Rocket Shape Poems display
Our newest display in class is of the shape poetry work which we completed recently. The poems are excellent and show a really good range of vocabulary. The display also includes the brilliant mission patches which the children created for their Mars missions. Our next display will be replacing our Viking ship (I must admit, I love it so much I don’t want to take it down!), I’m just waiting for the shipment of black backing paper to arrive!
Newsletter- week ending 30th January
Dear parents/carers,
This week in English we have been examining atmosphere and description in film texts. We’ve looked at extracts from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, examining how the film makers created atmosphere through use of lighting, camera angle and camera shots. We’ve also looked at writing descriptive sentences, inspired by the short film “Little Wolf” (which you can watch at home on YouTube!). We started with some simple sentences and looked for places where we could add descriptive phrases. Next week we will be looking at writing our own story settings, based on photographs of familiar places. We will be using vocabulary and sentence structure to create atmosphere in our writing.
In maths we have been looking at fractions of shapes, including halves, quarters and eighths. We’ve worked on measuring accurately to split a shape into halves or quarters, and looked at equivalent fractions such as 1/2, 2/4 and 4/8. Next week we will be investigating number patterns, including in addition/subtraction sums as well as multiplication and division. We’ll also be recapping adding 2 digit numbers together.
In science this week we have investigated how we can use mirrors to see round corners as well as looked at the difference between opaque and transparent materials. Next week we will investigate shadows, and will find out what affects their shape and size.
Next week I will be out on a maths course on Monday, and also out of class on Wednesday. On Wednesday afternoon I will be meeting with the ICT team to find out about the new virtual learning platform which is being implemented in Oxfordshire. I’m looking forward to finding out how we can use this new platform to increase the bond between home and school.
Our mission to Mars is going well- so far we have worked out what is important to our community here on Earth, as well as planned decided what 5 things we couldn’t live without. I’m very pleased to say that books were on the list! Next week we’ll be continuing by finding out what surface conditions are like on Mars, so we can decide what sort of shelter we might need.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 How can you use a mirror to see round a corner?
2 Can you split a triangle into quarters?
3 What happened to Little Wolf?
Newsletter- Week Ending 23rd January
Dear parents/carers,
In our English lessons this week we have been exploring setting and atmosphere. The children have taken a familiar setting (our classroom) and written the beginning of stories with a spooky setting. Some of the story fragments were frankly terrifying! The children used features of suspense writing like varying sentence length and using pauses. We’ve also been looking at including the narrator’s viewpoint in our writing. Next week we will be looking at atmosphere in film texts, using familiar stories like Charlotte’s Web.
In maths we have looked at 2d and 3d shapes. The children have explored symmetry in regular and irregular 2d shapes using mirrors, and have recapped on their 3d shape knowledge by building 3d shapes from artstraws. Next week we will be looking at fractions of shapes and symmetry.
In science the children have investigated what makes a good surface for reflections, and drawn self portraits of their reflections in mirrors and spoons. Next week we’ll be looking at the difference between opaque and transparent surfaces, and investigating how we can use a mirror to see round corners.
Each child should now have received a sheet explaining the next homework project. I have made the project shorter and more contained, which I think will help to make things easier. I’ve kept the wide scope and opportunity for the children to choose their method of presentation. I’m hoping for some fantastic planet models that we can use to build our own solar system. I’ll be running a couple of homework clubs over the next two weeks to help the children with their research. If there are any problems or questions, please feel free to give me a shout.
I am trialling a new spelling list technique with my year 3s. The children choose words which they personally need to learn, based on words that they have misspelled during the previous week. At the moment I’ve started them off on just two or three words, but I shall be stretching them over the coming weeks into remembering more. I’m hoping that this will help the children to put the words into their longer term memories, rather than remembering a list of words just for a test. I’ll keep you informed as to how well I think this is working.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 Why is your reflection in a spoon different to your reflection in a mirror?
2 What is on your mission patch?
3 What’s the difference between a 2d and a 3d shape?
Newsletter- week ending 16th January
Dear parents/carers,
In English this week we have been writing our own shape poems about rockets. In order to use the most descriptive language that we could, we spent a few lessons looking at photographs and videos of rockets taking off. As well as describing and discussing what we had seen, we came up with a set of word banks of suitable vocabulary for our poems. The children have written and illustrated some excellent poems, and those will be on display in class shortly. Next week we’ll be looking at story setting and how authors create atmosphere and mood.
In maths we’re going to be looking at classifying and sorting 2d and 3d shapes. This will also include identifying lines of symmetry using a mirror. This also fits in with our science work on light, as next week the children will be investigating how mirrors form images and looking at reflective and shiny surfaces. This week in science the children investigated what you could see with your eyes closed, and worked out how light from a light source travels to your eyes.
The children did a wonderful job in their guitar lesson this week, working enthusiastically and showing a really good sense of rhythm. I’m looking forward to seeing how the children improve with this specialist teaching.
Next week we’re going to start a new, more personalised spelling list for my year 3 children. I’m hoping that this (in conjunction with our regular phonics work) will help to avoid the problem we have with children learning the words short term for the test, but then the spellings don’t actually make it into their work! I’m going to run it for a while and see if I’m happier with spelling. Next week will also be the point when the next homework project will be announced. There will be some changes to the structure, which I hope will make things even better than last time.
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 How can we check whether Mrs Barker has done her taking away correctly?
2 How would you describe a rocket blasting off?
3 What do we need to see? Where does this stuff come from?
Newsletter- week ending 9th January
Dear parents/carers,
This week in English we have been looking at shape poetry. The children created their own one word shape poems, as well as learnt how to use Word Art to enhance a poem visually. Next week we will be continuing with this project, and will be writing shape poems about rockets.
In maths we’ve been recapping some work on place value and rounding. The children have been measuring objects in the classroom and then rounding the measurements to the nearest 10cm or half metre. The children have also been investigating efficient ways of sorting numbers. Next week we will be looking at quick ways of adding and taking away. We’ll be covering partitioning (e.g. splitting 43+32=? Into 40+30 and 3+2), checking our subtraction using addition and looking at some number patterns.
In Science we have started a new topic- Light. This week I asked the children to tell me what they already knew about light and light sources. Some of the answers were very interesting! Next week we’ll be looking at how light travels from a source and bounces off an object before arriving in our eyes.
Next week our class will start their guitar lessons. They’ll be taking place on a Wednesday morning for the time being (we’ll need to change that once we start swimming).
Quick reminders- please make sure that your child has a PE kit in school every day and a suitable pair of indoor shoes. I have quite a few children in stocking feet at the moment and I’m expecting a fire alarm at some point soon!
Mrs B
Three things to ask your child this week:
1 How do we know whether to round up or down?
2 What’s the difference between a shape poem and a normal poem?
3 How do you make a one word shape poem?
