Classroom News

Grade 3 & 4

Welcome back to a new school year. We are well and truly back into the swing of school life. It has been wonderful to see how settled everyone is and we have been able to get straight into our new routines.

Thank you to all those parents who attended the Information Night. For those who missed it, the Year 3/4 Information Booklet will be sent out to you via Compass. If you have any questions, please make contact with your child’s classroom teacher.

In Reading, we have begun the year focussing on revising the structure of the Reader’s Workshop. We investigated what an effective reader looks like and the expectations during Reader’s Workshop. We discussed the importance of borrowing books that are a ‘good fit’. This means we understand the purpose of reading the book, it is a book that is of interest, they are able to understand the context and are able to read most words. With NAPLAN in Term 1 this year, our reading will incorporate a range of different genres where the children will practise answering questions and inferring meaning for different text types.

In Writing, the students have each completed a writing survey to discuss with their teacher in a one-to-one conference. The discussion will focus on how they view themselves as writers, as well as identifying their strengths and challenges. We have also been focusing on revising the structure of the Writer’s Workshop, the writing process and our shared language of the 6 + 1 Traits of writing. The traits are the writing skills students need to improve as writers. Each of the traits has been carefully unpacked so that students understand what the characteristics are in each one. Goal setting has also begun and students will have independent writing goals which they will work towards achieving. Our genres we will be focusing on this term are persuasive and narrative writing. For each of the genres students will be explicitly taught the correct structure, language features and word choices.

We have also begun the year with establishing our routines and expectations in Maths. Our focus is on the strategies that promote a growth mindset. This is to help students reach their potential and promotes risk taking and acceptance of challenges. So instead of saying “ I am not good at this” we ask ourselves, “what am I missing?”, “can I try a different strategy?”. This will in turn help students believe they are capable of being successful learners. We have also begun our investigations into Place Value with some open-ended problems to solve, using our growth mindset! Later in the term, we will also explore some Measurement and Geometry.

In Integrated Studies, the students have been discussing and exploring the key components of what technology is in our class involving responsible and safe iPad use, alongside classroom expectations for this year. Students have enjoyed creating mini videos or role play to demonstrate how they should use their iPads. Next week we will begin our learning journey with our new unit ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. The two year levels will be

looking into the scientific components of how chocolate is made. There will be lots of fun to come this term!

Reminders

• Please remember to bring a hat and drink bottle to school every day.
• All students need a named Art Smock and Library bag
• Students should bring their diaries to school every day, and fill their reading in each night at home.
• Please bring in Seeds or inspirations for Writer’s Workshop. These can be photos, maps, pictures, as well as physical items such as shells.
• Please fill out the ‘About My Child’ form that your class teacher has sent out.
• Give consent for Patch Cooking information via ‘Insight’ on Compass
• Give consent for Electronic Recording and Publishing via ‘Insight’ on Compass
• iPads need to be charged at home every night