Hello BCPS Community!

Welcome to Term 4! We have lots of exciting learning planned for our 3/4 learning space over the coming weeks. Here is a snapshot of what students have been learning in Week 1 and what we will be exploring in Week 2.

Reading – Building Accuracy and Fluency

In Week 1, students participated in a three-part reading fluency cycle using a passage inspired by Dear Earth. We focused on reading accurately, making sure students carefully read the words on the page rather than guessing unfamiliar words.

Students practised choral reading as a class, partner reading and independent reading. They learnt strategies to tackle tricky words, including looking carefully at the word, breaking it into parts, checking whether it makes sense and rereading the sentence. We also focused on tracking text with our fingers and using punctuation to guide pauses while reading.

Ask your child: What can you do when you come across a tricky word? Can you show me how you break a word into parts or reread a sentence to check it makes sense?

Reading – Non-Fiction Texts and Effective Note-Taking

In Week 2, students have explored non-fiction texts and learn how text features help readers locate and understand information. Using a BTN report about life in Antarctica, students will identify features such as titles, introductions, facts and statistics, real-world places and subject-specific vocabulary.

Students will then develop their note-taking skills by watching BTN reports and recording important information using dot points. We will practise the strategy Scan – Read – Dot – Repeat, with a focus on listening carefully, identifying key information and recording facts in our own words.

Students will also compare their notes with a partner and discuss how different people identify and record important information.

Ask your child: What is the difference between fiction and non-fiction? Can you explain how to take effective notes using dot points?

Writing – Exploring Dry to Dry

In Week 1, students began exploring the text Dry to Dry, learning how to identify important facts and summarise information in their own words. They created visual summaries using drawings and key facts to show their understanding of the text, with a particular focus on the changing seasons.

Students also investigated the author’s language choices, looking closely at how words, nouns, adjectives, verbs and punctuation help communicate information and create meaning.

Ask your child: What important facts did you learn from Dry to Dry? How does the author use words to help readers imagine the weather and environment in Kakadu?

Writing – Transforming Sentences and Planning Our Own Texts

In Week 2, students will continue exploring Dry to Dry by investigating how authors construct sentences and make deliberate language choices. They will experiment with rearranging sentence parts, substituting words and discussing how these changes affect meaning.

Mathematics – Chance and Data

In Week 1, students explored the concept of chance, learning to describe how likely events are to happen using the words certain, likely, even chance, unlikely and impossible. Through hands-on activities and scenario cards, students practised making decisions about chance and explaining their reasoning.

Students also conducted chance experiments by tossing coins, making predictions and recording their results using tally charts. They then represented their findings in simple column graphs and discussed why results can vary between experiments.

Ask your child: What is the difference between a likely and an unlikely event? If you tossed a coin 20 times, would you expect to get 10 heads? Why might your results be different?

Mathematics – Number, Algebra and Chance

In Week 2, students demonstrated their understanding of number and algebra through assessment activities designed to help us identify their current strengths and next steps for learning.

We will continue exploring chance through hands-on investigations, comparing which outcomes are more or less likely and testing whether games are fair. Students will design and test their own spinners, make predictions and record their results.

Digital Technologies – Creating Graphs

In Digital Technologies, students have been learning how to organise information and turn data into visual graphs using Google Sheets. We explored how to enter data, select the correct information, insert a bar or column graph and add a clear title.

Students used class survey data to create graphs and practise interpreting the results by identifying the most and least popular choices and answering questions about the information displayed.

In Week 2, students have continued developing their digital skills by collecting their own data, surveying classmates and creating a graph in Google Sheets. They will practise working independently, checking their work against a success checklist and sharing what their graphs tell us.

Ask your child: What information did your graph show? What was the most popular choice in your survey?

Inquiry – Exploring the Concept of Place

In Week 1, students were introduced to our inquiry concept of Place. We explored how places can be important to different people and how our experiences, memories and connections help shape the way we feel about particular places. 

Students matched place names to descriptions and contributed to class discussions, sharing their ideas about what makes places special and meaningful to themselves and others.

Ask your child: What place is special to you, and why is it important to you?

Inquiry – Our Island Home

In Week 2, students will explore the lives, cultures and values of people living on different islands around the world. They will investigate how location can influence people’s lifestyles, traditions and connections to their communities.

Students will practise locating islands on a world map and matching values to different island locations, helping them develop a greater understanding of similarities and differences between places and the people who call them home.

Ask your child: Can you find an island on a world map? What might be different about living on an island compared with living here in Victoria?

Respectful Relationships – Celebrating Our Individuality

In Week 1, students will explore the similarities and differences that make each of us unique through a game of Human Bingo. They will move around the classroom, asking questions and discovering shared interests, strengths and experiences with their classmates. We will discuss how our interests and preferences can change over time and why it is important to appreciate and respect our differences.

In Week 2, students will create their own Identity Wheel, exploring eight parts of their identity: home, friendship, play, school, relaxation, coping, strengths and futures. They will reflect on their interests, abilities, preferences and future goals before sharing their wheels with classmates and identifying similarities and differences.

Students will practise showing kindness and respect when others enjoy different activities or have different preferences.

Wellbeing – Be Safe at BCPS

In Week 1, students will revisit our school value Be Safe, with a focus on using technology responsibly. We will review the BCPS ICT Agreement and discuss how following our technology expectations helps keep everyone safe when using devices. Students will also help identify suitable places in the classroom to display our technology expectations poster as a reminder of our shared responsibilities.

In Week 2, we will focus on staying safe in the playground by being SunSmart. Students will learn how to identify a suitable SunSmart hat and discuss why wearing one is important during Term 4. We will reinforce our school expectations that students without a SunSmart hat need to remain in the library or under a roof during outdoor times.

These lessons support students to make safe choices, take responsibility for their actions and contribute to a safe learning environment for everyone.

Ask your child: How do we use technology responsibly at school?

Whole School Talent Show

On Friday of Week 2, we will be holding our Whole School Talent Show! We look forward to celebrating the wonderful talents, creativity and confidence of our students as they share their special skills with the school community. It will be a fantastic opportunity to recognise and encourage one another.

We can’t wait to see our students shine!

Thank you for your ongoing support and for the conversations you share with your children about their learning at home.

Warm regards, The 3/4 Team.