Our amazing brains – Brain Box week!
This week is dedicated to developing an awareness of learning and how the brain works.
The importance of exercise, healthy food, sleep, hydration and emotional health, for a healthy brain, will be covered throughout the week alongside a main focus for each day:
Monday
Understanding your brain, brain cells and how to help your brain to learn.
Tuesday
How your brain learns best and learning styles.
Key Stage 2 classes will also have a visit from d:Side. As part of our drug education in school, representatives from d:Side, a drug and health programme, will be looking, in particular, at the effects of various drugs on the brain.
Staff from d:Side will be available after school, in the dining room, for parents / carers to ask any questions about these sessions.
Wednesday
Developing the understanding of multiple intelligences and that everyone has gifts and talents.
Dr Dave Lewis, Senior Lecturer of Neuroscience, from the University of Leeds will be visiting Key Stage 2 classes.
Thursday
Thinking about thinking and problem solving.
Friday
A day to remember – exploring a range of memory strategies.
The whole school Water Aid sponsored walk will take place during Friday.
Please check the website for further information and links to websites throughout the week.
Save water and money!
Yorkshire Water are currently running a Save Water, Energy and Money campaign. As part of this campaign, they’re giving away free water and energy saving packs.
To claim a free pack, follow the link at the bottom of the post and enter this reference code: MGMCR8
If enough people order the packs, school could win an iPod Touch!
Thanks to Mr Russell (Finn and Owen’s dad) for letting school know about the competition and for offering to donate the prize to school.
What are you waiting for? Order a pack. Save some water. Save some energy. Save some money!
http://www.yorkshirewater.com/savewater
Soluble or insoluble?
In a recent science lesson, children investigated which materials dissolved in water. We wanted to keep it a fair test so we were very strict about which things we were going to keep the same when we tested each material. We made sure we used the same amount of water each time, used the same amount of each material, stirred the water the same number of times and ensured the temperature of the water was the same for each material.
We used the iPads to take pictures of what happened and to record our predictions and findings.
Literacy
In a recent literacy lesson, the children worked in groups to correct sentences that had no capital letters. They got points for spotting each missing capital letter and the winning team won a Wilksy Wonder prize!
Guided Reading in Year 3
Hello!
Guided reading is a bit different this year so I thought I’d write a post explaining how it all works:
The children are split into five different guided reading groups. Each group has about six children in it and each group reads with me once a week on a designated day of the week. For example, Monday Group read with me on Monday, Tuesday Group on Tuesday, etc.
All the children in the group read the same book. After they read with me, I set a “target page”. They have to reach this “target page” by the next time they read with me. It’s really important that the children reach but do not exceed the target page so that they are all at the same place in the book. If you find that your child has reached the target page quickly, they can read another book at home or I can arrange for them to take another school book home.
I hope that makes sense! Please come to see me if you have any questions.
The Water Cycle
Our first mini-topic of the year is water. As part of the topic, we’ve been learning about the water cycle. In this topic lesson, children annotated a picture on the iPads to show the different parts of the water cycle.
Welcome to Year 3
Hello and welcome to Year 3!
I hope you all had a lovely summer. I’ve been really impressed with how the class seem to be settling into Year 3 over the first week and a bit and have enjoyed listening to all the fun things that they have done over the holidays.
In this post I’ll go over some of the key things that you will need to know for this year:
Ok, here goes…
• PE is on Wednesdays and Fridays. Children will need a PE kit suitable for both indoors and outdoors. This should include a pair of trainers or pumps. I usually ask parents to bring in the kit at the start of the term and take it home at the end of each half-term to wash. This way, the children always have a kit. Also, please put the children’s name on the kit!
• We have a spellings and tables test each Friday morning. The new spellings and tables are written in the red learning lists books. These books are for the children to take home each day to practise. However, they should bring the books back in to school each day in case we do some practice in school as well. The children will be given ten spellings and ten times table facts to learn each week but they will only be tested on eight out of the ten. The times tables we learn in Year 3 are the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 times tables. The spellings we will be learning are a mixture of important spelling rules which may be revisited more than once during the year and specific vocabulary which will tie in with the learning in the literacy lessons.
• Homework is the same in Year 3 as it was in Year 2. There will be a mixture of creative and talk time homework with a few practice makes perfect as well. New homework is given out on Friday and is to be handed in by the following Wednesday.
• Some of the children have asked me what they are allowed to bring in for a playtime snack. They can bring in any type of fruit but not cereal bars, yoghurt, fruit bars etc.
• Tuck shop is starting next Tuesday and will be weekly on this day. Children can bring 20p to buy some fruit at morning break.
I’m sure I won’t have covered all your questions in this post so please pop into the classroom to see me or grab me in the playground if you have any queries – or even just to say hello!
Finally, I’d like to welcome Lennox to our class. He’s been made welcome by all the class and is already proving to be a great addition to Year 3!
Fruit tuckshop returns!
Our fruit tuckshop, to be run by the Year 5 class this year, returns next week on a new day – Tuesday.
The tuckshop is open to all Key Stage 2 children during playtime. Reception and Key Stage 1 children receive free fruit at playtime.
Each item costs 20p and the fruit can be a snack for playtime or used to top up their packed lunch box – all contributing to their 5 a day!
As stated in our Food Policy, fruit is the only snack allowed at playtimes for Key Stage 2.
SEAL statement 07 September
This week we begin our new SEAL theme, New Beginnings, and the weekly statement is ‘I can make someone feel welcome.‘
Over this half term, as the children are experiencing new beginnings, each class will be looking at how they can all contribute to establishing a welcoming and safe environment for learning.
Goodbye, Year 3!
Well, time flies when you’re having fun!
I’ve had a fantastic time teaching Year 3 this year and will definitely miss you all next year (even though you’ll only be next door!). Your enthusiasm for learning and boundless energy has made teaching you an absolute pleasure. There have been so many highlights from the past year. Here are a few of my favourites:
- Madison’s marvellous performance in the Lion King. She had learned all her lines in one weekend: a true professional!
- Umar and Harvey’s excellent progress in all subjects but especially in maths.
- Zakir’s absolute enthusiasm for learning and the great progress he has made this year.
- Some incredible writing by Ruqayyah which wowed the school when read out at Friday’s celebration assembly.
- Holly covered in stick insects – but staying calm – when the Animal Intuition lady came into school.
- All the children’s amazing reactions when the chicks started hatching and their faces when they held them for the first time.
- Sarina’s election as school councillor and her articulate feedback to the class after meetings. She always uses adding connectives after each point!
- Josh’s performance during football club – taking on children three years older than him.
- The brilliant teamwork showed by all the groups in the recent treasure hunt at Roundhay Park.
- Last but not least, Finn’s blood-curdling “Arrrrrrgghh!”
Thank you to Mrs Sherriff and Mrs Edwards for all their hard work. They have been fantastic and will be missed next year as well. Finally, thank you parents, for your continued support over the year.