What's Happening in the Middle School
Beaumaris Primary School
Year 3
What’s Happening in Year 3 in November
November will be a busy and exciting month in Year 3! Students will continue to develop their persuasive writing skills, learning how to present strong arguments and convince others to share their point of view. In our Knowledge Unit, we will explore Ancient Greek mythology, discover fascinating gods and goddesses and investigate the qualities of leadership. We will also learn about Civics and Citizenship, explore the importance of rules, fairness and responsible decision-making. The much-anticipated Colour Run will provide a wonderful opportunity for students to come together, have fun and celebrate our school community!
Wellbeing
- This month, we will continue to implement the Grow Your Mind podcast to learn about resilience, respect, responsibility, and relationships. It focuses on making the parts of your brain responsible for decision making and self-regulation relatable by connecting them to different animals. Over the next month, students will explore the role of the prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, reticular activating system, and amygdala and learn how to be of benefit to others.
- This term, we are continuing to explore the Respectful Relationships curriculum. In the month of November, students will participate in Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships lessons – Topic 3.
- Topic 3: Positive Coping supports students to develop language around coping, reflect on their coping strategies and build a range of positive coping strategies.
Literacy
- We will step into the role of a Greek god or goddess and write a persuasive letter to the Ancient Greek Council, explaining why we would be a better leader than Zeus.
- We will develop three strong arguments and use persuasive language to convince the council that we are the best candidate for the position.
- We will be learning Anglo-Saxon and Latin root words and their affixes to build understanding of word meaning and etymology through the Word Origins Program.
- We will be learning Greek morphemes and their affixes to build understanding of word meaning and etymology through the Word Origins Program.
Maths
Multiplication and Division
- Different representations of multiplication and division
- Two-digit multiplication with materials, no regrouping
- Two-digit multiplication with materials, with regrouping
- Two-digit division with materials, no regrouping
- Two-digit division with materials, with regrouping
- Identifying the operation (multiplication or division) to solve worded problems
- Creating a worded problem from a multiplication or division equation
Location
- Identifying perspectives and representations on maps
- Creating and interpreting map symbols and legends
- Locating landmarks and objects on maps
Data Investigation
- Choosing a data collection method
- Collecting and recording categorical data discrete numerical data
- Creating and Interpreting pictographs
- Creating and Interpreting column graphs
Knowledge Unit
Ancient Greece and Civics & Citizenship
This term, students will travel back in time to Ancient Greece as they explore our Big Question: What can we learn from Ancient Greece about how people lived, what they believed, and how democracy began? Students will investigate what daily life was like, explore Ancient Greek beliefs and mythology, and learn about the origins of democracy in Athens. They will consider how decisions were made, compare rules and laws, and explore why laws are important in a community. Students will also develop their understanding of rights and responsibilities and the importance of respectful participation in a democracy. Through classroom discussions and activities, students will practise sharing ideas, listening to different perspectives, building consensus and making decisions together.
Reminders
Monday 2nd November – Curriculum Day – student Free
Tuesday 3rd November – Melbourne Cup Public Holiday
Wednesday 18th November - Colour Run
Thursday 26th November – St John’s First Aid in Schools Program
Monday 30th November – Student Transition
Year 4
What’s Happening in Year 4 in November
Dear Parents and Carers,
It is difficult to believe we will soon be in the month of November! The remainder of the year is rapidly disappearing.
Over the coming month, the Year 4 students will be participating in a number of special activities during the school day including, Bike Education, a zoo excursion, first aid training as well as a Colour Run. It is going to be busy!
Wellbeing
Students will continue to participate in the Four ‘R’s’ program specifically focusing on reminding students who they can seek out and ask for help. Students will be identifying trusted people in their lives and how to identify problems that require adult assistance.
Literacy
The Year 4 students will continue their study of the novel, ‘Nim’s Island’ and further their writing skills at a sentence level, building structure and vocabulary. They will finish reading the novel by the end of November. Our new spelling program, Word Origins will continue to be implemented throughout the fourth term.
Maths
Throughout the month of November, we will be studying mass and capacity, reviewing the four operations as well as investigating square numbers. The Number Fluency Program and the Daily reviews are also continue to run daily in the Year 4 classrooms.
Knowledge Unit
Our knowledge unit in Term 4 is geography. Some of the questions we will be investigating include;
- How are the continents of Australia, Africa and South America similar and different?
- What are the geographical features and cultural practices that make these places unique?
- How do people and animals in different climate zones adapt to their environments?
Homework
The Year 4 students are expected to read every night and record their progress in their personal diaries. It is the responsibility of the student to bring their diary to school every day and take it home each night to log their reading. Classroom teachers will be checking and signing these diaries regularly to monitor student reading habits. The student diary will also be used to highlight important dates and reminders. Regular times table practise is also highly encouraged at this year level.
Important Year 4 Dates:
Monday 2nd November – Curriculum Day
Friday 6th November – Melbourne Zoo Excursion
Tuesday 3rd November – Cup Day
Monday 16th to 20th – Bike Ed. Week
Wednesday 18th November – Colour Run
Friday 20th November – Years 3 and 4 Recorder Gala
Thursday 26th November – First Aid in Schools