Inquiry Learning
Grade 3 students have been using their imagination and creativity to create Stop Motion videos on the iPads. Building on the skills learned during our ToonWorld in school event, students created unique characters from plasticine or brought in toy props from home. They also created backgrounds using their knowledge of settings, bringing their stories to life, frame by frame. To enhance their projects, they also added their own audio. We then watched their creations on the big screen. They were very impressive!
Mathematics
Grade 3 students have been learning about the features of maps. We designed our own treasure map that included grid coordinates and a key to recognise the symbols featured on our map. We then tore around the edge of the map and used a tea bag to paint our map, giving it an aged look.
English
Grade Three students have been innovating on a text by changing the characters and settings and using a Storyboard to tell their story. This week they also participated in a Stop Motion in school event, where they were immersed in creating visual stories using simple objects and technology. Here are some photos of the students hard at work and using their creativity.
Personal and Social Learning
Grade Three students were lucky enough to have two Police Officers from Brunswick Proactive Policing Unit visit to discuss ‘Bullying’. The students learnt what bullying looks like and what we can do to help people that are victims of bullying. Officers Meredith and Jo talked to us about strategies we can use at school, online and when in the community. They offered us some great tips to stay safe! As a part of our ongoing focus on respect, students have also enjoyed creating posters that illustrate how to demonstrate respect in different settings! Some of these were in the classroom by understanding everyone's differences, at school by following school rules, at home by showing kindness to our families, in the community by taking care of the environment, and to ourselves by prioritising self care and healthy boundaries.
Term 3 has been a very busy term! Grade 3 students explored different kinds of poetry and their features and wrote many of their own pieces too. We built up our independent reading stamina and had fun celebrating books through Book Week. We have been developing our multiplication and division skills and learning strategies to assist us with problem solving in these areas. We explored European settlement in Australia, as well as learning what life was like for child convicts that were transported to Australia. We learnt about the ways in which the Indigenous Australians took care of the land and how they made tools and clothing from things in their environment. We concluded our Inquiry unit with an excursion to CERES where students listened to traditional stories, painted with ochre and tasted bush food.
The Grade 3 students have been developing their water safety knowledge and swimming skills. They have demonstrated that they can walk safely around the pool areas, listen attentively to their swimming instructors and keep their bodies afloat with or without the use of floatation devices. Students that did not attend the swimming program participated in water safety lessons at school and created posters to show how to be safe around water.
Grade 3 students had a fantastic time during Book Week this week! The Book Parade on Tuesday was so much fun and we all had a great time checking out all the costumes. In 3C, Ms Devine was the most popular teacher costume in our class, she came as Sam Kerr! For homework students were asked to design a costume for their favourite book character using household items. Each day during reading lessons, students have read a different award winning book from the Children’s Book Council of Australia and discussed their likes and dislikes.
In Mathematics this week, Grade 3 students have been applying their knowledge of area and perimeter by designing
their own zoo! Each animal enclosure had a minimum requirement for both area and perimeter. Students enjoyed
working on a variety of different equations to calculate the size of each enclosure for the animals they wanted in
their zoo. Here are some of their awesome designs!
In Grade 3 students have been learning about the different forms of violence and the effects it can have on the
different people involved. We developed our understanding of the emotions felt by the perpetrator of violence as
well as the target/victim and witness/bystander. We focused on identifying examples of psychological, physical
and verbal violence. This learning extended to our Cyber Safety lessons where we focused on building our
emotional intelligence to identify the signs of the emotions we or someone else may be feeling both online and
offline.
In 3B, students enjoyed creating their own emotion characters inspired by ‘Inside Out’ to represent emotions felt
in different situations.
This week in English, Grade 3 students have been celebrating International Refugee Week by reading stories and watching videos about the lives and experiences of refugees and asylum seekers. During one writing session, students imagined what they would say if they wrote a letter to a refugee who had recently arrived in Australia and how we could help them feel welcome.
The Grade 3 students have been having an amazing time immersing themselves in our Inquiry unit ‘The Blue Marble’. An absolute highlight for us was our Melbourne Zoo Excursion! The students got up close and personal with so many of the animals, 3A got to see the lions during their feeding time, 3B were all giggles as they watched the platypus play and 3C were captivated by the gorillas. Back in the classroom, we've been deepening our understanding of endangered animals. Drawing from our experiences at the zoo, we've been discussing why it's important to protect these species and what we can do to help. In the weeks ahead, we'll be exploring this topic further, as students research and share their findings about different endangered animals. We're excited to see their passion for wildlife conservation continue to grow as they connect their real-life experiences with our classroom learning.
This week the Grade Three students have been learning about the way we can solve addition and subtraction equations efficiently. We solved equations and shared our thinking with others about the strategies we used. Some people used the ‘Make to Ten’ strategy, others added the largest numbers first and then the smallest numbers next, some created a number line to count on from. It was interesting to find out the different ways people think mathematically when problem solving. We also revised our time knowledge. We drew a clock and wrote down all the facts we could think of related to telling the time. We had opportunities to read and show times on analogue clocks. We revised time to the hour, half hour and quarter hour and were learning how to tell time to minute intervals. We also made connections between analogue time and digital time.
This week in Grade 3, our students focused on the importance of ANZAC Day and its origins. We explored this topic through engaging books like ANZAC Ted, deepening our understanding of Gallipoli and past wars and how important it is to respect and remember those who have been affected by war. Each student took time to reflect and record what ANZAC Day is and what it means to them.
On Tuesday we were so lucky to have a special visit from Auslan Education Services. Naomi shared her experiences as a deaf person with us. We then had the opportunity to ask questions with the assistance of an interpreter. Students had the chance to practise their Auslan, using basic signs to speak to Naomi and practise their Auslan alphabet. This experience deepened their understanding and appreciation of different forms of communication.
Numeracy
This week the Grade 3 students problem-solved in Mathematics. We had three overlapping circles that created 7 spaces to place a single digit number. Using the digits 1 to 7, students randomly placed the number cards in a space and then added the total of each circle. The aim was to position the number cards in a way that would make each circle have the same total.
Students worked together to find a solution to the problem. We found that there were a number of solutions.
Through our Inquiry unit in Grade 3 students have explored a range of different disabilities. Students have engaged in a range of activities including watching video messages from people with disabilities and learning how this impacts on their daily lives. We learnt about Cerebral Palsy, and vision and hearing impairments. To further learn about the impact of being visually impaired, students took part in a blindfold task with a partner. One partner led the other around and supported them with directions. This activity, and others have been followed by discussions about how we can be inclusive.
Zones of Regulation
This week Grade 3 students have been revising what the Zones of Regulation are. We explored different emotions we feel and where these emotions fit in with the coloured zones. We identified that we move slowly in the Blue Zone when we feel sad, sick, tired or bored. We feel relaxed, focused, calm and happy in the Green Zone. In the Yellow Zone we start to lose some control as we feel frustrated, worried, silly or excited. In the Red Zone we might need some help to regulate our emotions, as we feel out of control with feelings of being mad and angry, terrified or devastated. Everybody experiences time in all of these zones; being able to recognise emotions helps us to understand how others are feeling and to recognise our own feelings too. We made class posters to remind ourselves about the different emotions we feel and which coloured zone they relate to.
Routines for Success
Grade 3A have been busy setting up our classroom library for independent reading. We shared our favourite books
to read with one another and created a beautiful display of book covers on the back wall. It is so nice to display our
work for everyone to enjoy! We are building up our reading stamina each day in the classroom.
In 3B we have had a wonderful time getting to know each other in our first two weeks of the 2024 school year!
Students have been so excited to contribute to making our class expectations and have shown how familiar they all
are with our school values when discussing what we want our classroom to look like, sound like and feel like. We
have started our Inquiry unit Someone Else’s Shoes where we will be learning to see the world from different
perspectives, particularly people with disabilities. Students made their own All about me art where they designed a
shoe that represented themselves.
Grade 3C has had a great second week of school! We have been playing games and practising teamwork, learning
about our strengths and how a growth mindset can help us make our brains stronger! We have also been learning
about the importance of making an acknowledgement of Country to pay respect to the owners of the land we learn
on, the Wurundjeri people. Finally, we have started our Inquiry unit “Someone Else’s Shoes” where we will be
learning to see the world from different perspectives, particularly people with disabilities.
Click here to view our Teaching and Learning News from 2023
