Students are encouraged to complete one or two activities from the homework grid each week for the rest of the term. Once an activity is completed, they just need to cross it off and write the date in the box so teachers can keep track of what’s been done.

Reading continues to be an important part of homework, and we encourage students to read for at least 10 minutes on 3 to 4 nights each week.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

Hats:

A friendly reminder that school hats are required to be worn during recess and lunch. Students who do not have a hat will have to spend recess and lunch under the shade sails. We also encourage wearing sunscreen and drinking plenty of water during the school day.