Water Transportation Experiment

Recently, in 3V we have been looking at the secret life of plants.  We have been learning all about how plants stay alive, including looking at the way in which they adapt to different surroundings.  We learnt how plants growing in desert conditions conserve water, and how plants growing under the dark rainforest canopy manage to maximise their exposure to light.

This week, we have been looking at the inside of plants, and how they transport nutrients and water from their roots to their leaves.  We have been practising our scientific thinking skills in order to design an experiment to try to prove that water travels up the stems of plants.  

To do this, we carefully measured out plain water and dyed it blue with food colouring, before adding a stick of celery to the water.  In order to keep the experiment fair, we have also put a stick of celery in the same amount of plain water to see whether the results are different.  This is called the 'control.'

We are hoping that the celery will turn blue as the dyed water passes through the stem - we'll keep you updated!

Cracking the Code!

In our history lessons this half term, we have been learning all about life in Ancient Egypt.  

Today, we looked at Ancient Egyptian writing.  We learnt that the Ancient Egyptians used different symbols to represent words and letters of the alphabet, and these were called hieroglyphs.

We learnt that, for many centuries, the meaning of hieroglyphic writing was a mystery, as there was nobody still alive who could understand the symbols.  However, in 1799, an incredible stone artefact was uncovered in the Nile Delta, which helped archaeologists to translate the ancient writing.  It was called the Rosetta Stone.

This afternoon, the children had a go at using their own mini Rosetta Stone to translate some hieroglyphic messages into English.  Then, they wrote and decorated their own names in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

If you'd like to have a go at cracking the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic code, here's a copy of our 'Rosetta Stone' and the secret messages that the children had to translate!  Perhaps you could have a go at writing your own name too - it's trickier than it looks!

Brilliant Big Writing!

The children have settled really well into Year 3, and are fully embracing the extra academic challenges set for them in Key Stage 2!

Here are some photos from this morning's Big Writing, when the children were writing their own version of the story of Bob, the Man in the Moon.  The atmosphere was, as always on a Friday morning, calm and peaceful, enabling the children to concentrate on producing their very best writing, building on the different skills they have practised during the week.

I have been really impressed by the quality of the children's writing and its presentation.  Well done 3V!

Introduction to Hinduism

As part of our RE studies this half term, Year 3 are learning all about Hinduism.

Today, we learnt a little about the basics of the Hindu faith with particular reference to Diwali. 

First of all, we had a class discussion about celebrations, and thought about all the ways in which we celebrate important events in the year.  Most of the children in the class celebrate birthdays and Christmas, and shared their experiences of decorating their homes, getting together with friends and family, and enjoying special foods and gifts.

We then watched a BBC clip about a Hindu family celebrating Diwali (you can watch it here).  The children spotted similarities between the Diwali celebrations and Christian celebrations.  The children knew that the Nativity story is central to Christmas, and we therefore read the  story of Rama and Sita, which is central to Diwali. 

Finally, the children watched a traditional puppet show of the Rama and Sita story, before acting out the story for themselves in small groups using paper cut outs.

Outstanding Orators!

One of our focuses in school this year is oracy: the skills involved in being a confident verbal communicator.  This means being an active listener as well as being able to speak clearly and confidently in front of others, whether in pairs, small groups or the whole class. 

In PSHE this week, the children had an opportunity to practise their speaking and listening skills as they worked in small groups to discuss given topics, and try to learn something new about their classmates, which they could then share with a wider audience.  This involved developing good teamwork: making sure that everyone in the group had the chance to have a say, and making sure they listened carefully to others' points of view, ready to report back to the class.

We will be honing our skills further throughout the year, so that, by the summer term, the children should be feeling much more confident and accomplished at speaking publicly.

Magical Music!

3V enjoyed their first Music lesson in Year 3 today.  We use an online resource called 'Charanga' which enables the children to develop their knowledge of all aspects of music, working towards the performance of a particular song in each half term.

We listened carefully to our first piece of music and discussed what we liked and disliked about it.  Then we listened again, trying to follow the rhythm of the music by clapping along.

We then played some rhythm games (these were quite tricky, even for the adults!) and warmed up our voices ready to have our first try at singing 'Let Your Spirit Fly.'  Even in the space of the lesson, there was definite improvement in our sense of rhythm, and we all enjoyed having a good sing-song at the end!

It was good to end our first week on a high note (no pun intended!) - the children have made a brilliant start to Year 3!

Mrs Vaqueiro

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Class 3V's blog for the academic year 2019-20!

We will be using our Class Blog to record all the exciting lessons and activities that we have planned for Year 3.

We look forward to sharing them with you as we go up, up and away on our adventures in Key Stage 2, so please do check back regularly for updates.

Mrs Vaqueiro