Stalbridge Church of England Primary School
Activities Blog
Why does the Earth rumble?
Our topic for this half term is all about volcanoes and the impact they have on different areas of the Earth. In English we will be researching about volcanoes using the library and internet and then writing our own non-chronological report. We will use pneumatic and levers to create our own working model of a volcano!
Ruthless Romans
Our topic for this half term will be Ruthless Romans where we will be learning about Roman invasions of Britain. In English we will look at recounts from Pompeii and Traditional Fairy Stories. We will use our study of fairy tales to produce a moving picture story book. In science we will be investigating light.
Rotten Romans
Our topic for this half term will be Rotten Romans where we will be learning about life in Rome. In English we will look at Roman myths and write letters. We will use our history as inspiration for Art work and study animals in Science.
Hello From Poland
Our new topic for this term will be based around Poland. We will be learning about the national flower of Poland - the poppy - in art and linking this to Remembrance Day. We will study forces and magnets in Science.
coding - creating an app in Year 3
We love coding. We have been creating codes to move things, make things explode and create clever tricks.
Connected to the world
We have been using our map reading skills to find out where we are connected to. We know that clothes and food come from all over the world. Here we are making our connections.
Landscape art
We love our Art lessons. We have been looking at Cezanne and his use of line and colour. We have tried to create a picture in his style.
SPAG games
We love to learn through play. Year 3 have been challenging each other to spell carefully and to explain what antonyms and synonyms are. We have also been creating stories out loud, using adverbial phrases.
What have we been up to?
We have been very busy writing our traditional tales with a twist! We have written some very clever stories. Click here to see some pictures.
Outdoor Learning
We have been lucky to have had a fairly mild and dry Autumn which has meant that we have used the outdoor space. In science we ended the half-term with a beautiful sunny Monday in which we gathered a variety of seeds around the school grounds.In numeracy one of the children's favourite topics was learning about position and direction. This linked really well with our investigation of magnets in science and how these are used in compasses. The class enjoyed knowing of the compass points and relating turns to angles. After practising in class a few times, the children were then ready to go out into the playground and give each other precise directions on how to reach a chosen spot.
The whole of Key Stage 2 have also gained a great deal from the expertise of Rugby Coach, Nick, this term. They have shared his time on a Monday afternoon and every child has relished the opportunity of having a go at a new sport. In Woodpeckers we have then taken on this new knowledge and put it into practice during subsequent PE lessons. It has been really pleasing to see how well the children can now pass a rugby ball and how enthusiastic they are to go out and play!
Science
During the whole of this term the children have enjoyed very practical science sessions, where we began by walking around the school grounds to consider our topic "How does your garden grow?" The class were very interested in investigating the best place to grow Winter Spinach from seed. They moved their pots away from the warmth of the classroom and cupboard, realising the importance of sunlight for their optimum growth. As a class they saw how a sheltered area outside the classroom proved to be a good place, with seedlings growing rapidly. At half-term they wanted me to take these home to look after, however they are now not that keen on sampling their product or tasting it in a home-made soup!
We have since had an exciting few weeks of investigating forces and magnets. We began by establishing that a force is a push or a pull, and then as a class set up an experiment to test the force required to push a toy car on a variety of surfaces. The children have since really enjoyed considering the force of magnetic fields. We have been lucky to be well-resourced for this topic with every child being able to handle a variety of magnets. They have independently investigated the attraction to different objects and why this is. I found the children to be very knowledgeable on the different poles of the magnet and the fact that they also have the property to repel each other.
The Stone Age
In our topic work with Mrs Saville we have been learning about the Stone Age. This period is split into three different times, ask a child in year three what they are called. We have also been thinking about what the people at the time built. There is a very famous set of stones which were constructed during this time. The picture in the attached file might give you a clue. Top Fact: We discovered that some of the stones weigh more than three elephants!
Year Three Reading Challenge
Our Reading Challenge has blasted off! Please read with your child as much as possible to aid fluency and understanding. Remember year 3 the more you practise the stronger the twigs will become in your brain and the better you will become!Cricket on Fridays
Woodpeckers class have been enjoying cricket skills coaching and playing cricket on Friday afternoons with Colin Moore - everyone has been learning and enjoying themselves in the sun!
France map work
The children presented their findings about their specific areas of France today to the rest of the class and showed their models, correctly positioned on our 3d map of France. Well done to everyone - the class worked hard on this and really enjoyed researching another country. There has been some fantastic homework too! We will be continuing our French language studies next term.
France - Geography and food!
The children have produced some brilliant work about their areas of France and we shared some of this on Friday afternoon. We also enjoyed some delicious French cheese and macarons - courtesy of Olivia and Mrs Privett - and some of Dike's French bread to accompany - thank you both!
Divali sweets
Today in RE we made our own Divali sweets and learned a song about preparing for Divali. We all thought about comparing the Hindu Divali festival with our Christian Christmas celebration - the similarities and differences.
Woodpecker's Plant Exhibition
Thank you to everyone who attended our Plant Exhibition. The children loved sharing their projects with you all! It was really good to hear the children talking confidently about their learning. Have a look at the flipagram below to see some photos from the afternoon.http://flipagram.com/f/LjL9RBbHQ1
Cactus Cake
Louis made us a lovely cake for our science plants project.
Diva lamps
In our Hindu topic we have been making Divali lamps.
Homework flipagram
In numeracy we have looked at 2D and 3D shapes. Click on the link to see the children's 3D shape homework.
http://flipagram.com/f/KAhsnHVPYr
Packaging
We have been investigating different shapes and sizes of cardboard packaging as part of our DT topic; we experimented making boxes using nets, simple shapes and construction materials. We will soon be making our own clay diva lamps and designing boxes to keep these safe.
A tasty start to our France topic!
A big Thank You from the whole Class to Dikes Supermarket for the yummy croissants - much enjoyed by all at the start of our France topic!
Stourhead visit
Year 3 had a fantastic day at Stourhead last Friday - we looked around the House and found out about life below stairs, then we walked around the Lake and explored the temples after our picnic lunch! We also did some sketching with Year 5.
Changing Me!
In Jigsaw, our PSHE sessions, we will be looking at how our bodies change to prepare for parenthood. For more information on the coverage in year 3, please refer to the sex and relationships policy. You can follow this link. If you have any questions or concerns, please read through the policy and then come and have a chat with either Mrs padfield or Miss Lafferty. Many thanks.We have learnt all about Roman myths and have written our own quests in literacy. We are practising addition and subtraction using column methods.
Have a look at this link to view the calculation policy if you would like more guidance on the methods used in school
Fractions mad!
We have been working on fractions over the past 2 weeks. The children have worked really hard and are really beginning to get the hang of them and some children are becoming more confident with equivalent fractions! Well done Woodpeckers!
Tables tables tables!
We have been busy learning our 4 times table and revising our 3s this week. Keep practising Woodpeckers!
Great first week!
Well done Woodpeckers class, we have had a fabulous first week with you. You have settled into KS2 really well and we have enjoyed working with you. Keep up the good work!
Summer Term Yr 3 RE - Christianity
During the summer term we have been looking at different aspects of Christianity including The Festival of Pentacost, The Holy Trinity and parables. The children created stained glass window effects for symbols of the Trinity, pebble houses for the Wise & foolish builders parable and made bread for the parable of the leaven bread. We have also looked at the Brides friends, The sower and the seeds and The birds of heaven parables in conjunction with Jesus and his 12 disciples.
Spring Term RE - Hinduism
The children will be looking at the religion Hinduism during the Spring Term. We will study Gods & Goddesses, Beliefs, Festivals (including the Makar Sankranti - Kite Festival), worshipping and the Hindus way of life. Take a look at some of our activities.
Advent in Year 3
In the run up to Christmas the children will be enjoying D & T activities with an Advent theme. We started with a wreath made of card, cellophane, foil and tissue paper and week by week are adding the relevant candles (Hope, Peace, Joy and Love). This was followed by sewing Christmas Stockings which will make the class advent calender. Thank you to Miss Elsworth for helping with these activities. Take a look and see how we made them......
Poppy Day - our unique handmade poppies
Take a look at our unique poppies to celebrate Poppy Day. The children used a template and covered it with red cellophane, crepe paper, tissue paper and foil on both sides. They then cut them out and glued them in the poppy shape. They were then displayed on the classroom window. Take a look and see how we made them...
Book Day in Woodpeckers Class 2012
Take a look at our costumes from Book Day. We had lots of fun being characters from our favourite books. Have a look and see....
We had a great day at the seaside!
Last term the whole school had a visit to Weymouth beach as part of our Olympic celebrations.
Making Roman Honey Cakes
We've been making Honey Cakes, a favourite Roman recipe, with Mrs. Squires this week. Yummy!
