Independence Centre

Curriculum

Wow - we cannot believe that we are over halfway through the first term of 2020! What a fantastic start to the year our Year 3 and 4 students have had.

In Writing, we have been learning about character care factors and how this entices the reader to stay engaged and empathise with the character. We also practised describing various tense situations by using our 6 senses – see, hear, smell, touch, taste and feel (emotions). We will use this knowledge to produce descriptive tense scenarios in our upcoming narrative writing pieces. 

Last week in Reading, we have been making connections within a range of different texts. Students have been making text to text, text to self and text to world connections in order to develop a deeper level of understanding whilst reading. This is a great discussion you could have with your child to connect their reading with their own experiences, other texts or movies as well as events that are happening around the world.

During Maths, our focus last week was working on our knowledge of place value. Students experienced using hands on manipulatives, such as MAB blocks, to represent numbers in different ways.

Last week in STEM, we began our planning stages of a bridge construction challenge after investigating various materials. Students have been working collaboratively to account for all considerations and constraints of the challenge. The design brief requires the bridge to:

-       Hold 4kg of weight.

-       Have water travelling underneath it.

-       Look visually appealing.

-       Have a high level of safety (sturdy/safety railing).

-       Include plastic, wood, paper and fabric.

On Thursday, the 3/4’s attended an ESmart information session from ‘BullyZero’. The incursion discussed different types of bullying, cyber safety, the role of the bystander, strategies to respond to poor behaviour and where to seek help. This was a great opportunity for students to make sure they are making responsible choices at school and at home, especially with their iPads.

Thank you and have a wonderful week!

The 3/4 Team.

Student Voice

"I loved learning how to upload my work onto Seesaw.” Emily 3/4R

"I liked working with others to plan for the STEM bridge challenge." Hayley 3/4R

Reminders

·      No school Monday 9th March (Labour Day)

·      ICE payments to be returned

·      Headphones

Pupil of the Week

3/4D: Vaanya M - 

Well done on using your strength of creativity to design a healthy eating poster. Keep using your strengths to send positive messages!

3/4G: Saina D - 

For using persistence in Maths when reading numbers to three decimal places. Keep up the fabulous work, Saina!

3/4K: Michelle E - 

For your enthusiasm during our Writing sessions. You are always ready to share your ideas and create some excellent problems for your narrative. Awesome job, Michelle!

3/4M: Alan G - 

For demonstrating creativity and a love of learning when describing tension scenarios. You did a great job using your six senses to paint a picture for the audience. Keep it up, Alan! 

3/4R: Grace H - 

For demonstrating your love of learning when sharing your text connections. You had the whole class in stitches when sharing your text to self connection. Great work, Grace!