All the children have settled in incredibly well and we have had a great few weeks back. We have some exciting topics this half term and the children are really excited about them.
Topic
We will be learning about the physical and some of the human features of Asia. Over the weeks, the children have practised using atlases to locating some of Asia’s more well known physical features and learning incredible facts about them. Why not test your child on what they have learnt so far.
Writing
In writing, children will be writing traditional tales which have been told in Asia and a persuasive brochure about Asia. Look out for some of the finished brochures in our blog later this term. Hopefully after reading them they may persuade you to visit this incredible continent.
Maths
We will be learning about multiplication and division fact and using them to help them multiply and divide two digit number by one digit numbers beyond 12. It is very important that you continue to encourage your children to practise their addition and subtraction fact to 20 as well as their 5, 10, 2 in addition to their new learning.
P.E.
P.E. will now take place every Tuesday. Please ensure that your child has their full P.E. kit on that day.
Science
For science this half term, we have been learning about the importance of light, how shadows are formed and the importance of sun safety. As part of this unit we will be investigating patterns related to the size and shape of shadows.
Reading
Finally, a quick reminder about reading. Children’s books are changed every Tuesday and Friday. Please could you ensure that your child reads every day and that their reading records are signed.
Year 3 have been very busy this week with assessments, but in between assessments we have been learning about two different types of words groups, adverbs and subordinating conjunctions.
We have learned that adverbs can modify (change) a verb by describing how it is or was performed, and when or where it took place. We also learned that they can also be used at the beginning of a sentence to modify (change) the whole sentence. When this happens we call them fronted adverbials. To help us remember the job of the adverbs we watched a great video about adverbs (see link below).
When we learned about subordinating conjunctions, we found out that subordinating conjunctions join dependent (subordinating) clauses to independent clauses. We also discovered that independent (subordinating) clauses do not make sense on their own, so they always needs an independent clause to support them. The video link below is a song about the different subordinating conjunctions that can be used in their writing.
Next week year 3 will be putting all this learning together to write narratives so watch this space.
Our science topic this term is ‘Forces and Magnets‘.
We have learnt that a force can be a push or a pull. We investigated the effects of friction on different surfaces. A force meter was used to measure the amount of force required to drag an object across different surfaces.
This week, we explored magnetic force. What fun we had exploring the properties of magnets and learning that magnetism doesn’t need contact in order for the force to be applied!
We were able to see that the same two sides of a magnet repel but the opposite sides of a magnet attract. Did you know that a magnetic field is created between the two poles of a magnet? When the different poles (north and south) of two magnets face each other, the magnetic lines of force are going in the same direction, and so the different poles attract each other. When the poles are facing each other the magnetic lines of force are going in different directions, so they push each other apart.
We look forward to seeing the outstanding homework children complete for this term’s topic: Through the Ages -Stone Age to Iron Age. We have already seen some excellent drawings of prehistoric beasts!
Here’s the homework grid: Curriculum homework- Through the Ages
Have a look at the knowledge organiser here: Knowledge organiser The Stone Age
Topic and Writing Outcomes
This half term we will be travelling back in time to the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age to learn about life before written history. We will find out the difference between primary and secondary sources of historical evidence and understand why one is more reliable than the other.
We have already made a great start to our learning during our immersion afternoon. We had great fun making our own den art and Stone Age tools. We even tried our hand at excavating artefacts from our excavation trays. At the end of this topic, we will be designing, making and evaluating our own prehistoric jewellery.
In our writing outcomes for this topic, we will be writing a non chronological report and a narrative about life during that period.
Maths
In Maths, we will be adding and subtracting 3-digit numbers. This will build on the learning from year 2, so to be successful in this unit, children will need to be secure in their knowledge of place value and addition and subtraction facts for numbers up to 20.
Science
In Science, we will be finding out about forces, friction and magnetic forces in particular. As part of this unit, we will be conducting fair tests to investigate how forces act upon everyday objects.
Things to Remember
Books are changed every Tuesday and Thursday. Children must attempt three of the questions at the front of their reading record per week. For the autumn term, adults are expected to sign reading records every day.
P.E. is every Monday (Orion) and Friday (Columbia). On those days children are expected to bring their full P.E. Kits.
Good Afternoon All,
Just a quick message to say welcome to Columbia and Orion.
Staff Members:
Columbia – Mrs. Campbell-Whitfield and Mrs. Onwumelu
Orion: Ms. Cole, Ms. Sitch and Mrs. Baker
Orion meet the teacher presentation sept 2022 adapted
Columbia meet the teacher presentation sept 2022
Kind regards,
Mrs Campbell-Whitfield
We have reached the end of the Summer 1 half term!
Our topic this half term was Natural Disasters, where the children have explored a range of natural disasters including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes. They have used map skills and learned lots about the Earth’s structure. Our written tasks have been explanation texts and poems, in which the children have demonstrated a range of new skills.
In Maths, we looked at fractions and began exploring time. Please continue this over half term and encourage children to read the clock daily.
In science, we have studied rocks and soils. We carried out investigations that included classifying and comparing. We looked at fossil formation and the work of Mary Anning.
PE this half term has focussed on Athletics, where the children have built skills in running, jumping and throwing.
Next half term, we will be taking traveling back in time to Ancient Egypt!
Thank you for your continued support and for all the donations towards our Jubilee party. It was enjoyed by all and the generosity was very appreciated.
We look forward to the final half term!
Mrs Campbell-Whitfield and Mr Ward