QUIZ ME QUESTIONS AUTUMN 2

CURRICULUM NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 2

QUIZ ME QUESTIONS AUTUMN 1

CURRICULUM NEWSLETTER AUTUMN 1

 

Design and Technology - Moving Mechanisms

To start our D&T unit, we investigated different moving parts in books. We looked at how they move and what they were made from. We enjoyed reading the stories too! Once we had explored lots of different moving parts, we then had the opportunity to make our own. We made a paper concertina, created a pop-out object, made window flaps that open, rotated objects using a split-pin and used a lever to create a moving part.

  

  

Using this knowledge, we then designed our own Christmas card that had two moving mechanisms. The end result was amazing and we reflected on what we had learned, what we would improve next time and what we were most proud of.

  

  

 

PSHE - Carlisle United

Carlisle United came into school to teach a PE lesson and a follow up PSHE lesson with Year 3. We have been learning about kindness; we acted out different scenarios and talked about how we could respond to them. The scenarios included - a new player joining a team, a player on another team making an unkind comment, and a player that keeps missing the goal. It was lovely to hear the mature comments being made about an appropriate response. Some amazing learning Year 3, well done!

  

 

PE - Wheelchair Basketball

We had a brilliant lesson playing wheelchair basketball, building on our skills learned last year. The children reinforced their learning of turning, going forwards and going backwards in a wheelchair. Then the children put their skills into action again and played a game of basketball. The children showed fabulous team work and a respect for each other whilst playing.

A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all!

  

  

 

History and Art - Stone Age Workshop at Stocks Wood Outdoor Centre

When we arrived at Stocks Wood Outdoor Centre, we all sang our 'Welcome to Forest School' song. This was followed by Julian talking about the Stone Age and how archaeologists have learned about what happened in the past. The children answered questions brilliantly showing all the learning that they had completed in class.

  

The children then had the opportunity to create some paintings, like similar ones discovered in caves. They used natural materials to make these. The children again showed their learning from their Art unit and talked about what materials were used and how.

  

The children also sorted foods that might have been foraged in the Stone Age to eat - these were sorted into 'safe to eat', 'needs to be cooked' and 'poisonous'. The children thought about hunting as a way to find food. They had a go at hunting a 'mammoth'. We talked about what the word extinct means. The children used a bow and arrow made from a hawthorn branch. We have some amazing archers in Year 3!

   

  

We then learned about how fire was made and used this to toast marshmallows. (The children were told that these were not available in the Stone Age!)

  

  

Next, we created our own Stone Age shelters - we talked about how animal skins would have been used. The shelters were absolutely brilliant!

  

We had a little bit of free flow play at the end of the day - some chose to go pond dipping, other lied in the hammock and some enjoyed the mud kitchen. Thank you to our volunteers who supported all the children wonderfully. Well done Year 3 for amazing manners and lots of super, positive attitudes towards learning!

  

  

 

Computing - Connecting Computers

During this unit, the children developed their understanding of digital devices, with an initial focus on inputs, processes and outputs. They also compared digital and non-digital devices. Some of the photographs below show our lesson where we compared Vincent van Gogh's oil painting 'The Starry Night' with versions we created on the iPad. Following this, we looked at computer networks, including devices that make up a network's infrastructure, such as wireless access points and switches. We looked at how our network in school works (please see the photo). Finally, we discussed the benefits of connecting devices in a network.

  

 

History - How did Britain change from the Stone Age to the Iron Age?

To start our History unit we learned what an archaeologist was. We then became archaeologists and carefully dug up a weird object from a tray of sand. We had to be careful in case it was fragile and then we had to try and work out what it was. We learned about the Stone Age and the Palaeolithic period - we looked at an image of a cave and tried to use clues to think what life was like. We moved on to the Mesolithic period and looked at research and in groups identified key aspects of life in that time. We enjoyed learning about the Neolithic period and stone circles, both nearby and Stonehenge. Some of us had a chance to make Stonehenge out of clay.

  

  

We watched some videos to help us imagine what life was like in both the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. We wrote about our favourite facts and a few of us made a Roundhouse. We are looking forward to our trip to Stocks Wood to reinforce all of our learning so far.

  

 

PE - Carlisle United

Carlisle United came into school to teach a PE session with us. We learned about communication and how important it is to listen. We all stood on a spot and had to exchange spots by asking the person nearest. We then were not allowed to talk so we had to use our arms and faces to communicate and swap spots. After that, we were not allowed to use our arms so we waggled our feet and swapped spots. Finally, we were not allowed to use any arms or legs so we only had 'good looking' and 'eye contact' to communicate with and swap spots. We had lots of fun!

  

Our next game was to build a castle with cones in a team. The hall was split into quarters and we were only allowed in our section. We communicated as a team and decided who was a builder, a defender and an attacker. We used a ball to knock down other castles but the opposing team kept building them up again. year 3 showed superb team work - well done!

  

  

 

Science - Light and Shadow

To start our learning, we sorted objects into natural light sources, artificial sources and not a light source. The children classified the objects well and came up with lots of ideas on their own. We talked about a natural light source - the sun. We all agreed that we liked the sun however, we talked about the dangers related to the sun as well. We designed our own sunglasses that would protect our eyes from the dangerous UV rays. We then discussed how sun cream protected our skin. We carried out an experiment - drawing a little picture on sugar paper with sun cream. We put it in the window and left it there for a while. When we looked again the paper had faded but not where the sun cream was.

  

Next, we started thinking about shadows and how they are made. We learned that different objects make different shadows depending on whether they are opaque, translucent or transparent. We learned about how shadows move by making our own stick puppet. Finally, we thought about reflective materials and how they can be used to keep us safe.

  

 

PE - iCan Bounce

The fabulous iCan team came into school on Wednesday 2 October to complete a physical activity on mini trampolines. The children learned a few little dance routines. They also had to stop and hold a balance, like a superhero pose. The children also had to classify healthy food by displaying a happy or sad bounce.

The session was absolutely amazing and Year 3 proved themselves to be excellent listeners who were able to participate in a new challenge. Well done!