Curriculum News
English
Reading and Viewing
This term we will continue with our weekly reading focus. In reading groups, the students will use Fountas and Pinnell levelled texts working on different comprehension strategies. We will also be doing a novel study of Roald Dahl’s ‘James and the Giant Peach’. We will be working through the novel together and then work through a whole class response activity and a grouped activity as part of our literacy activities.
Writing
The major focus of our Writing in the first part of the term will be writing to entertain and will be explored through different forms of poetry. To support the language features of poetry writing, our Grammar focus will be on aspects of figurative language: similes, metaphors, alliteration, onomatopoeia and personification.
We will then move onto writing to explain to support the literacy demands of our Inquiry unit. The children will investigate and create a text to explain: the movement of the Earth that results in the day and night cycle, the seasonal cycle, the cycle of the moon or the movement of the sun across the sky.
We will also continue to use the SMART Spelling approach to explicitly teach spelling patterns to the students.
Speaking and Listening
The students will be given opportunities to listen and contribute to conversations and discussions and to share information and ideas. In collaborative groups, students will also plan and deliver short presentations on given topics. Students will be required to be active listeners and respectful speakers when working in small groups.
Maths
Number and Algebra
As part of our Multiplication and Division unit, we will focus on identifying factors and multiples of numbers and using mental strategies. The students will work on simple one step problems and the processes required and some will move onto two step problem solving. The children will be encouraged to check their calculations through the use of inverse operations of multiplication and division.
Our Fractions and Decimals unit will focus on identifying equivalent fractions, ordering fractions on a numberline and identifying fractional parts of groups.
Students will also look at different types of fractions and convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers. The students will also be re-introduced to decimal fractions in tenths and hundredths and the interrelationship between both fractions and decimal fractions.
In this unit on Algebraic Patterns and Problem Solving, the students will look at different numerical patterns, identify the rule and continue the pattern applying the rule.
Measurement and Geometry
As part of our Measurement unit, students will investigate and record the area of regular and irregular polygons. They will use scaled instruments to measure and compare masses and capacities. Students will also measure volume by comparing objects using familiar metric measurements.
Statistics and Probability
In our Chance and Probability unit students will look at the randomness of events happening using the vocabulary of chance and probability.
Inquiry
Sunlight to Moonlight: Earth Science
In this Unit, students will develop an understanding of the difference between day and night. Students will learn that different cultures have different stories about creation. They will develop their understanding on how the Earth's rotation on its axis causes regular changes, including night and day and seasonal cycles.
Learning Unit Vocabulary:
orbit, earth, sun, moon, phases, dawn dusk sunset sunrise waxing crescent, new moon, full moon, waning crescent, quarter, waxing gibbous, waning gibbous, rotation, revolution, axis, tilt, system cycles
Changing Landscapes
In this unit the students will investigate how the Earth’s surface changes over time as a result of natural processes and human activity.
Learning Unit Words:
erosion, run off, deforestation, change, rain, wind, flooding, logging, land clearing, landscapes, natural process, weathering
Religion
This term our focus will be on ‘God, Religion and Life’.
As part of the preparation for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the students will identify and discuss the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation, nationally, communally and personally. The four elements of Reconciliation will be explored and students will reflect on choices in light of the Catholic understanding of right relationships. Through discussions and reflection the students will interpret the Christian understanding of God's loving forgiveness through scripture stories.
We will finish the term by celebrating the season of Advent and our Christmas traditions.
Social & Emotional Wellbeing
The Wellbeing focus for this term is problem solving. This unit will focus on helping students learn a range of problem-solving skills through applied learning tasks so they are able to cope with the challenges they face in the future. To be able to solve problems, children need to be able to think critically and evaluate the consequences of various actions. By viewing problems as opportunities to grow, children broaden their understanding while building their confidence.