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Grade 1/2 |Term 4 Overview – 2023

Literacy

The development of literacy skills will continue to be the main focus for students. They are encouraged to read at home to an adult daily in order to develop their oral fluency and expression. In class, teachers will be focusing the integration of decoding strategies when students come to an unknown word in the text. Reading is more than just reading the text fluently and with accuracy. Through small group reading discussions, students will develop their ability to gain deeper meaning from what the author has written. They will also explore non-fiction texts as a means of researching information about our inquiry topics.

The SMART Spelling program will continue to introduce a range of graphs, digraphs and trigraphs, as students will break words into their individual sounds and syllables as a method to support their spelling. Each week a specific sound will be highlighted and students will have spelling list words to work with during the week.

The focus for writing during term four will be narrative, persuasive and explanation texts. Teachers will focus on elements of the VCOP and Seven Steps to Writing Success such as sizzling starts, story graphs and providing detail for the reader through their use of adjectives and adverbs. They will learn the text structures of these genres, which will help, support their writing development.

Numeracy

During Term Four, students will be revisiting key concepts and consolidating their understanding. They will continue to develop their ability to tell the time as well as their understanding of measurement concepts such as length, volume and mass using both informal (Gr. 1) and formal units of measurement (Gr 2). Students’ understanding of number will be explored further through skip counting and place value knowledge. As students develop their understanding of addition, subtraction (Gr 1), multiplication and division (Gr 2), they will learn to apply this knowledge to solve mathematical problems relating to everyday life.

Inquiry Learning

This term Grade 1 students will explore the inquiry learning topic, ‘Under the Waves’. Students will investigate the environment under the sea and the effect that humans have on sea life, both positive and negative. They will investigate the difference between living and non-living sea objects and how they interact and survive. Through exploration of this topic, students will develop an understanding of the animals’ needs for survival.

The Grade 2 inquiry unit for term 4 is ‘In My Backyard’. Through exploring their backyard and school ground habitats, students will understand that living things live in different places where their needs are met. They will also explore what happens when habitats change and some living things can no longer have their needs met. Observing life cycles of minibeasts and plants will help students understand that living things grow and change. They will also identify common features of plants such as leaves and roots and describe the use of plant parts for particular purposes such as making food and obtaining water.

Wellbeing

You Can Do It – Grade 1 and 2 students will continue to explore the You Can Do It Keys to Success focusing on ‘Resilience’.  Showing resilience means knowing how to stop oneself from getting extremely angry, down or worried when something “bad” happens. It means being able to calm down and feel better when you get very upset and being able to control behaviour when very upset.

Grade 2 students will also focus on developing their independence ready for their transition into the middle school.

Respectful Relationships 

The focus for the Respectful Relationships program in term 4 is ‘Gender Identity’ and ‘Positive Gender Relations’. Through stories, games, role-play activities and listening to related scenarios, students will explore and compare personal preferences. They will understand that people can enjoy a variety of things. They will define the word ‘gender’ as being ‘ideas’ that people have about what it means to be a boy or a girl. E.g. pink being a girl’s colour and blue being a boy’s colour. Gender inclusive stories will help students to identify that being a girl or boy should not define or limit the sorts of sports or activities that they enjoy.

Students will be introduced to gender-based violence through age appropriate scenarios. They will learn to identify the emotions people may have when they witness or are the target of gender-based violence. Students will also learn the importance of respecting their personal space and respecting their body. They will learn to say ‘NO, or they can GO or move away to a safer place, TELL a trusted adult. ‘NO, GO, TELL’ will help students remember what to do if someone else is making them feel uncomfortable or scared.

Extra Curriculum Activities

As an end of year celebration, Grade 1 students will visit Chesterfield Farm. Grade 2 students will have the opportunity to be involved in a STEM based LEGO incursion.

Grade 3/4 | Term 4 Overview – 2023

Literacy

The focus for writing during Term Four will be narrative, poetry and personal writing. Students will be introduced to the organisational structure for each and will be provided with opportunities to build on their use of VCOP strategies as they develop these written texts. Students will be given the opportunity to publish stories and poetry and share with others.

The SMART Spelling program will continue to explore the range of letters representing various sounds with a particular sound focus introduced each week. They will also learn about prefixes and suffixes and the simple rules for spelling and plurals.

Grade 3 students will continue to consolidate their cursive script, and they will be encouraged to join their letters in all forms of written work. Grade 4 students will continue to develop a legible, fluent handwriting style and will become more proficient in writing with pen during Term Four.

Numeracy

In Grades 3 and 4, students will continue to develop their mathematical understanding through participation in engaging lessons and linking their learning to real life maths problems.

Grade 3 students will further develop their ability to work with larger numbers. They will learn to apply their place value knowledge when solving subtraction and extended multiplication. They will further develop their understanding of the relationship between addition and subtraction and how multiplication links with division. Students will be introduced to equivalent fractions and simple decimal notation of tenths and hundredths.

Grade 4 students will focus on money and decimal representations, including giving change and worded problems. They will continue to consolidate the four processes and students will explore 2D and 3D shapes, location and chance and apply these skills to mathematical investigations.

Inquiry Learning

The overall focus for our inquiry topics this term is Biological Science. In the Grade 3 unit, ‘All Things Living’, students use observation skills to group and classify things as living, once living or non-living. They will understand how plants and animals are classified and grouped. They will also look at the science of paleontology as they investigate dinosaurs. Grade 3 will continue their geography studies as they learn about Australia’s neighbouring countries, New Zealand and Indonesia. The ‘Our Neighbours’ unit will provide an opportunity to look for similarities and differences as they compare these countries with Australia.

In the Grade 4 unit, ‘The Web of Life’, students will learn that all living things have life cycles. They will also investigate how plants and animals depend on each other and the environment to survive. Through their studies, students will understand the importance of habitat for the survival of a species and investigate ways they can help.

The Respectful Relationships program for Term Four will develop students’ awareness of gender and identity and fostering positive gender relationships.

Grade 5/6 |Term 4 Overview – 2023

Literacy

The senior students will continue to revise reading comprehension strategies with a particular focus on figurative language, fact and opinion, drawing conclusions and making inferences. Students will take part in regular reading within the classroom where they can select books of interest, engage in class novels and reading group sessions. We encourage students to explore a range of text types and use their scheduled library time to read a variety of books ranging from picture story books, serials, and non-fiction texts. Students are encouraged to continue reading at home and record reading in their diaries.

Persuasive, Procedural, Information and Poetry will form the focus writing genres, with lessons involving the Seven Steps and VCOP programs. This will also link to our speaking and listening focus, which will introduce debating where students work in teams to discuss relevant issues. Grade 6 students will take part in podcast recording sessions to develop key areas of speaking and listening and create a picture storybook for their Prep Buddy.

SMART Spelling will focus on the term four sounds while continuing to build on the strategies of word meaning in conjunction with the spelling and plural rules. Students will follow the SMART Spelling approach looking at sounds, syllables, word meaning, prefix and suffix rules. These words will form part of their weekly homework and students are encouraged to practice their spelling words each week at home.

Numeracy

The grade 5 and 6 students will revise concepts taught throughout the year to solidify their understanding across all strands of the math curriculum; including Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability. Problem-solving activities will allow students to apply their learned knowledge using a range of strategies. The students will take part in a Talk Money incursion, designed to help them learn money lessons for life and to be confident and make good decisions about money.

Inquiry Learning

Students will participate in a Biological Science unit which will focus on ‘Living Things’. It will look closely at the adaptations animals and plants make to live in their environment. Students will be involved in problem-based learning, taking on an inquiry approach where they research, apply learning and create solutions to current issues within the environment.

In the Economics unit, students will take part in a business unit called ‘Shark Tank’ which investigates the nature of business, identifying factors that contribute to the success of businesses, as well as the role of money and work in our society.

Year 5 students will participate in a program that develops leadership skills and the qualities that make a good leader. Sessions will delve into what makes a good leader, the characteristics of leaders, looking at leaders within our community and beyond. This will help them prepare for Grade 6 and assist them when developing speeches for captaincy roles in 2023.

As part of the Grade Six Transition Program, the students will complete the ‘Making the Change’ program in preparation for secondary school.

Towards the middle/end of the term, students will be engaged in assessments in preparation for Semester Two reports. Reports will be accessible through Compass at the end of the year.

Extra-curricular Activities

Talk Money Incursion

Local Kinder Visits 

Grade 5 Camp (ADANAC)

Grade 5 End of Year Excursion: Casey Race and Casey Stadium

Grade 6 Camp (Sovereign Hill)

Grade 6 Graduation

Visual Arts |Term 4 Overview – 2023

Prep: This term the students will further develop their collage and drawing skills in
cute and fun portraits of animals for their Farm Unit. They will learn to mix paints
to make lighter and darker tones as well as using printing techniques for different
effects. Students will be able to enjoy the Christmas season with a variety of
crafts towards the end of the year and work collaboratively to complete a painted
table top for the garden.

Grade 1/2 : Students in grades 1/2 will be completing activities that require lots
of creativity and imagination. Grade 1’s will be using mixed media to create ocean
sculptures and creatures as well as using drawing and adding different materials to
design underwater scenes. Grade 2 students will be making all things in their
garden, from painted symmetrical butterflies to gorgeous clay fairy doors for
some of our trees in the sensory garden. Students will be able to work
collaboratively to complete a painted table top for the garden.

Grade 3/4 : Students in grades 3/4 will focus on Animal and plant life. Grade 3
students will be developing their 3D skills with salt dough to create dinosaur
prints, as well as fossilised amber and poinsettia plants. Grade 4 students will be
looking at representing life both above and under the forest floor, and work with
string art to represent the web of life. They will also visualise the relationships
between their chosen lifeforms. Students will be able to work collaboratively to
complete a painted table top for the garden.

Grade 5/6 Students in both grade 5/6 will be working on art that reflects
Biological Science and animal adaptations. Grade 5’s will be able to plan, design and
create an animal to add to the habitat they choose using collage materials, enjoy
designing and developing their own animal using washi tape, and create the
representation of feathers on a parrot.

Grade 6’s will learn to paint with analogous colours, refine their drawing with
portrait animals and use various tools to create textured background effects as
for a rainforest collage. Students will be able to work collaboratively to complete a
painted table top for the garden.

Physical Education |Term 4 Overview – 2023

Prep: This term, prep students will be focusing on developing their fundamental movement skills in skipping, throwing, and kicking. They will continue to develop the skills required for effective teamwork, turn-taking, and observing rules in sports. The students will be participating in the Junior School Cross Country and House Athletics Day events. .

Grade 1&2: The grade one and two students will continue to work on defining their fundamental movement skills in striking, running, jumping, dodging, and kicking. They will be participating in the sport of hockey, where they will learn the rules and skills needed to confidently play a modified game. In every lesson, we will practise competing fairly in games and activities as we develop positive teamwork skills. Students in the junior grades will participate in the Junior School Cross Country and Athletics Day events.

Grade 3&4: This term, grade three and four students will participate in the sports of cricket, orienteering, speedball, and handball. They will learn the rules and skills required to play these sports confidently and fairly in teams. Students will be given the opportunity to take part in an aerobic fitness test, commonly known as the ‘Beep Test’ and compete in the Senior School House Athletics Day.

Grade 5&6: Grade five and six students will be refining and consolidating their skills in the sports of cricket, orienteering, speedball, and handball. They will have the chance to showcase their skills in the summer interschool sports program. Students will be given the opportunity to take part in an aerobic fitness test, commonly known as the ‘Beep Test’, and compete in the Senior School House Athletics Day. 

Mandarin |Term 4 Overview – 2023

PREP

In term 4, students will continue to build on their Chinese vocabulary and explore Chinese culture. They will focus on learning the vocabulary, Chinese characters and songs relating to the topic of numbers. They will also be provided an opportunity to learn some Christmas songs in Chinese and make related handcraft.

G 1-2

In term 4, Grade 1-2 students will continue to build on their Chinese vocabulary and explore Chinese culture. Grade 1 will focus on learning the Chinese number 0-20 and the related Chinese characters. Grade 2 will learn the words, expressions, Chinese characters and songs relating to the topic of fruit and vegetables. In the cultural sessions, students will be introduced to the legends and history of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. They will also be provided an opportunity to learn some Christmas songs in Chinese and make related handcraft.

G 3-4

In term 4, Grade 3-4 students will continue to build on their Chinese vocabulary and explore Chinese culture. They will focus on learning the words, expressions, Chinese characters and songs relating to the topic of time. In the cultural sessions, students will be introduced to the legends and history of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. They will also be provided an opportunity to learn some Christmas songs in Chinese and make related handcraft.

G 5-6

In term 4, Grade 5-6 students will continue to build on their Chinese vocabulary and explore Chinese culture. They will focus on learning the words, expressions, Chinese characters and songs relating to the topic of the landmarks of China. In the cultural sessions, students will be introduced to the legends and history of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival. They will also be provided an opportunity to learn some Christmas songs in Chinese and make related handcraft.

STEM |Term 4 Overview – 2023

Prep

This term, STEM and Digital Technologies education will be presented via a range of on and offline learning activities. Tasks have been carefully designed to help students develop their critical and creative thinking skills and to develop agency in learning, encouraging curiosity and establishing lifelong thinking skills. The activities range from digital publishing to building robots and coding.  

Grade 1/2

This term, STEM and Digital Technologies education is presented via an array of exciting learning activities. The tasks have been designed to help students develop their problem-solving skills and to build on their prior knowledge as digital citizens. This term, the students will explore the importance of eSafety, use multimedia tools to create their own short films and work towards creating their own 2D animations. 

Grade 3/4

In Term 4, STEM and Digital Technologies education is presented via an array of challenging and exciting  learning activities. The tasks will range from creating circuits via micro:bits to re-designing the school logo. Each lesson is designed to promote critical and creative thinking skills and help students develop new ways of thinking, encouraging curiosity and lifelong thinking skills. 

Grade 5/6  

In Term  4, STEM and Digital Technologies education will be presented via a range of fun learning activities. The tasks have been designed to help students develop their critical and creative thinking skills and to develop new ways of thinking, encouraging curiosity and establishing lifelong thinking skills. From creating their own radio plays to writing their own secret messages and encryptions using coded language, the senior school students are going to have a blast this term!