YEAR 3 NEWS
Sonia Brown, Helen Shaw and Narelle Miller
Class teachers
Posted in CGGS Newsletter 24 - 22 August 2008
OLYMPIC POETRY
Many Year 3 students have been eagerly watching the Olympic Games events and following the performances of their favourite athletes. Some groups have been incorporating their knowledge of vocabulary and grammar into poetry about the Olympic events.
High Jump
The run up is fast
Pushes off the ground strongly
Over the high bar
Wow!
Olivia Lindsey
Swimming
Kicking, bubbling, breathing
Rapid, straight, exhausting
Magnificent!
Arani Sivakumar
Running
Ready, set, go, run!
Run, run, run; try to succeed
Nearing the finish
Exhausting!
Veronica Stephens
Soccer
Passing, kicking, running
Muscular, fast, strong
Breathtaking!
Brooke Meinhart
Equestrian
Leaping over poles
A beautiful dressage test
Strives to gain a gold
Success!
Taylor Everett
Beach Volleyball
Hitting, jumping, blocking
Strong, sandy, sunny
Radical!
Peta Falzon
Basketball
Tries with all her might
Bounces the ball on the ground
She shoots perfectly
Gold!
Grace Martin
Diving
Jumping, flipping, splashing
Strong, fast, do-able
Exciting!
Jessica Taylor
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 24 - 22 August 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter 22 - 8 August 2008.
How would you communicate your ideas if you could not hear, or you were blind, or from another country? What other ways can we communicate with each other?
These are some of the questions that Year 3 students are working to answer this term. The students have so far created messages using Morse Code, signed English, body language, Semaphore and other codes. They have researched the ways animals communicate and looked at the inventors of different types of communication methods such as Morse, Marconi and Braille.
The students made their own Semaphore flags and tried to communicate their messages across the room. Not an easy task and one, they decided, that could cause lots of problems with miscommunication.
Year 3 students are also completing the last Unit of Inquiry which focuses on the plight of endangered Australian animals and the impact we have on these animals and their future. The students are going to perform five short plays for the Year 2 classes to show the Year 2 students about some of the endangered animals and how we can help. These plays will also introduce the idea of communication through drama to the younger students.
We are also looking forward to the upcoming Grandparents’, Godparents’ and Grandfriends’ Day on 12 September. A wonderful chance to share their schooling with students from the past and to hear stories about their Grandparents’, Godparents’ and Grandfriends’ school days.
Helen Shaw
Year 3 teacher
Please click here to return to CGGs Newsletter 22 - 8 August 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter 20 - 25 July 2008
Welcome to Semester 2! There has been a happy buzz in the air during our busy first few days back at School, with the students enjoying the opportunity to reconnect with friends and to share stories of their holiday adventures.
We will continue to focus on the Year 3 Pastoral  Care theme of Friendship in particular this term, exploring the behaviours and attitudes needed in order to encourage positive interactions, maintain healthy relationships, and to avoid and resolve conflict.
For the first part of this term we will be conducting a unit of inquiry on Communication. We will be exploring various forms of communication, including methods used in the past as well as those currently available. If you have expertise in using an alternative form of communication, such as sign language, and would be willing to do a short presentation for the Year 3 group, we would love to hear from you.
Later this term, our unit of inquiry will have a science focus. As part of the unit we will be conducting a series of experiments using recycled materials. If you have any of the following items at home, we would appreciate if you could begin collecting and sending in to school: plastic drink bottles, egg cartons and polystyrene trays.
Congratulations to Yathasha Daluwatta (pictured left) of 3B whose short story, Messpahgetti, was chosen to be published in the July edition of Countdown: The School Magazine.
Narelle Miller, Helen Shaw and Sonia Brown
Year 3 Teachers
Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter 20 - 25 July 2008
Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008
DREAMTIME STORIES
As part of the Australian Unit of Inquiry, 3M has written narratives to explain how the features of some animals were created. We hope you enjoy our stories.
Why the Possum Has a Long Tail
by Bella Bueno 3M
A long time ago in the Dreamtime, there lived a possum named Abodoo. He lived in a tree and he never came down because everyone teased him about his short tail. Most of the food he ate was leaves or bugs.
One day the animals came to his tree to eat because the leaves on their trees were all gone. Abodoo was sad because he now had no food to eat. Then he saw, behind the bushes, a big gum tree. He was a bit scared to go down because he had not been on the ground for a long time. He scuttled quietly down the tree so that noone heard him.
Suddenly his tail got stuck on a piece of bark. Abodoo cried out for help. A turtle named Ababa came and helped Abodoo. He bit the bark off his tail. Abodoo saw that his tail had grown very long. He was happy now because no-one would tease him about his tail. No-one knew who Abodoo was. He kept telling them that he was Abodoo. He was sad, so he went back to his tree to sleep.
The next morning, the animals came to Abodoo’s tree, but they still didn’t recognise him. When Abodoo told them how he got his long tail, they believed him.
When ever you see a possum now, it will have a long tail.
That is how the possum got its long tail.
Why the Frog Croaks
by Taylor Everett 3M
A long time ago in the Dreamtime, there was a frog called Boongo. He lived out in the desert where there was not much water. He was the wise one and everyone followed him. Boongo had four friends: Emu, Koala, Kangaroo and Echidna.
One day Boongo was looking for water. He saw some big clouds and started to hop back to his home. He didn’t reach his home in time and got thrown into the storm. He was twirling and swirling around and around. When he got out he was so dizzy that he couldn’t hop. He tried to call out to his friends, but it just did not work.
A long time later, he got up and started hopping. When he got back home, he was so hungry that he sat down where there were hundreds of flies. Then Boongo got a fly stuck in his throat. He started to croak. Boongo was panicking. He thought he was choking.
His friends asked why he was making that noise, but he didn’t know. The other frogs started copying him because he was the wise one. Then every frog in the desert started croaking.
Boongo thought it would be best to go to the pond and live there, so the next day he said goodbye to his friends and, with the other frogs, left his home.
That’s why today the frogs croak. You will still see Boongo today, but you will need to look very closely.
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 17 - 13 June 2008
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Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 16 - 6 June 2008
Year 3 has been studying the history of Canberra and students have been finding out about many of Canberra’s landmarks. In English, they have written poetry in a variety of forms. These poems about visits to places in Canberra are written in free verse - quite a challenge for students who previously thought that poetry had to rhyme!
National Zoo and Aquarium
I have been there before.
There are lots of animals, fish, crabs, sharks, starfish, tigers and many more.
Feeding the bears is lots of fun.
There is a little toy shop where you can buy souvenirs.
If you get hungry, you can buy food and drink from the café.
Beware the cheeky food-stealing monkeys!
In the holidays, I would like to take a zoocation.
Lily Bokulic 3M
The War Memorial
It holds the history of many wars.
Visit the empty room with medals of men: some are alive and many more dead.
Search the bronze walls for your last name to see if a great relative died in war.
You will see the tomb of the Unknown Soldier and feel the aura.
See the Eternal Flame which floats on the Reflection Pool.
Meet the gate-keeping lions of Ypres.
Step into a world of wars and enjoy a fact-filled day when you go.
Tamasine Crocker 3M
The Canberra Centre
I like the Canberra Centre because there are lots of shops to see.
There are game shops, shoe shops, book shops, food shops.
I like shopping at the Teddy Bear Shop.
My favourite shop is the Art Store. It has paint, paper, pencils, pens.
I sometimes go to the movies there.
It is a great place to browse and eat.
Isabella Nilsson 3M
Questacon
I went to Questacon for my eighth birthday.
One of the rides I went on was called the Track Attack.
Everyone on it was screaming, including me.
The seats started shaking.
The wall started shaking.
The screen started shaking.
I started shaking!
Jana Mikic 3M
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 16 - 6 June 2008
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Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 13 - 16 May 2008
Year 3 students have been learning about our local area through our unit Canberra: Heart of the Nation.
Some of the questions we have been investigating include:
- What was the area like before Canberra was built?
- Why the area was chosen for the nation’s capital?
- How did Canberra get its name?
- What are the origins of place names and other words of the local area?
- What are some of the significant historical, political and cultural places in Canberra?
- How did people construct and modify the environment to create the nation’s capital?
- What is the significance of the natural, built and heritage features in the Canberra region?
- Who are some of the significant contributors to the development of Canberra as the nation’s capital?
Last Thursday we spent the morning visiting the National Capital Exhibition and Mount Ainslie. We were very fortunate to have beautiful weather, which allowed us to enjoy our splendid city at its very best.
At the National Capital Exhibition the students were taken on the journey of the development of Canberra as the nation’s capital. A popular aspect of the exhibition was the scale model of the Parliamentary Triangle and the central area of Canberra, which included a light and audio show.
Our trip to Mount Ainslie allowed the students to view their city from a different perspective. While there, they were set the task of drawing the significant features that they could see. Many students were surprised by how much they could see and how different things looked from that height.
Narelle Miller, Helen Shaw and Sonia Brown
Year 3 teachers
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 13 - 16 May 2008
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Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 11 - 2 May 2008
Welcome to Term 2. This is typically a very busy and productive term, as students have settled into Primary School and developed routines both at School and at home. The students look resplendent in their winter uniform and are looking forward to the challenges ahead. This term, students will be studying the history of Canberra and a Science based Unit of Inquiry: Australian Endangered Animals.
Year 3 teachers would like to thank parents who attended the interviews before the break. These information-sharing sessions are invaluable for teachers, parents and students and allow for forward planning and setting of goals for the coming term. A question we are frequently asked is how parents can help at home and we are always pleased to offer suggestions. Students benefit greatly when teachers and parents work together as a team to enhance academic learning and life skills. Showing an interest in what your child does at School is crucial as it shows the importance you place on their learning. Specific questions generally elicit more information than does the question ‘What did you do today?’
Following up School experiences at home provides meaningful consolidation and enrichment and often intensifies students’ interest in their learning. Examples may include mathematical opportunities whilst cooking or shopping, using books to find out more about topics being studied at School, playing games, and visiting museums and galleries. Of course, opportunities for sharing the joys of reading or just having a quiet chat, should never be missed. Assisting with and checking homework is encouraged, if it is necessary. Encouraging routines to ensure that homework is completed and all resources are packed into bags the night before facilitates the development of organisational skills.
Equally important is the development of independence and resilience. Fighting our children’s battles and clearing the path to save them from experiencing the ‘bumps and bruises’ that life dishes out is quite often the easier, more comfortable and less time-consuming option in the short term for us as parents, but it deprives them of opportunities to learn from their experiences and to become stronger and more confident because of them. Dealing with day-to-day social problems and life’s many injustices results in enduring learning and enables children to accumulate a reserve of strategies on which to draw when the need arises. Parents can help by discussing strategies and allowing students to try them out, and by being positive and encouraging. It’s important that they grow up to be capable and independent, rather than followers who are dependent upon others.
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 11 - 2 May 2008
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Posted: CGGS Newsletter No. 9 - 4 April 2008
It has been a busy and active term for Year 3 students. Over the last few weeks they have participated in a variety of events which have stimulated their thinking, stretched their imaginations and their muscles too! They thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the Year 3 boys at Canberra Grammar School. Old friends reunited and new friendships were made during our time of group rotation activities on the oval. The students participated in a variety of ball games, parachute games, relays and team problem-solving tasks. The morning together culminated in a barbecue and a time to socialise. The Year 3 teachers wish to extend a huge thank you to the wonderful parents who helped with the activities and the barbecue.
 Year 3 students have been learning many new things about the country we live in through our Unit of Inquiry - Australia: A Journey through Time and Place. They have excitedly undertaken virtual journeys using passport checklists, and with the help of resources, such as online and print media, have explored both the natural and man-made wonders Australia has to offer.
For one activity, the students were asked to choose one place in Australia that they would like to visit and plan a holiday, including methods of transport and accommodation. They then marked on a large map of Australia each of their chosen destinations. As you can see, many 3B students considered Queensland to be a very desirable holiday destination!
Please click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 9 - 4 April 2008
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Posted CGGS Newsletter No. 03 - 22 February 2008
School days for our Year 3 students have been busy and exciting. Our students have enjoyed the first few weeks of term with the many opportunities for making new friends and catching up with old ones. The theme for our Pastoral Care program this year is Friendship, which will help our students to foster and maintain meaningful and supportive relationships. In our classes we have also been exploring the Caring aspect of the Primary Years Program (PYP) Learner Profile and discovering ways in which we can care for each other, ourselves and the environment.
Year 3 has also been participating excitedly in a variety of subjects with the specialist teachers:
Art - Peta-Jayne Smith; Physical Education and Health - Greg Cross; Religion and Philosophy - Barbara Evans; Music - Jennifer Johnson; French - Vicki Allen and Library - Corrie Bennett.
Here are some responses to their experiences:
Art is really fun and Miss Smith is teaching us to believe in ourselves and be happy with our work. Peta.
I like Art because we can paint, draw and colour. Revati.
I like the Library because there are lots of great books to read. Rachel.
I like PE. It is really active and really fun and everyone should get out and do exercise every day. Amelia.
French is really fun. It is really good to learn to read in a different language. Yathasha.
In Music you can learn instruments at the same time as having fun. Genevieve.
Miss Smith teaches us that we can do things in different ways. Bella.
In Art you discover you can do things you didn’t think you could do. Olivia E
In Music we learn to play musical notes on our recorders. Tamasine.
I like the songs we learn in French. Lily.
Narelle Miller, Helen Shaw and Sonia Brown
Year 3 teachers
Click here to return to CGGS Newsletter No. 03 - 22 Feb 2008
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Posted: CGGS Newsletter No. 01 - 2008
Once again our School has become the place it should be; a lively environment filled with the chatter and laughter of students filled with excitement and anticipation. Many have enjoyed renewing acquaintances and sharing stories of their holiday experiences. New students are being welcomed and cared for enthusiastically by continuing students, and we trust that they will settle in and feel at home very quickly.
We would particularly like to extend a warm welcome to parents new to the School. We urge you to read our newsletters and to take as many opportunities as you can to join in and become active members of our School community. We remind all parents that we are very keen to work collaboratively to achieve the very best for our Year 3 students, and look forward to a positive year ahead.
During our first week we are engaging in activities, such as games and discussions, which promote our School’s Quality Start to the year. Our aim is to create a sense of belonging, establish a set of Essential Agreements and thus set our classrooms up for success and continual quality improvement. We hope your children will share with you some of their experiences.
Sonia Brown, Helen Shaw and Narelle Miller.
Year 3 teachers
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