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 last one will be the best yet!

Our big question ' Were the Ancient Egyptians really civilised' 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 created 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 am and pm and looking at the 24 hour clock. The home learning this week reflects this and we would encourage you to test the children in telling the time as much as you can!

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 Three 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 what 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 all school picnic on the field 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

Wow Week Four already! Time certainly has flown and, as ever we have had a full week of learning.

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 that had lost their compass, to tour guides that had  lost their keys. 

Maths continues to focus on fractions, first we looked at fractions of amounts, we  then moved on to 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 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 after, 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