Maths:

This term in the number strand we have been doing a multiplication unit. Students have focused on the 2, 3, 5, and 10 times tables. They have been learning about the strategies used to show or represent multiplication, such as making groups, skip counting, repeated addition and making arrays.

We have also been studying length in the measurement strand. This involved students sharing their prior knowledge before investigating using informal and metric units of measurement for length, such as millimetres, centimetres and metres. Students also compared the length of different objects and completed the assessment for length. 

Literacy:

Students have been practising a variety of strategies during the daily Reader’s Workshop sessions, such as making connections, expanding vocabulary and  students have participated in daily shared and independent reading sessions, as well as teacher conferences to guide them through specific strategies to assist their reading development.

In Writer’s Workshop students are focusing on Writing to Describe as a purpose for writing. They have investigated different types of informative writing and the features of non-fiction texts. We have now turned our writing focus to the specific text type of information reports. We have begun examining the structure and language features of an information report, and students will use their research from science to write a report.

Science:

Our Science unit focuses on Day and Night. We identified what ideas we already had about what makes day and night, and investigated stories from other cultures which explain what we see from Earth. We also investigated the interactions between the Earth, Moon and Sun from a scientific perspective, and explored light and shadow to explain how and why shadows change throughout the day. Students conducted an investigation of the effect of time of day on length and direction of shadows.  We discussed how to conduct a fair scientific test to answer the question, ‘What happens to the length and direction of shadows during the day?’ Students recorded their  observations and reflected on why they believe their shadows changed during the day.