Yr 3/4

The students in Year 3/4 have been exploring fractions through our new approach called Mathematical Mindsets, Visualising and Investigating Big Ideas by Jo Boaler. This is a great way for the children to tackle difficult and challenging topics such as fractions. 

Children can find fractions very confusing because there are so many rules that need to be remembered. 

We are taking a more visual approach with activities so that all students can get involved no matter what their mathematical knowledge or ability is.

We have been participating in very engaging activities that involve the children exploring the fraction of half in a variety of ways such as in shape, number, collections of and area.

During Term 3, the children at St. Bridget’s were treated to a four week volleyball clinic where they were taught the skills of the game. 

The children really enjoyed learning how to hit the ball with different techniques such as serving and spiking. 

This game is quite challenging as the children found it difficult trying to keep the ball in their air without catching it first. 

It was a lot of fun and there were definitely some hidden talents that came to light during the weeks. Once the children had learnt the skills they played their first volleyball game.

The hardest part was getting the ball over the net, which unfortunately, is the way to score points. 

Over the course of Term 3, the students of Year 3 and Year 4 have been exploring Social Justice. They have been focusing on people with disabilities and what it would be like to be in their shoes. 

In our most recent lesson, we took on the role of a ‘Fairness Inspector.’ Their goal was to think about what it would be like to need a wheelchair to move around. The children worked in groups of three and were given a map of the school. Their task was to identify places in the school where someone in a wheelchair could and could not access. We were pleased to find out that someone in a wheelchair could access all parts of our school.

Recently, the Years 3 and 4 students took a trip to Siena College during Science Week. They were given the opportunity to explore the topic of sustainability through science experiments. This program is called ASPIRE. This is the second time we have been lucky enough to attend. The children took part in a couple of activities based on renewable energy, sustainable materials and they even got to make their own zoo out of recycled materials. The children had such a great time and were thoroughly inspired to take a look at the different things in their own life and rate themselves on a sustainability level.

I hope we can go again in the future and learn about a new topic in science.

Kind regards,

Mr Tom Brophy

Year 3/4 Classroom Teacher