Thursday 3 December 2015

Level 3 Newsletter: Term 4 Week 9

Level 3 Newsletter: Term 4 Week 9

CONNECT WITH YEAR 3/4

Learning and Teaching

In Year 3/4 We Are Learning To....

READING: revise the reading strategies: visualising, questioning, predicting and inferring, knowing how words work, determining importance and connecting, to develop our understanding of our learning profile as readers.

WRITING: write individual self reflections to identify Areas of Improvements and Future Goals for our learning.  Reflect on the strategies we have used to achieve our goals.

MATHS: describe and draw 3 dimensional shapes and their nets. 

UNIT OF STUDY: present our Wonderland to the school community at our Celebration morning on Thursday 10th December.

THINKING: reflect on the Curious Thinking Skills we have displayed throughout the term. 

SPELLING: revise SMART spelling strategies including breaking words into sounds and syllables, identifying the 'tricky' parts of the words and listening to and writing the words from a dictation passage.

eLEARNINGuse the iPads and Netbooks to support and extend learning through Mathletics and Reading Eggs and for research and publishing purposes.


 Calendar Dates
6th November: Footsteps Dance lessons begins (Fridays for 5 weeks)
4th December: Carols Evening
8th December: In visit workshop presented by the Don't Move Puppet Theatre
10th December: Wonderland celebration morning
10th December: Performance by the Don't Move Puppet Theatre
 11th December: Whole School House Sports
15th December: Student reports sent home
18th of December: Last Day of 2015 school year

Current notices

Level 3 Sport/Footsteps: Footsteps is Friday's Physical Education and is from 9:50-10:40 in the Hall. Students are preparing dances to be performed at the Carols Evening, and so far they look spectacular!

Sun Smart: With the weather warming up students are required to wear a hat when they are outdoors.  Sunscreen and keeping hydrated are also encouraged. We are fortunate to have lots of shade around the school for the comfort of the students. Please remind your child that we do not lend hats and or encourage sharing of hats. If a child is without a hat, they can required to play in the shaded area.

Homework: There will be no set homework for the last two weeks of term.  We do encourage students to continue to read regularly and access Reading Eggs and Mathletics.

Unit of Study Celebration:The Grade 3 and 4 teachers and students would like to invite you to our Celebration morning for our Unit of Study ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’. We have been working hard and have created our own Wonderland including creatures and environment.
Date: 10/12/2015
Time: 9:00am -10:00am.
Location: Grade 3 and 4 classrooms
We hope you can come in to see the wonderful Wonderlands.
Making News...
Achievement Awards from week 8-9:
3/4H: Euan and Tyler

3/4O: Elyse

3/4S:

3/4G: Charlotte and Anna

We are proud of your achievements and the thinking you are using in class!

Curiouser and Curiouser- some ideas to ponder.......

Curiosity and learning travel together.  We can assist students to direct their own learning by using curiosity thinking skills as learning strategies.  With practice, curiosity lights pathways to powerful learning. 
Dr John Munro Curiosity and Powerful Learning 2015
'The bridge will only take you halfway there, to those mysterious lands you long to see.  Through gypsy camps and swirling fair and moonlit woods where unicorns run free.  So come and walk awhile with me and share the twisting trails and wondrous worlds I've known.  But this bridge will only take you halfway there.  The last few steps you have to take alone.'
Shel Silverstein

What does ‘wonder’ mean to you?

The 17th century French philosopher RenĂ© Descartes believed that wonder is the first, most basic, of people’s passions (today we might call the passions ‘emotions’). Descartes also believed wonder is the base from which all learning starts. Many scientists and mathematicians still believe this. Wonder leads to new knowledge; wonder leads to searches for discoveries.

Wonder might be the start of something new.
What do you think?

How do you display these dispositions in your life?