This has been another fantastic week of learning and the first proper appearance of spring sunshine! We had a great time coding our Spheros robots in computing, including making them move in squares, make sounds and light up at different times.
English
In English, we continued studying Varjak Paw and looking at writing in role and using comparative language. We explored the different emotions that Varjak Paw might have felt when he had just left the house for the first time and was standing on the wall.
Maths
We continued learning about fractions and began representing unit fractions. We learnt about the ‘numerator’ and ‘denominator’ and used the stem sentence, ‘The whole has been divided into…equal parts….of the parts has been shaded.’ To consolidate this learning, the worksheets can be found here: Y3 Sum1 W4 MATHS sheets
STEM
This week, we learnt about what makes a successful circuit and which components are needed to allow an electrical current to flow. We continued to focus on drawing electrical symbols to represent a circuit and wrote explanations about why circuits did and did not work.
This website, How do you draw electrical symbols and diagrams? – BBC Bitesize, is a useful tool to help develop knowledge of electrical symbols and diagrams. Another fantastic website is https://wiredthegame.com/, a free online game which teaches about circuits and control through gaming, and we advise parental supervision for these websites.
Guided Reading
We continued learning about Varjak Paw’s journey and read about his dream after he had his accident and fell off the tree. We examined the author’s rich language and descriptions, and we drew what we thought Varjak’s dream looked like in Mesopotamia from the description.
Next week:
English: We will continue examining Varjak Paw, and we will be focusing on using varying pronouns. We will also be learning about the personification of objects, inspired by Varjak Paw’s personification of a car.
Maths: We will progress with fractions and build models to present fractions. We will also be learning about representing fractions as sets and reasoning about fractions.
Science: In STEM, we will continue to explore the use of electrical circuits and will be looking at different materials and whether they are conductors or insulators. We will also be focusing on predicting and explaining which materials conduct electricity. BBC Bitesize has great explanations of conductors and insulators, which can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zj44jxs/articles/zhkgvwx#zhb66g86
Guided Reading: We will continue with reading Varjak Paw and focusing on chapters 8 and 9. We will be examining the theme of belonging and answering questions using reasoning. The reading for next week can be found here: Varjak Paw PDF Chapter 8-9
Notices/ Reminders / Requests
DT – We are looking at pneumatic systems in DT over the coming weeks; if you have any used washing-up liquid bottles or ‘squeezy’ bottles, please do send them in next week – a form of recycling! (We will recycle them once we’ve finished).
PE – All Year 3 classes have PE on a Tuesdays and Fridays. Please make sure your child has the correct PE kit and trainers.
With best wishes and thanks
Year 3 Team