Curriculum News

English

Now that students have learnt and consolidated their first 26 single letter sounds, and are able to read these in 3 letter words, we are ready to extend their learning. We begin by introducing the addition of ‘s’ and ‘es’ for plurals, as well as blending consonant sounds and learning our first digraphs - two letters making one sound. We will continue to read familiar texts to build students fluency when reading, as well as introducing new decodable texts as we complete each stage of learning. We look forward to continuing to welcome parent helpers for our literacy activities from week 2. If you would like to be added to the roster for a regular day, or as a one off, please send me an email. 

To support oral language development, we will continue our Elmer and Magic Box language experiences - all students have now had a turn with one, and will take the other item home over this term or the beginning of term 4. Families can support students in these presentations by practising in front of friends and family at home. We also encourage students to share special news and events as they happen — you are welcome to send through photos at any time for students to share with the class.

We will continue to explore text genres and writing through picture storybooks. In Term 3 our books will be Giraffe’s Can’t Dance and Farmer John’s Tractor for our imaginative text focus, and Wombat Stew and Wombat for our informative text focus. We will also extend our creative writing with weekly picture prompts for story writing. 

Mathematics

We will introduce 3 new units throughout the term, as well as revising and consolidating our knowledge of our Term 2 units of Part/Whole, Counting, Place Value and Shape. 

Addition and Subtraction - Students will use materials, real-world depictions and drawings, say number stories, and use ten-frames to link the concepts to familiar scenarios. The unit also explores finding differences by adding on, taking away, and using a number track, incorporating various strategies and manipulatives for a comprehensive understanding.

Sharing and Grouping - Students focus on the concept of 'equal' in the context of sharing. The teaching approach focuses on fairness in distribution, connecting the abstract idea of equal shares to real-world scenarios. Additionally, students grasp how to identify the specific amount in each equal share or equal group through counting and using specific language that builds understanding of sharing and grouping.

Measurement (Length, Mass & Capacity) - The initial focus of this unit is on understanding attributes like long, short, tall, heavy, and light through hands-on activities. Students progress to direct comparisons of length, learning to identify, compare, and order objects based on these attributes. The unit also delves into mass, teaching hefting and using balance scales for comparison. In the capacity section, students develop an understanding of how much a container can hold, predicting and comparing capacities using visual attributes. Throughout, students actively engage in sorting, predicting, and hands-on comparisons, fostering a practical grasp of these fundamental measurement concepts.

Humanities

For the first half of term, we will focus on our humanities unit of “Features of familiar places”. Students will explore the idea of place and belonging by learning about the special places in their lives, community, and local environment. They will identify places that are familiar or important to them, such as their home, school, or park, and describe what makes these places special. Students will listen to and share stories about local places and how people use and care for them. They will begin to understand that places can have different meanings for different people, and that we all have a role in looking after the places we belong to. Through hands-on experiences like mapping, drawing, and planting, students will learn to appreciate their community and develop an early sense of responsibility for caring for the environment around them.

Science

In the second half of term, we will focus on our Chemical Science unit exploring materials and their features. Students will observe and manipulate objects to identify the materials different objects are made of. They will sort and group materials based on observed properties such as colour, hardness, texture and flexibility, as well as based on the materials they are made of. We will compare the properties of different materials in the same object (e.g. the softness of a cushion vs. the hardness of a metal frame in our couch). Finally, we will consider reasons why different parts of everyday objects, such as saucepans and clothing, are made from different materials.

Religion

In our Religion unit, we will be exploring how we can develop our relationship with God, through our understanding of parables and other stories from scripture. We will also consider the concept of justice by exploring Jesus as a role model for fairness, sharing and compassion. Throughout Term 3, the students will also be celebrating significant events in the church calendar, including the Feast of St Mary of the Cross, Mary McKillop, and the Assumption of Mary, Mother of God. 

Wellbeing 

Our Wellbeing focus for Term 3 is Positive Coping. We will be working on developing resilience and learning different coping strategies through games and the idea of winning and losing, as well as skills such as working together or persevering through challenging tasks.