RE Visitor – 1.3.24

On Friday 1st March, Year 3 were lucky enough to have Janet Marshall visit! Janet, a frequent visitor to Toftwood through the ‘Journeys for Learning’ organisation, came to talk to the children in preparation for our latest RE unit about Islam.

Each class had a session to uncover what Islam is and what Muslims believe in. Their learning included many discussions of who Allah is, what values are most important to Muslims such as wanting to love and care for everyone, and what the Quran is.

The children were encouraged to make links between Islam and other religions they have learned about, including Christianity and Hinduism. The children greatly enjoyed exploring a new faith and seeing the clothes Muslims wear, the rituals they follow when praying, and what the festival of Eid is. We were very impressed with the children’s excellent listening skills and how well they participated in the discussions with Janet. Well done, Year 3!

Mary Anning Visitor – 5.3.24

On Tuesday 5th March, Year 3 were once again visited by frequent Toftwood visitor, Janet Marshall! This time, Janet (from the ‘Journeys for Learning’ organisation) visited to talk to the children as part of our current Science unit about Mary Anning and her fossil discoveries.

Each class had a session with Janet – dressed as Mary Anning herself! – to unpick who Mary Anning was, and what her achievements were. Their learning covered many important aspects such as Mary’s childhood, the fossilised skeletons and bones that she found, and even the tongue twister she inspired! Please do ask your children to teach you it.

The children enjoyed excavating fossils like Mary Anning did, which not only involved them digging for fossils – but also brushing them off and matching them to the photos provided! They learned much about how Mary Anning was not recognised properly for her achievements in that period of time, and how different life would be for her if she had existed today. It was a very exciting visit, but still the children remained calm and respectful, and listened beautifully. Great work, Year 3!

Year 3 – World Book Day 2024

For World Book Day this year, the children have been excitedly exploring a variety of activities to celebrate their favourite fiction books and promote a love of reading! First, the Year 3 children searched through their favourite books brought in from home (including picture books and chapter stories) to generate their very own ‘Vocab Dozen’. This is a resource used in class for each new topic, incorporating 12 words from the text which are representative of what it is about. The children enjoyed hunting for some very exciting vocabulary!

Then, the Year 3s created a double-page spread on their favourite books! Their criteria was to include a title; a list of the Vocab Dozen words; the names of some of their favourite characters, and a book review expressing what they liked most about the book. The children then had control over what else they would like to include! We were very impressed with the children’s hard work and the creativity of their designs.

In the afternoon, the children enjoyed a virtual visit with Lynne W. Bailey, who wrote ‘The Chronicles of Avalon’ book series. Following this, the children then crafted a headband with a World Book Day-theme to finish off our celebrations. It has been a fabulous day and we have loved seeing everyone in their costumes!

In CT3, Alice said, “I liked making a double-page spread about my book ‘Cat Kid’ because I used lots of colours and fabrics.” Darcy said, “My book is ‘Oliver Moon and the Monster Mystery’, and I liked drawing pictures of the characters and making a Vocab Dozen.”

In LM3, Gabriel said, “Today I learned that 100 countries all over the world celebrate World Book Day. My favourite part of today was seeing everyone’s costumes – I think mine was the best!” Alessa shared, “I liked being creative and making flaps to lift up and reveal a secret book fact underneath for my double-page spread about Hairy Maclary.”

In HP3, Ethan said, “I liked writing a book review and saying what my favourite part of it was.” Erin added, “I really liked writing lots of interesting things about my book.”

Year 3 Autumn 2 2023

English

We began our half-term with a very exciting unit on poetry! The children have enjoyed reading an extract from Roald Dahl’s ‘George’s Marvellous Medicine’ and creating a performance, as well as exploring the use of alliteration and onomatopoeia through our very own class poem. Then, following our History unit on Ancient Egypt last half-term, we have developed our prior learning to produce an excellent piece of descriptive writing based on ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’, a text which places a modern twist on the traditional tale!

Continuing to consolidate our knowledge of the Ancient Egyptians, we have looked at non-chronological reports and focused on a range of topics including the gods and goddesses, mummification and how the Egyptians dressed. To develop our research skills, we have used child-appropriate websites such as History for Kids and Primary Homework Help to help us plan and write our very own non-chronological reports.

Maths

This half-term, we have worked hard on completing our multiplication and division unit. Building on our prior learning on multiplication in Year 2, the children have developed their knowledge of repeated addition and using arrays to represent their multiplications. We have also started to learn our times tables in earnest, beginning with the 2s, 5s and 10s, and progressing to the more challenging 3s, 4s and finally the 8s. Over Christmas, we encourage the children to keep up their excellent Times Table Rockstars practice!

Guided Reading

In Guided Reading, we have explored two very different but exciting texts! We began our half-term by reading ‘I Am Neil Armstrong’, a fascinating biography about the famous astronaut. The children were enthralled to learn about Armstrong’s life, and enjoyed using their prediction skills and developing their vocabulary. Following this, we have enjoyed reading ‘Hansel and Gretel’ by Anthony Browne, where we have continued to use our VIPERS skills (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise).

Art & DT

At the beginning of the half-term, the children cooked Egyptian flatbread to taste-test at home. The recipe was adapted from one found in the tomb of Ramses III and involved creating a snail shape, boiling and then baking the bread, which utilised several key DT skills. It smelled absolutely delicious! 

In art, the children have exercised their sketching skills by applying last half term’s work on texture, line and tone, when sketching a variety of Egyptian artefacts. Following this, they applied their learning about the famous architect Gaudi to create their very own multi-coloured tile printing, utilising his techniques of patterns derived from nature. They have also moulded their own cartouche out of clay, etched their name in hieroglyphs – a tricky skill which they mastered well! – and painted them. 

RE

Following last half-term’s learning on Christianity, the children have been introduced to Hinduism and have enjoyed exploring how the religion compares to others. The children have learned where and when Hindus pray, and the many fascinating representations of the Hindu god Brahman. The children have then accurately compiled all of their learning to answer this half-term’s Big Question, ‘How do Hindus make sense of the world?’.

Computing 

In Computing, the children have been introduced to networks and have been exploring each week how they operate. This has included learning about the features of a device and considering the inputs, processes and outputs a device may have. The children have consolidated their understanding of the purposes of different digital devices, as well as comparing artwork created in real life to one created digitally.

Music

In Music this term, children have been continuing to learn tunes on the ocarina. They have learned the traditional carols Good King Wenceslas and We Three Kings. Children have been encouraged to look at the sheet music, comparing the two time signatures (Common Time and 3/4) and taking notice of the different note lengths of crotchets and minims and how that changes the rhythm. We are really impressed with their developing dexterity and musicality as they have got to grips with these songs! The children have also been very keen to take part in the Christmas performance for their grown-ups.  Each class has learned one different Christmas song and then, as a year group, we’ve had a trio of carols to perform – Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bell Rock and an excellent signed version of White Christmas!

MFL

Year 3 have been learning how to count to 20 in Spanish, working collaboratively in groups to assemble a challenging puzzle to reinforce their learning. They have learned to ask how old someone is and to answer with their own age. They have continued to practise holding simple conversations using vocabulary they have learned. The children have enjoyed playing games and activities on Purple Mash to strengthen their recall of Spanish numbers. Children looked at some Spanish Christmas traditions and compared this with their own celebrations. They were very excited to write a letter to a child in Spain in which they described their traditions at Christmas and posed a question to learn more about Christmas in Spain. They are eagerly waiting to receive their replies in the New Year!

Science

Year 3 began this half-term by looking at their exciting experiment from Autumn 1 – mummifying tomatoes! The children were very pleased to see that their preservation techniques had worked and the tomatoes had survived being buried in salt for 2 weeks. Following this, they have been learning about light sources and their necessity in our everyday lives. They have completed many investigations including classification of light sources and reflective materials. They also investigated patterns in shadows when manipulating the light source.

PE 

In Gym this half-term, the children in Year 3 have been learning, developing and applying flight and balance on the floor, on low and large apparatus. The children have been learning how to be supportive and patient with their peers during activities. We have been impressed with how hard the children worked on the challenges and how the children persevered. In Core PE, the children have been focusing on their balance through a sequence of moves using jumps and lands.

Geography

Our unit this half-term has been ‘Around the World’, revising our Year 2 knowledge on continents and countries. We have then learned about places in the UK and developed our understanding of different settlements such as cities, towns and villages. Then, we compared two UK cities (Norwich and Birmingham), and even challenged ourselves further by extending our map skills while learning about grid references.

Year 3 Alternative Activities Festival – 29.11.23

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On Thursday 29th November, 9 children from Year 3 participated in the Alternative Activities Festival at Norwich Arena. This involved a carousel of activities which involved various different skills. There was frisbee, bowling and yoga to name just a few!

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The children particularly enjoyed the trampolining, where they had a small trampoline each and had to follow the instructors moves. It really warmed everyone up and got hearts and lungs working well.

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Mrs Pawley was very impressed by the children’s self-belief in trying these exciting different sports. All of the children loved the day, trying the kayak machines and using the parachute for amazing games. They even managed to fit in a game of stuck-in-the-mud! Behaviour was exemplary throughout the day and everyone tried their best and had fun.

Well Done, Year 3!

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Autumn 1 2023, Year 3 School Trip

On Wednesday 11th October, Year 3 visited the Norwich Cathedral and participated in their Sacred Science programme of study. We explored different aspects of Science and learnt all about the history of why the cathedral was constructed. We re-capped our geographical learning with compass points and absorbed the magnificence of the cathedral as a historic building.

As part of our current Science unit: Forces, we explored how effective the force of gravity was in the construction of the cathedral during William the Conqueror’s reign. We used the medieval mason’s template to re-create an archway. We worked together beautifully to create our arches, we displayed determination, resilience and perseverance which enabled us to be successful medieval stonemasons.

As part of our upcoming Science unit: Light, we also explored Opaque, Translucent and Transparent materials. We discussed how our bodies block the sun, causing shadows.

We examined the effect of stained glass on light. Exploring the translucent qualities that create the vibrant colours of the cathedral windows. We compared the stained glass windows with the clear glass of the modern section of the cathedral and observed that it was transparent.

We all had the opportunity to create our own stained glass window, with opaque and translucent materials. We explored depth of colour and during the process we explored the effect of light on our own creations. The work was amazing and we are creating a year group display of them.

After learning so much new information, including that the cathedral has its own cat: Budge, we left at the end of the day able to talk about our fabulous experience.

Pupil quotes about the day:

“I loved going to the cathedral because we learned more about Forces which is our Science topic.” Emmy-Mae

“I liked making the stained glass windows because they were really colourful. It showed us how the stained glass is translucent.” Anni and Alice.

“I loved being in such an old building and knowing people still go to pray today.”

“I really liked learning about how the windows tell a story.” Kendra

“I liked learning about gravity because I didn’t know what it was.” Elliott

Year 3 Autumn 2023 Ancient Egyptian Day

On Monday 18th September, Year 3 had a visitor from Portals to the Past to develop our understanding of Ancient Egyptian. The visitor brought many resources with him that enabled us to visualise and use some of the objects in the same way as the Egyptians!

Firstly, the whole year group had an introductory talk about Ancient Egyptians and their everyday life. We discovered how Lower and Upper Egypt were united and all about the demise of Cleopatra – the last Pharoah and how the Romans conquered the territory.

Afterwards, we had a number of activities (artefacts, quiz boards and Ancient Egyptian game) that each group explored throughout the morning.

From the exploration of the artefacts, the children discovered how enormous the ear piercings were for Ancient Egyptians and the stone decorative studs that they wore, as well as the make-up palettes and the reason the Egyptians wore black make up under their eyes – Ancient Egyptian’s answer to sunglasses!

The children were able to give plausible explanations about what they thought the objects were for by considering the clues given e.g. A make-up palette for mixing make up on, a small pot used to hold kohl, amulets and versions of alabaster pottery.

From the quiz boards we learnt about everyday life; the pyramids and how Cleopatra’s relationships caused the demise of Egyptian rule. We applied the skill of researching from the information boards and learnt some facts about many things, including why Gods and Goddesses were so important, but no longer worshipped in the same way. The things we found out on the information boards and from our visitor helped the children to conclude that Cleopatra’s love stories played a significant part in the demise of the Egyptian rule. It was interesting for the children to consider how invasions from other cultures, such as the Persians and the Greeks, had an influence on their faith and that once the land became Roman led, the land became Christian, then later Muslim and Egyptians ceased to worship their old gods and goddesses. We also learnt about the influence of some of these invasions on the language used, such as the word “pyramis” which translates to “wheat cake” as the pyramids reminded them of the shape of their wheat cakes with a pointed top.

By playing the game ‘Hounds and Jackals’, the children brought alive the fun and excitement from the Ancient Egyptian period as this was a popular game, played in the poorest and the wealthiest households of the time.

The children were able to apply their historical understanding skills and discuss similarities to games developed and played today, like snakes and ladders! They were pleased and unhappy in turns about the snake and ladder on the board (the black curvy lines that you can see in the photo).

In the afternoon, we took part in and watched a role-played version of the life and death of a pharaoh, including his mummification! We watched the process that we had learnt and discussed the job roles of different people that were employed in the process. Watching this on a life size dummy allowed us to really visualise the process and consider the significance of this event in their culture on history.

Finally, we played a game of Hounds Versus Jackals. The objective of which was to aim for the animals that would have been present in Ancient Egypt. Each animal had different points for their temperaments and importance in Ancient Egyptian life.

Year 3 RE Trip

On Thursday 13th July, Year 3 visited Norwich Cathedral and participated in their ‘Through the Window’ programme as part of our SAW (Science, Art and Writing) week. The children really enjoyed the beautiful windows, the glorious cloisters, and exploring the nave and presbytery. They learned lots about how Christians commit to God and the different roles that people have within the Cathedral. Throughout the day, the children engaged in a number of activities including dressing up as priests and bishops, learning how shepherds tend to their flocks, and colouring their very own stained glass windows!

It was noted by numerous members of staff at the Cathedral, as well as many visitors from the public, that Year 3’s behaviour was exemplary and a real credit to Toftwood. Miss Makins, Mrs Traferri and Mr Williams were all very proud of how sensible, mature and engaged the children were throughout the day, and what an excellent example they set to others. Mabel said, “I really enjoyed dressing up as a Bishop.” Oscar’s favourite part was colouring the stained glass window because “I love art and it was fun to do it whilst learning about the Cathedral.”

Well done, Year 3!

Summer Term 2022 – Year 3

English

In the Summer term, year three have been focussing on writing biographies, persuasive letters and non-chronological reports.

After completing our research, we wrote a biography on Mary Anning – who is our focus scientist in Year 3. Next, we wrote a persuasive letter to the Council explaining why they should / should not build houses

First of all, we read all about the Tongo Lizard before creating our own fantastic beasts – a hybrid of existing animals. Some were very formidable! We then thought carefully about creating headings and organising information to write in note form. Once this was done, we created a non-chronological report on our own beast.

Following this, we used our volcano knowledge to create a non-chronological report on ‘Vicious Volcanoes’, organising everything we knew into different sub headings and paragraphs. We also created a glossary for all that new technical vocabulary.

Maths

In Maths, the children began the new term learning about Fractions, money, analogue and digital time and duration of events. We then moved on to the world of shape where we examined 2D shapes and started to add to our vocabulary from Year 2 to connect the properties of 2D and 3D shapes. We learnt about different angles, plus how to identify parallel and perpendicular lines. We also learnt the vital life skills of measuring accurately plus categorising and sorting shapes with different properties.

Our final maths unit was statistics where we learnt about bar charts, pictograms and two-way tables.

Science

This term, we have been learning about Plants and observed over time the experiment of planting bean seeds in soil, sand, and just water. We then observed the changes each week and recorded these observations over time on a table. At the end of the experiment, we planted the beans plants outside and we have been studying a biology unit – ‘Animals including Humans’. We have learnt about different types of skeletons in animals including comparing human and animal skeletons. We have become budding doctors, learning the names of major bones and muscle groups. For our Dinosaur Day, we even created Dinosaur skeletons from art straws!

Then we moved on to nutrition, studying what is needed for a healthy diet, the names of food groups plus how to examine food packaging. We were very surprised at the nutritional content of some of our favourite fast food items!

We also really enjoyed SAW week (Science, Art & Writing) where we researched dinosaurs and wrote a haiku onto our artwork.

Art

We have learnt about Jeannie Baker and her collage work in ‘The Window’. We emulated this with natural materials using the views from our windows at home as inspiration.

As part of our SAW event, we created a beautiful sunset silhouette for our dinosaurs using a watercolour wash. Following that, we created a dinosaur skeleton ‘X-ray’ using white art straws on a black background.

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Geography

We have loved our latest topic of Volcanoes. We have been fascinated by what is underneath our feet, learning about the layers of the Earth. We have learnt why volcanoes erupt, the stages of eruption plus the different types of volcano. We have also learnt about Tectonic plates and how they are connected to ‘The Ring of Fire’ around the Pacific Ocean. We used our learning to write some brilliant non-chronological reports and also loved watching our volcano explode.

RE

This half term our big question has been ‘What is philosophy? How do people make moral decisions?’ with a focus on Judaism.

We had an introduction to philosophy by considering philosophical questions such as ‘What is true happiness’ and ‘What makes you, you?’ Then we learnt about the ten commandments and religious symbols in Judaism. We learnt about spiritual thoughts by considering the story of ‘Abraham & The Stars’ and designed a special meal based on the Shabbat meal.

We rounded off our year of R.E. with a school trip to Norwich Cathedral where we combined art, science and R.E. investigating light, colour, symbols and patterns. We learnt how bible stories were shown through the stained glass windows, mosaics and paintings, we met a shepherd from the time of Jesus and created our own modern stain glass window.

PE

This term, children have enjoyed learning how to play cricket. We have worked on our bowling skills trying to improve accuracy. We then worked on our fielding skills, being able to stop a ball and return it quickly. We have also been mastering batting skills, firstly by hitting a ball cleanly from a tee, then progressing to a bowled ball that proved a bit harder. We have really enjoyed taking part in our Sports week where we recapped our Tennis knowledge as well as continuing our cricket skills. We ended the term with a fabulous race day where we took part in a hurdles, sprint, relay, and egg and spoon race. We finished the race day with a parent race!

Computing

In the Summer term, Year 3 have covered stop-motion animation and branching databases. The Year 3s loved taking a sequence of pictures

To make a branching database, pupils first learned how to ask specific yes/no closed questions. We then looked at the characteristics that we could sort our data into. Pupils then created a paper branching database where they physically sorted pictures of animals with different characteristics such as diet, colour or habitat. Finally, pupils transferred this branching database to our online software on J2E.

Spanish

This term the children consolidated their prior learning of greetings and simple sentences. Recapping their understanding of numbers, colours and body parts. The children used this knowledge to have a conversation with each other and write descriptive sentences.

Music

Children are now getting confident with their ukuleles with many able to change fluidly between 2 and even 3 chords in the songs we’ve been playing. It’s lovely when you see that moment when children realise they are able to make music and really are musicians. (Mr Hardy hopes to see some of them in Ukulele Club next year.

We also had Toft-o-Vision song contest – our annual interclass singing competition. It’s really interesting to see how each class’s character comes out in their performance. A very close run competition this year, a big thank you to all the children and their teachers for putting their hearts and souls into this! 

D.T.

We designed, created and evaluated a seed bag using a number of materials and stitches (running, over and back stitch). We also made a meatless pasty, making out own dough, gravy, and filling. They were absolutely delicious and as one child said “I was surprised I liked them because they didn’t have any meat in them!”

Year 3 and 4 Mini Tennis Competition

On Thursday 15th June, some Year 3s and Year 4s visited Easton Tennis Centre for a WNDSSP competition. The children were split into teams of 4 and played a number of single matches against opposing schools. The 5-minute matches required a variety of skills and serves learned in lessons across KS2.

The umpires from Ormiston Victory Academy said several times how impressed they were with the children’s resilience and determination. Miss Makins and Mr Williams were very pleased with the kindness and compassion the children showed to competitors.

Nevaeh, one of the Years 3s, said, “Today has been so much fun!” Oliver, one of the Year 4s, said, “I’ve really enjoyed all of the day.”

Well done, Year 3 and 4!