Year 3 News 2016-2017
Chester Zoo Trip
Year 3 had a lovely day at Chester zoo despite the inclement weather. We started in the butterfly house which was very warm and cosy. The children loved seeing the beautiful butterflies flying around and then seeing the cocoons from which the butterflies emerged. We then went to have a very informative talk on conservation. We were all horrified at the time items took to biodegrade and at the amount of plastic there is floating in the Pacific Ocean; a mass of plastic 3 times the size of the UK. The children also learnt about endangered animals and what caused them to be under threat: poachers; deforestation; habitats; farming and climate change.
Afterwards we went to see the giraffes and tropical realm before lunch. After lunch we went for a walk around the zoo taking in the aquarium, the orangutangs, the anteaters, various birds, the tigers and penguins before boarding the monorail to take us to see the black rhinos. Having left the monorail we visited the bat cave and then went to see the rhinos. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was shut as one of the rhinos was due to give birth.
A great day was had by all!
Sports Day 14th June
The children had a wonderful time on such a lovey afternoon. Year 3 conducted themselves impeccably and we had many successes in a range of disciplines. Mrs Brew was very proud of them all!
Maths
Some of the Year 3 have been spinning to win 2-digit additions. They had to compete against each other to see who was the quickest to add the randomly selected numbers together. Others in the class used the helpful spider to work their 2-digit calculations. Well done to every-one for completing the challenge!
Science - Plants
We have been learning all about the different parts of plants and their functions. To test what a plant needs to grow well, we designed our own experiments.
Some children removed the soil from plants, to see if they would grow without nutrients. Other children removed the roots from one of their plants, to see how that would affect the growth of their plant. All the children learnt lots about the needs of plants, and are now creating presentations giving advice for caring for plants.
World Book Day (wb 27th Feb)
Year 3 had so much fun reading to reception. A lovely shared experience.
Year 3 have been working on 2 poems about centipedes. In pairs they prepared how they were going to read their section out loud. We rehearsed in class an then presented our poems in the World Book Day assembly. A special congratulations to VV, JG and RW for learning their parts by heart.
French (wb 27th Feb)
In Year 3 we have been revising the Days of the week. The children are able to match the French to the English unaided. Some very competitive pairs games! It is interesting seeing how well the children are able to remember where the cards are.
International Mother Language Day (wb 13th Jan)
The school opened its doors to the parents of our Avalon children to come and teach some basic vocabulary in their native tongue to the children and to inform them about their culture. Year 3 had their passports signed by the various teachers that visited them to show which countries they had visited on the day. They thoroughly enjoyed the day. They learnt how to count to 10 and how greet people in Greek, Spanish, Egyptian, Chinese, Farsi and Korean.
In assembly the children watched a beautiful Iranian dance and a Tae Kwando display.
Maths (wb 6th Feb)
In Maths the children have been playing a quick fire game to help them to learn the 3 times table. We sure do have some hot shooters in the class!
French (wb 6th Feb)
In year 3 we have been learning the Days of the Week. We joined in with a song on the BBC website. The children are able to access this anytime from home if they want to.
Meet the dentist - PHSCEE (wb 30th Jan)
Today Jackie came in from Glencairn Dental Practice to talk to the children about dental hygiene and good practice. The children loved wearing the masks and gloves as well as brushing the false teeth for 2 minutes. They were all surprised at how long 2 minutes really was. They learnt that it was best to brush their teeth in the morning after breakfast and again before bed. They discussed the problems associated with eating and drinking sugary things and that it was best to do so with a meal. They understood better that it was preferable to not eat snacks between meals. They had an action packed 20 minutes! Thank you to Jackie for making it so interesting, informative and fun.
Maths - (wb 30th Jan)
The children have been looking at placing numbers on a number line accurately. They are learning to look at 2-digit and 3-digit numbers. They have understood the importance at looking at the highest place value first and the units last. They have then gone on to place 2-digit numbers that they have rounded to the nearest 10. These activites have provoked a great deal of discussion as to the best way to tackle the problem.
French (wb 23rd Jan)
Year 3 have been learning to count to 31 as part of our new topic on Time. They are learning a rap which focuses on numbers to 20 and on how to say some-one's age.
Class Assembly (wb 23rd Jan)
Today the Year 3 children performed their assembly about swapping to the school and to some of their parents. They have worked hard to, not only learn their lines, but to also know when and where they should perform. Mrs Brew was delighted that they were able to do the assembly from start to finish themselves. Poor dad. He wasn't very interesting but he never complained about being swapped for all sorts of toys. He didn't even complain when he was put in a rabbit hutch as a pet rabbit!
English Swapping (wb 9th Jan)
In English we have been looking at “Swapping” stories. Here the children are preparing a play and a song for their assembly in a week’s time. They have had great fun this week learning their parts by heart and performing on a stage. They’ve come a long way from the initial read through on Monday 9th January.
I hope that you are able to come along to see them perform and I hope that they don’t get stage fright on the day and forget everything they have learnt! I’m sure they will do us all proud!
English Humorous Poems
The children have been looking at humorous poems and how to perform them to an audience. Here they are performing to the class their verse of “At the End of the School Assembly”, by Simon Pitt.
Miss Sparrow’s lot flew out,
Mrs Steeds’s lot galloped out,
Mr Bull’s lot got herded out,
Mrs Bumble’s lot buzzed off.
Miss Rose’s class… rose,
Mr Beetles’s class… beetled off,
Miss Storm’s class thundered out,
Mrs Frisby’s class whirled across the hall.
Mr Train’s lot made tracks,
Miss Ferry’s lot sailed off,
Mr Roller’s lot got their skates on,
Mrs Street’s lot got stuck halfway across.
Mrs Idle’s class just couldn’t be bothered,
Mrs Barrow’s class were wheeled out,
Miss Stretcher’s class were carried out
And Mrs Brook’s class
Simply
Tri
ckl
ed a
way.
English Group Work
In English the children have been reading, “At the End of the School Assembly” by Simon Pitt and are now working in groups to learn and perform a verse from it. Deeply engrossed in their work!
Roman Times
The children have been learning about life in Roman times. They acted out role plays situations that they created themselves depicting what life would be like in Pompeii before the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Their roles varied from bakers, to gladiators.
Having performed their role play the rest of the class asked them questions about their lives and their characters. Afterwards we discussed what we liked about their role plays and what we thought would make them even better. They had a lovely time and learnt a great deal.
Test Soils
Year 3 have been using funnels and filters to investigate the permeability of different soils. We had lots of fun measuring and pouring water onto the soil, and found that sandy soil was most permeable. Clay soil was the least permeable. Why do you think this is? Scientists use this information to find the best soil for growing certain crops.
Mini Compost Bins
During our rocks and soil topic, Year 3 have been learning about composting. In preparation for making our own compost bins, we watched clips of children using worms and dung to make compost in Bangladesh. We also did some worm handling training, practising with plastercine worms. Once we had completed our research we made mini compost bins using recycled plastic bottles, soil, food waste and rocks. The worms are now living in their new compost bins on the school grounds.
Road Safety and Reflection
As part of our focus on road safety week, Year 3 have been learning about reflective materials. We researched the reflective materials police vehicles are made from and discussed the reasons why certain colours are chosen for high visibility clothing. Reading 'Hodgeheg' by Dick King Smith allowed us to think of road safety for animals as well as humans. We had lots of fantastic ideas for safety accessories that we could make, so have been testing different materials using 'reflection testers'. This week we made badges using our tested reflective materials and a felt base.
Light and Dark
To introduce our new topic 'Light' to Year 3 we have been using 'dark feely bags' to understand the idea that dark is the absence of light. It was so dark inside the bags we couldn't see the objects they contained. We then illuminated the objects by letting light into the bags. Once we had emptied the objects onto a tray in the brightly lit room, it was very easy to identify the objects. Year 3 concluded that light helps us identify and use objects everyday, prompting lots of questions about history and living without electricity.
Making a jam sandwich
Year 3 have been writing algorithms to make jam sandwiches. The teacher pretended to be a robot and followed the algorithm precisely. Our fist attempts resulted in butter and jam being spread everywhere except on the bread! We completed the exercise and were very proud of the sandwiches we made.
Diwali Day
In Year 3 the children have been thoroughly engaged learning about Diwali. They loved learning about the story of Rama and Sita and how this tale is celebrated today in the festival of Diwali – the festival of lights.
Having read and sequenced the story themselves, the children then made finger puppets and acted out the story.
In Art they made and decorated Diva lamps and back in class they made paper lamps and lanterns.
In Maths and English, following on with the story of Rama and Sita, the children made some cubes with images of the characters on them.
To complete our Diwali day, the children made some firework decorations, as fireworks are an important part of the celebrations.
To top it all, one of the children brought in some authentic Indian clothes which are worn for special occasions such as Diwali. They are so beautiful.
All in all, a great day!
Worm Training
In preparation for making mini compost bins Year 3 have been training as worm handlers. We found ways to hold plastercine worms without leaving impressions on the plastercine, meaning we will be able to handle our tiger worms without injuring them. We also tested different materials in order to find the darkest conditions we can provide for the worms, to imitate their natural habitat.
French greetings
The children have been practising their greetings in French. They asked each other how they
were. Comment ça va? Ça va bien merci.
They then sang a French song on greetings.
Bonjour, bonsoir, bonne nuit! Comment ça va? Ça va bien merci. Salut! Comment t’appelles-tu? Je m’appelle Michel! Au revoir. À tout à l’heure. Au revoir Madame.
PSCHEE
In Year 3 the children have been working on a variety of topics so far in PSCHEE. We have discussed dementia, friendships, moving into the Juniors, our differences and similarities and what makes each of us so special. The children love working together as a team and looking out for each other.
Russian Biomes
Year 3 enjoyed working in small groups as 'WWF Biome Co-ordinators' using their knowledge of climates to organise animals and plants into the correct biomes. How fascinating that so many different environments can be present in one country?
Fantastic Fossils
Year 3 have been applying their knowledge of sedimentary rocks to understand how fossils are formed. We started by looking at real fossils and bones, noticing the differences between each. We then used shells and animal models to make imitation fossils in clay.
AC has been busy collecting interesting fossils of her own at Caldy beach, thank you for sharing them with us!
Discovery different rock formations in science
Year 3 have been exploring the different types of rocks and their formations. They used grated chocolate to create layers of sedimentary rock, then added pressure. Some children had hot hands and found this changed the rock into a metamorphic rock. Finally, we investigated igneous rocks using hot water to make molten chocolate rock. The igneous rock also shown in this picture was still hot when a parent found it in Iceland!
Year 3 explore vortexes in science
Year 3 ended the week by discussing vortexes, such as tornadoes and waterspouts, then making their own. We used bottles, water and washing up liquid to create the 'tornado', then had fun adding glitter to help us see the circular path.
