Science
On Fridays, Year 3 have Science lessons. We’re learning about states of matter including solids, liquids and gasses.
Last week, we learnt about a matter changing states.
We can melt butter, cheese and most excitingly chocolate. They change from a solid to a liquid.
Ask your child about how, and if, we can change the state of matter of:
- a candle
- water
- sugar
Topic
Year 3 have learnt how to stiffen and strengthen structures.
We used glue to strengthen a platform.
We used elastic bands to lash and strengthen a fence.
Well done Year 3!
Pattern
We have been learning to recognise, copy and create a simple pattern using cubes, natural materials and shapes.
Teaching children to recognise pattern has a positive effect on their later understanding of number. Research has found that young children’s ability to spot mathematical patterns can predict later mathematical achievement more than other abilities such as counting.
Why not encourage your child to spot patterns around the home and when out and about.
Comparing Objects
In Year One, we have been developing a good understanding of how to compare two groups of objects using the terms more than, less than and equal to. In the pictures below, the children are working in pairs to demonstrate their understanding of this.
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DT skills in action
Design Technology
Our current topic, ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ is primarily driven by design and technology. This is our main focus but we also incorporate many other subject areas into our learning.
The age related expectations for Year 2 children is to be able to:
Skills
- generate, develop and communicate ideas in different ways (eg by talking, drawing)
- design purposeful, functional, appealing products based on given design criteria
- select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [eg cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
- select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials and textiles
- explore and evaluate a range of existing products
- evaluate my ideas and products against given design criteria.
Knowledge - know that products are designed
- know, through exploration, how products can be made stronger, stiffer or more stable
In the story, Max sails away in a boat to where the wild things are. The image below has inspired us to make our own boats.
We have looked at existing boats, made shapes for the bottom and sides using playdough, completed some observational drawing and created Lego boats.
Today, the children thought about different joining, fixing and attaching methods. After experimenting with joining techniques, Year 2 were asked to note down the strongest and weakest ways of joining materials.
I thought the blu tack was the weakest because the materials didn’t stick together. It was too soft.
I’m going to use the tacks for my boat. They held the materials together and were solid.
The pins would help my boat to be stable.
Cello tape might go soggy when it gets wet. My boat wouldn’t float.
Having explored all of the above, Year 2 are now ready to design and construct their own boats.
Finally, the children decided a design criteria for their own models.
• The boat can float.
• The boat has a triangular sail.
• The boat is sturdy and stable.
• The boat can hold one Lego person.
Aldi Kit for Schools
Aldi’s Kit for Schools promotion is giving twenty primary schools the chance to win £20,000 to kick-start a health legacy for their school.
What’s more, every school who enters by completing their Aldi’s Kit for Schools poster will also receive an exclusive school sports kit! Help us collect stickers with every £30 you spend in store and fill up our school’s poster to give us a chance to win. Please bring your stickers to the school office before the promotion ends on the 3rd November. Thank you for your support.
Maths in the trees
Continuing our treehouse design, we got down to the nitty-gritty this week, thinking about how wide our platform would need to be to fit on our mini tree and how tall our ladder will have to be to reach the branches.
First, we had to measure how high and how wide our tree is before measuring certain parts for the different design criteria we need to meet.
Go Ape – What a Great Day!
Year three and four had a brilliant day at Go Ape in Temple Newsam last Friday – and not just because we were very lucky with the weather.
For half of the day, we explored the woodlands, creating mazes out of sticks and mini dens which helped us think about constructing from natural materials like we will be when making our treehouses. Some of us chose to create some art inspired by nature.
The other half of the day was spent amongst the branches on the Go Ape course. The children had a great time with many conquering fears around every corner. Lots of the children noticed how the equipment had been constructed too and talk about how they could use that idea to help their treehouse construction at school.
New after school club
This term, we will be running a new yoga and mindfulness after school club open to Years 1 – 3.
Led by yoga teacher, Heather Marshall, the sessions will run after school on a Tuesday.
Heather provided a session for Year 2 this week to give them a taster of what to expect at the club.
‘I enjoyed the relaxation.’
‘It was good to use our body to make the animal shapes.’
‘The games we played were fun.’
Please contact the office if your child would like to attend this club as we do have a few places left. Relaxation is definitely guaranteed.
