Grade 3/4

What’s Happening in Term 2 – 2023

Writing Term 2

In writing, we will be building on our skills from last term and improving our craft through persuasive writing. Students will be covering a range of topics. They will use mentor texts to generate interesting ideas and form opinions.  Through whole class discussion and partner sharing, students will develop convincing reasons to persuade their readers. They will work towards planning and writing three strong reasons with clear examples and details to support their arguments. Students will learn to use a range of persuasive devices with greater control to convince the reader of their opinion and will follow the persuasive writing structure. In grade three and four, we are supporting students to develop and strengthen their ideas and reasons by providing specific evidence. Towards the end of the term we will develop our transactional writing skills by composing invitations, emails and letters.

Reading Term 2

In reading, students will be taught about text features of non-fiction and fiction texts, and the similarities and differences between the text types. We will begin using non-fiction texts in our guided reading groups and we will be learning about reciprocal teaching skills and applying those skills in small group focuses. Making inferences is going to be the main comprehension strategy that we learn about this term. Students will learn to construct meaning from the text by using implied information and prior knowledge to deepen their understanding. We will also be learning clarification strategies to infer meaning from uncommon and unfamiliar vocabulary contained within our texts. Each class will continue reading the ‘Deltora Quest’ series with the second class novel titled ‘The Lake of Tears.‘ The class novel will be used to unpack themes, explore new vocabulary and examine different perspectives.

Maths Term 2

This term in Number and Algebra, students will extend their place value knowledge by using number lines, renaming and trading to challenge their understanding. They will apply this knowledge of place value to solve addition and subtraction problems. Using a variety of mental (jump, split, partitioning) and written strategies (vertical algorithm), students will solve routine and non-routine number sentences with increasingly complex numbers. Throughout the unit, they will learn the problem solving strategy of RUCSAC (Read, Understand, Choose, Solve, Answer, Check) and will have opportunities to apply this with whole numbers and decimals. Students will continue to improve their automatic recall of basic facts and will always be encouraged to explain their mathematical thinking.

We introduce Measurement and Geometry with the topic Location, where students will be taught to use simple scales, legends and directions to interpret information contained in basic maps. We then move onto Measurement, specifically looking at length, area, perimeter, mass, volume and capacity. Students will learn to estimate, measure and compare results. They will also learn to select and accurately use the most appropriate measuring tool for their purpose. Throughout applied lessons, students are developing their capacity to solve problems and use mathematical skills in a range of contexts.

Inquiry Term 2

This term in inquiry, grade three and four students will be learning about Australia and its neighbours. Students will examine natural and human features of Australia and the diverse characteristics of Australia’s neighbouring countries. They will explore the different climates, settlement patterns and demographic characteristics of places and use this information to imagine what it would be like to live in different places. We will also be focusing on the 21CLD skills of knowledge construction and digital technologies when conducting a research project on a place of interest.