Year 3 Spotlight on Leanring
Writing- Poetry
Students have been exploring the elements of Haikus and Limericks and writing their poems. Haiku poems don’t rhyme, and their particular structure usually conveys features of nature. Limerick poems also have a set structure which includes rhyme and humour. We linked the Haikus to our Science unit on living things, and students have used their ICT skills to create a final copy of their Limericks and Haikus, practising tasks such as changing the font type and size as well as changing their background.
Science- Zoo Excursion
This term, students have been learning all about living things. First, they learned the seven life processes (MRS GREN) and how these features support the categorisation of organisms as either living or non-living. Then, students learnt about the classifications of animals into vertebrates and invertebrates, followed by the life cycles, the variety of habitats and how animals interact through the food chain. In Week four, we visited Canberra National Zoo and Aquarium. We had a guided tour that allowed students to learn about the creatures from experts and interact with some animals. Finally, students had an opportunity to put their learning into action and see how varied the animal enclosures were to reflect their natural habitats.
Maths - Length
Our studies of measurement this term began with a unit of learning on length. After sharing their prior knowledge on measuring length, students worked in small groups to measure a range of classroom objects using informal units of measurement, such as paper clips, clothes pegs or glue sticks. Students then began investigating the metric units for measurement, particularly centimetres and metres. Activities included explicit lessons on using a ruler to measure lengths, ordering objects by their length and then making comparisons of objects based on their length eg. The red pencil is longer than the green, but shorter than the orange.
Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)
The unit for SEL this term on emotions comes from the Bounce Back program. Students were introduced to the topic by identifying as many emotions and feelings as they can think of. Students discussed what each emotion involves and when or why we feel these emotions. Discussions and activities then focused on identifying a range of negative emotions, such as feeling sad, angry, worried and jealous. Lessons built on these discussions to investigate strategies for how we can self-manage these emotions and move back into a positive frame of mind.