CURRICULUM PYP Year 3

Year 3

General Information

Downloads

Programme Overview:

Year 3 Programme Overview
Year 3 Language Overview
Year 3 Maths Overview
Year 3 Chinese Programme

Class Communications:

Parent Volunteer Expression of Interest
Year 3 Parent Info Night slides
Year 3 Camp Itinerary
Year 3 Camp - What to bring

Welcome to our first week at school for the 2011-2012 academic year. Year 3 has had a very exciting beginning to the new school year, meeting old and new friends, new classrooms, new teachers and new experiences. The students have settled in well and new and motivating learning is already taking place.

Our Year 3 classes are taught by Terry Evans (3TES), Jessica Austin (3JAN) and Catriona Tuimaka (3CTA) and supported by our Educational Assistants Jane Andrewa (3TES), Kay Wan (3JAN) and Sarah Reynolds (3CTA).

If you would like to contact any of the teachers you may choose to email us at:
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Our single subject teachers in Year 3 will be Frank Donnoli in Drama; Patrice Valere in Visual Arts; Michael Burrows in Music; Damian Trimingham in PE and Leanne Sercombe in Information Literacy.

Our Chinese teachers are Debbie Tai, Suvy Shu and Susan Peng.

We are all excited to be working together to offer a stimulating learning environment for our Year3 students.

The Year 3 team is looking forward to the year ahead so please do not hesitate to contact us or pop in to see us should you need any further information.

Please use the drop down menu for further information throughout the year.

News & Updates

29 November 2011

In Chinese lessons, we have been learning about “Feelings and Emotions”. At the end of the unit, students were able to share their understanding through a short play. We are pleased to invite you to see your child’s joint performance of "Chinese Little Red Riding Hood" for our Lower primary assembly.

12 October 2011

Year 3 camp was a huge success! The children displayed so many qualities of the Learner Profile- risk takers, responsibility, caring, communicator, open minded. They made up their own beds (not quite like Mum does), served themselves at meal times and looked after their own, school and camp belongings. All the children were caring to each other and teachers (by going to bed relatively early). Teachers were so pleased with the way in which the children took part in all activities with enthusiasm and a sense of fun. They made us all very proud.

Congratulations Year 3- you are truly excellent campers.

Have a safe and restful holiday and we will see you all back ready to continue our learning journey after the mid term break.

19 September 2011

As we settle into Term1, only weeks from October break, Year 3 is busy preparing for our camp. The children are excited, a little nervous but looking forward to the experience as are the teachers and parent volunteers. Thank you again to all parents who offered to give their time to helping on the camp.

Year 3 students often make their parents and teachers proud by displaying qualities of the PYP Learner Profile. One such incident was brought to our notice recently. For her birthday party this month, Lucy Nolan (3TES) asked to not get presents from her friends but instead chose to ask for money which she has sent to charity. Lucy supports Afrikids children's charity by having 'adopted' a little girl, called Gifty, from Ghana, Africa. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of Lucy and all her friends, the children from the orphanage will benefit greatly. Well done, Lucy for being caring and principled.

Our next Unit of Inquiry will be to inquire into the transdisciplinary theme, 'How we express ourselves'. We will work closely with our specialist teachers as we investigate how people express their emotions, ideas and opinions through various art forms.

In English we will develop our descriptive writing techniques by using poetry as a genre for describing our opinions, ideas and emotions.

Shape, symmetry, pattern and function will be our focus in Mathematics as each of these areas is also an important element in each of the specialist areas and in the genre of poetry.

15 August 2011

Our term has begun smoothly for Year 3 with all students settling happily into their new classrooms.

Our first Unit of Inquiry is 'How we organize ourselves' and the students will be investigating how communities function more effectively when decisions are shared with all members. This is the time for us to write essential agreements together to ensure that our classrooms and playground offer a safe and motivating learning environment for all students.

In Mathematics the children are practicing their counting, place value and addition and subtraction operations. In Language our writing will focus on the structure and production of Recounts, using correct punctuation and grammar.

The Discovery College Primary Parent Information evening is scheduled for Thursday 25 August commencing at 6.30pm. You will have an opportunity to be introduced to specialist teachers and gain important information regarding the curriculum, as well as ways to assist your child's smooth transition into Year 3. We will also offer some information about our camp to be held in early October at San Shek Wan.

We look forward to seeing our parents there but if you need to speak with your child's teacher at any time please contact us.

Programme of Inquiry

Year 3 2011-12 Programme Overview (PDF)

Unit 1 – How we organize ourselves

Central Idea: Communities function more effectively when decisions are shared with all members.

During this unit we will inquire into:

How decisions are made (function)
Establishing classroom agreements (causation)
Making contributions to a community (responsibility)

Teacher questions:

Why do communities make decisions?
How do we make decisions in our learning community?
What is my responsibility to my learning community?

Key concepts: Function; Causation; Responsibility

Learner profile focus: Risk taker; Inquirer

Attitude focus: Respect and Tolerance

Unit 2 – How we express ourselves

Central Idea: People discover and express our ideas, emotions and opinions through various art forms.

During this unit we will inquire into:

Different art forms (form)
How artists express their ideas, emotions and opinions (reflection)
How art is interpreted and perceived (perspective)

Teacher questions:

What is art (form)?
How has art been used to present ideas, emotions and opinions (reflection)?
What influences our perspectives on art? (perspective)

Key concepts: form, reflection, perspective

Learner profile focus: knowledgeable, open minded, reflective

Attitude focus: creativity, curiosity, enthusiasm

Unit 3 – Sharing the Planet

Central Idea: Humans have an effect on the environment they live in.

During this unit we will inquire into:

Reasons for environmental decision-making
Positive and negative consequences of our choices
Our responsibility for our choices

Teacher questions:

How do the choices we make have an impact on our environment? (causation)
What is our responsibility in reducing our negative impact on the environment?(responsibility)
How will we know we have made a difference to the environment? (reflection)

Key concepts:

Reflection; Causation; Responsibility

Learner profile focus:

Principled –

Knowledgeable-

Reflective –

Attitude focus:

Appreciation, Cooperation, Respect

English Language Overview

The following document outlines the language units covered in Year 3. Please note the timing and duration of these are approximate and may change to suit the needs of a particular class. You will also note that our language programme is closely tied into our units of inquiry and to information and communication technology (ICT).

Year 3 English Language Programme Overview (PDF)

Written Language (Reading and Writing)

Skills in written language can be organized into two categories: surface features and deeper features.

Surface features refer to the conventions of grammar, spelling and punctuation. These skills are common to all written language units in Year 3.

The deeper features of written language refers to skills such as audience awareness and purpose; content and ideas; organization and structure and language features. The characteristics of these features differ depending on the genre of the text being read or written. For example, the organization and structure of narrative text differs greatly to that of a persuasive piece of writing.

Targets for the genres covered in Year 3 will be posted below as each unit begins.

Year 3 2011-12 English Language Targets: Recount (PDF)

I can persuasive targets (PDF)

I can Poetry targets (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 English Language Rubric: How we express ourselves (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 English Language Rubric: Sharing the Planet (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 English Language Rubric: How we organise ourselves (PDF)

Reading is a key feature of all daily activities in Year 3. Some of the reading activities students in Year 3 will be engaged in are listed below.

Guided Reading
Reading for research
Independent reading – reading for a purpose
Independent reading – reading for pleasure
Using reference books, dictionaries and web-based applications

Spelling is a strong feature of our written language programme. In Year 3 students are beginning to revise and proof read their own written pieces. Students are firstly taught skills to be able to identify when they make mistakes or when they are unsure of a spelling. Secondly, they are taught strategies of how to correct their own errors.

Students take part in a regular spelling and word study programme. They are (expected to learn a set of 6-10 words,) focus on breaking each word into syllables and may work on finding the root of the words, build on the word roots and identify specific patterns and features related to those words.

Student word lists will come from the following sources:

Students' own writing (words they spell incorrectly when writing)
Words related to the current unit of inquiry and/or Maths related vocabulary
Words from books students read
Word lists, which focus on various word patterns, e.g. '–cian' , '-ea-'

Oral Language (Speaking and Listening)

Oral language encompasses all aspects of listening and speaking – skills that are essential for ongoing language development, for learning and for relating to others. Our oral language programme provides opportunities for learners to participate as listeners and speakers in formal and informal settings. During some units students will be required to make formal oral presentations in order to describe or explain their learning or to persuade others.

Visual Language (Viewing and Presenting)

Students are provided with many opportunities to develop their visual language skills. They will develop skills of interpreting, using and constructing visuals and multimedia in a variety of situations and for a range of purposes and audiences. ICT will naturally play a large role in the development of visual language skills.

Maths Overview

The following document outlines the Maths units covered in Year 3. Please note the timing and duration of these are approximate and may change to suit the needs of a particular class. As each unit begins, Maths targets for that unit will be posted below.

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Overview (PDF)

Ongoing Targets

In Mathematics we cover a number of ongoing targets, which we focus on throughout the year. They are very important and will be regularly revised in class. We also encourage that the students revise these concepts regularly at home to keep them fresh in their minds.

Unit Targets

Throughout our Year 3 Mathematics units, the students are working towards achieving targets that show their understanding of the content and their ability to implement them in various contexts. Student success for each 'I can' statement is measured through their formative and summative assessments, a range of 'hands-on' classroom activities and observation of the student's understandings as well as independent working skills.

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Rubric: Place Value (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Rubric: Fractions (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Rubric: Measurement (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Rubric: Multiplication Division (PDF)

Year 3 2011-12 Maths Rubric: Pattern and Function (PDF)

Mathematical Strands

The Maths curriculum is organised into 5 strands. Below you will find a short descriptor for each strand for this level. It is important to note that different learners develop at different rates and may therefore be moved beyond these or be working on skills and concepts to build up to this level.

Number – Learners will develop their understanding of the base 10 place value system and will model, read, write, estimate, compare and order numbers to hundreds or beyond. They will have automatic recall of addition and subtraction facts and be able to model addition and subtraction of whole numbers using the appropriate mathematical language to describe their mental and written strategies. Learners will have an understanding of fractions as representations of whole-part relationships and will be able to model fractions and use fraction names in real-life situations.

Pattern and Function – Learners will understand that whole numbers exhibit patterns and relationships that can be observed and described, and that the patterns can be represented using numbers and other symbols. As a result, learners will understand the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction, and the associative and commutative properties of addition. They will be able to use their understanding of pattern to represent and make sense of real-life situations and, where appropriate, to solve problems involving addition and subtraction.

Measurement – Learners will understand that standard units allow us to have a common language to measure and describe objects and events, and that while estimation is a strategy that can be applied for approximate measurements, particular tools allow us to measure and describe attributes of objects and events with more accuracy. Learners will develop these understandings in relation to measurement involving length, mass, capacity, money, temperature and time.

Shape and Space – Learners will continue to work with 2D and 3D shapes, developing the understanding that shapes are classified and named according to their properties. They will understand that examples of symmetry and transformations can be found in their immediate environment. Learners will interpret, create and use simple directions and specific vocabulary to describe paths, regions, positions and boundaries of their immediate environment.

Data Handling – Learners will understand how information can be expressed as organized and structured data and that this can occur in a range of ways. They will collect and represent data in different types of graphs, interpreting the resulting information for the purpose of answering questions. The learners will develop an understanding that some events in daily life are more likely to happen than others and they will identify and describe likelihood using appropriate vocabulary.