Thursday 13th February 2025 - Science Day!

We had a super Science-filled day today across the school.  

First, we enjoyed exploring our Space rock sample kit on loan from Borrow the Moon.  It contained meteorites, tektites and most exciting of all, some lunar rock samples.  The children had to identify which rock was which, using magnets, magnifying lenses and observation skills.  We then moved on to the planetarium, where we had a fascinating talk about the Moon Landings.

Later on, we conducted our own science experiments on soil and which type was most absorbent. Lots of watery fun.

Finally, in the afternoon, we created our own marble runs.  Congratulations to Team Tom and Ralph, who built the longest lasted marble run - an impressive 10.4 seconds.

We always remark how much this class loves Science - and it was so great to them getting so much out of the day.

Friday 31st January 2025 - Dinosaurs, Drums and Daffodils

This week has been nicely balanced between the Arts and Sciences.

On Tuesday we had a special drumming assembly and on Wednesday it was our Gig Assembly.  A huge well done to everyone who has participated in these this term - it's not an easy thing to stand up on stage in front of the school.  There were a few who were looking a little pale in the minutes leading up to their 'gig' but there were far more big grins afterwards.

In our Art lesson we were creating botanical drawings and paintings in the style of some of some of our most prominent scientists, Charles Darwin and Carl Lineus.  The children used all we have been learning this term about form, tone and texture, to create some really beautiful botanical pictures using pencil and watercolour.

And then in Science, we thoroughly enjoyed our interview with renowned Paleontologist, Susie Maidment.  The children came up with some incredible questions, including "Just why were the dinosaurs so very big?", "Why did some of the dinosaurs have skeletons that looked similar to chickens?" and "How did you come up with the name for the dinosaur you discovered?".  We now have a lot of budding Paleontologists in our midst!

This was all in addition to starting our newspaper articles about Charlie winning the Golden Ticket and learning about how to use the Multiples of 10. Phew!

Friday 10th January 2024.  Welcome back, Year 3!

We've hit the ground running in 2025!  We started our new English text, Charlie and the Chocolate Factor, and have been thinking about the ingredients of a good blurb, as well as finding clues in the text to tell us more about Charlie Bucket.  We've also started our exciting new Science unit about Fossils - thank you for all the wonderful samples the children brought in - as well as mastering the Jazz Step in our Dance unit.

We hope you enjoyed the Winter Arts Evening on Wednesday.  It was such a joy to watch the Year 3 Music performance.  Some of them clearly love to perform more than others - but they really worked together as a team.    Below are some pictures of the Art exhibition.  It's always very special to have all the different years' pieces together, so you can piece together the children's artistic journey.  This term in Art, we have a drawing unit, inspired by nature.

Enjoy the Wintery weekend!

Friday 20th December 2024

We've had a fun-filled last week of term in Year 3.

Tuesday was our Christmas jumper day and we enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch, serenaded by people who looked suspiciously like our Deputy and Headteacher.

On Thursday afternoon, we made volcanoes, to complement both our Science and Geography topics.  Needless to say, this was a lot of explosive, messy fun. 

We've also finished our Egyptian collars!  The children produced some really beautiful and imaginative textiles work and we can't wait to show them to you at the Arts Evening in January.

We wish you all a peaceful and joyful break.  See you in 2025!

Friday 13th December 2024

It's been a busy and exciting week! On Monday we played competitive benchball all morning with Year 4 in the hall, and in the afternoon we were treated to a performance (dress rehearsal) of the Foundation Stage and Year 1&2 Nativities. We were really impressed with the children's acting, singing and confidence!

On Tuesday we concentrated on our lessons, concluding our maths unit on addition and subtraction, and continuing to draft our non-chronological reports about Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses. Our afternoon lesson was Geography and we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of living near a volcano. The dangers are clear but the advantages include fertile land for crops, money brought into the area by tourism and jobs created by mining of gems and minerals. When we had formed our opinions we then tried to convince others of our views - sometimes successfully changing someone else's opinion!

Wednesday brought the much anticipated trip to the pantomime! We had such a great time! A trip on a coach with our friends is always exciting, but then we headed into the huge Waterside Theatre and watched a really funny show which involved water pistols... We could hardly contain ourselves! The story of Peter Pan is Orson's favourite and before we knew it, there he was on the stage teaching the audience a dance!

We returned to school exhausted for a late lunch and playtime, and suddenly it was home time. What a fantastic day! Thank you to all our brave helpers on the day!

Friday 29th November 2024

What a fabulous week! On Tuesday we had some visitors...

A lady named Lisa from History Off the Page came along with all her equipment and ideas and spent the day with Year 3 celebrating the Ancient Egyptians. We all looked fantastic dressed up as Ancient Egyptians and were treated to a range of craft activities through the morning.

In the afternoon parts were assigned to act out a play. Some children were assigned the parts of the Royal Family, some were acting plays for the Royal Family and some were dancing. We all celebrated with a goblet of the finest Egyptian water!

A huge thank you to the four volunteer parents who came in to help, to the PTA who funded the visit, to Lisa and to all our children who were fantastic on the day. We learned so much by living the experience and there is nothing we don't know about the Ancient Egyptians now!

Friday 15th November 2024 - A day of resilience.

Year 3's stores of patience and resilience have certainly been put to the test today. 

Firstly, in our Maths lesson, we tackled subtractions across 10 which requiring an exchange.  This is where the ones digit you are subtracting is greater than the digit from which you are subtracting, so you have to make an exchange.  It is a very useful skill - but also one that takes a lot of practice (and a small brain explosion). 

Undaunted, we moved on to our DT lesson, which involved sewing.  This is a fairly complicated process for your average 7/8 year old, involving fraying threads, wobbly needles and pieces of felt that keep trying to escape.  Our wonderful children stuck at it, patiently rethreading their needles and untangling pieces of fabric.  They were so determined and good natured throughout - we were very proud of them.

Sometimes, children breeze through lessons.  And sometimes, they have to dig deep.  This was definitely a dig deep kind of morning - and the children proved themselves to be more than up to the task.  Learning is all about resilience when things get tricky, so a huge Well Done to Year 3.  We wish you all a well-earned rest this weekend!

7/11/24

Our trip through Ancient Egypt continues....

Oak Class have started reading the fabulous book 'Egyptology' which links with last term's topic on Ancient Egypt. We have identified the text as a non-chronological report, and have started to explore the features of these. So far we have discovered that there are headings, sub-headings and paragraphs, but there is a lot more to come! We intend to use our growing knowledge to create our own non-chronological reports about Ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses.

On Tuesday 26th November we will be welcoming visitors from 'History Off the Page' who will be running an Ancient Egyptian Day for us. More information to follow. We will be looking for adult volunteers to help us out so save the date if this might work for you!

MATHS NEWS - Looking for an app to help your child practise their multiplication tables and number bonds? Struggling to engage with Times Table Rock Stars? Look no further! Our White Rose maths scheme has a great 'one-minute maths' app. Take a look here.

While we're talking about Times Table Rock Stars... A national competition starts next Tuesday and we'll introduce the children to it on Monday. Let's be the best school in England!