Spring Term 2nd Half

In Year 3, we began spring term 2 with a visit from Scott Morton a local author.  The children had a brilliant day creating characters and developing story ideas. Scott then used these to write them their own class rhyming story which he presented to the class on their reading reward afternoon.

In English the children have used a range of setting pictures to create a broad range of vocabulary to create mood and atmosphere in setting descriptions. They learnt how to include prepositional phrases to extend sentences and make their writing more interesting. The children also consolidated their understanding of writing in the past tense. Finally, the children used a variety of sources in history in order to complete a non-chronological report about the stone age.

In mathematics, the children have continued to work hard with the new Power Maths scheme. This term we have continued to focus on multiplication and division. They have begun to learn how to multiply a two-digit number by a one-digit number and divide larger numbers before using these strategies to solve a range of problems. In addition to this the children have begun to learn about fractions, building on their understanding from year 2. They have used a variety of representations, including bar models and number lines, to help their understanding of fractional parts and whole numbers. 

In Science we began to learn about rocks and soils.  As part of this unit the children completed a before and after learning assessment which has reflected their growing knowledge. They began by classifying a range of rocks and explaining the criteria they used and found out how man-made and naturally occurring rocks are used.  As part of science week the children researched Mary Anning in preparation for finding out about fossils. They have also explored rock formation and its process using chocolate to create sedimentary rock. 

In History the children completed a time line, arranging events from the past in chronological order.  Additionally, in order to understand the stone age diet the children became hunter gatherers and worked in teams to find food that was hunted and food that was gathered. They also enjoyed reasearching, designing and making stone age pottery.

In art they used their designs of stone age pottery to make a clay pot. Before they did this, they spent time developing their confidence with clay, manipulating and exploring differnt carving and impression methods.  

Spring Term 1st Half

In Year 3, we began the spring term with a visit from the Ministry of Chocolate. The children had an amazing day learning about the cocoa bean and how this is grown and harvested. The children tasted the chocolate and used a range of adjectives to describe it using all their senses. They also took part in drama activities that reflected the role of the growers and harvesters. Finally, they finished the day designing and making their own chocolate. 

In English the children read the story and watched the film of Charlie and the Chocolate factory before using images from the film as a stimulus to complete setting descriptions. They developed and used a broad range of adjectives and language features to describe the Chocolate room. In addition to this the children learnt a story Pie Corbett style. Memorising a story using a story map of images. The children then innovated the text with their own ideas, changing the characters, setting and object. Following this the children planned and wrote their own independent story. 

In mathematics, the children have continued to work hard with the new Power Maths scheme. This term we have focused on multiplication and division. The children have used a range of equipment, models and images to help them to divide and multiply by 3 and 4.  They have also used arrays, bar models and number lines to solve a range of challenging problems that are set in a real-life context. 

In Science we began to learn about plants. As part of this unit the children completed a before and after learning assessment which has reflected their growing knowledge. They can identify the parts of a plant and understand its functions.  Additionally, the children have learnt how water is transported and investigated if varying temperature affect the speed of how water travels around a plant. During this unit the children have developed skills in questioning, prediction, observation and recording results. 

In History the children completed a time line to see when chocolate was first discovered and how this was used. They then had the opportunity to make and taste hot chocolate that only the rich and noble members of Maya society drank.  

In design and technology, the children have designed and made chocolate and its packaging. They have explored a range of patterns, shapes and colours in order to reflect its taste and appearance. 

The children have continued to work hard this term and the progress they are making reflects this!

Please click on the link below to view our dance video.