Â鶹¹û¶³

What’s Happening in Grade 3 in Term 2 2025

Important Dates:

• Swimming: Tuesday 12th – Friday 22nd August
• Italian day: Thursday 28^th August
• Father’s Day stall: Thursday 4th September
• Curriculum day: Friday 5^th September

In Reading and Phonics students will be:

• explicitly taught spelling generalisations for words following rules such as ‘fszl’ (The “FSZL rule,” also known as the “Floss rule” or “fizzle rule,” is a spelling rule in English where the letters f, s, z, and l are doubled at the end of a one-syllable word after a short vowel sound), ‘silent and final e’, and ‘ar vs a’.
• reviewing reading words with silent letters and long vowel sounds.
• learning how to make a reasonable choice for spelling words that include these sounds through identifying different spelling patterns within the English language.
• improving their fluency by reading decodable passages connected to the letter sounds we have learnt.
• participating in a daily review to help strengthen their previous knowledge and enhancing recall of the spelling rules they have learnt (topics learnt in both Term 1 and Term 2 of this year).

In Core Knowledge students will be:

• expanding their vocabulary through daily instruction on content specific vocabulary related to knowledge units.
• understanding the text elements of informative texts.
• answering literal, inferential and evaluative questions of Fiction and Non-Fiction texts.
• building their background knowledge in the Culture of Japan, Ancient China and connection to our country.
• The Culture of Japan
• Describing the geography of the country of Japan.
• Describing what life is like living in modern Japan.
• Learning about some of the cultural traditions that are still practised in modern Japan.
• Identifying the main geographical features and staple foods of Japan.
• Identifying popular pastimes in Japan.
• Understanding the importance of nature in Japanese art and culture.
• Ancient China
• Learning about two of the country’s main rivers: Yellow (Huang He) and Yangtze (Chang Jiang).
• Learning about some traditions, such as the teachings of Confucius (for example, honour your ancestors).
• Exploring some special places, such as the Great Wall of China.
• Discovering the invention of paper, the importance of silk.
• Learning about special days such as Chinese New Year.
• Investigating how ancestors were honoured in ancient China.
• Analysing Chinese inventions and discussing which inventions are most useful.
• Connection to Country
• Discussion of Country/Place used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• Reading Dreaming Stories.
• Discussing how First Nations peoples have a strong connection with the land.
• Learning about the cultural significance and history of Uluru.
• Exploring why Kakadu is an important place in Australia.
• Exploring local places that are important to First Nations Peoples.
• Learning about respecting and protecting sacred sites.

The Geography of Australia

• Discussing how the continent of Australia formed and who lived there
• Learning about the states and territories of Australia
• Exploring key natural landmarks in Australia
• Discovering a range of man-made landmarks in Australia
• Learning about the different climates experienced in Australia
• Studying the different seasons in Australia

Ancient Greece

• Exploring Ancient Greece, a civilization shaped by the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, including the island of Crete
• Learning about the city-states of Sparta, known for its military power, and Athens, where democracy began
• Analysing key historical events like the Persian Wars (Battles of Marathon and Thermopylae), along with the origins of the Olympic Games
• Discovering how the Greeks worshipped gods and goddesses
• Learning about great philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
• Studying Alexander, the Great and how he spread Greek culture across the world

Greek Myths

• Building on the Ancient Greek Civilization domain
• Exploring several well-known Greek myths and mythical characters, including Prometheus and Pandora, Demeter and Persephone, Arachne the Weaver, Oedipus and the Sphinx, Theseus and the Minotaur, and others
• Learning about common characteristics of myths and examining story elements in the myths

In Writing students will be:

• Identifying and inserting subject and object pronouns within a sentence.
• Identifying and inserting possessive adjectives within a sentence.
• Identifying and inserting possessive pronouns within a sentence.
• Combining 2-3 short declarative sentences (using pronouns and conjunctions). E.g. Tim likes broccoli. Tim Likes beans. Tim does not like peas. -> Tim likes broccoli and beans, but he does not like peas.
• Expanding a simple sentence with a fronted adverbial phrase/adverb. E.g. Without a sound, Joe tiptoed to the kitchen. Carefully and nervously, Beth climbed the ladder of the Faraway tree.
• Separating words in a list using commas.
• Developing sentences: statement, question, command, exclamation – based on a picture or story.
• Practising their letter formations in Victorian Modern Cursive font with a focus on achieving desired legibility, size and fluency on 18mm dotted thirds.

In Mathematics students will be:

Addition & Subtraction

• Doubling and halving numbers with related equations.
• Solving addition and subtraction problems using bar models.

Multiplication & Division

• Skip counting, making arrays, and writing repeated addition.
• Using bar models and mathematical modelling for multiplication.
• Identifying units in multiplicative problems.

Sharing & Grouping

• Exploring the difference between sharing and grouping.
• Representing grouping with arrays and repeated subtraction.
• Modelling remainders and solving division problems in various ways.

2D Shapes, Polygons and 3D objects

• Identifying, describing, and using two-dimensional shapes.
• Combining, splitting, rotating, and problem-solving with shapes.
• Recognising and sorting regular and irregular polygons and features like parallel lines.
• Identifying, describing, and sorting three-dimensional objects and their features.

In Inquiry students will be:

• Using a play-based approach to show case what they have learnt within the Core Knowledge units.

Wellbeing:

We will be using the Respectful Relationships program.

Students will engage in lessons looking at Help Seeking strategies and Positive Gender Relations.

Smiling Minds is a tool that will be used alongside the Respectful Relationships program to further develop skills to support their social and emotional wellbeing.

Â鶹¹û¶³ Learning:

In addition to supporting your child to complete the Expected Â鶹¹û¶³ Learning tasks each week, you may also like to encourage your child to select one or more of the following tasks:

• Encourage your child to read aloud to you to assist them with fluency and expression and ask questions about what they are reading to ensure comprehension of the text.
• Keep a holiday diary/journal to write about the weekend, events or special days during the term. Focus on using boundary punctuation, conjunctions, adverbs, adjectives, correct letter formation and finger spaces.
• Play Mathematics games (cards/dice) to revise counting, addition, and subtraction skills.
• Use cooking as an opportunity to discuss measurement, fractions, and time.
• Support your child to continue to use a growth mindset when faced with challenges or new experiences.