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By the time Term 3 rolls around, classroom routines are established, students know what is expected of them and teachers can focus on diving deeper into rich learning experiences.
Unlike Term 1&2, which is often spent building foundations and settling students into school life, Term 3 provides opportunities to connect learning across curriculum areas, tackle bigger concepts and encourage students to think critically about the world around them.
If you’re wondering what to teach in Term 3, I’ve put together a grade-by-grade guide based on the Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. These suggestions are designed to help you create meaningful learning experiences while making curriculum planning a little easier.
Term 3 in Foundation focuses on helping students understand the places that are important to them and the people around them.
Students explore special places through Geography while enjoying familiar nursery rhymes and poetry in English. Writing activities focus on rhyme and rhythm, helping young learners develop early phonological awareness and an appreciation of language patterns.
In Mathematics, students continue building their understanding of addition and subtraction while exploring measurement concepts such as length, mass and capacity.
Science investigations into moving objects provide plenty of opportunities for hands-on learning and play-based exploration.
Why I love this term:
The combination of poetry, nursery rhymes and movement-based science makes learning highly engaging for Found
Students explore persuasive texts through engaging picture books before learning how authors convince readers using facts, opinions and persuasive language.
Writing tasks can be highly motivating, with students creating their own persuasive pieces such as cereal box advertisements and product promotions.
In Mathematics, students begin developing multiplication concepts through grouping and sharing, while Science introduces the forces of push and pull through hands-on investigations.
Technology units provide opportunities for students to design toys and explore simple digital solutions.
Why I love this term:
Students naturally love sharing their opinions. Persuasive writing gives them a meaningful reason to write while helping them develop confidence as communicators.
Term 3 in Year 2 encourages students to think about the connections they have with places, people and the world around them.
Students explore their connection to Country and learn about the important relationship First Nations Australians have with the land. This theme carries beautifully into English, where students immerse themselves in poetry and experiment with language features such as rhythm, rhyme, alliteration and personification.
Writing lessons focus on creating a variety of poems, allowing students to play with language while expressing their ideas creatively.
In Mathematics, students begin developing multiplication concepts and problem-solving skills while continuing to strengthen their understanding of measurement through length, mass and capacity.
Science lessons exploring patterns in our sky are always a highlight, as students investigate the movements of the sun, moon and stars and begin making connections between what they observe and the world around them.
Why I love this term:
The combination of poetry, astronomy and connection to place sparks curiosity and imagination while helping students develop a deeper appreciation of the world they live in.
Term 3 in Year 3 focuses on helping students understand their place within their local community and the important people who help shape it.
Students explore the history of their local Indigenous community and investigate the contributions individuals have made to their community, both in the past and present. These learning experiences encourage students to develop a stronger understanding of belonging and community identity.
In English, students explore a range of poetic forms while experimenting with language features such as similes, metaphors, imagery and onomatopoeia. Opportunities to read and perform poetry help students build confidence as communicators.
Mathematics focuses on multiplication, division and problem-solving while measurement concepts continue to be developed through investigations involving length, mass and capacity.
Science lessons introduce students to Earth’s natural resources as they compare soils, rocks and minerals and investigate why these resources are important to everyday life.
Why I love this term:
Students begin making meaningful connections between themselves, their community and the wider world while developing important literacy, numeracy and inquiry skills.
Term 3 in Year 4 challenges students to think about how their choices can impact the environment and the future of our planet.
Through Geography, students investigate the sustainable use and management of renewable and non-renewable resources. These concepts are reinforced through engaging learning experiences that encourage students to consider practical ways they can reduce waste and care for the environment.
English lessons focus on persuasive texts as students learn how authors influence readers through persuasive devices, strong arguments and high-modality language. Students then apply these skills by creating their own persuasive brochures linked to their Science learning.
In Mathematics, students strengthen their multiplication facts, develop problem-solving strategies and begin exploring algorithms while continuing their work with measurement and time.
Science provides opportunities to investigate the unique features of Australian rainforests and understand why maintaining a balanced ecosystem is so important.
Why I love this term:
Students become incredibly passionate about environmental issues and love discovering ways they can make a positive difference in their school and community.
Term 3 in Year 5 explores the fascinating ways living things adapt and survive in their environments.
Students investigate the structural and behavioural adaptations of animals and discover how these features help living things meet their needs. This creates a natural link to English, where students research an animal of their choice and write an informative report showcasing their learning.
Speaking and listening activities provide opportunities for students to present their research confidently while developing important communication skills.
In Mathematics, students continue building their multiplication skills while applying their knowledge through mathematical modelling and real-world problem-solving tasks. Measurement concepts are extended through investigations involving perimeter and area.
Economics lessons introduce students to concepts such as needs, wants, scarcity and resources, helping them develop a greater understanding of how people make decisions.
Why I love this term:
Students are naturally fascinated by animals and their unique adaptations, making this one of those topics that consistently captures attention and generates enthusiastic discussion.
Term 3 in Year 6 encourages students to think critically about the choices people make and the impact those decisions have on society and the environment.
Students explore Australia’s democratic system through Civics and Citizenship, developing an understanding of how government works and why active citizenship is important.
In English, persuasive texts take centre stage as students analyse persuasive techniques and apply them in their own writing. The focus on environmental sustainability links beautifully with Science as students investigate the delicate balance of ecosystems through the study of the Great Barrier Reef.
Mathematics lessons continue to strengthen students’ understanding of fractions, multiplication, division and algebra while measurement investigations help develop problem-solving and reasoning skills.
Visual Arts activities provide opportunities for students to creatively respond to their learning and further explore themes connected to marine environments.
Why I love this term:
As students prepare for the transition to secondary school, this term encourages them to think deeply about responsibility, leadership and the role they can play in shaping the future.
Final Thoughts
One of the things I love most about Term 3 is how naturally the learning areas connect.
From exploring special places in Foundation to investigating sustainability in Year 4 and examining Australia’s democratic system in Year 6, students are encouraged to think deeply about their world and their place within it.
Remember, these suggestions are simply one way to organise the Australian Curriculum. Every school and classroom is different, and the best planning approach is always the one that works for your students.
If you’d like help planning your term, don’t forget to grab our free Term Planners from the Free Resource Library. They’re designed to help Australian teachers map out their curriculum with confidence and spend less time staring at planning documents.
If you’re ready to #ditchthegrind and start strong this year, explore our linked Term 1 units – ready to teach, curriculum-aligned, and classroom-tested.
One of the most common mistakes teachers make during a lesson is sending students off to work independently too early. You explain the concept clearly. Students nod along. A few confident students answer your questions correctly. So you think… “Great, they’ve got it.” Then you release them to work independently. Five minutes later the room looks very different. Hands are in the air. Students are confused. Some are guessing. Others are completely off task. Suddenly the independent work you planned becomes damage control. This isn’t a classroom management problem. It’s a lesson structure problem. Independent work should only happen when students are truly ready — and many teachers were never actually shown how to determine that moment. Let’s fix that.
Independent Work Is the Final Stage of Learning
In explicit teaching, independent work is not where students figure things out. It’s where they practise something they can already do with support.
A simple way to think about this is through the gradual release model:
I Do → We Do → You Do
• I Do: The teacher models the skill or concept • We Do: The teacher and students practise together with guidance • You Do: Students practise independently
Independent work is the last step, not the next step after explaining. Skipping guided practice is one of the fastest ways to create confusion in the classroom.
Why Students Often Look Ready (When They Aren’t)
Teachers often assume students are ready for independent work because:
• Students are quiet • Students nod when asked if they understand • A few students answer questions correctly • No one asks for help
But none of these actually prove that learning has occurred. In fact, many students will appear confident simply because they don’t want to admit they’re unsure. What teachers really need is visible evidence of understanding before releasing students to work alone.
5 Signs Students Are Ready for Independent Work
Here are five reliable indicators that students are ready to move into independent practice.
1. Students Can Explain the Process
Students should be able to explain what to do and why.
Ask questions like:
• “What is the first step?” • “Why did we do that?” • “What would happen if we did this instead?”
If students can articulate the process, they are more likely to apply it independently.
2. Students Can Successfully Complete Guided Examples
During the We Do phase, students should practise with you.
You might:
• solve a problem together • write a sentence together • analyse a text together • model thinking aloud while students contribute
If most students can successfully complete these examples with your support, they are moving toward readiness.
3. Errors Are Minimal During Guided Practice
Mistakes during guided practice are normal. However, if you are correcting many misunderstandings, students are not ready yet. Guided practice should reveal small mistakes that can be quickly corrected — not widespread confusion. If many students are struggling, more modelling is needed.
4. Students Can Start the Task Without Help
Before releasing students, give them one final check. Ask students to begin the first part of the task. Watch what happens.
If students immediately ask questions like:
• “What do we do?” • “Where do we start?” • “What page are we on?”
They are not ready yet. Students who are ready should be able to start confidently without further explanation.
5. Students Can Work Without Constant Intervention
When independent work begins, teachers should be monitoring, not re-teaching the entire lesson. If you find yourself repeating the instructions to half the class, it’s a sign the lesson moved too quickly.
Independent practice should look like:
• students working confidently • minimal clarification needed • the teacher circulating and providing feedback
The Most Skipped Step in Teaching
Many lessons accidentally jump from:
I Do → You Do
When this happens, students are being asked to practise a skill they haven’t yet mastered with support. The We Do phase is where learning becomes secure.
It allows teachers to:
• check understanding • correct misconceptions early • model thinking multiple times • build student confidence
Without this stage, independent work often becomes guessing practice instead of meaningful learning.
A Simple Rule to Remember
Before students begin independent work, ask yourself: Have my students successfully done this with me first? If the answer is no, the class likely needs more guided practice. Independent work should feel like a natural next step, not a leap.
When Independent Work Goes Well
When students are genuinely ready, independent work looks very different.
You’ll see:
• focused students • confident attempts • fewer questions • better quality work • meaningful practice
And instead of constantly putting out fires, you can spend your time providing targeted feedback that moves learning forward.
Final Thought
Independent work should never be where students figure out the learning for the first time. It should be where they apply what they already understand.
When teachers slow down the middle stage of the lesson – the guided practice – independent work becomes smoother, more productive, and far less stressful.
Why teachers are exhausted – and what can change everything
If you’ve ever stayed up late planning lessons…
If you’ve sacrificed weekends to prepare units…
If you’ve felt that constant mental pressure sitting in the back of your mind…
You’re not imagining it.
Planning from scratch has a hidden cost – and most teachers are paying for it with their time, energy, and wellbeing.
Before we go any further, take a look at this:
Because once you see the full picture, everything starts to make sense.
Teachers Don’t Burn Out From Teaching
One of the biggest misconceptions in education is that teachers leave because they don’t love teaching anymore.
But that’s rarely the truth.
Most teachers love working with students. They love seeing progress. They love those lightbulb moments. What drains them isn’t the teaching itself. It’s everything that happens before the teaching even begins.
Planning. Preparing. Deciding. Creating.
Starting from scratch… again… and again… and again.
What Planning Actually Involves
From the outside, lesson planning can sound simple. But teachers know the reality is far more complex.
Planning involves:
Decoding curriculum requirements
Sequencing learning across weeks
Designing activities and resources
Differentiating for multiple ability levels
Creating or sourcing materials
Planning assessments
Preparing lessons for delivery
And this happens across multiple subjects. Every week. It’s not surprising that the workload feels heavy – because it genuinely is.
The Time Reality Most People Don’t See
Many teachers spend 4-6 hours per week planning and preparing.
Across a school year, that becomes:
160-240 hours
That’s the equivalent of:
Four to six full work weeks
Hundreds of evenings
Lost weekends
Constant background mental load
And the most exhausting part? You repeat this process every year.
The Hidden Cost Isn’t Just Time
Time is only part of the story.
Planning from scratch also costs:
Confidence – wondering if you’re doing enough
Energy – feeling mentally drained before the week begins
Work-life balance – carrying school into home life
Mental clarity – constant decision fatigue
Joy – losing the excitement you once felt about teaching
Instead of starting from scratch… You start with clarity.
Instead of spending hours planning… You focus on teaching.
Why Done-For-You Planning Changes Everything
Using high-quality curriculum resources isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about removing unnecessary workload. Doctors use proven tools. Engineers use established designs. Teachers deserve professional support too.
When planning pressure decreases, teachers often notice:
More evenings back
More weekends back
Greater confidence
Less stress
More energy for students
And sometimes, most importantly… They rediscover why they loved teaching in the first place.
The Time Value Perspective
Let’s be realistic.
If planning takes around 200 hours per year… Even reducing that by half is life-changing.
That’s 100 hours of your life returned.
Time with family. Time to rest. Time to breathe.
How Ridgy Didge Resources Helps
This is exactly why I created the Ridgy Didge Ultimate Teacher Bundles.
They were designed to give teachers something we were never provided ourselves:
A complete roadmap for teaching.
Each bundle includes:
✅ Australian Curriculum aligned units
✅ Lesson-by-lesson sequences
✅ Student activities and resources
✅ Assessments and rubrics
✅ Differentiation support
✅ Print-and-teach materials
Instead of starting with a blank page… You start with a plan.
You Were Never Meant to Do This Alone
There is a belief in education that good teachers should create everything themselves. But that belief isn’t sustainable. And it isn’t necessary. Teaching is hard enough. You deserve support. You deserve clarity. You deserve time back.
Ready to See What’s Possible?
If planning has been taking over your evenings, weekends, or mental space… You might be closer to relief than you realise.
If your lessons sometimes feel harder than they should… there’s a good chance the problem isn’t your students.
It’s the structure. One of the most powerful (and most misunderstood) instructional frameworks is:
I Do → We Do → You Do
It sounds simple. But when it’s done properly, it transforms clarity, confidence, behaviour, and learning outcomes. Let’s break it down.
What Is I Do, We Do, You Do?
I Do, We Do, You Do is an explicit teaching framework that gradually releases responsibility from teacher to student.
Instead of expecting students to figure things out independently straight away, you:
Model the learning
Practise together
Release students to independence
This approach is supported by decades of cognitive science and is often called the Gradual Release of Responsibility model.
And here’s the key truth: Independence is the outcome – not the starting point.
Stage 1: I Do (Teacher Modelling)
This is the step most often rushed or skipped.
In the I Do phase, the teacher:
✔ Demonstrates exactly what to do ✔ Thinks aloud while solving ✔ Shows the process step-by-step ✔ Makes success visible ✔ Removes guesswork
Students are watching and listening – not working independently yet.
You are answering the questions:
What are we learning?
Why does it matter?
How do I do this?
What does success look like?
Example (Maths – Long Multiplication)
Instead of saying:
“Today we’re multiplying 2-digit numbers. Have a go.”
You would model:
“First I multiply the ones. Now I multiply the tens. I’m lining up my place values because that keeps the number accurate…”
Students see the thinking. That’s clarity.
Stage 2: We Do (Guided Practice)
This is where many lessons either succeed or fail. In We Do, the teacher and students practise together with support. The teacher is still leading, but students are participating.
You might:
✔ Solve problems together ✔ Ask guided questions ✔ Prompt students step-by-step ✔ Check for understanding ✔ Correct errors immediately
The goal is supported success. Students build confidence before independence.
Stage 3: You Do (Independent Practice)
Only after modelling and guided practice do students work independently.
(and how to get your calm and clarity back in the classroom)
If you’ve ever stared at your lesson plans thinking, “Something isn’t quite working…” – you’re not alone.
Between curriculum updates, leadership expectations, and trying to make learning fun, it’s easy to lose sight of what really matters: clarity, confidence, and calm.
Here are five tell-tale signs your planning might need a little pedagogy reset – and how small tweaks can make a big difference.
Your students don’t know why they’re learning something
When students can’t explain the purpose of a lesson, engagement drops and so does understanding. It’s not that they don’t care – they just can’t see the “why.”
Try this: Start every lesson with a clear Learning Intention and co-created Success Criteria. It grounds your students and keeps your teaching focused.
👉 In Module 6 of Back to Basics, we unpack exactly how to write success criteria that make learning visible and achievable.
Your lessons feel rushed or run overtime
Sound familiar? You’re halfway through a task when the bell goes… again. That’s often a sign that activities aren’t sequenced for gradual release.
Try this: Use the I Teach → We Practise → You Practise framework to give lessons rhythm and flow. It helps students move from guided to independent learning without chaos.
👉 We explore this in depth inside Module 4: Lesson Structure Made Simple.
You’re drowning in marking – but still unsure what your students actually learned
Collecting data isn’t the same as collecting evidence of learning. If your feedback loop feels endless, it’s time to simplify.
Try this: Use quick, meaningful checkpoints – mini whiteboards, exit tickets, quick writes – that show understanding in the moment.
👉 Module 5: Assessment Without the Overwhelm will show you how to collect evidence without losing your weekends.
You’re constantly re-planning from scratch
If every new topic feels like reinventing the wheel, chances are you’re missing a strong planning structure.
Try this: Use the Australian Curriculum v9.0 as your map, not a maze. Start with the content descriptor, unpack the verbs and nouns, then plan backwards from the success criteria.
👉 Bonus Module B in Back to Basics walks you through how to plan with the curriculum step-by-step.
Your classroom feels busy… but not productive
Sometimes everything looks like learning – but no one’s really deepening their understanding. That’s often a mismatch between pedagogy and content.
Try this: Choose the right approach for the learning goal. Not everything needs to be inquiry or group work; sometimes explicit teaching is the most effective route.
👉 Module 2: Pedagogical Matchmaking shows you exactly how to make those decisions with confidence.
Ready to Reset?
If you nodded along to even one of these, you’re not broken – your planning process just needs a bit of scaffolding.
That’s what Back to Basics is all about: giving Aussie teachers a clear, practical system for planning, teaching, and assessing without the overwhelm.
Back to Basics: Teaching with Clarity and Confidence
7 self-paced modules
3 bonus curriculum + assessment modules
Downloadable templates and workbooks
Lifetime access + PD certificate
Just $49 AUD
👉 Join the course waiting list here and take the guesswork out of great teaching (PS those on the waiting list will be offered an exclusive launch discount!).
If you’ve spent any time on teacher Facebook groups lately, you’ve probably seen a lively debate about explicit teaching and Direct Instruction.
Some teachers praise it as the key to improving student outcomes. Others roll their eyes, remembering scripted lessons that sucked the joy out of teaching. So, what’s actually going on here? Why do these two phrases seem to spark such strong reactions – and why are so many teachers using them interchangeably when they’re not the same thing?
Let’s break it down.
Direct Instruction (DI): A Specific Program
Direct Instruction (capital D, capital I) isn’t just a way of teaching — it’s a branded program developed in the United States by Siegfried Engelmann and Wes Becker in the 1960s.
It’s highly scripted and sequenced. Teachers follow exact wording, lessons are tightly paced, and student responses are choral and rehearsed. The idea was to guarantee consistency and eliminate variation between teachers.
In Australia, DI was implemented most notably in remote and Indigenous schools, such as the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy and the Flexible Literacy for Remote Primary Schools program.
Despite initial optimism, government reviews found limited evidence of long-term success. Attendance and engagement actually declined in some schools, and teachers often felt disempowered by the program’s rigidity.
As a result, the Australian Government ceased federal funding for DI in 2017.
Explicit Teaching: A Broader Pedagogical Approach
Explicit teaching (or explicit instruction), on the other hand, is not a program — it’s a framework for effective teaching.
It’s based on decades of research, including Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, Barak Rosenshine (1982), and Anita Archer and Charles Hughes (2011), and it forms the backbone of many evidence-informed classrooms across Australia today.
Explicit teaching is all about:
Clear learning intentions and success criteria
Modelling and “think-alouds” by the teacher
Guided and independent practice
Frequent feedback
Gradual release of responsibility (“I do, We do, You do”)
Unlike DI, explicit teaching is flexible. Teachers still design their own lessons, adapt to their students, and use professional judgement. It’s not a script — it’s a structure.
Why the Confusion?
Here’s where things get messy:
Some advocates of DI use the term explicit instruction to describe their work, which blurs the boundaries.
Some teachers experienced DI firsthand and now associate explicit teaching with that same scripted approach.
Media and policymakers often conflate both under the “back-to-basics” banner, making it sound like one single movement.
The result? Teachers hear “explicit teaching” and think “rote learning.” Others hear “inquiry learning” and think “chaos.” In reality, neither is accurate.
What Experienced Teachers Know
Seasoned teachers know that no single pedagogy is the silver bullet.
The most effective classrooms combine clarity with creativity – using explicit teaching when introducing new or complex concepts, and inquiry or project work when deepening understanding or applying knowledge.
As one teacher recently put it:
“The best teachers I’ve met know that quality teaching isn’t one approach or another – it’s a combination of styles, adapted to student needs.”
That’s the sweet spot.
So Where Does This Leave Us?
It’s time to stop treating teaching methods like opposing camps.
Explicit teaching gives us the structure students need. Inquiry and exploration give us the curiosity and joy.
We don’t have to choose between them – but we do need to understand what we’re talking about.
So next time the conversation turns to “explicit teaching” or “Direct Instruction,” remember:
Direct Instruction = scripted program
Explicit Teaching = clear, structured pedagogy
They share a few family traits – but they’re not the same thing.
Want to Learn More?
If you’d like to explore how to use explicit teaching well – without losing creativity or connection – you’ll love my upcoming professional learning course: Back to Basics: Teaching with Clarity and Confidence.
It’s designed for Australian teachers who want to bring structure and joy back into their classrooms – without getting caught up in the pendulum swings of pedagogy.
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