Year 3 - Middle Unit

Wild Action Zoo Incursion

The Year 3 students had a lot of fun meeting a range of animals during our Wild Action Zoo incursion last Friday. Our presenter Liv, was a fountain of knowledge and educated us on several amazing animal features and life cycles. The 3s got to pat and hold a seastar, a stick insect, a stumpy tailed lizard, Kermit the green tree frog, a tawny frog mouth, a boobook owl, King Kong the lace monitor, Elton the echidna and Bugsy the red kangaroo joey. We also got to see Blossom the fruit bat and Port Jackson sharks, including a baby Port Jackson shark that was still in its egg! Interacting with a live animal while learning about its life cycle and adaptations created an impactful learning experience for our Year 3 students.

eSmart Day

The Year 3 students were engaged participants in our eSmart Day sessions yesterday. They learnt about digital footprints and developed the understanding that what they put online stays there forever. The 3s reflected on their own digital footprints and online experiences, including the games they play and apps that they have used. They looked at the difference and discussed examples of positive and negative digital footprints. The sessions highlighted the need for continued education in this sphere to ensure the safety of all children when online. Thank you to Kat Richardson and the eSmart team for organising this opportunity. 

In the classroom…

During our Reading sessions, the Year 3s have been exploring the ‘Story Mountain’, a framework for how authors create narrative texts. They have analysed authors’ word choices and how words are used to create particular feelings for the reader. Additionally, the 3s have looked at the comprehension strategy, Visualisation, which is essentially making a ‘mind movie’ while we read, using the information the author gives us.

In our Writing sessions, the Year 3s have begun to write their own non-fiction narrative based on the life cycle of an animal they have chosen and researched. They are using the ‘Story Mountain’ framework to guide them during the writing process. The 3s are being encouraged to focus on their own word choices so that they are able to create an engaging story for their reader.

In Maths, the Year 3 students have continued to explore efficient multiplication strategies, such as doubling and halving and the Area Model, and practised applying these strategies to more complex multiplication problems. Next week we begin our division unit of work which will support the students in applying their multiplicative thinking to the inverse operation of division. 

Year 3 Teachers

Nathan Spilsted (3NS), Mark Condon (3MC), Zoe Sutherland/Iain Sparrey (3SS)