Science Experiment Update

3V are delighted to reveal the results of their recent celery experiment!  

Avid readers of this blog will recall that the class were conducting an experiment to try to prove that plants will suck water up their stems towards their leaves.

This afternoon, we had a look at the results, and we were amazed to see how well the celery had taken up the coloured water - the tops of the celery had turned blue, and even the leaves had begun to change colour too!  We snapped the celery stalks open and could clearly see that the xylem (water tubes) inside the stems were full of blue coloured water, while the control experiment, which had just plain water to drink, remained clear.

Take a look at the fantastic results!

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!

Big Writing - w/b Monday 28th September

 

This week’s Big Writing is based on writing instructions. We are going to be using Claire Freedman and Ben Cort‘s book ‘Monstersaurus’ as stimulus. On Friday, we will be writing our own set of instructions on how to create our own monster.

It would be useful if you could discuss the following with your child in preparation for Big Writing:

·    Discuss and practise using the word of the week ‘atrocious’.

·    Use sequence openers to describe what steps to take next (Next...Then...After).

·     Practise using bossy verbs (Take...Heat...Stir...Mix).

·   Consider what ingredients would be necessary to make their perfect monster (not forgetting adjectives for description).

Any work completed at home can be used to support Big Writing on Friday.

Many thanks.

Mrs Vaqueiro

                                              

Friday 25th September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning and Happy Friday!

I hope you're still safe and well at home and feeling up to the challenge of Big Writing this morning!  The resources for today's lessons can be found in the Year 3 Home Learning folder on the Google Drive.

Literacy:

For our Big Writing this week we are using the story of Bob and the Moontree Mystery as a stimulus for writing an excerpt from Bob's diary.  Try to include the key features of a diary (dates, descriptions of events and feelings) and remember to write in the first person as if you were Bob (using 'I' or 'me').  You should also try to use the word of the week, devastating, in your writing if you can, and focus on using the time openers that we practised during the week to help sequence your ideas.  Don't forget to include plenty of exciting WOW Words as well as making sure your work is neatly presented, with all the right punctuation.

In school we write for an hour, and if you are well enough, I would like you to try to do this at home.  We normally listen to some gentle classical music while we write, and there is definitely no talking during Big Writing: this is your chance to work independently to show off everything you have learnt this week, so really challenge yourself and do your very best to write Bob's diary.

Maths:

In Maths this morning we will be concluding our work on place value, as we are nearly ready to move on to our next topic.  We are using the knowledge we have gained so far to solve mystery number problems: have a look through my teaching slides and then work step-by-step to try and solve the questions.  As always, make sure you explain your answers fully so that I can check your understanding.

Humanities:

In Humanities we will be continuing our work on Ancient Egypt, focusing this week on Hieroglyphs.  I have included a copy of my teaching slides and two different activities for you to complete.  There are two different challenge levels with the code-breaker activity, so make sure you choose the right one for you.  If the first level seems too easy - try the harder one!

Have a wonderful weekend - you've worked hard this week!

Mrs Vaqueiro

Thursday 24th September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning!

I hope that all is well and that you are still feeling up to doing your school work at the moment.

The resources for today's lesson are in the Year 3 Home Learning Resources folder on the Google Drive.  These are the activities I would like you to complete today - please send your work in via email to the school office so I can have a look through it and check you have understood everything.

Literacy:

In Literacy we will be planning our Big Writing.  I have put a copy of my lesson slides in the resources folder.  Read the story through carefully, and then have a look at my example on the last page.  What ideas could you borrow for your own writing?  What features of a diary can you spot in my example?

When you've read through the slides, have a go at completing your planning sheet for tomorrow's Big Write.

Maths:

In maths we are still looking at place value, but you are getting so good at it now, it's your turn to 'Be the Teacher!'  I have put some questions in the resources which contain deliberate mistakes... can you spot the problems and explain them, just like a teacher would?

RE:

In RE this afternoon we will be learning how Hindus pray.  Hindu prayer time is called Puja, and we will be exploring some of the rituals and artefacts that Hindus use to support their prayers.  Some Hindus express their faith in different ways - such as through dance - as well as following more traditional prayer routines.  There is a set of slides to support your learning, and worksheet for you to complete about Puja.  You can also watch a video about traditional Puja here, and about different kinds of Hindu worship here.

Computing:

In computing we are still looking at e-safety.  You could watch episodes 1-3 of Hector's World to support your understanding of keeping your information safe online.  

Hector's World Episode 1

Hector's World Episode 2

Hector's World Episode 3

Make sure you discuss the programmes with an adult at home so that you can make sure you understand how to keep yourself safe when using the internet.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Wednesday 23rd September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning!

I hope you are feeling well enough to tackle some new challenges today!  Please make sure you send your completed work via email to the school office every day, so that I can check you have understood everything properly.

Literacy:

In our literacy lesson today we will be practising using higher level conjunctions such as therefore, however and as well as in place of so, but and and. Have a look through my teaching slides and then complete one of the worksheets provided.  There are two challenge levels, so be sure to choose the right one for you.

Maths:

In maths, we are practising counting in 5s and 50s.  If you can count in 5s, you can count in 50s - you just need to remember that the numbers are worth ten times as much!  Once you've worked through the slides, have a go at the exploration tasks I have included for you.  Make sure you explain your answers fully so that I can check you have really understood the concepts.

DT:

In DT we will be working on the initial designs for our juggling balls.  Have a look through the slides I've included for you, and then come up with three different designs for your juggling balls.  Check the success criteria carefully to make sure you have fully met the requirements for each of your designs.

PSHE:

In PSHE we are exploring what it means to feel anxious. How does anxiety affect people?  What might it feel like to be anxious?  Why might someone feel anxious?  Once we have discussed this as a class, we will be exploring different ways to calm down and feel less anxious, including different mindfulness techniques.  In school we use mindfulness meditation to help calm our anxieties.  I like to use the 'Peace Out' series of meditations which are designed especially to help children relax.  You can try the first in the series by following this link.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Tuesday 22nd September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning!

I hope you are feeling well enough to study at home today.  I have put the resources to support today's learning in the Year 3 Home Learning Resources folder on the Google Drive.  When you have completed your work, please send it to the office via email so that I can have a look at it.  It is really helpful if you can send your work in daily so that I can check that you have understood the tasks properly.

These are the activities I would like you to complete today:

Literacy

We are continuing our work on the Moontree Mystery story today, and I will be teaching the class a new skill: how to use a thesaurus.  A thesaurus is a bit like a dictionary, except that instead of just explaining what words mean, it offers lots of different words with the same meaning (synonyms).  You can use a thesaurus to help you uplevel boring words in a sentence.  If you have a thesaurus at home, you can practise using it to uplevel the words on your sheet.  If you don't have a thesaurus at home, you can use an online thesaurus to do the same thing.  

When you have uplevelled all the words on the thesaurus activity sheet, try to uplevel yesterday's sentences using your new vocabulary.  Write the sentences out afresh and see how much you can improve them.

Maths

In maths we are continuing our work on place value, ordering numbers to 1000.  I have put a copy of my teaching slides in the resources folder to support you.  As you put the numbers into ascending order, try to unpick your thinking process: how do you know that one number is bigger than another?  What are you looking for?  Although this might be something that comes naturally to you, it's helpful for you to understand the skill that your brain is learning and using, as it will make maths much easier for you in the future!

When you come to answer the questions I have given you, please take the time to explain your answers fully.  If you show me your working out, and explain your thinking, I can help you to develop your understanding further, and nip any misconceptions in the bud.

Music

In music we are continuing our work on rhythm and notation.  Last week we found the pulse in different songs and compared them.  This week we will be looking at how music is written on a stave, and finding out about the different types of notes: particularly crotchets, quavers and breves.  Can you find out what these terms mean?

Art

In our art lessons with artbase this afternoon we will be starting work on our Egyptian pictures for our autumn corridor display.  We will be practising blending watercolours to make a sunset background for our paintings.  If you have paints at home, you could practise using warm colours such as red, orange and yellow and blending these together to make a sunset background.  There is a tutorial here which will demonstrate the technique.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Monday 21st September - Work for children in Self Isolation

Good morning!

I hope that you are keeping safe and well, and are still feeling able to complete some school work.  It's really important for you to complete the tasks that I am setting (as long as you are not ill, of course!) so that you can stay up to date with everything that we are learning in school. Please send scanned copies or photos of your completed work into the school office via email at the end of each day, so that I can see how you are getting on.

Here are today's Home Learning activities.  You will find the resources referred to in the Year 3 Home Learning Folder.

Literacy

In Literacy we are starting work on another book by Simon Bartram about the adventures of Bob, the Man on the Moon.  This week's story is 'Bob and the Moontree Mystery' - if you don't have the book at home, don't worry, as I have put a pdf copy of my teaching slides in the 3V Home Learning folder, and these contain all the bits you need. 

For our Big Writing this week, we will be writing a diary from Bob's point of view.  This means we will be writing in the 'first person' - as if we were actually Bob.  Please discuss what this means with children, and work through the teaching slides to practise changing sentences from the third person ('he did this') to the first person ('I did this').

We will then be exploring what a diary is, and what features it contains: a daily record of events, thoughts and feelings, a date etc.

Working through the slides, you will see that we will then be reviewing using different time openers to sequence events in a story, and making sure we put the events of the Moontree Mystery in the right order.  Children in school will then be using the picture prompts to write sentences (as if they were Bob) about each part of the story, so please complete this activity at home and send the written work in to me.  

Maths

On Mondays we do Big Maths!  Please ask your child to complete the timed 'Beat That!' test in 60 seconds and then mark their scores.  Please send me a copy of their completed sheet.

After the 'Beat That!' test, your child will need to complete the CLIC sheet independently. just as they do in school.  Again, please send me a copy of their completed sheet.

When the children have finished their Big Maths, they complete the weekly Maths Challenge, and a copy of this week's challenge is in the folder for your child to attempt.  

Science

On Monday afternoons we have a science lesson.  We are continuing to look at our topic of plants, and this week's lesson focuses on the different adaptations that plants make to enable them to survive in their particular environment.  We will be looking particularly at desert plants and rainforest plants.  There are some teaching slides in pdf format, and your child should also watch the following videos to research information for themselves.  

Eden Project Video

BBC Bitesize - Cacti Adaptations

Some further information about different plant adaptations can be found on this website. Children should make notes to help them remember the key facts about the different plants.  They should then complete the factsheet about both rainforest and desert plants to demonstrate what they have learnt.  

There is a lot of information for children to process and take in: this is a double lesson in school and should take up to one and a half hours to complete.

Reading

Your child will need to spend at least 15 minutes reading a book of their choice today.  Please hear them read and ask questions about the characters and events in the story (or the facts they have found out for a non-fiction book) in order to check their understanding.

Many thanks

Mrs Vaqueiro

Big Writing - w/b Monday 21st September

For Big Writing during the week beginning 21st September, we are going to be writing a diary based on, ‘Bob and the Moontree Mystery’.

It would be helpful if you could discuss the following with your child in preparation for Big Writing...

1)       This week’s word of the week is devastating

2)     Talk about why people write diaries, and how they are organised (e.g. written in the first   person (using I/me) with daily updates).

Any work brought from home can be used in Big Writing on Friday.

Many thanks, 

Mrs Vaqueiro

Friday 18th September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning!

I hope you are still keeping safe and well at home!  It's Friday today, which can mean only one thing... Big Writing!  Here is an outline of the work that we will be doing today in school.  Various resources can be found in the Year 3 Home Learning Resources Folder. 

Literacy

For our Big Writing this week we are retelling the the story of Bob, the Man on the Moon and describing both Bob himself and a typical day in his life.  Try to use the word of the week, initially, in your writing if you can, and focus on using the time openers that we practised during the week to help sequence your ideas.  Don't forget to include plenty of exciting WOW Words as well as making sure your work is neatly presented, with all the right punctuation.

In school we write for an hour, and if you are well enough, I would like you to try to do this at home.  We normally listen to some gentle classical music while we write, and there is definitely no talking during Big Writing: this is your chance to work independently to show off everything you have learnt this week, so really challenge yourself and do your very best to retell Bob's story.

Maths

In maths, we are practising adding 1, 10 and 100 again: there are some worksheets for you to tackle.  There are three different challenge levels for you to try: remember to choose work that is tricky, without being completely impossible.  If you're not sure, start with the easiest level and move on if you find it too simple.

PE

We have PE on Fridays! It's quite tricky to recreate Mr Thompson's PE lessons at home, so instead, try to do something active today for 45 minutes.  If your parents are happy for you to use YouTube (under supervision) you could try one of the Joe Wicks workouts that proved so popular during lockdown.  Alternatively, you could try some of the Just Dance routines that are also on YouTube (these were very popular in my Keyworker group during the summer term!).

Humanities

In our Humanities lessons at the moment we are learning about the Ancient Egyptians.  This week we are looking at the importance of the River Nile to Egypt both today and in ancient times.  There are resources in the folder to support your studies, and you could also watch this clip. If you need an extra challenge, have a go at finding the River Nile on a map or globe.  Where does it begin?  Where does it end?  How many different countries does it pass through on its journey to the sea?

Please send scanned copies or photos of your completed work to the school office (email: office@swanlanefirstschool.worcs.sch.uk ) so that I can have a look at it.

That's all for this week!  Have a wonderful weekend - you deserve it!

Mrs Vaqueiro

Thursday 17th September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning!

I hope that you are still keeping well and feel up to doing some school work today. Here are the details of the work I would like you to complete today, if you can.  You can find the resources for today's activities in the Year 3 Home Learning folder.

Literacy

In Literacy we will be planning our Big Writing this week - a retell of the story of Bob, the Man on the Moon.  First, we will look through my example of the story.  Read it carefully and use a highlighter to identify the different openers, WOW Words and conjunctions that I have used. Are there any parts you could borrow or uplevel for your own writing?

Then look carefully at the planning sheet and complete all the sections to support you with your Big Writing tomorrow.

Maths

In maths we will be revisiting place value, focusing on adding 1 more, 10 more and 100 more.  You will need a dice (if you don't have a real one there are online versions) and a place value sheet showing Hundreds, Tens and Ones.  There is an example in the Google Drive or you can draw your own.  Roll the dice three times to generate three numbers.  These will be your hundreds, tens and ones.  For example, if I rolled a one, a four and a six, my number would be 146.  Complete a place value sheet to show this number.  

Then add one more in the ones column using a different coloured pencil.  What number have you made now?  In my example with 146, the new number would be 147.  Write out the number sentence to show what you have done: 146+1=147.

Repeat the activity again, adding on 10 and then 100 to your original number, again writing out the number sentences.  In my example, my new numbers would be 156 and 246 respectively. 

When you have had a few goes, look at the exploration task and see if you can think of a rule to explain your answer.

RE

In RE, we are learning about Hinduism, focusing on the many different aspects of Brahman.  Brahman is a Hindu God, but he is represented by many different deities, depending on the job he is doing.  Have a look at the information in the Home Learning folder about some of the different deities, and watch the story of Ganesha on the BBC Website.  

Computing

In our computing lessons we are learning about staying safe online.  It's really important for you to be aware of e-safety, and make sure that you keep yourself and your personal information safe when you are using the internet. Have a look through the Powerpoint presentation in the Home Learning folder and create a poster about e-safety.

Please send scanned copies or photos of your completed work to the school office (email: office@swanlanefirstschool.worcs.sch.uk ) so that I can have a look at it.

Many thanks

Mrs Vaqueiro

Wednesday 16th September - Work for children in Self-Isolation

Good morning everyone!

I hope that you are keeping safe and well at home.  If you are well enough to complete your school work today, you will find the updated resources for Wednesday in the Year 3 Home Learning Resources drive on Google.

Literacy

In our literacy lessons we will continue our work on retelling the story of Bob, the Man on the Moon.  Today we are looking at extending our sentences using different conjunctions. In Year 2, you used simple conjunctions such as and, because, but and so to add extra information to your sentences.  We are beginning to look at using more sophisticated and grown up conjunctions now that we are in Year 3.

                       Therefore        However        Although        As well as        Also

With a grown up, have a look at these different conjunctions.  Can you find out what they mean, and how they might be used in a sentence? Practise using the different conjunctions in spoken sentences first.  Notice how you might need to change the structure or wording of your sentence slightly to make sure the sentence makes sense.

When you are comfortable using these new conjunctions orally, try one of the worksheets in the Google Drive.  There are three challenge levels - make sure you choose the one which will be right for you (not too easy, and not impossible - but one that makes you think carefully).  Remember to use your best handwriting.

Handwriting

Today we are practising the IN join and there are some sheets for you to use for practice. Take your time and make sure you form each letter correctly - take care especially to form the letter n properly as you join from the i.  It can be quite tricky but it gets easier with practice!

Maths

In Maths we are looking at place value again, and consolidating yesterday's work on numbers up to 1000 using a number line.  There are some reasoning and problem solving sheets for you to try.  There are three different challenge levels: make sure you choose the one that is right for you.  If you choose work that is too easy, you won't be stretching yourself enough, but if you choose work that is too hard, you may become disheartened.  If you're not sure which to choose, start with the first sheet and move on if you find it too easy.

Music

In music we will be listening to a piece of music and practising finding the pulse or beat.  Choose a favourite song and practising clapping along on the beat.  Now listen to a different song.  Is the beat the same, or different?  

Design Technology

We will be continuing our evaluation of the three different products and rating them for colour, decoration, shape, function and appeal.  Look carefully at the sheet on the Google drive and complete the ratings for each of the three proposed designs.  Which will be your favourite?

Mrs Vaqueiro

Tuesday 15th September - Work for children in self-isolation

Good morning!

I hope you are keeping safe and well at home.  These are the activities that I would like you to complete while you are in self-isolation, as long as you are well enough to do them. I have started a new folder on the Google Drive and will put activities in the folder every day for you to access.  You can find the folder here: Year 3 Home Learning Resources.

Literacy

In Literacy, we are continuing our work on the story of Bob, the Man on the Moon.  You can watch the story online to refresh your memory about the events of Bob’s day – there is a link here.

Yesterday, we wrote a list of the different things that Bob does every day – such as waking up early, eating two delicious eggs for breakfast, and heading off to the launchpad to fly his dazzling, colourful rocket to the moon. 

Today we are looking at uplevelling our simple sentences to include time (or sequential) openers which will help the reader to understand the order in which the events of Bob’s day happened.

We are trying to use our Word of the Week – initially – to begin our first sentence.  Can you use a dictionary (or an internet search if your parents/carers supervise you) to find out what it means?

Please then complete the sentences to describe Bob’s day, using the sequential openers to make sure you put the events in the right order.

SPAG

Today we are also doing a quick punctuation exercise to correct some silly sentences.  If you have a printer at home you could print these out and correct them (we used a purple pen in school – maybe you could use a thin felt tip or a biro at home?) – otherwise, you could write them out correctly at home.  How many different mistakes can you spot?

Maths

In maths we are looking at different number lines to support our understanding of the numbers up to 1000.  I have put some worksheet resources in the Google drive for you to try.

PSHE

In PSHE we are looking at the ways in which we can help to stop the spread of coronavirus.  Think about all the different things we are doing at home and at school to keep ourselves and other people healthy – such as washing our hands often and trying to keep socially distanced from other people.  There is a sheet for you to complete with your ideas.

Art

This afternoon the ladies from Artbase will be supporting the children in school to improve the self portraits that you started last week.  Can you draw a self portrait?  Look carefully at the details and try to add some shading to enhance your picture.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Big Writing - w/b Monday 14th September

Next week, for Big Writing, we will be continuing our work on Simon Bartram's book about Bob, the Man on the Moon, and retelling the story of a typical day in Bob's life.

Our word of the week will be initially and the children will be practising using this and other adverbial openers to sequence events in a story.  We will also be looking at using more sophisticated conjunctions such as therefore, however and although to uplevel sentences.

It would be helpful for the children to be familiar with the story, and you can watch a version of it here.  Please encourage your child to retell the story orally in their own words, putting the main events of the day in the correct order.

We will be completing this week's Big Writing as an unaided piece, so unfortunately any written work completed at home will not be able to be used during Big Writing this week.

Mrs Vaqueiro

A great first day!

It was so lovely to welcome all the children back into school today!  

Although things must have seemed quite strange for them this morning, they were soon back in the swing of it all and loving spending time with their friends!  I am really looking forward to getting to know them all as the weeks go by.

Big Writing - Week beginning Monday 7th September

As from next week, we will be starting our usual literacy work, leading up to the weekly Big Write on a Friday morning.  Our Big Writing next Friday will be a character description of Bob, the Man in the Moon, from the book of the same name by Simon Bartram.

You can watch a clip of the story online here.

It would be helpful if you could discuss the following with your child in preparation for Big Writing...

1) This week’s word of the week is glistening.

2) How to use WOW words to enhance description

3) How to use adverbial openers such as fascinatingly, interestingly and amazingly.

Any work brought from home can be used in Big Writing on Friday.

Spelling Test - Thursday 10th September

Your child will be bringing home weekly spellings which they will need to learn for a spelling test every Thursday.  Since all the children are at different stages, they will have individual spellings to learn, so it will not be possible for me to put the spellings on this blog.  If weekly spellings are mislaid, please just let me or Mrs Sanders know and we will let you have fresh ones.

Big Maths

We will be restarting our weekly 'Big Maths' again with effect from next Monday, and children will begin practising the times tables for Year 3 - the 3x, 4x and 8x tables, as well as consolidating those learnt in Years 1 and 2 (the 2x, 5x and 10x tables).  Children may like to practise these at home using the TT Rockstars website: their login details will be the same as in previous years, but if you need a note of them please just let me know.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Welcome to 3V!

Hello and welcome to 3V's class blog for the academic year 2020-2021!

Mrs Sanders and I are really looking forward to welcoming you all into class tomorrow after what must have seemed like the longest summer holiday ever!  We've been working hard to ensure the classroom is ready for you, and we have lots of exciting plans for the term ahead.

I will be updating the blog regularly with details of our weekly Big Writing, photos of some of our lessons and activities, and news updates, so do please keep checking back.

I hope that you are all feeling ready to go up, up and away in Key Stage 2!

Best wishes,

Mrs Vaqueiro