Autumn
Parents' Evening
It was a real pleasure chatting to parents and carers this week - over the phone instead of our usual Parents' Evening in school. The children have all been working hard and have settled in really well, so it was great to share the good news and to receive positive feedback from families! Many parents have asked how they can support their child's learning at home, so I'd like to reiterate some of the resources and strategies available...
MATHS: Hit the Button, TT Rockstars and Mathletics are all fabulous websites. Quickfire mental maths is one of the areas that has been hardest hit by the lockdown, so any extra addition / subtraction or multiplication / division questions will provide a big boost.
If you'd like to download Times Tables Awards practice sheets, you can click below...
SUPER GOLD (All times tables, including X11 and X12)
SPELLING: Every child has a password for the Rufford Park Spelling App in the back of their reading record (they can log-in from this page). I'd recommend Word Walls 2 and 3 as the most useful activities.
READING TIP: The children who make the best progress with their reading often have two things in common... they read for pleasure and also experience regular 'book chat' with an adult. Discussing vocabulary and comprehension (e.g. "How do you think the character is feeling?"... "Why do you think the character did that?"... "What do you think will happen next?") can make a huge difference!
Feel free to contact me via the school office if there's anything else I can do to support your child's learning!
Creating A Human Skeleton
As part of our animals including humans topic, we have been looking at different types of skeletons, the bones within them and their functions. The children were given the task of creating a human skeleton by working out what the different bones are and what position they go in to create a full human skeleton.
Papier-Mâché Roman Helmets
This week, the children have started working on their own papier-mâché roman helmets. As a class, we discussed and planned what materials would be need to create these, the children then drew their designs and now they have started to create their helmets.
Roman Artefacts Workshop
This week we became 'history detectives' by studying replicas of Roman artefacts discovered by archaeologists. We found many clues about the beliefs and lives of the Ancient Romans by looking at rings, coins, a decorated spoon, a torc (bangle) and a miniature soldier's helmet. At the end of the day, every child took home a replica of a Roman coin with the face of Julius Caesar.
Healthy Food Investigation
As part of our science topic on 'animals including humans', Willow Tree Class have been learning how to read the ingredients and traffic light labels on food packaging. We were surprised to discover how many products were only 'pretending' to be healthy!
Romans Oil Lamps
Year 3 created their own oil lamps at Murton Park and are now in the process of painting them.
Romans trip, Murton Park
Year 3 had a brilliant day out, travelling back in time 2000 years to the Roman fort of Brigantium at Murton Park - where we trained to become auxiliary legionary soldiers!
The children each signed a contract for 25 years of military service using Roman letters and numerals, made oil lamps from clay, learnt how to march in formation, received weapons training in the use of shields, swords and spears... and even fought off an attack from a disgruntled Celt!
We hope you enjoy the slideshow.
Click here to view last year's highlights...