Year 3-6 Sector

Year 3

Reading:

Welcome to term 2, Year 3 students and families! In reading this term, we are exploring different forms of text types such as Imaginative, Persuasive and Information texts and closely investigating their examples, genres and features to help us understand a text better. Furthermore, students will be unpacking NAPLAN text to prepare them for the big week! We are so proud of their progress so far. To assist your child please read nightly for 20 minutes and ask them questions about the text such as:

• What kind of text is this?
• Can you tell me what happened in the text?
• How is the character feeling?
• What are the character’s traits/motives?
• Are there any words you need clarifying?
• What made this title suitable for this text? Why?

Writing:

This term in writing, we are focussing on narratives. Last week the students were learning how to write ‘Sizzling Starts’ in order to capture the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading the story. A sizzling start is vital! That first paragraph has to grab the reader's attention instantly, so start fast with action and impact.  There are lots of strategies to create a sizzling start, here are just some. 

• Start with a bang (where the action is.)
  I wondered why the baseball was getting bigger. Then it hit me.
• Make the reader curious.
  Let me explain about the accident, the beach house and the bacon.
• Use humour.
  Never let your three year old brother hold a tomato.
• Ask a question.
  Can you guess what happened to me last night?

Boom! When the waves hit me, they were so big! I could not believe my mum had brought me here for my birthday, it was so much fun. – Kiah

Wow! That bike looks amazing! But how do I ride it? What can I do? I hopped on, but guess what happened? I crashed into a tree! - Arfa

Maths:

This term in Maths, the Year 3 students have been learning about equal sharing and multiplying. We have revised vocabulary from Year 2 using words like arrays and skip counting and added new words to our mathematical vocabulary with words and phrases like repeated addition and multiples.  The best thing about maths is that we get to use counters and blocks to build models to help explain our thinking.

Science: 

This term in Science, we are focusing on ‘night and day’. Last week the students learnt about the Earth’s rotation and how it causes regular changes including night and day. The students have begun exploring how the Earth orbits the Sun and moves on its axis. The students are really excited to delve into this topic more. 

We are learning about what causes day and night. We also learnt that there is an invisible line in the earth so it’s on a tilt and the tilt causes the four seasons. We also learnt that the Earth is the only planet that has living things due to the temperature and they are trying to see if people can live on Mars.

Fun fact: When asteroids hit the moon, it creates craters on the moon’s surface.

Montana and Nhi, 3A 

Year 4 

Current topics

Curriculum Units

Term Overview

What’s been happening in Grade 4

The students in Grade 4 have settled into the term very well. We have had a wonderful start back at school. So far, we have been exploring 3D shapes and their properties. We have been looking at how to make our narrative writing interesting by using the 7 steps. We have been making  different text connections during our reading lessons. In science we have been looking at different materials.

On Friday in week 2 we had a Poetry incursion. The wonderful poet Steven Herrick came to Brookside College. The students in Grade 4 were able to see how Steven presents the poems he has created in his books. It was very engaging! 

The grade 4’s are looking forward to their upcoming Melbourne Museum excursion we have coming up on the 21st May for our PBL subject. 

Year 5

In Grade 5 in Term 2, we have been preparing for NAPLAN which is in Week 4. We have looked at different types of questions and explained our thinking when answering the questions. We have also looked at strategies to help us answer questions in Reading and Math.

In math, we have started Decimals, and we have also learnt how to convert fractions in our Fractions unit. 

In reading, we are learning about different types of questions. The questions we learnt were literal, inferential and text structure questions. In writing we have been working on Narratives and using the TIPTOP strategy when we write paragraphs.

We have also been completing work in Project Based Learning. This term we are focusing on Immigration. We’re also going on an excursion to the Immigration Museum.

By Saad and Holly 5A