Summer 2 - Week 7

In our last week of Year 3, we got to celebrate the end of our Egyptian learning with an immersion day! We experienced an authentic Egyptian climate with temperatures nearing 40 degrees in the classroom. Our day started with a catwalk where children were able to show their costumes through freeze frames. The first activity was mummifying a tomato to simulate preparing a body for the afterlife and preserving it forever. The children enjoyed scooping out the flesh, before cleaning and covering it in salt. The tomatoes have been passed up to Year 4 for the children to uncover in September! We also created Lego pyramids, Clay amulets and even made Egyptian bread later in the week.

On Tuesday, our maths learning about capacity and volume took a practical approach and we used the weather as a great excuse to explore this through water! Children used different sized containers to predict, measure and test the capacity of different shaped and sized containers. It was interesting to see how the shape of a container changed the amount of liquid it could hold.

In English, the children wrote a diary entry about our Egyptian day, recounting the main events and including their feelings on the day. We were so pleased with how well the children used their learning to become reflective writers, informing and engaging the reader!

As historians, the children created a double-page spread to display all their learning about Ancient Egyptian civilisation. Not only did they use their learning, but also their research and presentation skills to showcase their new-found knowledge. 

To end our time in Year 3, our class treat was whole year group water balloons on the playground, followed by PE games on the field. A lot of fun was had by all, even the adults ended the morning soaking wet! We hope you have a wonderful summer break and we want to thank you once again for all your cards, gifts and well wishes!

The Year 3 Team 

Summer 2  - Week 5 & 6

This week we have began a new topic about the properties of 2D and 3D shapes. We explored different lines (horizontal and vertical), differentiating between and spotting them in the environment around us. We later looked at acute, right and obtuse angles, searching and labelling them in 2D shapes. As we explored 3D shapes, children looked at the faces, vertices and edges as a way of describing a shape they were thinking of. We then had a go at drawing them and constructing shapes using nets.

In English, we brought our 'change story' writing unit to a close with children producing  some excellent outcomes, inspired by the Egyptian Cinderella. There were some creative twists on the classic tale and background knowledge was used by the children to up-level and develop their own writing. 

In history this week, we look at the Ancient Egyptian hierarchy system. It was interesting to see which jobs the children would like themselves and discuss which they believed to be the most important/powerful. Although the Pharaoh began as the most sort-after job role, we quickly realised that with great power comes great responsibility and the children changed their minds. We ended the day with a lot of craftsmen and farmers, as children noted the importance of food being grown for survival and their creative skills.

In science, we completed our learning about light and shadow by putting on shadow-puppet shows. In English, the children wrote their own playscripts and in DT they created their own puppets. On Monday, some children from Butterfly class came to watch the show and were fantastic audience members! 

We look forward to celebrating our Ancient Egyptian day on Monday 18th July, where children will be immersed in a day of Egyptian learning. Although dressing up is encouraged, home-made costumes and simple 'explorer' outfits made up of shorts and t-shirts will be more than sufficient. 

Have a lovely week! 

Summer 2 - Week 3 & 4

Summer 2  - Week 1 & 2

Welcome back for our last half term in Year 3 - the time has really flown and we hope that this half term will be the best one yet!

Our big question 'Why was the Ancient Egyptian civilisation so important?' has been met with much enthusiasm - the children are very engaged with this and have generated lots of questions. We will be answering these as we go and encourage children to investigate at home as well. 

In English we are looking at The Egyptian Cinderella, the children have learned the model text, acted out the story and have created a feelings graph about the main character Rhodopis. We look forward to exploring this further before they create their own version.

As historians we used our knowledge of chronology to plot key events on a timeline, comparing and contrasting The Stone Age with Ancient Egypt. The children found in interesting to see how different life was like for these two civilisations living during the same time period. We also managed to borrow a loan box from Chertsey Museum containing lots of Egyptian artefacts. Creating our own museum, children explored the replicas, deciding if they were primary or secondary sources and analysing what we learnt from them.

As mathematicians we have continued looking at time, exploring the concept of a.m. and p.m. and looking at the 24-hour clock. The home learning this week reflects our learning so far and we would encourage you to test the children in telling the time as much as you can! Make it fun - the more practice they get, the better!

We have also discussed E-Safety and the importance of checking the validity of websites and ensuring the children check with an adult if they are searching for information online.

We hope you enjoy the summer fair!

The Year 3 Team

Summer 1 - Week 6

Our week started off in a timely fashion with our new measurement topic of time! We had a recap of half past and quarter to – then moved on to days of the week, months of the year and knowing how many hours are in a day. This is something we would really like you to practice at home before we move on after half term to telling time to the minute.

Our budding journalists have now completed a newspaper report, we have been very impressed with their catchy headlines and captivating captions. We look forward to being able to showcase their work when you come in to class later in the year.

Our RE focus has been understanding the importance of the Synagogue and the children had a virtual tour! They were then able to discuss the most important areas of the synagogue and why.

We have also focussed on the importance of the River Thames both historically and geographically, finishing a local area map and moving on to discuss the changes in Sunbury over time. It was fascinating to compare a map of the 1890’s to modern day Sunbury and many of the children were able to recognise where they live and locate our school.

Jubilee celebrations have been enjoyed by all, a huge school picnic on the field was followed by everyone sharing their class song! Our rendition of ‘I’m still standing’ was enjoyed by all!

We hope you have a fantastic and restful break and we look forward to the final half term of this year!

The Year 3 Team

Summer 1 - Week 4

We have had a full week of learning this week. A firm favourite was our computing lesson, with the children setting up a graph and entering data. They have requested more lessons on this so it would be nice if they could log on to Purple Mash at home and show you!

In English we are continuing to be investigative journalists, the children created a backstory about a character based on an item they discovered in a sand tray. We had a fantastic range of ideas from scuba divers who had lost their compass, to tour guides who had lost their keys. 

Maths continues to focus on fractions, first we looked at fractions of amounts, then we moved onto looking at equivalent fractions, remembering that the bigger the denominator the smaller the fraction! We hope you enjoy the home learning investigation.

In history this week we looked at the history of The River Thames and the important events that have happened. The children used their knowledge of chronology and created a timeline to show their learning.

During our geography lesson we were fortunate to have a talk from Thames Water, regarding both The Water Cycle and how the water is cleaned in order for us to drink it - apparently Thames Water tastes better than bottled water!! The children took part in a Kahoot quiz to test their knowledge which was great fun.

We would like to wish you all a restful and sunny weekend!

The Year 3 Team

SAYERS CROFT!!

Year 3 had a fantastic time at Sayers Croft. Here is a snippet of our fun-packed few days - more to follow! We were extremely impressed with each and every child who came with us. The resilience, bravery, positive attitudes and can-do approach to every activity allowed the children to make the most of their experience.

Summer 1 - Week 1

We began the new term by asking our BIG question 'Can you drink a cup of water from the Thames?'. Our topic this half term will be exploring rivers, their journey to the sea and how water is moved around the Earth. On Tuesday, we looked at a sample of water from the River Thames, discussed how clean it was and intend to observe any changes as the term progresses. 

In maths we have continued to develop our knowledge of fractions, discovering that in order to make a whole, the numerator and denominator must be the same. We then introduced tenths on a number line and learnt what happened after you make one whole.

In English we are focussing on poetry and linking this to our rivers topic. The children identified different features of poetry, performed a selection of famous poems and wrote their own verses using onomatopoeia. 

As scientists, we began to explore the water cycle with a fun song/dance whilst creating our own versions in a plastic bottle. The children then used this knowledge to create a scientific diagram and make predictions about what might happen to their water cycle in a bottle. 

Year 3 worked in small groups to identify and map out the features of a river, following its journey from source to mouth. Finally we introduced the children to the technique of tie-dying in Art and DT as a way of expression through clothing. Everyone designed their own t-shirts that we will be producing next week!

Have a nice weekend 

Spring 2 - Week 6

What a lovely end to a busy half term!

Monday morning saw the children creating their own pizzas - we first looked at the origin of pizza and why it was so popular. The finished products were very impressive and we hope that the children enjoyed eating them when they got home!

The children have really enjoyed exploring their different European Countries. This week they have finished their google slides presentations answering our Big Question ' Where in Europe would make the best holiday destination'? They showed great team work during these lessons and have really worked well together. 

During English the children  finished their leaflets and took great pride in sharing these with Year Two. It was lovely to see how engaged they were and also how sensible sharing the knowledge they have gained.

In our last History lesson of the term - the Museum came to us! We had several artefacts from the Stone age through to the Iron Age. The children were asked to identify these artefacts and describe them noting what they might have been used for and what period they were from. They were very successful, which shows how well they have retained the learning.

Our maths learning has continued with fractions, we have looked at how a half and two quarters are the same using problem solving questions to explore this further.

We would like to wish you a restful break.

The Year 3 Team 

Spring 2 - Week 5

The children have enthusiastically continued to create their google slides presentations on the European country of their choice. We look forward to seeing the finished article next week!

On the same theme our Geography lessons have focused on research skills and looking up key information about our chosen country, we have used Maps and atlases to inform us about the landscape and topography as well as websites and books to look up facts such as population and culture.

As mathematicians we have continued to look at fractions, we have covered halves,quarters and thirds and are now moving on to knowing the difference between unit and non unit fractions.

In our last science lesson of the half term we explored how magnets both attract and repel each other and  investigated how magnetic forces work.

We very much enjoyed meeting you all on Friday at our parents consultations, remember please do contact us if you have any questions.

The year 3 team.

Spring 2 - Week 4

British Science Week has been fantastic and we have enjoyed hearing and seeing this week's home learning. The children learnt about a wide range of scientists and all presented their research in different ways. Thank you for all the help and support at home - it is greatly appreciated!

In maths we began to explore fractions, revisiting our knowledge of recognising equal and unequal parts. We used a range of practical resources to show this including paper, counters, cubes and Numicon.

English this week has focused on the features of an information leaflet. The children will be producing their own in the coming weeks and showcasing them to year 2. The theme will be European countries, so their Geography learning will help to produce something we are sure will be very informative for our year 2 children.

Science has been a big focus this week as we have continued to explore forces and magnets. Year 3 investigated which materials are magnet and why. A topic of conversation was sparked by some coins being magnetic and some not. Ask the children what we found out!

Our budding artists have created a piece based on the work by Joan Miro, it has been really lovely to see their imaginations run wild. This contrasted very much with the work they created previously. It was nice to have a discussion based on the art they like and why.

On Wednesday this week, we joined local schools by dedicating a day for Ukraine. The questions and messages written by the children were both moving and heartfelt - we were extremely impressed by their maturity!

We hope you have a great weekend and enjoy the sunshine 

Sping 2 - Week 3

This week we have been focussing on innovating our model text, following the structure but including our own ideas. Our grammar focuses have been to include fronted adverbials and subordinate clauses as a way of increasing the description in our writing. As mathematicians, we have continued to explore length, with a particular emphasis on perimeter – children have enjoyed investigating the perimeter of classroom objects with a variety of measuring tools including string, rulers metre sticks and tape measures.

As artists, we have continued to learn about European artists, placing an emphasis on abstract art. This week, we learnt about Joan Miro and how he used colour and shapes (inspired by Picasso) to create his pieces. The children expressed themselves by creating their own works of art in his style.

In history, we have continued to explore the Bronze Age, using subheadings as a way of categorising and organising information. It was lovely to see how the children chose to present their ideas as well as making comparisons between their modern-day lives. In RSHE we have been continuing to develop our knowledge of a healthy lifestyle. The children discussed their fitness goals and we then investigated food packaging to find out about their calorie, sugar and fat content. We were shocked to discover the high sugar content in some of our favourite snacks!

As scientists, we have been exploring magnetism further, constructing our own scientific enquiries to plan and test our theories! The children worked as a team to conduct fair tests and then reflected on their results afterwards. In preparation for British Science Week, we have asked the children to research a famous scientist of their choice. How they wish to present their new knowledge is up to them – we look forward to hearing all about it!

Have a lovely weekend 

Spring 2 - Week 2

We began the week recapping the children's prior knowledge of measuring length, exploring equivalent lengths and have had fun measuring items in the classroom.

In English we have continued to learn our model text, using drama to infer a characters feelings throughout a story and how writers can show this using exciting vocabulary.

As scientists this week, we continued to explore forces and identified them at work. We thought of our own scientific enquires and designed an experiment to test our theories, ensuing we will carry out a fair test. Stay tuned to find out if our predictions were correct next week!

Our journey through pre-history has taken us to the Bronze Age, where we looked at how we can use our inference skills to investigate how a person would have lived based on how they were buried and what with.

Book week has been great fun this week. We have begun each day with a different book-themed activity, making bookmarks, creating character selfies and word searches. On World Book Day itself, we loved seeing how much effort the children made with their costumes and the creativity shown in making their wooden spoon characters. 

Hope you have a lovely weekend!

Spring 2 - Week 1

We welcomed Year 3 back as passengers on a Chennestone Airline flight to Europe. We began the week by filling in our passport details, exploring the emergency exits and taking off on our brand new topic, 'Where in Europe would make the best holiday destination?'. 

As geographers, we completed a grid sharing our current knowledge of Europe and then asked insightful questions about what we want to know which will shape our learning over the next few weeks. We used atlases to locate and label European countries, their capital cities and the oceans around them. In history, we began learning about The Bronze Age using our knowledge of The Stone Age to work out how the period of time got its name. We also learnt how to extract metal ores from rocks, mixing tin and copper together to make bronze!

In English, we began to learn a new model text about Jenny's adventure across the globe in a hot air balloon - ask your children if they can retell the story to you at home! We then focussed on adding description to our writing using carefully selected adjectives and extending our sentences by using subordinate clauses. 

In maths, we have been learning all about money this week. We began by converting pounds into pence, using our knowledge of exchanging to help us. Following a selection of lessons on adding and subtracting money, Year 3 opened up their very own shop to practice buying items, giving and receiving change! Any opportunities to experience this when out and about at the shops would be fantastic!

As artist we have looked at the work of Vincent Van Gogh and used this to inspire us to plan a piece depicting a European landmark. We will create the final outcome next week.

We hope you have a lovely weekend and look forward to Book Week 

Week 6

This week, our focus in maths has been solving word problems. We have recognised the importance of highlighting key information to help work out which operation to use and what method is the most efficient. Some of the word problems we have explored contained more than one step, so we also looked at using the inverse and estimating to check our answers!

In English, we have continued to explore the features of instruction writing and have written step-by-step guides on how to make a clay pot, Stone Age weapons/tools and cave art. Our Stone Age day was a fantastic success, children created clay pots, cave art, weapons, tools and even got to sample some foods that would've been eaten in the Stone Age (see pictures below). We also explored rhythm and beat in music, putting out own spin on the classic song 'We Will Rock You'. In science, we compared a typical Stone Age diet to a modern-day diet, exploring the similarities and differences. It was interesting to categorise each item into food groups as well as looking at the nutritional value.

As it has also been Children's Mental Health Week, we have taken time to reflect on what makes us happy and calm. This linked really nicely with our RSHE learning this week where children have worked in groups to design a garden for a person facing a challenge. The children thought long and hard about both physical and hidden challenges. After 3 lessons of planning, each group presented their garden to the rest of the class, explaining the reasons behind each feature. We were impressed with the children's ability to empathise with the needs of others.

Have a lovely half term! 

Week 5

We started the week by excavating our fossils from last week. The children used 'tools' to carefully uncover their treasures to reveal secrets of the past. In maths, our focus was on representing data in the form of tally charts, pictograms and bar charts. We also created our own charts based on our dice investigation. In English, we began to look at the features of instruction writing inspired by 'How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth'. As a year group, we decided the instructions were quite simple, so we have up-levelled them using more complex vocabulary. As scientists, we observed the ground beneath our feet, showing the different layers of soil and exploring how it is created. A highlight of the week was Biscuit-henge! We created our own versions of the famous landmark out of biscuits and explored the history of its creation.

Have a lovely weekend :-)

Week 4

We kicked off the week with our virtual Stone Age workshop, this both reinforced prior learning and developed our understanding further. Children used this new information as well as researching additional facts to showcase their knowledge through excellent mind maps in History. Our maths learning has moved on to division with remainders, we had great fun showing this by creating shapes with lolly sticks. Science has built on Year 2 knowledge of fossils, particularly focusing on the fossilisation process. Children used their learning about the properties of rock types to predict where most fossils are found. By applying their understanding of how a sedimentary rock is formed, children replicated this process in an experiment to create our own fossils... We look forward to excavating these next week! See the below photos for examples of our our learning this week!

We hope you have a lovely weekend! 

Week 3

What a fabulous week we have had in Year 3! From exploring how people lived in the Stone Age to looking at the differences between natural and man-made rocks and thinking about their uses. In Maths we have been practicing using the part-whole model and short multiplication to help us work out a variety of questions. In RSHE we have thought about our goals and how we might achieve them. Our English lessons have been great fun and we have uploaded a sound file below for you to hear the children performing our model text, listen out for the fantastic expression and intonation - this has been one of our focuses this half term! 

A Letter from 10 DOWNING STREET!

Following on from our rainforest topic last term, Freddie decided to send a persuasive letter to Boris Johnson outlining his learning and passion for climate change. We were amazed to receive a reply from Downing Street on Friday afternoon (see below). Well done Freddie!! 

Week 2

We have had a fantastic week of learning in Year 3. As part of our big Question 'Did the Stone Age end because the stones ran out?' we have explored the different time periods by creating a giant timeline, this really showed us just how long each period of history lasted for. In science we have continued to explore the three main types of rock and have classified and sorted these into their different categories by looking at their properties. Our budding artists have used charcoal, paint, twigs and their hands to create some really impressive cave art.

We hope you have a restful weekend.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome back to a new term in Chipmunk class 

Our big question this term is:

Did the Stone Age end because the stones ran out?

We will explore the changes in Britain from the Stone Age, through the Bronze Age and into the Iron Age with a focus on how mankind has changed over the years and the effect this has had. Our class story is 'The Wild Way Home', by Sophie Kirtley. We will also immerse ourselves in a range of non-fiction texts and continue to develop our Vipers skills during Guided Reading.

As scientists, our focus will be on geology - identifying, classifying, and grouping rocks that make up the foundations of the earth! This will also link to our prior learning in Year 2 about fossils.

This term, we hope to be virtually visited by a historian and our learning will culminate in an immersive Stone Age Day at the end of term!

RAINFOREST PHIL VISITS YEAR 3!

On Tuesday, Phil Williams came to visit us in Year 3 and ran a workshop full of interesting stories, facts and exciting learning opportunities. The children in Chipmunk and Meerkat class continued to surprise Phil with their vast knowledge, insightful questions and mature attitude towards sustainability. 

We were lucky enough to hear first-hand stories from Phil who has been visiting the rainforests of our world for 20+ years. The children also got to experience some of his authentic tools, equipment and gifts brought back from the rainforest. 

Throughout the day, the children were hooked on Phil's every word and took pages of notes we will be using later on this term to create a double-page spread of our learning! Pictures of the day can be found below as well as Phil's website for those of you wanting to find out more!  

https://plan-iteco.com/

Why Are Rainforests Important?

This half term we will be learning about the rainforests of the world, why they are important and the threats facing them. Our BIG question will heavily link to our geography, science, art/DT and English lessons, which we hope will encourage the children to think more about sustainability, waste and the future of our planet!

In Geography, we will locate the rainforest of the world, look for weather patterns around the equator and how these influence our climate. This learning will culminate with children producing their own weather report and heavily influence our class assembly.

In science, we will look at the 4 layers of the rainforest, the life cycle of plants and how they have adapted to survive. We will also explore a variety of rainforest animals (including humans) and how they have adapted to survive in the rainforest. 

Over the next few weeks, we hope to be visited by rainforest expert, Phil Williams, who will inspire our children to make a small change and do their bit to save planet earth. This learning will prove useful when we write persuasive letter to people in power, educating them about the threats to our rainforests and the impact our behaviour is having.

To bring our rainforest learning to a close, we will be designing and creating our very own rainforest dioramas out of recycled junk materials. Keep your eyes peeled for photos at the end of term!

Welcome back to Chipmunk class!

Keep an eye on this page for exciting news and updates about our learning journey!

Mr. Beauchamp