3V were celebrating during this morning's assembly, as they had achieved 100% attendance during the week 17-21 May, and therefore won both the Attendance Award (and the much coveted prize of Maltesers) and a Non-Uniform Day. Our non-uniform day will be on Wednesday 9th June 2021.
It was also the annual 'Poscars' competition: although we didn't win the prize this year, the class gave a word-perfect performance of Emily Dickinson's poem, 'Summer Shower.' We congratulate this year's worthy winners - 2J (KS1 prize) and 4SH (KS2 prize). Well done to everyone who took part!
For our history lessons this half term, 3V have been learning all about Crime and Punishment through the ages. This week, we investigated Victorian times. We learnt that the first police force was introduced in London by Sir Robert Peel (and were swiftly nicknamed 'Bobbies' or 'Peelers'). We also learnt that, in Victorian times, criminals were sent to prison to perform 'hard labour' as a punishment for their misdeeds. Prisoners would have to spend hours every day turning a crank, stepping on a treadwheel, picking oakum or carrying a heavy weight around. All activities had to be carried out in silence.
We recreated some of these activities for the children in the school hall: they spent fifteen minutes in total trying three different types of hard labour: the shot drill, the treadwheel and picking oakum. I think they found keeping silent the hardest part!
After they had completed their 'sentence,' the prisoners were marched back to the classroom to write a diary describing their experiences.
At Swan Lane this week, all the classes have been participating in the annual gardening week. 3V were given the responsibility of planting up one of the flowerbeds outside the main entrance to the school, so it was extra-specially important for us to make a good job of it!
In our maths lessons in 3V this week we have started to learn how to tell the time. We have been exploring the calendar, looking at the days and months of the year, and are now learning to tell the time to the nearest five minutes using an analogue clock.
One of the resources that we use in school is this teaching clock - the children have enjoyed using it so much that they have asked for a link to be put on the blog for them to practise at home.
Have fun!
Our next Big Writing is based on writing a recount. We are going to be using the legend of Robin Hood as stimulus.
On Friday, we will be retelling one of Robin Hood’s adventures. You can watch a version of the story here…
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 ‘implored’.
· Practise using adverbs as openers (Quickly...Suddenly...Slowly).
· Think of adjectives to describe the characters of Robin Hood, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and the Merry Men.
· Practise using sequential openers to order events (Moments later… At long last…)
· Practise punctuating work, with a focus on speech marks for dialogue.
Anything that we bring in before Friday can be used to assist us with our Big Writing.
Thank you.
Mrs Vaqueiro
Recently in 3V we have been learning all about fractions. Today, we consolidated our learning all about equivalence in fractions: understanding that you can make fractions equivalent to one half, one quarter and one third in a variety of different ways.
We began by looking at a fractions wall to find as many different equivalent fractions as we could. We noticed that, where fractions were equivalent to half, the top number (numerator) will be half the bottom number (denominator). With thirds, the denominator is three times the numerator, and with fractions equivalent to a quarter, it will be four times. Once we had spotted this pattern, it was easy to think of lots of different equivalents!
We then began to compare fractions: would you rather have one third of a cake or a quarter? Would you prefer a fifth or a tenth? Which fraction will give you the biggest piece of cake?
There was only one way to find out...
By slicing up real cakes, and comparing the sizes of the slices, we were able to devise our own theory and test it: the smaller the denominator (the number of slices), the larger the fraction (individual slice). So cutting a cake into 4 equal slices will give bigger slices than if you cut the same cake into 6 equal slices, and so on.
Once we had tested our theory and proved it was true, there was only one thing to do with all that cake...
