Independence Centre

Curriculum

Selamat siang!

It is so good to be back! All the 3/4 teachers are so impressed and proud of the way that all students returned to onsite learning. They came back excited and ready to learn! Thank you to parents for all of your support during the transition back to onsite learning.

In Reading sessions last week, we continued to explore the different reciprocal reading roles of the Predictor, Questioner, Clarifier and Summariser. The students practised these roles and took notes about the whole class text, ‘The Glimme’, as well as in their own independent texts. They had discussions in small groups about the notes they took, and helped to build on their understanding of the text through these discussions with their classmates. We will continue to use these now familiar roles throughout the term to encourage strong discussions about texts.

The students chose their ‘Dream Holiday’ destination and spent some time researching facts to assist them in explaining why they would want to travel there. They also explored using similes and metaphors to add descriptive details about their chosen destination. These ‘Dream Holiday’ presentations will be available on Seesaw soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

We continued to explore fractions in Maths sessions last week, with a particular focus on adding and subtracting fractions with and without common denominators. Some groups explored strategies to simplify fractions, while others used multiplication strategies to assist in finding common denominators. On Friday, the students worked collaboratively to explore how many jelly beans were in a jar. It was impressive to see the range of different problem solving strategies that the students used to have a go solving this problem. It was so exciting to be able to complete this task back in the classroom so that students could brainstorm and share ideas with their peers.

In Guided Inquiry, the students investigated different forces such as wind and friction. They worked hard to make pinwheels to test out different forces of wind, and trialled all sorts of different classroom materials to make ramps. They then tested these different ramps by sending pencils rolling down them. It was really interesting to investigate which materials had more or less friction force acting on them. We finished off the week with a coding session building our Geometry Dash programs! Students worked collaboratively to ‘debug’ or problem solve any errors in their code. We have some very creative students in the Independence Centre. It was fantastic to see the high levels of perseverance being used in this session as well.

We have all had such a positive start back to onsite learning. Please make sure to contact your classroom teacher if you have any questions or concerns.

Have a lovely week!

From your 3/4 Teachers :)

Student Voice

Edith 3/4M - "I enjoyed solving the jelly bean task because I got to practise my addition skills."
Lachie 3/4M - "I enjoyed 3/4 sport this week because we got to play with our whole class."
Ethan 3/4M - "I’m happy to be back at school and do coding!"

Reminders

Staggered start and end times across the school (8:45am start, 3:15pm finish)
Students need to wear hats this term
Students need headphones and reading journals to come back to school
Learning from home website

https://sites.google.com/education.vic.gov.au/mprps4808/grade-34/maths?authuser=0

Pupil of the Week

3/4D: Raiden T -

Great work on using your love of learning when explaining your thinking and strategies to solve complex problems in maths. Keep up the excellent work when sharing your thinking Raiden!

3/4G: Stella M -

For taking on new challenges in Maths and working hard to master new skills! You should be so proud of the hard work you put in when adding and subtracting fractions. You are a star, Stella!

3/4K: Lucy F -

For demonstrating a love of learning and confidence in our reading sessions. You have been working hard to practice your note-taking while reading to help you understand what is happening in a text. Well done Lucy!

3/4M: Chris Y -

For demonstrating a love of learning on all tasks, particularly when learning new concepts in maths sessions. You did an excellent job choosing a good working space to complete tasks to the best of your ability. Amazing effort, Chris!

3/4R: Samantha K -

For showing persistence and love of learning when working on challenging fraction problems. It is great to see you using your inner coach and giving things a go! Keep up the great work, Sammy! :)