It’s been another busy week in Year 3 as we head towards half term; a lot of time this week has been taken up with our half-term assessments in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar, Mathematics (Arithmetic and Reasoning), PE, RE and STEM. The teachers have marked and analysed the assessments and will use this information for planning the teaching and learning for the final half-term of the year.
Computing Showcase
Our most anticipated and exciting moment this week was the Year 3 Computing Showcase – we invited Reception children to join us to hear and see our Sphero block-coding stories in class. The stories were written by Year 3 with a younger audience in mind and told the story through narration, movement, lights and music, all through block-coding on the Sphero. We had lots of fun and the children proved they had learned their first steps in coding successfully!
English
The story of Varjak Paw by S F Said continues to entrance the children to the point that some feel now that they ‘know’ Varjak like a friend! Our learning this week continued with investigating the theme of ‘belonging’ and this was reflected in our RE sessions on Hinduism.
Maths
We deepened our understanding of the part-whole model of fractions, continuing to use the terms ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’ to describe unit fractions; we then built on this understanding to identify equivalent fractions through an investigative approach, building our own ‘fraction walls’ to show how e.g. 1/4 = 2/8. To consolidate this learning the maths sheets are available here:
STEM
This week the children had the exciting opportunity to use their knowledge and understanding of electrical circuits, along with precise and clear vocabulary, to design and make a buzzer-type game and take part in a ‘buzzer quiz’ to review their knowledge. Our unit will continue after half term, when we will build on these foundations to learn about the difference between serial and parallel circuits. For a quick overview of this, click here: BBC Bitesize
Guided Reading
We read Chapters 10 and 11, specifically thinking about and discussing the contrasting feelings of freedom versus fear that Varjak is experiencing now he is ‘outside’.
After half term:
English: We will be starting a brand-new book – ‘The Adventures of Beekle, an unimaginary friend’ by Dan Santat. You can listen to a reading of the story here. To start off, we will be thinking about the theme of friendship in the story.
Maths: We have a few more sessions on unit fractions in which we will learn how to compare fractions with different denominators.
Science:Our unit will continue after half term, when we will build on these foundations to learn about the difference between serial and parallel circuits. For a quick overview of this, click here: BBC Bitesize
Guided Reading: We will continue to enjoy the adventures of Varjak Paw and you can read ahead through Chapter 13: Y3 Sum2 W1 GUIDED READING
Notices/ Reminders / Requests
PE – All Year 3 classes have PE on a Tuesdays and Fridays. Please make sure your child has the correct PE kit and trainers.
SUN PROTECTION – now the better weather (finally!) seems to have arrived, please can children remember to bring a sun hat and sun protection cream to school with them or apply before the school day, as well as their water bottles. Children will need to be able to apply their own sun protection cream if brought to school. Thank you!
With best wishes and thanks
Year 3 Team