3LG - Autumn Week 2

What a Busy Week 3LG Have Had!

What a busy week 3LG have had this week! It has taken a little while, but the children have now settled in beautifully, and it has been wonderful to see them growing in confidence and enjoying their learning.

English

In English this week, the children were introduced to a new book, The Iron Man. They made some amazing predictions by looking carefully at related images and thinking about what the story might be about.

The children shared some fantastic ideas and gave reasons for their predictions:

“I predict the book is about a young boy who makes Iron Man from metal and scrap from a junkyard. I know this because there are lots of metal and bolts in the picture.” – Jack G

“I predict the book will be about an Iron Man made of metal and comes to life.” – Matilda

We also explored a variety of vocabulary linked to the setting of The Iron Man. The children came up with some fantastic ideas and showed just how imaginative they can

be!

 

 

Maths

In Maths, the children have been learning about place value using Base 10. They explored how ten ones are the same as one ten and used practical resources to help develop their understanding.

The children also worked on recognising numbers using number counters and enjoyed using the resources to support their learning.

Phonics

In Phonics, the children have been busy recapping the ‘are’, ‘ear’ and ‘air’ sounds. They have been working hard to recognise these sounds and apply them when reading and spelling words.

PSHE

During our PSHE lesson, the children were learning about feelings and how people might behave in different situations.

We discussed body language, what someone might say, how they might feel and what they might do. The class had a really meaningful discussion and showed great empathy when considering how other people might feel in different situations.

Geography

In Geography, we learned about comparing places in the UK, including Lancashire and Merseyside.

The children used atlases to identify Lancashire and Merseyside and explored where these places are located. They enjoyed developing their map-reading skills and finding the different areas in the UK.

What a Week!

What a busy yet fun week 3LG have had! It has been fantastic to see the children settling into Year 3 so beautifully and embracing all of the exciting learning taking place in our classroom.

Well done, 3LG!

We hope you all have a lovely weekend!

 

3LG - Autumn Week 1

 

What an amazing first week we have had in school. Firstly, I would like to welcome the new children into the junior school. They have settled in amazingly and have been polite, hard-working and have shown enthusiasm at the start of their journey. The children have enjoyed being back together and have shared their summer adventures with each other. 

Writing 

The class started the week by reading the story 'The Tin Forest'. They explored the vocabulary and thought about how effective the language used was. After being immersed in the story and illustrations, they collectively worked together to think about how they could describe the setting of the story. This collaboration of amazing vocabulary enabled them to explore how to write a setting description – I am amazed at some of the writing the children have produced!

 

Maths

The maths lessons this week have consisted of getting to know the children and assessing them so that we can build on what they know moving forward into the half-term. The whole class have worked incredibly hard and have shown great determination and perseverance when completing the assessments. 

 

PSHE

The whole class have taken part in some engaging 'getting to know you' activities. This has given them a chance to get to know each other on another level and some of them found out things they didn't know – even about their friends! They then spoke about what PSHE is and worked in small groups to collect these ideas. They held conversations with each other and used excellent speaking and listening skills with the people in their group. We then had a whole class discussion about what the rules of the school are. The class demonstrated an excellent understanding of why we have these rules in place. They understand that rules are in place to keep everyone safe. 

 

Art

In our art lesson, we explored how prehistoric people may have used natural materials to create colours and marks. We used tea bags to stain our pages, creating an old, weathered effect. We experimented with rubbing, dabbing and brushing the tea onto the paper.

Overall, it has been a very positive first week for the children in 3LG, and I truly cannot wait to see what the rest of the year holds! 

 

Summer 2 Week 5 

Transition 

Year 3 have been busy designing colourful welcome posters ready for the Year 2 children who will be moving up to join our school as our new Year 3s. It's a lovely way to show them that they'll be joining a friendly and welcoming school, while also demonstrating our school values to the upcoming classes. The children also enjoyed a transition morning with their new teacher, Miss Gill, getting to know her and finding out a little more about what Year 4 will bring.

Year 3 have been busy putting their creativity to good use, designing colourful welcome posters ready for the Year 2 children who will be moving up to join our school as our new Year 3s. It's a lovely way to show them that they'll be joining a friendly and welcoming school, while also demonstrating our school values to the upcoming classes. The children also enjoyed a transition morning with their new teacher, Miss Gill, getting to know her and finding out a little more about what Year 4 will bring.

 

PSHE

In PSHE, as part of our focus on economic wellbeing, Year 3 have been learning about a range of different occupations and what each of them involves. The children were excited to explore these different careers and enjoyed sharing their own aspirations for the future, including becoming artists, teachers, doctors and footballers!

 

Art

Year 3 have been developing their painting skills in art this week. They have used watercolours to bring their botanical illustrations to life, carefully observing the delicate details of leaves, petals and stems before mixing their colours and layering washes of paint to add depth and texture.

Summer 2 Week 4 

Science 

In science, we have been learning about light. We worked scientifically to test felt, cardboard, bubble wrap, tin foil and retroreflective material to see which was most reflective, making predictions beforehand about which material would work best. We then evaluated whether our predictions were correct or incorrect and explained why. We discovered that retroreflective material bounced back far more light than any of the others, making it the best choice for a child's book bag to help them stay seen while walking home in the darker afternoons.

 

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust

This week, the GULP team from Blackburn Rovers returned to work with Year 3! The children looked at the sugar content in lots of popular drinks and learnt how to check nutritional labels to make healthier choices. They also enjoyed some exercise in the sunshine, building their teamwork skills along the way. 

 

History

In history, Year 3 has been learning all about the Romans. This week, we focused on the Roman invasion of Britain and how Boudica, leader of the Iceni tribe, fought back against the Romans and why we still remember her today. The children were fascinated by her courage and loved discovering how one brave leader can leave such a lasting mark on history!

 

Summer 2 Week 3 

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust 

This week, we were delighted to welcome visitors from Blackburn Rovers back into school as part of their GULP (Give Up Loving Pop) campaign. The children learnt about the effects of sugary drinks on dental health and the importance of making healthy choices. They also set up an investigation by submerging boiled eggs in different sugary drinks to explore how these can affect enamel over time. The session included a range of outdoor team activities, where the children demonstrated excellent teamwork and communication skills while learning about the benefits of regular exercise.

English

Year 3 has begun a new unit of writing based on a new book. As part of an immersive lesson, we explored a range of clues to help us make predictions about the story. We listened to a soundscape and examined a collection of objects and illustrations linked to the text. Using these clues, the children discussed their ideas and made thoughtful predictions about what they believe the story might be about.

Summer 2 Week 2 

Geography

Year 3 have been exploring one of England's most beautiful places, the Lake District! To showcase their learning, they each created their own information leaflets, packed with details about the exciting things people can see and do there, from hiking and cycling to sailing and wildlife spotting.

       

English

This week in English, Year 3 have been busy writing diary entries in the role of Emily Sands, a daring Egyptologist exploring Ancient Egypt in the 1920s! The children have been working hard to use technical vocabulary, rhetorical questions and prepositions.

Summer 2 Week 1 

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust

This week, Year 3 enjoyed a visit from Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, who introduced us to the GULP (Giving Up Loving Pop) challenge. We learnt about how much sugar is in fizzy drinks and talked about why it is important to drink plenty of water. The children were excited to receive their own Blackburn Rovers water bottles and were keen to take on the challenge of filling them with water instead of sugary drinks.

 

English 

Year 3 explored technical vocabulary linked to archaeology and Ancient Egypt, using new words and phrases in context. They had the opportunity to take part in a role-play activity in which they acted as Emily Sands and an interviewer. They discussed archaeological discoveries, journeys, and theories about ancient artefacts, while practising the use of this vocabulary in their own spoken sentences.

 

PE

Year 3 welcomed a dance teacher who will be working with the class over the next six weeks. The children enjoyed exploring different ways to express themselves through movement, showing creativity, enthusiasm, and confidence throughout the session. Everyone had lots of fun and is looking forward to developing their dance skills in the coming weeks.

uring the Iron Man

This week, Year 3 have designed their own traps and acted in the roles of council members to present their new and improved trap designs. Everybody took turns to stand in front of their group and explain how their trap worked, its special features, and why it was better than the first version of the trap we looked at earlier in the week. They had to use clear, persuasive language to convince the rest of the council that their design would work best!

Some designs had clever camouflage, others had hidden spikes or pressure plates and some even used brightly coloured vehicles to attract the Iron Man.Each group acted as fellow council members and had to ask challenging questions to test how strong and clever each design really was. These questions helped the children to think more deeply and describe their ideas in more detail.

My trap is full of lava and spikes. – Zara

I have used cars as bait to lure the Iron Man inside my trap. – Lawe

I will use an indestructible cage, and it is disguised it with mirrors, so the Iron Man is not suspicious. – Gabriella

I will use a magnet attached to a rocket to attract the Iron Man and take him to the moon. – Mya

I will capture the Iron Man in a vault that is then take to the desert and let him free, but he will just roam around and will not be able to get back to the village. – Delilah

Once the Iron Man is captured, I will build a shoot that metal snack can be put down to feed him, so he is not disturbed. – Eliza

 

Hello Yellow

This week Year 3 took part in Hello Yellow to support World Mental Health Day. Hello Yellow is a day when schools across the UK wear yellow and raise money for Young Minds, a charity that supports young people’s mental health.We wore yellow to show that we care and to remind everyone that it is okay to not feel okay. By joining in, we are helping others feel supported and less alone.

In class we talked about how to help a friend who might be feeling sad or worried. We shared ideas like finding a quiet place to talk, listening carefully, asking how we can help and reminding each other that trusted adults can help too.

We also did role play activities where we practised how to respond if someone shares a problem. We learned that it is always important to make sure everyone is safe and that it is okay to tell an adult if something is worrying you, even if a friend asks you not to.

To end the day, we wrote kind and positive messages about our friends on yellow post-it notes. This helped us show how much we care and appreciate each other.Year 3 really enjoyed taking part in Hello Yellow and learning how to support our friends and look after our mental health.

We must take care of our friends when they feel sad. This is important to make sure our friends always feel like are supported. – Gabriella

You should always be kind to others because you don’t know what they are going through at home, so you should always take a minute to listen to your friends. – Zara

If a new student joins your class, they will already be nervous and worried so you could support their mental health by being kind and respectful towards them and make sure they feel welcomed. – Maryam

Collaborative Prehistoric Handprint Art

Year 3 have worked together to create a large collaborative piece inspired by prehistoric cave paintings. Using their knowledge of natural colours and painting techniques, the children created both positive and negative handprints, just like those found on ancient cave walls!

The children worked brilliantly in teams, combining all their work into one large and colourful display. They talked about which handprints stood out the most, what they enjoyed about working together, and where they think the final artwork should be displayed in school.

Creating a collaborative piece really brought our prehistoric art project to life!

Autumn 1 Week 5

PSHE: Tolerance 

This term, Year 3 has been learning about how we can help make the world a kinder and more understanding place. Our unit Together in Our World, focused on the important themes of tolerance, empathy, refugees and inclusion.

One key activity was sorting cards showing different reasons why people move from one place to another. The children worked in groups to sort these reasons into "forced" and "choices", learning that some people choose to move, while others are forced to leave because of war, danger, or other hardships. This helped us understand why someone might become a refugee or asylum seeker.

                                          

A choice is when you choose to go to that country, so somebody might want to move to Spain because they want to live in a warm country but some people are forced to leave their countries because there may be a war and they are no longer safe. – Lawe

You might be forced to leave your country because of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, a flood, a tornado, or a tsunami. – Gabriella

there might be dangerous gangs that are putting your family in danger. – Leo

People that are forced to leave their country and their home will feel heartbroken. – Hunter

They will feel emotional because they are leaving their houses, their families and friends, their school. – Jaxon

We should be kind to people that have lost so much in countries that are at war because they have been forced to leave. – Adelynn

Art

As part of our prehistoric art unit, Year 3 have been exploring how Stone Age people made paints using natural materials.The children experimented with creating their own paints by mixing flour and water to form a base. They then added natural pigments, including spices like turmeric, nutmeg, cinnamon and chilli powder, as well as coffee grounds, cocoa powder, and crushed charcoal.The children tested their paints in their sketchbooks by making marks and wrote down which ingredients they used. They discussed which mixtures made the most vibrant colours and why prehistoric artists were limited to natural shades like reds, browns, blacks, yellows, and whites.

Cave men and women would need to find natural resources to make colour with as they couldn’t just go to Aldi and buy paint. They would find berries, leaves and different fruit and vegetables and they would crush them and add water to create a paste. They would then paint on the cave walls. – George

During the stone age, they would need to make their own paint. They would paint handprints and animals on the wall. Animals were important to them because their whole life would surround hunting animals to survive. – Zara

They would use earthy colours from natural items found in the wild, so there would be no bright pinks or blues. – Leena

They would burn animal fat to create an oil lamp so they could see inside dark caves. – Gabriella

when cave men hunt, they eat the meat and use the animal skin for clothes and blankets to sleep. – Freddie

 

English

This week in Year 3, something very exciting happened. We received a very important letter from the Town Mayor. The letter explained that the Iron Man has escaped from the pit, and the town is in need of urgent help. That’s when we were called in.

We have been asked to act as professional trap designers. Our first task was to investigate the original trap to see what worked well and what didn’t. We worked together to discuss and write down words and phrases to describe the trap’s strengths and weaknesses.

After this, we began thinking carefully about how we could improve the design. We will be working on our own improved traps, thinking like real engineers and using our best explanation skills to describe our ideas.

Autumn 1 Week 4 

English 

In small groups, the children acted as Hogarth and the Iron Man, creating freeze frames that displays the moment when the Iron Man is first seen on the top of the cliff, looming down over the fields, showing their reactions to seeing the giant. The children then described what the Iron Man looked like, and how Hogarth may be feeling after seeing him. Year 3 were able to develop their descriptive language verbally before writing.

Prehistoric Art 

As part of our prehistoric art topic, Year 3 have been learning about Stone Age artwork and what makes it unique. The children explored how prehistoric people often painted animals and discussed why animals might have been so important to them. Using photos and line drawings of UK animals, the class practised spotting simple geometric shapes to help them sketch animals in proportion. They carefully mapped out their drawings in pencil before going over the outlines in pen, creating their own prehistoric-style animal art in their sketchbooks.

 

PSHE

Year 3 began their PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education) lessons by thinking about what PSHE is and how we can all learn well together. The children reflected on what they remembered learning in Year 2 and shared their favourite activities that helped them learn. They discussed why some lessons stood out, whether it was the topic, how it was taught, or how it made them feel. We talked about why having rules in PSHE is important to help everyone feel safe, respected and able to speak freely.

At the Infants School we learnt about online safety.  need to be careful about strangers trying to speak to you and finding out where you live and what school you go to. They could pop up and try and speak to you on an online game. We learnt that if that happens, you should tell your parent. – Eliza

Don’t share your password or go on camera at home. – Jake

We learnt about bullying in the infants. If you see or hear somebody being bullied at school, you should tell an adult. If you are being bullied, you should tell you teacher or your parents. – Jannat

We were visited by two fire fighters who taught us how to be safe in our homes and at school. They told us some safety tips we can use if there is ever a fire. – Mya

 

 

Autumn 1 Week 3 

During our maths starter activities, Year 3 have been practising number bonds to 100 using bead strings to represent multiples of 10. The class used their knowledge of number bonds to 10 to form bonds to 100 efficiently.

                              

Year 3 were able to correctly carry out addition of two-digit numbers that require exchange by first using base tens and ones and then by using their own pictorial representations.

 

English 

This term we will be focusing on ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Hughes. Before introducing the text, the class were presented with a variety of objects that sparked their curiosity and had them questioning what clues they were being offered about the text. They were then asked to ‘step inside’ illustrations by Chris Mould and explain what they might see, hear, smell of feel inside each illustration. The class gathered some fantastic words and phrases and then created their own predictions for what they think the story might be about.

  

The class have worked hard writing their own Kenning Poems about the Iron Man this week. They used some ambitious vocabulary and performed their poems with confidence.

  

 

Autumn 1 Week 2 

Year 3 have had an amazing start to the school year and have settled in wonderfully! The children have already shown our school values of respect and ambition by working hard, showing kindness, and giving their best in every lesson.

Write Dance

It’s been a busy and exciting week in class! We were lucky to be visited by Mrs Garner, who led a brilliant gross motor skills session. Through fun and active exercises, we worked on building up our shoulder and arm muscles, to help us improve our pencil grip and handwriting. The children loved the challenge and gave it their all!

Gymnastics

We also had our first gymnastics session with Coach Elizabeth, who introduced us to some fantastic balancing movements. The class showed great focus and control as they explored new ways to move and hold their balance.

We are so proud of how well Year 3 have started the year, and we’re looking forward to all the exciting learning still to come!

Summer 2 Week 4 

English

This week, Year 3 explored the vehicle text ‘Into the Forest’ and worked in groups to recreate the scene from the illustrations, acting as the characters or objects in the pictures. They used freeze frames to show other groups, who then had to guess which part of the story they were performing. Year 3 also made two parallel lines to form a conscience alley. Elsie acted in the role of the character from the book and each side had to convince her to either obey or disobey the mum in the story by taking the shortcut through the forest, or by choosing to take the longer route. We ended with a game of ‘Hot Seat’ to infer the characters' feelings.

I enjoyed acting in the roles of the different characters from Into the Forest and I liked guessing what other groups’ freeze frames were. I also liked acting out show not tell phrases. I acted as the boy desperately looking over his shoulder with his eyes darting from right to left and the class eventually guessed correctly. – Lyric

I enjoyed being on the side of the conscience alley that was persuading the boy to not obey his mum. It was fun to think of persuasive phrases. – Shaheer

I liked that everyone got a chance to share their ideas during conscience alley. – Amelia

By playing hot seat, we were able to think about how the character was feeling at each point of the story. - Daniel

 

Grammar

This week in Year 3, we’ve been learning all about direct speech and how to punctuate it accurately. The class has been learning how to use inverted commas around spoken words, to ensure each piece of speech begins with a capital letter, and to use a piece of punctuation before closing the speech marks. We have also been exploring how to include more exciting reporting clauses and where we can place them to create more varied sentences.

Maths

This week we have been exploring 3D shapes. Year 3 have been naming various shapes and identifying how many faces, edges and vertices they have. They discovered how a sphere, for example, has no edges at all, while a cube has 12!

Summer 2 Week 3

Stay and read

This week we have welcomed a visitor from Mill Hill library to share how our school can enter a summer reading competition. This is a wonderful way to keep children motivated to read over the holidays. Children also enjoyed some hotdogs and ice pops and had the opportunity to choose some of their favourite books to read to their parents and carers.

I like how we got to read books to our adults. I read ‘Grandad Wheels’ to my grandma. I will be entering the library competition and aim to read 6 books over the school holidays. – Charlie

 

English 

This week, the children have been listening to a soundtrack of a forest accompanied by a dark, gloomy woodland image.  They moved around the classroom, imagining they were walking through the forest, predicting what our new vehicle text might be. Year 3 were then shown objects and illustrations from the text that offered them more clues about what the story may be about and worked in groups to share their ideas.

I predict the story will be about a boy who wears a red coat and enters the forest to enjoy a picnic but gets lost. He finds a book that helps him return home. – Charlie

The clues made me think that the story will be full of different fairy tales because the red coat is like Little Red Riding Hood’s, the cow is from Jack and the Beanstalk, the book is Hansel and Gretel and the doll looks like Goldilocks. Maybe all those characters will be in the story, like the film, Into the Woods. – Kashana

I think the boy in the red coat will be delivering the cakes to his grandma’s house, like Little Red Riding Hood. He will walk through the forest, and he will be followed by the Big Bad Wolf. But I think it will be slightly different from the original story because he is a boy, and I think other characters from other books will help him along the way. – Lyric

 

Gymnastics

Year 3 have been using the vaulting apparatus this week to practice their flexibility, control and balance. The children ran towards the table, placed their hands on top and jumped onto the table in one fluid movement. They then climbed to their feet and dismounted in one jump with their arms outstretched.

I am proud of myself this week. I was a bit nervous to jump on and off the vault table at first but I’m getting better each time! – Paisley

 

Science

During our Light unit, Year 3 participated in an activity where they were blindfolded and had to guess what objects were inside each bag. The class made predictions and later discovered what these objects were, once they had been illuminated by light. This was to show that light is a type of energy which comes from a light source, and we need light for our eyes in order to see. Year 3 learnt that light sources can be natural, such as the sun, which is our main source of natural light, or from things burning. We also get light from man-made sources such as ceiling lights, lamps, torches, candles and even electronic devices. The class were able to sort these into two categories, ‘light source’ and ‘not a light source.'

Summer 2 Week 2 

Author Visit 

Famous author and illustrator Chris Mould visited our school today! He joined us for an illustrator workshop and explained to us how he draws pictures for stories that he has written and some for other authors too. Year 3 were extremely excited to welcome Chris to our class as his illustrations of the Iron Man inspired our Animation Art unit. Year 3 were eager to show him their versions of the Iron Man too. The children had the opportunity to ask Chris many questions about his career as an author and illustrator and what inspires him.

I enjoyed asking Chris questions and I found out that his favourite genre of writing to illustrate pictures for is magical adventures. – Shaheer

I enjoyed watching Chris create the pictures and I like how he explained how anyone can become an artist at any age. You just have to start simply and pick out the shapes from an image first and then add detail. – Kashana

I was really excited that we got to meet such a famous author and illustrator. I couldn’t believe that it was actually him standing in our classroom, after all the times we have watched his videos, drawing the Iron Man during our art lesson. – Archie

I enjoyed showing Chris the iron men that we created. He said that he liked the way we had made them move, using split pins. – Isla

He showed us how he recreated a life-sized Iron Man. He had to make the parts separately because they were so huge, and he had to make sure they could get out the door of this studio. The Iron Man is now in a museum in Halifax. – Isla

Chris Mould inspired me to start writing stories by drawing the characters first and then the story coming later. – Paisley

 

Father's Day 

This week we have been making cards to give to fathers and fatherly figures in our lives to celebrate Father’s Day.

I appreciate my dad because he is very kind-hearted. – Charlie

I love my dad because he provides for me and my family. – Daniel

I love my dad because he takes me camping, and we get to spend lots of time together. – Harris

I love my dad because he gives me lots of hugs and I know that he loves me. – Amelia

 

Our Fundraising Hero

Paisley has amazed us this week with how much money she has raised for Cancer Research! She ran the Race for Life and raised £240! We are so proud of you Paisley, what an achievement!

Summer  2 Week 1 

English 

During our English lessons, Year 3 have been acting in the role of Egyptologists on an archaeological dig to find ancient artefacts at various sites such as next to the pyramids in Cairo, outside the tombs in Beni Hasan and climbing statues at Karnak and The Colossi. The children described various artefacts they found such as ancient jewellery made of gold and gemstones, weapons, amulets, canopic jars and papyrus scrolls with secret hieroglyphs.

Today we received a letter from Emily Sands, and she asked us to keep the contents of her diary secret because she didn’t want people to try and discover the lost tomb of Osiris because it is very dangerous and groups of people that have gone for looking for it before, have disappeared. – Kashana

I enjoyed acting in the role of a news reporter. I interviewed Shaheer, who was acting as a famous archaeologist who had just returned from an excavation site in Egypt. – Amelia

I acted as an archaeologist and in the interview, I explained that I found some magnificent jewels deep underneath the sand. I used adjectives to describe the ancient artefacts, to explain to the viewers what each artefact looked like, in detail and to make it sound more interesting so that they would want to carry on watching the news. – Brooke

It is also important to use prepositions when describing where the artefacts were found, so the viewers know where exactly the artefacts are being discovered. If you describe where and how you found the objects, the viewers could feel like they were there, which makes it more exciting for them to listen to. – Charlie

We used loud, clear voices to deliver our news report, and we made sure we were sat up straight and looking at the camera, using our body language to show we are real news reporters that have great posture to look smart and polite. – Daniel

 

PE

We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Coach Catherine again this term. Year 3 have been working on the gymnastic skills they have covered so far. They practised movements such as tuck, pike and a forward roll and performed sequences of these. The class also worked on developing their fundamental skills, focusing on balance and control.

I liked that we recapped the different gymnastics moves. I was happy that I could remember how to do a tuck. - Daniel 

For 2 of the movements, the straddle and pike, we had to keep our legs straight. I had to focus to keep my legs locked in place. - Charlie