Level 3/4
The last couple of weeks in Level 3 and 4 have been so exciting and full of many new experiences!
The focus of our Writing sessions in Level 3 has been on creating procedural texts. Students have had the opportunity to create a range of texts including tutorials, recipes and DIY instructions. Reading sessions have continued to improve students’ summarising skills, as well as introduce the concept of synthesising. Students have had the opportunity to showcase these skills whilst reading texts from indigenous authors as we celebrated Indigenous Literacy Day.
Mathematics sessions in Level 3 have explored directions and angles. These topics have had particular relevance to students and have many real-world applications, including some of the activities from camp!
Camp was a massive success and the Level 3 team could not have been prouder of the way students stepped out of their comfort zones and tried new things. Students participated in a range of activities across the three days at camp ADANAC. These activities included: canoeing, frisbee golf, going down a waterslide, archery, camp cooking, a 135m flying fox, thunder hockey and a photo hunt around the campsite. Despite the weather being a bit damper than we would have liked, it certainly didn’t dampen the spirits of the students! Students showed fantastic resilience when faced with adversity and displayed their growth mindsets when faced with new challenges.
Our Inquiry sessions have built upon our growing knowledge of First Nations People’s history and culture, particularly their use of native plants for a variety of purposes. Students have researched these plants as well as the ways in which Wurundjeri people have used them. This research has informed and inspired designs for a bush tucker garden!
Recently we celebrated National eSmart Week, and were fortunate enough to watch a performance titled ‘Saving Lil and Archie’ performed by Brainstorm Productions. Students were thoroughly engaged by the performers, as they told a story with a strong message promoting the safe use of technology and online interactions.
The Year 4s were lucky enough to follow in the Year 3s footsteps and visit the Melbourne Museum on Thursday 25th August. The focus for the day was our Indigenous history unit, and we had a wonderful time exploring the First Nations exhibition. We learnt all about tools and toys and how these were made, Indigenous nations and language groups, ceremonial and sacred rituals and many traditions that are passed down between generations. It was fantastic to see so many of these items in person, and to spend time answering many different questions and wonderings we had.
We were also fortunate enough to visit several other exhibitions across the day, including the Melbourne Story, Rainforest Gallery, Dinosaur Walk, Indigenous Garden and Dynamic Earth exhibitions. All of these provided us with many fascinating insights, and many linked to our Inquiry learnings from previous terms.
It was a wonderful day and we felt grateful to be taking full advantage of having our extracurricular activities up and running again!
Level 3 & 4 Teachers