Grade 3/4 students have been working collaboratively in groups to explore the principles of friction and gravity by creating a marble run. The challenge was to get the closest to 10 seconds from the moment the marble gets dropped from the top to the bottom. Together they worked to share ideas, design, create using a selection of materials and test. Students had a lot of fun testing their marble runs and modifying to improve their designs by adding elements.
What a wonderful week Grade 3/4 students have had celebrating Book Week! Our classrooms were filled with excitement as we explored different stories, looked into the messages authors want to share, and made connections to our own lives. It was amazing to see students sharing their favourite books and exploring new stories. As part of our celebrations, students worked on publishing their very own book reviews. They then shared these proudly with their buddy grades, giving them the chance to share and celebrate their favourite stories with others. Of course, the highlight of the week was our Book Week Parade. The creativity and enthusiasm on display was fantastic. The effort put into costumes made the parade such a treat. The students loved showing off their costumes and cheering for their classmates and buddies as they paraded around.
This term, Grade 3/4 students developed their multiplication skills by applying estimation and calculation strategies to solve real-world problems. They used arrays to support their shift from additive to multiplicative thinking and to explore multiplication with 5s and 10s. These strategies were then applied to area tasks, helping students see how multiplication is used in everyday contexts. Students also practised doubling to solve problems with 2s, 4s, and 8s, and built fluency with the 3s, 6s, 7s, and 9s times tables. Through hands-on activities and regular reflection, they grew in confidence and accuracy.
Over the past few weeks, our Grade 3/4 students have been actively developing their personal and social capabilities through the Zones of Regulation and Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships (RRRR) programs. In Zones of Regulation, students have been learning to recognise their emotions, understand the different Zones (Blue, Green, Yellow, Red), and build personalised “toolboxes” of strategies to help them self-regulate based on their individual triggers and the size of the problem. Through Topic 8: Positive Gender Relations of the RRRR curriculum, students have been exploring the concept of consent, including what it means, how to ask for it, how to say no respectfully, and how to accept when others say no. These lessons are helping to build respectful, safe, and empathetic interactions both inside and outside the classroom. We are so proud of the thoughtful conversations and progress students are making in developing lifelong social and emotional skills!
Grade 3/4 students have had a great Term 2. Here are some of our highlights: Reading & Writing Extending our learning by reading and viewing what good authors do in a range of fiction and nonfiction texts and then applying it to ideas to write and publish our own texts. We are proud of our narratives, poetry, descriptive writing skills and how we can use different devices to persuade. Mathematics We have played games, problem solved and worked hard to learn different strategies to add and subtract. We have also investigated how we can use surveys to answer questions and present our findings using column graphs and digital pie charts. Inquiry For our H2O, sustainability unit, our end of term highlights would have to be our excursion to Scienceworks and demonstrating our understanding of the natural water cycle by making creative 3D models. Students put a lot of time and effort into planning, designing and constructing their models.
Grade 3/4 Scienceworks Excursion – A Day of Discovery! Yesterday, our Grade 3/4 students enjoyed an exciting and educational day at Science Works as part of our inquiry unit Harmony with H₂O. This immersive excursion provided a meaningful opportunity to deepen students' understanding of water as a precious resource and how we can live in harmony with it. Our day began with the captivating Planetarium show “Where’s the Water?” Students were transported on a visual journey through the solar system to explore how water is found, or not found, on other planets. The stunning visuals and engaging storytelling helped reinforce the unique role Earth plays in supporting life and connected beautifully with our classroom discussions on sustainability and environmental responsibility. A major highlight was our visit to the historic Spotswood Pumping Station, where students stepped back in time to explore Melbourne’s early infrastructure. Constructed between 1893 and 1897, the pumping station was part of Melbourne’s first centralized sewerage system and played a vital role in improving public health by safely removing and treating wastewater. Students were fascinated by the size and function of the original steampowered engines, which operated for decades until the system was upgraded in 1965. The visit helped students understand the importance of water infrastructure and the ongoing responsibility we have in protecting our water systems today. We also explored the general viewing rooms, filled with interactive and hands-on exhibits. In Sportsworks, students challenged their bodies and minds by racing virtually against Cathy Freeman and learning about the science behind movement, balance, and reaction time. In the Think Ahead zone, students explored futurefocused innovations in technology, transport, and robotics. These exhibits sparked meaningful discussions about how science shapes the world and the possibilities of the future. A heartfelt thank you to our amazing parent/carer helpers - Heidi, Zuhre, Debora, Joanne, Yasmin, Sarah and Laura, who generously volunteered their time and energy to support the students throughout the day. Your involvement helped make this excursion a meaningful, well-supported, and enriching learning experience for all. We truly appreciate your support.
In Personal and Social Learning, our Grade 3/4 students explored important topics that help them grow into thoughtful, respectful, and responsible individuals. As part of the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program, we focused on Topic 5: Stress Management, where students learned to recognize signs of stress and practiced healthy strategies, such as breathing exercises and positive self-talk to stay calm and focused. We also covered Topic 7: Gender and Identity, discussing common gender norms and stereotypes. The key message was empowering; we can achieve anything we set our minds to, regardless of gender. This boosted students’ confidence to follow their passions and support others. This term we also had a visit from the Cyber Safety Project where our 3/4s students learned how to be safe, responsible, and respectful online. They practiced protecting personal information, making kind choices, and showing integrity in their digital actions.
This term in our Inquiry unit, Harmony with H2O, Grade 3/4 students are exploring Earth's natural resources, with a focus on water and how we can use it sustainably. Students are learning about the water cycle and its key processes, comparing saltwater and freshwater and discovering how methods like desalination and filtration help make water safe to use. They have created their own narratives, following a drop of water through the Water Cycle and made predictions about simple experiments, such as whether an egg would float in saltwater. As a class, we also conducted a filtration experiment to explore how different materials can be used to clean dirty water and better understand how the filtration process works. We then hypothesised which materials would be most effective and tested a range of options, including cotton wool, tan bark, pebbles, coffee filters, and sponges. These hands-on activities are building a strong foundation for students to understand the importance of water and how we can care for it now, and in the future. We are also excited to be visiting Scienceworks in Week 8, where students will have the opportunity to further explore their understanding through interactive exhibits and real-world science experiences.
In Grade 3/4, we have been applying our new knowledge and understanding of Statistics and Data. Working in pairs, students developed posters to demonstrate their skills in generating interesting questions, organising data collection, representing the data and analysing the results. They have also been exploring the use of digital technology to create pie charts and bar graphs. This week, we have also begun our unit on Addition and Subtraction. Students are demonstrating what they already know and revisiting strategies learned in previous years. We have also been exploring the concept of equivalence, understanding how different number sentences can represent the same value.
In Grade 3/4, we honoured ANZAC Day by exploring the significance of this important event in Australian history. We read Meet the Anzacs by Claire Saxby to learn about the brave soldiers who served during World War I. Using our researching skills, we answered questions about Anzac Day and created our own digital slides to present our new knowledge and share it with our classmates. Students also created beautiful dawn service artwork to reflect the solemn and respectful tone of the day.
In Grade 3/4, we have been diving into measurement, focusing on both length and time. We’ve been learning to measure length using formal units like centimeters and meters, estimating and comparing the sizes of various objects around the classroom. A highlight of our learning was exploring perimeter, where we measured the perimeter of the basketball court and then created our own Perimeter Cities. Students were given a specific length in centimeters and designed buildings with that exact perimeter. In another fun activity, we explored statistics by measuring our jumps and recording the jump distances and student heights to identify any patterns or correlations. We’ve also started to explore time, estimating durations, converting between minutes, hours, and seconds, and practicing reading both analogue and digital clocks.
This fortnight our Grade 3s have been immersed in their NAPLAN assessments, working hard to complete the assessments and gaining valuable experience along the way. While they have been busy with this important milestone, our Grade 4 students have been engaging in their own creative adventure, crafting fascinating and imaginative narratives, inspired by a writing stimulus. Their stories have provided a wonderful showcase of their creativity and storytelling skills.
During Harmony Week, our Grade 3/4 students had the opportunity to delve into the beauty of our diverse cultural backgrounds. This was a special time for us all to share stories, traditions and meaningful aspects of our heritage, fostering a deeper sense of understanding and respect for one another. As we explored the different cultures in our classroom, we celebrated the richness of our individual experiences, discovering new perspectives that helped us appreciate the unique backgrounds that make us who we are. We came together with our Foundation and Grade 1 buddies to share stories and celebrate Harmony Day together.
Grade 3/4 students have been immersed into our Inquiry unit topic, The Game of Life. They have been exploring their identity when exposed to a range of challenging situations. They have been doing this by hosting community circle discussions, role plays and playing games with set scenarios. Students practised sharing their suggestions on how they would cope in a particular situation. Students also investigated stereotypes in children’s books and talked about how in our life we can make our own life choices.
The Grade 3/4 students have been revising Zones of Regulation and identifying what emotions we feel throughout the day and what colour zone they match to. Students engage in daily check-ins as they enter the classroom to show what zone they are in. As part of Respectful Relationships, students have been naming positive or comfortable emotions and negative or uncomfortable emotions that they feel at school and actions they can take to feel better. We have been having lots of fun at STOMP, getting together as a cohort to learn new dance moves.
Grade 3/4A have had a fabulous start to the year getting to know each other and establishing our routines to help set us up for a successful and fun year.
The first week of school in 3/4B has been filled with excitement and a new chapter! We have settled back into our school routines in our classroom, met new friends, and reconnected with old ones. The week began with icebreaker activities, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. Together, we wrote our class mission statement, capturing our shared values of respect, responsibility and learning. We also focused on establishing routines for success, fostering an environment that supports our learning and celebrates how we all think differently. We are all excited for the year ahead and look forward to collaborating and achieving our individual learning goals!
Grade 3/4C have had lots of group and class discussions about what we want our classroom to look like, sound like and feel like so that everyone can try their best to be respectful, responsible and a learner. Together we wrote our mission statement and signed declaring it as an agreement. We have also been playing get to know you games and activities and have enjoyed Friday Fun Time, learning how to play Kickball.
In 3/4D we have been getting to know each other and establish classroom rules and expectations. Students shared what they would like the classroom to look, feel and sound like. We revisited our SWPBS matrix of expectations and what it means to be responsible, respectful and a learner. From these ideas we brainstormed class rules and made a mission statement that students signed their name against to be accountable for following. We are all looking forward to a positive year of learning!
The first week of school in 3/4E has been a fun and fresh start! Lots of new faces and names to learn this year but already we’ve settled in with games and sharing our holiday stories. In class we’ve been brainstorming what makes the perfect learning environment for us and setting the expectations that will get us there. We created a class mission statement that highlights what the school values of respect, responsibility, and a love for learning look like in our room. We also focused on building good habits and making our classroom a place where everyone’s ideas are valued. We're excited for the year ahead and can’t wait to learn and grow together!
Grade 3 Learning News 2024
Grade 4 Learning News 2024
