Class Newsletters - Term 4, 2023

English

Throughout Term 4, Prep students will continue their learning of phonetic and phonemic awareness, using  'duck hands'to segment and blend words, reading and writing, exposure to familiar words, handwriting through Casey the Caterpillar and involvement with quality literature. Rhyming will be a main focus of Term 4. 

Students will be assessed on their ability to write a letter to a book character. The students will be correctly forming letters and showing writing behaviours througout the term.  

Mathematics

Throughout Term 4, students will explore counting, sequencing and connecting numerals, number names and collections. 

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

Students will investigate celebrations and special events that are improtant to them and around the world.

Science

Throughout Term 4, students will investigate movement, describe the behaviour of familar objects and reflect on their observations.

Technology

Students will continue to explore a variety of digital technologies to solve simple problems.   They will use technology to find solutions, using a sequence of simple steps and decisions. 

Music with Ms Hopper

Students will move, sing, play games and use non- melodic and melodic percussion to develop beat, rhythm and pitch. They will compose rhythm patterns using Ta, Titi (consolidation) and Za. They will explore So and Me in voice and on chime bars.  Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert.

Students will be assessed on:

a) Composing a rhythm pattern using Ta Titi and Za.

b) Perform their composition in time.

Health with Mrs Stirling

Students will recognise how they are growing and changing.  Students will be assessed on their ability to name parts of the body and describe how their body is changing and growing.

PE with Mr Brady

Students will learn how to safely enter and exit shallow water using methods suitable for the water location.  Submerge the body completely underwater and breathe out – blow bubbles.  Finally, be able to propel the body continuously for 5 metres.

Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate safe entry and exit skills and be able to swim for 5 continuous metres. 

English

In Term 4 the students will be creating a character and writing a narrative story. They will be presenting their stories to the class.  Students will be assessed on their spelling, sentence structure, and formation of capital and lower-case letters.

Mathematics

This Term, students will be using their problem-solving and reasoning to solve addition and subtraction problems.  Year 1 will also be learning about chance and probability using the language of 'will happen', 'won't happen', and 'might happen'.  

Technology

Students will be using the 'BookCreator' app to create a data display using data collected from students in the class.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

In Term 4, the students will be sharing significant events in their year, describing changes and personal milestones in their lives, as well as learning about differences and similarities between the past and present in school, homes and technology.

The Arts

Students will continue to learn elements of dance, drama and visual arts and add to their portfolio.

Music with Ms Hopper

Students will move, sing, play games and use non- melodic and melodic percussion to compose melodies. They will explore So, Mi and La in voice, notation and on chime bars.  Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert.

Students will be assessed on:
a) Students will compose and notate a melody using So and Mi and La.

Health with Mrs Stirling

Students will recognise similarities and differences in individuals and groups and explore how different cultures and traditions are celebrated and respected. Students will practice a range of appropriate ways to communicate with others.

Students will be assessed on their ability to describe ways to include others to make them feel like they belong and demonstrate appropriate and various communication skills in activities.

PE with Mr Brady

Students will demonstrate aquatic skills and strokes in a variety of movement sequences and situations. They will perform the recognised strokes of freestyle and backstroke in continuous movement sequences that incorporate the elements of movement: body awareness, effort (flow) and space awareness

Students will be assessed on their abilty to demonstrate aquatic skills (entries and exits) and recognised strokes in swimming sequences and situations.  Perform swimming skills sequences that incorporate the elements of movement for the recognised strokes of freestyle or backstroke.

English

Students will identify the elements and structure of a narrative. They will read and write a variety of narratives.   Students will be assessed by: Planning and writing a narrative.

Mathematics

Students will be focusing on the following concepts: Representing multiplication and division in different ways, interpreting simple maps of familiar locations, making sense of collected information, describing outcomes for everyday events and collecting, organising and representing data to make simple inferences.

Students will be assessed by:

a)  Representing multiplication and division in a variety of ways, and solving simple problems using these representations.

b)  Describing outcomes for everyday events, conducting a class survey and collecting, organising, representing and making sense of collected data, and making simple inferences.

c)  Interpreting simple maps of familiar locations and identifying the relative positions of key features.

d)  Constructing arrangements of objects from a set of directions. 

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

Students will be focussing on: Exploring significant places, local communities and connection to places.

Students will be assessed by: Explaining why places are important to people, describing locations and elements in communities.

Science 

Students will investigate the question: Is it important to conserve Earth’s Resources? What part do we play? They will investigate Earth's resources.   They will describe how Earth's resources are used and the importance of conserving resources for the future of all living things. 

Students will be assessed by: Identifying different uses of one of Earth’s resources (water) and describe ways to conserve it. They will use informal measurements to make observations.

Digital and Design Technology

Students will investigate Design techniques and concepts that help living things grow and survive.

Students will be assessed by: Planning and designing a greenhouse to house their plant.

Music with Ms Hopper

2N and 2B
Students will use simple Compound time repertoire to create group arrangements. These arrangements explore instrumentation and dynamics.  Students will complete their Selmer Instrumental Music listening test.

Students will be assessed on:
a)   Creating group arrangements demonstrating instrumentation and dynamics.
b)   Performing their compositions to the class.
 
2/3D
Students will use simple Compound time repertoire to create group arrangements. These arrangements explore instrumentation and dynamics. Year 3 have an Ostinato focus in their performance. Students will complete their Selmer Instrumental Music listening test.

Students will be assessed on:
a)   Creating group arrangements demonstrating instrumentation and dynamics.
b)   Performing their compositions to the class.

Health with Ms Stirling

Students will recognise similarities and differences in individuals and groups and explore how different cultures and traditions are celebrated and respected. Students will practice a range of appropriate ways to communicate with others.

Students will be assessed on their ability to describe ways to include others to make them feel like they belong and demonstrate appropriate and various communication skills in activities.  

PE with Mr Brady

Students will demonstrate aquatic skills and strokes in a variety of movement sequences and situations. They will perform the recognised strokes of freestyle and backstroke in continuous movement sequences that incorporate the elements of movement: body awareness, effort (flow) and space awareness

Students will be assessed on their ability to demonstrate aquatic skills (entries and exits) and recognised strokes in swimming sequences and situations.  Perform swimming skills sequences that incorporate the elements of movement for the recognised strokes of freestyle or backstroke.

English

Students will listen to, read, view and adapt a variety of Australian poems. They will analyse poetry texts in relation to the context, purpose and audience, and explore how language features and devices can be adapted to create new meaning. Students will write and present a poem.  

Students will be assessed on writing and presenting a poem, using appropriate speaking skills and exploring ways in which the language features and devices can be highlighted in a performance through the use of pace, pitch, tone, volume and gesture.

2/3D English: 
Students will identify the elements and structure of a narrative text. 
Students will be assessed on their creation of an 'Out of this World' narrative text.

Mathematics

Students will study number and place value up to 10 000, including word problems and number patterns, and will add and subtract 2-digit and 3-digit numbers. They will investigate time to one-minute intervals and duration of time using a timetable. Students will explore multiplication and division including word problems, fact families and representations of these.

Students will be assessed on recall of multiplication facts, solving and representing multiplication problems. They will tell the time to the nearest minute and solve problems involving time duration. Students will solve number patterns and will add and subtract 2-digit and 3-digit numbers.

2/3D Mathematics:
Students will apply a variety of mathematical concepts in real-life, lifelike and everyday mathematical situations.   Students will be assessed on investigting positions on maps and interpreting grid maps, multiplication, chance and data.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS)

Students will explore similarities and differences in places near and far. They will look at climate zones and human and natural features of Australia and its neighbouring countries. This will form part of our inquiry “How are places similar and different?”

Students will be assessed by describing and interpreting data about Australian places and identifying similarities and differences between the characteristics of places.

Science

Students will conduct an inquiry to explore the question, “Could there be life on Mars?”. They will investigate biological sciences relating to living and non-living things. Students will identify the characteristics required to classify something as living or non-living.   

Students will conduct an inquiry and use their knowledge of the observable features of living and non-living things to determine if there could be life on Mars.

2/3D Science: 
Students conduct an inquiry to explore the question, “Could there be life on Mars?”. They will investigate the effect of the Earth’s rotation on its axis in relation to the position of the sun; and identify the observable and non-observable features of Earth, comparing its size with the sun and moon. They will make observations of day and night, sunrise and sunset, and shadows as they investigate how Earth’s movement causes these changes.

Students will demonstrate their understanding of day and night, sunrise, sunset, and shadows by completing questions and activities on a PowerPoint presentation.

Technologies

Students will outline and define needs, opportunities or problems relating to the cross-curriculum priority of sustainability. Students will be assessed by designing, building and critiquing a new play space for the junior school. 

2/3D Technologies:Students will outline and define needs, opportunities or problems relating to their Science Inquiry "What do living things need?". They will plan and safely produce sustainably designed solutions, and generate and record design ideas using technical terms and graphical and non-graphical representation techniques.Students will be assessed by designing and making a 'Greenhouse' that will house their healthy plant.

Music with Ms Hopper

Students will use voice and melodic percussion to explore part-work, canon, dynamics and the rhythm element Tikkatikka. Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert.

Students will be assessed on individually performing a Pentatonic melody on melodic percussion.

2/3D Music:
Students will move to and sing 2 and 3-part canons, play music games and develop analysis skills. Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert.  Students will be assessed on: Their ability to perform in 3- part canon.

Health with Mrs Stirling

Students will use decision-making and problem-solving skills to select and demonstrate strategies that help them stay safe, healthy and active. 

Students will be assessed on their ability to identify strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing and describe strategies to make the classroom and playground healthy, safe and active spaces. 

PE with Mr Brady

Students will practise and refine fundamental movement skills to perform various aquatic skills and the recognised strokes of freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke in multiple swimming sequences.  

Students will be assessed on their ability to perform aquatic skills and recognised swimming strokes to complete swimming stroke sequences.

English

To buy or not to buy? Students will examine the persuasive techniques of advertisements and product packaging.

Students will be assessed on their interpretation of a cereal box. They will show that they understand that texts have different text structures depending on their purpose and context, and explain how language features, images and vocabulary are used to engage the interests of audiences.

Mathematics

What types of numbers affect our lives?

Students will be assessed on their ability to solve purchasing problems; connect fractions to two decimal places with fractions; display and interpret data; and convert between time measurements and solve elapsed time problems.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) with Mrs Anglim 

Who makes places unique? 

Students will be assessed on their ability to research and compare diverse places in the world.

Science with Miss Smith

Is it fair? Students will investigate fair testing to assess the properties and usefulness of various materials.

Students will be assessed on their ability to plan, safely conduct and reflect on an experiment using a well-known natural material.

Technology with Ms Ryan:

How can digital technologies help? 

Students will be assessed on their ability to describe features of digital systems, collect and interpret data, and collaborate and communicate ideas using agreed protocols.

Music with Ms Hopper

Students will compose melodies using BAGE notes and work on notating these on the stave. They will respond to music they listen to and play. 

Students will be assessed on composing a melody using a given rhythm and BAGE notes and notating it on the music staff; and responding to two pieces of music using the Musical elements. 

Health with Mrs Stirling

Students will understand the benefits of being healthy and physically active. Students will examine how participation in outdoor games and activities promote a connection between the community, natural and built environments, as well as their health and wellbeing. 

Students will be assessed on their ability to describe strategies to make the classroom and playground healthy, safe and active spaces. 

Japanese with Nagashima Sensai

Students will use language to tell the time in Japanese. 

They will be assessed on:
a)    Notebook work
b)    Speaking- asking and telling the time

PE with Mr Brady

Students will practise and refine fundamental movement skills to perform various aquatic skills and the recognised strokes of freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke in multiple swimming sequences.

Students will be assessed on aquatic skills and recognised swimming strokes to complete swimming stroke sequences.

English

Students will examine news feature articles and other information texts from a range of media. They will practice distinguishing factual information from viewpoints and opinions.

Students will be assessed on:
Students will complete a comprehension activity on a news feature article. They will also create their own persuasive news feature article, including the language of fact and the language of opinion.

Mathematics with Mrs Cramb/Mrs McNamara

Students will add and subtract fractions; analyse and create number patterns with fractions and decimals; learn about 24 hour time and conduct chance experiements and create data displays.

Students will be assessed on:

1. 12- and 24- Hour Time
2. Guided Inquiry- Chance and Data

Science with Ms Daglish/Mrs McNamara

Students will investigate the observable properties and behaviours of solids, liquids and gases.

Students will be assessed on:  Students will conduct investigations following the scientific method, and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of their topics using multimodal texts.

Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) with Mrs McNamara/Ms Daglish

Students will explore the importance of values and processes to Australia’s democracy and the roles of different people in Australia’s legal system.

Students will be assessed on:  Students will conduct written assessment pieces demonstrating their research skills as well as their own understanding.

Technology 

Students will have the opportunity to explore the capabilities of Dash Robot technologies, extending their knowledge to program using Scratch. 

The Arts 

Students will engage in various visual art activities and participate in Dance.

Music with Ms Hopper (5D, 5C)

Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert.  Students will be assessed on:

Students ability to contribute to, rehearse and perform as part of the Year level Cohort for the End of Year Concert will be observed.

Health with Ms Stirling

Students will access and interpret health information, apply decision-making and problem-solving skills to their own and other’s health, safety and wellbeing. Students will examine how physical activity, celebrating diversity and connecting to the environment support community wellbeing and cultural understanding.

Students will be assessed on their ability to investigate various health resources as well as the role of preventative health in promoting and maintaining health, safety and wellbeing for individuals and their communities.

Japanese with Sensai Nagashima

Students will use language to explore the topic of sustainability.

They will be assessed on:

a) Notebook work

b) Research and presentation of a sustainable invention in Japan.

PE with Mr Brady (lbrad101@eq.edu.au) 

Students will develop swimming strokes and lifesaving skills

Students will be assessed on: how they perform freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and survival backstroke. They will combine lifesaving skills, movement concepts and strategies to complete lifesaving scenarios.

English

This Term Year 6 will compare literary and information texts around a common theme, which may include animal welfare, pollution, deforestation or extinction of plants and animal species. Students will independently research an issue and then adapt an information text into a narrative to highlight the issue. They will then create a book for their Prep Buddies from this narrative and share the book with them during Buddy Time.   

Students will be assessed on a Literary Comparison of the book "Moon Bear Rescue" and a brochure on moon bears. They will also create a narrative from an environmental issue and create a book suitable for Prep children. 

Mathematics with Mr France

• Identifying number properties and calculating percentage discounts.
• Describing and comparing probabilities.
• Recording and comparing observed, relative and expected frequency.  

Students will be assessed on "Is it Fair" and a Mathematical Guided Inquiry

HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) with Mrs Jarvis

This term we continue investigating our connections with the rest of the world through trade, immigration, aid and tourism.   Students will be assessed on a collection of work.

Science with Mrs Jarvis

This term we are focusing on living things and how they thrive in their environment. We will ask the questions: What conditions lead to improved growth? How can knowledge of this growth help our farmers, the health of our people or the economy?   

Students will be assessed on an investigation of growing mould on bread.

Technology  

This term aesthetics, design, layout and required content are to be considered and incorporated cohesively to create a personal year book page to be published in the Year 6 Yearbook.  Student will also use excel Spread sheet to collect and analyse data for a variety of purposes.  Students will also learn coding with Micro:bits.

Students will be assessed on their individual yearbook page, Excel Spreadsheet Project and will create a new instument using the Micro:bit and coding to create soundThu. 

Health with Ms Stirling

Students will access and interpret health information, apply decision-making and problem-solving skills to their own and other’s health, safety and wellbeing. Students will examine how physical activity, celebrating diversity and connecting to the environment support community wellbeing and cultural understanding.

Japanese with Sensai Nagashima

Students will use language to explore restaurant and food industry. (continued from last term).  They will:
•    Learn Japanese table manners including how to use chopsticks 
•    Learn to describe taste of food using adjectives.
•    Use Japanese phrases used in restaurant/shop.
•    Understand that loan words are written in Katakana.    
•    Year 6 Japanese Lunch Incursion-Lunch delivery from Japanese restaurant (Tuesday 31st Oct 2023)

They will be assessed on:
a)    Notebook work
b)    Speaking-Present a review of Japanese food

Music with Ms Hopper

Students will finalise using GarageBand for iPad to compose music that represents ideas. They will respond to music that they have composed.  Students will develop repertoire for the End of Year Concert and Graduation.

Students will be assessed on:
a)    Students ability to contribute to, rehearse and perform as part of the Year level Cohort for the End of Year Concert and Graduation will be observed.

PE with Mr Brady (lbrad101@eq.edu.au )

Students will develop swimming strokes and lifesaving skills.

Students will be assessed on there ability to perform freestroke, breaststroke, backstroke and survival backstroke. They will combine lifesaving skills, movement concepts and strategies to complete lifesaving scenarios.