Year 3's Celtic afternoon

Willow, Birch and Ash class have had an exciting afternoon experiencing what it might have been like if they had lived during the Celtic period.

First, they had a go at making the sweet-tasting Celtic drink called Mead. They mixed some warm honey, water and apple juice together and enjoyed!

They then reflected on what it tasted like and whether or not they liked it. Interestingly, most of the children wanted to try more!

After, the children crated their own Celtic mirrors and personalised them with a special design in keeping with the era.

Their personalised designs were really quite impressive- fit for any Celtic queen!  

As well as making mirrors they also has a go at making their own Celtic shields! 

Using traditional Celtic patterns, their beautiful shields would have protected them from any attacking Roman soldiers! 

Then, the children experienced what food might have tasted like back then. They created their own Pease pudding using herbs such as Thyme and Mint.

Initially, they were quite hesitant to try it as they thought it looked quite disgusting! After trying it, however, they were all asking for more! Apparently, Celtic food is actually quite tasty. 

" I really thought it was going to taste horrible but it's really good- a little bit salty though!" Ramone, a Willow class.

On top of all these amazing activities, the children played a Celtic sport ( quite similar to modern day Hockey) and were taught an important Celtic skill used to create a range of items such as baskets and blankets- weaving.

It has been such an exciting day full of so many Celtic activities and I know year 3 have not only loved doing every activity, but they have already learnt so much!

Great work Year 3!

Year 3 get resourceful to support their learning of equivalentfractions!

Today in Willow maths set they made their own fraction wall to enable them to find equivalent fractions. They initially found the concept challenging as they had to make sure the pieces of paper were equally split. They applied their knowledge of what a denominator is and ultimately were able to understand how important it was for each part to be the same size.

Using their fraction walls to support them, they were able to correctly identify which fractions were equivalent to each other.

"We have found that in 1/2 there are 3/6!" Ramone and Ashlee, Year 3

Willow maths set impressed with how hard they worked as they not only demonstrated clear resourcefulness but they were also truly resilient. 

Great job!

Battle of Broadford

As part of their new topic studying the Normans, Sequoia and Hazel class took part in a game to aid their understanding of the Norman Conquest and the Battle of Hastings.

The game involved one side playing the Anglo-Saxons army defending England, and the other side playing the invading Normans, trying to steal the treasures of England. 

England was conquered in 1066 by the Normans and has never been successfully invaded since. 

Did you know: The Battle of Hastings didn't actually happen in Hastings. It took place some way North at Senlac Hill, now known as Battle.

Willow Class - Science

In science this week the children were learning to ask scientific questions that can then be tested. As well as looking at Newton's Cradle and the Vacuum Bazooka we used Spud Guns to test our questions. As a class we discussed the variables that are vital when carrying out any test - the dependent variable, the independent variable and the controlled variable. We took the Spud Guns into the playground and the children tested the following questions: Does the distance that the potato travels depend on the angle that the gun is held? Is the size of the potato piece dependent on the distance it travels. The children had great fun and came back into class to record their findings.

Year 3 spelling week beginning 8/2/16

Here are the spellings for this week. The spelling test will be on Thursday this week. Please encourage your child to look up the definitions of the words as some are trickier than expected. A reminder that children are expected to bring their spelling book to school on Thursday. 

Resourcefulness in Willow maths class

The children in Willow maths set have been demonstrating how resourceful they can be this week by creating their own pictorial resources in order to support their learning of fractions.

By turning their questions into pictures, they were able to break the problems down to produce the correct answers. 

"Look at the resources I made to help me answer the questions!" Oliwier, Year 3

Well done Willow maths class! 

Lilly's Stone Age to Iron Age project

Lilly took the initiative to do some research into Year 3's Stone Age to Iron Age project over the weekend and presented her new-found knowledge of the past in a striking (and genereously-proportioned) montage! Ash Class look forward to seeing the next product of Lilły's industrious commitment to her learning!

"it took most of the weekend to find all the facts and do the artwork but I really enjoyed deepening my understanding of our history topic" — Lilly

Using manipulatives in Willow maths set!

Willow class have been incredibly hands on with their maths this week in trying to solve tricky fraction problems.

They have been learning all about how to find a fraction of an amount and were able to use a range of objects to help support and deepen their mathematical understanding.

They conducted their own investigations and soon learned the importance of knowing their timetables in order to find fractions of amounts. Here, you can see Finley and Sonia attempting to find 1/4 of 22. They soon realised it wasn't easy to do!

"It was so much fun using the objects to help us understands the maths!" Chloe, Year 3

A great start to the unit Willow maths set!