Term 3 Overview

TERM 3 OVERVIEW

Specific plans and more information can be found on the class webpage if you are.  I particularly suggest checking the maths section for things that need to be known by the end of year 7.  https://sites.google.com/a/stjoseph.school.nz/manuka-clas/home

We will have covered all of these but continued practice is very important.  There will be workshops this term to help parents with numeracy learning at home.

The first half of term 3 will be about gathering lots of ideas and stimulation so that the children can once again pursue their own inquiries in the second half of term.

In week 1 we will be learning about child poverty in New Zealand as part of our literacy learning.  The culmination of this is the children will be submitting an informed response to a nationwide survey about child poverty in New Zealand.  

In weeks 2 & 3 we will be learning about world peace as part of the Peace Foundation's initiative for Peace Week.

Week 4 will be a consolidation week.

In week 5 the year 7 & 8s will take part in science experiment learning stations where they will have the opportunity to do several experiments and we will be taking them to the Otago Museum where they will learn about the cultures that New Zealand settlers have brought to New Zealand to make the special mix which is the Kiwi Culture.  They will also have a learning session on explorers and time to investigate the Discovery Zone.  There will be a letter going home about this on Monday which needs to be returned by Friday.

We hope that there will have been sufficient input for each child to hone in on something they want to explore further for their own literacy-based individual research projects in weeks 6-10.  During this time we will also be reading novels.

The main focus for maths this term is measurement and geometry.  I will also be teaching the children standard written forms and calculator skills.

The HOMEWORK focus for weeks 1-3 is to write a book review about the book  read over the holiday and to complete any maths practice work not completed in classtime.

If you haven't had access to a computer that's OK but congratulations to the many children who have made interesting blog entries over the holidays. The maths holiday homework will be marked on day 1 so please make sure this returns to school with the children.  The solutions to the extra problems (for children who chose to do them) are now available on the class blog, below the links for holiday learning: http://stjoesmanuka.blogspot.co.nz/ 

Cross country is in week 4.  On Wednesday this week I will introduce the children to some self-monitoring practices for cross country.  From thereon in we will do some cross country practice every day.  Please wear PE kit on Wednesday and Friday but have a PE top and trainers in school bags from Wednesday until cross country in week 4.  If the PE top is in the wash a soberly coloured t shirt will be OK to keep in the bag.