Grade 3 and 4

Term 3

English

The students are back into routine and are showing a great understanding of the rules associated with spelling and making connections between this and our reading and writing. In Term 2 we launched our Spellex Program and we are now in a positive routine and grasping these concepts really well across Grade 3 and 4. There are many moments when we are reading that students are calling out, "that's a homophone", "that's the trigraph /igh/ that makes the 'i' long vowel sound." Stella the Super Speller has introduced the students to expert words. Challenge your child to tell you what the following words mean: phoneme, grapheme, digraph, trigraph, suffix, prefix.

In writing, we are revisiting persuasive writing. Students are being exposed to a range of texts and extending their persuasive writing techniques from the beginning of the year. We have introduced them to persuasive devices: alliteration, rhetorical question, repetition, personification etc. We are linking this to our inquiry and students are being encouraged to research and know more about endangered animals or an environmental issue and their view on how to protect them.

Maths

In Maths this term we are becoming Ninja Masters of Multiplcation and Division. Students are building their capacity in recalling times tables to become automatic. In our Multiplication and Division unit students will be learning the box and lattice method to solve one- by two- digit multiplication and beyond. From some of these strategies, students will increase their understanding of and the role of place value, build problem solving skills, solve problems with larger numbers and use the algorithm.

We are currently finishing up our unit on measurement. We went from telling the time, into length, volume and capacity. Students investigated and used timetables to be able to plan a full day excursion, built their knowledge on telling analog time and moving into 24hr time. We have used the world around us to measure accurately and start to understand converting between metric systems.

Inquiry

This term the Grade 3/4 students are very excited to be heading to Werribee Zoo. The visit fits in with our Inquiry Unit for Term 3 with a focus on Geography and Science, exploring a range of features across different environments, including climates and animals. We are learning about Australia and each of its states and territories and how they differ and are similar in temperature, climate and environmental changes. It then leads to comparisions between Australia and each continent and the impact and adjustments animals make to be able to survive in these various climates. The excursion to the Werribee Zoo has a direct focus on the location of major countries of Africa and South America in relation to Australia and their major characteristics including the types of vegetation and native animals found in these areas. Students will have the opportunity to learn about the adaptations of selected African wildlife and about the protection of these places and animals.

Mind full vs Mindful

This week in The Resilience Project the Grade 3's looked at Mind full vs Mindful. Students came into TRP straight after lunch and wrote or drew everything that was going on in their minds. We had a range of emotions and thoughts as our minds were full from a big start to the week. Students were then broken into groups to complete some puzzles and completed some mindfulness activities. After 30 minutes of mindfulness we reflected on how we were now feeling after our mindfulness practice. The change in responses was amazing and to see and feel the change in the classroom we all felt a sense of rest and reset.

While the grade 4's were focusing on perspective taking and the importance of being able to take perspectives. Throughout the lesson, students were guided to apply their understanding of perspective taking and empathetic strategies in scenarios where they may encounter differing perspectives, emphasising the importance of empathy.