This year, students in Year 3 have had the opportunity to engage in an exciting array of class projects expanding across Key Learning Areas, while also developing connections with students across the globe.
Throughout Term 3, students focussed on Australia’s Neighbours as part of their Geography studies. Classes were fortunate to make connections with a School in Vanuatu through Primary School French Teacher, Christine Moore, who had previously spent time teaching in the country. Christine developed a learning partnership for our Year 3 students with Malatia Primary in North Efate in Vanuatu. This connection gave our students insight and understanding into how our neighbouring students live and learn as they undertook a virtual excursion to Vanuatu. Students in 3G worked collaboratively to produce an informative book about ‘Living and Learning in Port Macquarie’ to send to their peers at Malatia.
Also this term, students have been learning about financial literacy and performing transactions with money as part of their work in Mathematics. Each class created a Class Economy where students spent money to mimic the real world. Students earned money for being at school, bringing their diaries and library bags, completing chores and behaving in accordance with SCAS values.
While gaining money, students also incurred costs including paying their teacher, renting or buying their desks, and fines for making poor choices. All transactions are reported and a class ‘banker’ managed the process. To further expand their knowledge students investigated how money is earned and spent in places around the world. Year 3 was able to draw on their link to Malatia Primary School to learn how their students earn and spend. There were many interesting comparisons drawn between our students’ lives and those at Malatia Primary School, notably that students in Vanuatu do chores in their homes as part of their responsibilities and never expect to be paid or earn pocket money for this work.
