Grade 3 

Reading

This term, our Grade Three students have started a very special journey through the picture book Finding Our Heart by Thomas Mayor. This book helps us learn about the Uluru Statement from the Heart and the importance of listening to the voices of First Nations people.Before diving into the story, we took some time to build our background knowledge to help us better understand what we were reading. As part of this, we learned about what a treaty is — a special agreement made between groups of people. We discussed how treaties are based on trust, fairness, and listening to one another. This helped us understand why the Uluru Statement talks about the need for a fair agreement between the Australian Government and First Nations people.

We also made predictions using the front cover and blurb of the book. Students looked closely at the images, title, and words to guess what the story might be about. These predictions helped spark great discussions about fairness, belonging, and what it means to listen with your heart.

Writing After reading and discussing the story together, students then began to draft and write their own personal responses. A personal response means sharing your thoughts, feelings, and opinions about a story. It’s not just what happened — it’s about what you think and how the story made you feel.

Some questions we used to guide our writing were:

• Which part of the book stood out to you?
• What did it remind you of or connect to?
• What message did the book show?

Students have done a fantastic job expressing their opinions. Some said the story made them feel hopeful. Others said it helped them understand why fairness and voice are important in Australia’s history and future.

We’re so proud of how Grade 3 is learning to read deeply, think critically, and write honestly.

Maths 

This term, students have been using the CUBES strategy to decode multiplication and division worded problems, turning them into number sentences and then solving them using a variety of known strategies. They have also been revising many previous topics during our Daily Review slides. 

Social and Emotional Learning

In our Let’s Talk and Respectful Relationships lessons, Grade 3 students have been learning what problems are serious enough that they need an adult’s help to solve, and how they can get that help. 

Geography

In our Geography lessons, we have learnt about Australia’s First Nations people, how they cared for the land and the significance of Country to Indigenous Australians. We have explored the IATSIS Map of Indigenous Australia and have learnt how we can acknowledge and pay respect to the First Nations people of this area, the Bunurong people.