Forest School Fun

This afternoon, 3V had the first of their three Forest School sessions of the year.  Robbie, the Forest School teacher, set them a teamwork challenge: they had to work together in groups to build a waterproof shelter using the natural resources in the Forest School area.

The children worked well together and worked really hard to build their shelters - however, some were more waterproof than others!

Rocks Investigation

In 3V this afternoon we have been continuing our studies into the fascinating world of rocks.  The children have had the opportunity to observe and handle some different kinds of rocks, and then carry out some tests to find out some of their particular properties.

Rocks are often classified according to their durability, so we tested a variety of rocks to find out how well they withstood abrasion with sandpaper.  We talked about why it might be important for rocks to be able to withstand weathering from the wind and rain in the natural environment.

We also measured the density of the rocks.  If a rock has a higher density, it will sink in a tank of water, whereas a rock with a lower density will actually float!  

Finally, we tested the rocks for permeability.  If a rock is permeable, water droplets will soak into its surface.  If a rock is impermeable, then the water will not soak in and will just roll off the sides.  Again, we talked about why it might be useful for a rock to be able to absorb liquid - and why it might not!

Like all good scientists, 3V were expected to keep a detailed record of their findings in a table.  We will use the information from these tables in our next science lesson, to help us classify the rocks we tested and sort them into different groups.

Christmas Carousel

In our RE lessons this half term, we have begun to look at the Christian festival of Christmas.  Many of the children in class celebrate Christmas with their families and friends, so it is a very familiar celebration for them.

We began last week by sharing our own experiences of Christmas with the class, and soon discovered that, although  most of us celebrate Christmas, we don't do everything in the same way - different families have different traditions which they follow at Christmas time.

This week, we had a look at some different artefacts associated with Christmas, and worked in table groups to discuss how a Christian might use these as part of their faith and practice at Christmas time.  The first item was a huge Christmas gift!  The children were able to explain that we give presents at Christmas to reflect the gifts brought by the three kings to the infant Jesus.  Mrs Vaqueiro also explained that Christians believe that Jesus himself was a gift to the world from God.  We then unwrapped the present: inside there was a star decoration, an advent candle, a Christmas card, an advent calendar and a Christmas pudding, all of which prompted a lot of discussion as the children tried to spot and explain links to the Nativity story.  

We then considered whether a person had to be a Christian in order to enjoy using the different items: the answer was a resounding "No!"

Minecraft Coding

As part of the Year 3 curriculum we are learning all about the language of computers, which is called code.  Most of the class are huge Minecraft fans, so we had a look at the coding skills necessary to build commands in the Minecraft game.

We visited https://studio.code.org/s/mc/stage/1/puzzle/1 to complete our very first Hour of Code.  By the end of the lesson, all the children were able to put together complex commands using code, and were beginning to solve problems independently.

If you'd like to have a go at coding, click on the link above and follow the instructions to help you get started!

Rocks Rock!

3V braved the late autumn chill this afternoon for a bracing stroll around the school grounds in search of different rocks, for part of our science work this half term.  We didn't have to venture far from the classroom to find a number of different specimens - there was a huge variety to be seen and collected.  

We found limestone, granite, sandstone, flint, slate and a number of other less easily-identifiable rocks.  

Chocolate Rocks!

In 3V this half term, we are learning all about rocks and soils.  We have been looking at the three different ways in which rocks are formed.

Igneous rocks are formed deep underground, where the temperature is extremely hot.  Pockets of magma (molten rock) form under the earth's surface.  When these cool and solidify, igneous rock is formed.

Sedimentary rock usually forms under the sea.  Layers of dust and grit become compacted over many thousands of years, eventually solidifying to create sedimentary rock.

Metamorphic rock is created when heat and pressure affect an existing rock to such an extent that its structure changes, creating a new type of rock.

We recreated these different processes using a very popular ingredient... chocolate!  

First, we broke a bar of delicious chocolate into pieces.  Mrs Miller took it away to melt it carefully in the microwave.   This would be our igneous rock! 

Meanwhile, we layered several different chocolates and sweets in a baking dish.  These represented our sedimentary rock.  After the melted chocolate had been cooled and crumbled in (representing the erosion process that takes place over hundreds of years), it was taken away again to be heated in the oven.  The heat from the oven represented the metamorphic process.  

Once the dish was cool enough to handle safely, it was brought back into the classroom, where we looked at the changes that had occurred to our chocolate rock.

Finally, Mrs Vaqueiro broke the chocolate rock into bite-sized pieces for us to enjoy!

It was a delicious way to start the week!