Term 2

Class Learning Updates

Please see this page for updates on the learning taking place in our Year 3 classrooms!

Week 10 & 11

As Term 2 came to a close, we wrapped up some exciting learning across all areas. In Literacy, students completed their unit on procedural texts, while in Numeracy, they finished their work on fractions and time duration. During Challenge-Based Learning (CBL), students continued developing their final solutions, writing informative paragraphs about an animal, place, or celebration from either Africa or South America.

They also prepared and rehearsed their 3-Way Conference presentations. This was a wonderful opportunity for students to reflect on their learning and share their achievements with their families.

What a fantastic term it was! We wish everyone a safe, relaxing, and well-deserved holiday. See you all in Term 3!

Reading and Writing

In Reading, we focused on answering comprehension questions related to procedural texts, while also identifying the author’s purpose and intended audience. In Writing, we drafted our procedural texts, carefully incorporating time connectives, verbs, and adverbs to ensure our instructions were clear and effective. After drafting, we revised, edited, and published our final pieces.

maths

In Maths, we concluded our unit on fractions by using counters and other resources to practise finding fractions of a collection. Students demonstrated their understanding by using a think board to represent fractions in various ways.

We also explored time duration, where students applied their skills by planning a party within a set time frame and estimating how long different activities would take.

challenge based learning

In CBL, we completed our class solution to the challenge: "Explore, collect, and share geographical information to help others learn about different places and cultures." Each student completed a paragraph and added an image to it to contribute to a whole-class display focused on Africa and South America.

Week 8 & 9

In Weeks 8 and 9, we kicked off a new Literacy unit focused on Procedure Texts and completed some assessments in Numeracy. We've also been working on our estimation skills and started exploring fractions. In CBL, our big idea of Explore has taken us on a journey through Africa and South America. A highlight of Week 9 was the Supermande Percussion Incursion, where we experienced the rhythm and energy of West African drumming and dance!

reading

In Week 8, we launched our unit on Procedure Texts by exploring a range of examples, including recipes, instructions, and manuals. We made text-to-self connections and sorted the texts into categories to deepen our understanding. One of our tasks involved cutting out a mixed-up procedure and pasting it in the correct order, while filling in the missing verbs—highlighting the importance of clear instructions and action words. We then focused on time connectives like first, then, after, and next, learning how they help guide a reader through a sequence. Each class conducted a Rainbow Milk experiment and completed a cloze activity using the related procedure text, identifying where those time connectives fit naturally into the steps.

writing

In Writing, we explored the importance of giving clear, precise instructions—an essential part of writing procedure texts. Working in pairs, one student described a picture while the other tried to draw it without seeing it. This fun challenge showed just how crucial it is to give detailed, step-by-step directions. We also brainstormed things we consider ourselves "experts" in to prepare for writing our own procedures. We practised revising existing procedure texts by adding time connectives, verbs, and adverbs to make them more clear and easier to follow. We also learned about imperative sentences—used to give commands or instructions—and had a go at creating and sharing our own with a partner.

Above: Making text-to-self connections.

Above: We followed a procedure to conduct a rainbow milk experiment! First, we poured milk into a bowl. Then, we added different coloured drops of food colouring. Next, we dipped a cotton bud in detergent. Finally, we dipped the cotton bud into the milk and food colouring and observed what happened.

We practised giving exact instructions to a partner to help them draw a picture.

numeracy

In Week 8, we completed some assessments before moving on to estimation. Students practised making educated guesses about the number of objects in a group without counting them one by one. In a problem-solving activity the students used their prior knowledge and reasoning to estimate how many teddies were in a container.

In Week 9, we kicked off our Fractions unit by learning that fractions represent equal parts of a whole. Students practised identifying and representing various fractions, including halves, quarters, thirds, fifths, and tenths.

challenge based learning

In Week 8, we had the Supermande Percussion Incursion, where we explored the rhythms and movements of West African drumming and dance. Our guests, who came from Ghana, Mali, and Guinea, shared some of their culture with us by teaching basic drumming techniques and dance steps—it was an energetic and memorable experience!

In Week 9, we began developing a response to our challenge: "Explore, collect, and share geographical information to help others learn about different places and cultures." Each student selected a topic and subtopic to research, then started drafting a paragraph to contribute to a whole-class display focused on Africa and South America.

Week 6 & 7

During Week 6 and 7, students dove into the exciting process of researching and drafting their information reports. In Maths, we wrapped up our unit on money, then we worked on some mental maths strategies. In our CBL sessions, we explored topographical features and cultural traditions of countries in Africa and South America. To mark World Environment Day, students also participated in some activities to help them think about how our actions impact the environment and what can be done to help protect it.

reading

In Week 6, we began researching for our information reports, focusing on topics related to Africa or South America. Some students chose animals, while others explored landmarks or cultural celebrations. We used a gathering grid to record our research questions, then used search engines and websites such as EPIC, Kiddle.co, and National Geographic Kids to find relevant information. We recorded the facts we discovered as dot points.

writing

In Week 6, we used a "burger" template to help us structure our paragraphs. Each one included a topic sentence, three supporting detail sentences, and a concluding sentence, just like the layers of a burger! The information gathered earlier in our research helped guide our writing, with each paragraph focusing on a specific subtopic. We also wrote an opening statement to introduce our reports and a closing statement to wrap them up.

In Week 7, we moved on to editing and revising our work before publishing our final reports. Some students chose to handwrite their pieces, while others used digital tools like Pic Collage to type and design their reports.

numeracy

In Maths, we continued our unit on money. Students practised counting different collections of coins and notes, and learned how to calculate change using the jump strategy on a number line. The following week, we explored the mental maths strategy of bridging to 10, again using number lines to show our thinking.

In Applied Maths, we built on our learning about angles. In one activity, students identified angles on an analogue clock and found times when the hands made a right angle, an angle smaller than a right angle or one larger than a right angle. The next week, we shifted our focus to time duration. We discussed units of time such as seconds, minutes, and hours and investigated how long various everyday activities take to completes.

challenge based learning

In Week 6, we explored the topographical features of Africa and South America. Students labelled key features on their maps of each continent, including mountain ranges, rivers, and lakes. They used Google Maps to help locate and identify these landmarks. In Week 7, our focus shifted to cultural traditions in African and South American countries. The students selected a tradition to research and shared their learning by creating a Pic Collage.

Week 4 & 5

Over the past two weeks, we’ve continued learning about Information Texts in Literacy. In Numeracy, we’ve been working on Place Value and Measurement, and in Week 5, we began a new unit on Angles.

In CBL (Challenge-Based Learning), we’ve been learning about the animals and countries of Africa and South America, which has led to some great discussions and discoveries. Students have also been completing assessments in reading, writing, and maths to show what they’ve learned and how much they’ve grown.

reading

In Week 4, we focused on making predictions when reading nonfiction texts. We looked closely at the title, illustrations, and other text features to help us guess what the text might be about before reading. We also practised summarising what we read by using strategies such as the 5 Ws and H – Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

In Week 5, we explored the different features of nonfiction texts, such as titles, subheadings, paragraphs, and the table of contents. We talked about why these features are helpful for readers. We also looked at visual features like photos and diagrams, and how they help us understand the information better.

writing

In Week 4, we have been learning how to paraphrase facts into dot points. We also practised turning our facts into a properly structured paragraph. In Passion Writing, we’ve been continuing to work on our chosen pieces, following the steps of the writing process. We also learned about compound sentences and how they can make our writing more interesting and fluent.

In Week 5, we began preparing to write our own information reports. We created a topic tree brainstorm and came up with questions to help guide our research on our chosen topics.

numeracy

As part of our Place Value unit, we used number expanders to help us rename numbers in different ways. We even used them in a problem-solving task to stretch our thinking. In Measurement, we practised estimating the length of everyday objects and spaces—like a basketball court or a bookcase—using metric units such as centimetres. After making our estimates, we looked up the actual lengths to see how close we were.

In Week 5, we started a new unit on Money. We practised making different amounts using coins, then created our own Kmart wishlists. We worked out the total cost of our items and drew the coins we’d need to pay for them.

We also began a new unit on Angles. We learned how to identify right angles and explored how some angles are smaller or larger than a right angle.

challenge based learning

In Week 4, we created Animal Passports for a chosen animal from either Africa or South America. We researched where the animal lives, its size, special features, and the type of habitat it needs to survive—such as rainforest, savanna, or desert. We also explored how the animal is suited to its environment.

In Week 5, we used Google Maps to explore the countries of Africa and South America. Students received blank maps of each continent and worked on labelling the countries to build their knowledge of world geography.

Week 1, 2 & 3

Welcome to term 2!

It's great to be back at school! The students have quickly settled into their routines and are engaging in new units across all subject areas. We recently held our ANZAC Day assembly, where each class created their own wreaths in remembrance of those who have lost their lives serving Australia in wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations.

In Literacy, we have begun a unit on Information Reports. In Numeracy, our focus is on Place Value and Measurement. In CBL, our Big Idea is Explore, and we are learning about the continents of South America and Africa.

Reading

In Reading, we began our new unit on Information Reports. We started by exploring the author’s purpose. Authors typically write to entertain, persuade, or inform. Students examined a variety of texts and analysed their content and features to determine the intended purpose. After that, we focused on identifying the main idea of a text. This is what the text is mostly about. We also practised 'monitoring' as we read. This means ensuring we understand what we are reading. Students practised monitoring strategies, such as rereading sections when something isn’t clear.

writing

In Writing, we began by brainstorming ideas using picture prompts to help prepare to write our own information reports. We then explored the key features of information reports, such as headings, photographs, bold words, and more. A particular focus was placed on using technical vocabulary related to specific topics.

We also launched our Passion Writing sessions, which take place twice a week. During these sessions, students choose the type of writing they want to create and follow the full writing process: brainstorming, planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.

numeracy

Working on fluency goals.

In Numeracy, we began a unit on Place Value, where we explored how the value of a digit changes depending on its position in a number. Students practised ordering numbers, representing numbers in various ways, including expanded form and using tools like an abacus.

We also started a unit on measuring length. Students learned how to measure objects using the formal unit of centimetres and discussed the importance of using standard units rather than informal ones, such as blocks. To apply their learning, students took part in an engaging activity called "How Far Can I Jump?" They estimated how far they could jump and then measured the actual distance using tools like tape measures.

Three times a week, students work on their fluency goals. In small groups, they focus on specific targets related to addition and subtraction or multiplication and division.

Above: Working on fluency goals.

Above: We estimated the height of one metre, then worked in groups to build a tower exactly one metre tall.

Above: We estimated how far we could jump, then measured our jumps.

Challenge based learning

Our Big Idea this term is Explore. We began by exploring provocations about South America and Africa. We looked at photos, watched videos, and recorded our observations and questions. In Week 2, we participated in a virtual Zoo Workshop with Zoos Victoria via Teams. During the session, we learned about African animals, including their unique features, habitats, and how these help them survive. Students took notes and recorded their own questions throughout the presentation. After that, they conducted independent research on endangered animals from both Africa and South America.

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