Year 3 Archive – Pope Paul Primary

Friday 26th April 2024

April 26, 2024/0 Comments/in Archives, Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

Amongst all the learning that occurred this week in Year 3, a special Bible was brought into school by Archie. Finding this beautiful book amongst other household objects, has certainly excited Archie’s family and the class! Over the last few days, allowing us to keep the bible in school, Archie has been explaining the Bible’s history. The children have been very lucky to have handled a book with so much history. Thank you to Archie and the Cornwall family for allowing us to examine this precious book.

In Maths this week, the children have continued learning about fractions and carried out many problem solving activities to deepen their understanding. In English, we have started our unit on persuasive writing based on Stella and the Seagull. Yesterday, Year 3 worked on their persuasion skills by trying to come up with reasons as to why they should be able to stay up later. I’ve heard some of them tried to use their ideas at home! In Geography, we have been learning about the world’s climate zones. Using climate maps alongside political maps, the children located what sorts of climates different countries have.

In PE, the children have begun to look at Cricket as a summer sport. On Wednesday, the children practised their throwing skills by throwing a tennis ball towards a target and ‘the batter’ having a go at hitting it. Well done children!

Have a restful weekend

Mrs McNamara and Mrs Lines

Home Learning

Mathletics

Spellings and SPaG activity on spellinghshed

Thursday 28th March 2024

March 28, 2024/0 Comments/in Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

There have been many lent and Easter activities going on this week.

On Monday we baked Easter shaped biscuits. The children measured, mixed, rolled and cut to produce some delicious buttery shortbread. The school smelt amazing from their efforts and many classes were very jealous!

On Tuesday we went on our Lenten walk with Year 4. We were very lucky with the weather! The children enjoyed squelching their boots in muddy sections, wading through the shallow fjord and crossing the bridge.

Later that evening, Year three took their place alongside the rest of KS2 to perform the Stations of the Cross. All the practise was well worth it as their singing was beautiful. Well done to the children for how hard they worked to learn all these new songs.

We also spent some time making Easter cards this week. We were very impressed with the quality of their drawings.

Yesterday morning, Year 6 assisted in organising a special Lenten outdoor activity session for the children in Years 1-6. Year 3 enjoyed these activities.

Following an enjoyable fun swim at the Furzefield, the class returned to perform their recorder concert. What a musical lot Year 3 are!

The children have achieved many things in their learning this term through hard work, active participation and attentive listening. We are so proud of them.

We look forward to the summer term ahead!

Wishing you and your families a blessed and joyful Easter.

Mrs Lines and Mrs McNamara

Friday 22nd March 2024

March 22, 2024/1 Comment/in Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

In English this week, we have have continued with our class book Flotsam. The children enjoyed exploring the pictures of this wordless book to understand the story. Year 3 particularly liked creating their own image about what else the underwater camera could capture. In Maths we have been working on unit (fractions with a numerator of 1) and non-unit fractions. This week the children have also investigated the relationship between the size of the parts and the whole. For example, the larger the denominator the smaller the part as the whole has been divided into more equal parts.

Swimming was very exciting on Wednesday as Year 3 took to the pool in their pyjamas to learn survival skills. Next week will be the last session and will be a fun swim.

We have continued to rehearse for The Stations of the Cross service that will take place on Tuesday at 7pm. Year 3 are becoming much better at remembering the lyrics but do please continue to encourage your child to practise the words at home. They have been given their own song sheet to help them learn the words. We have another set in school for them to use during the practises so they do not need to bring their song sheet back into school.

Today we were treated to the Year 3 and 4 music performers. Well done to our singers, pianists and violinists: Erin, Seraphina, Sofia, Sive, Christian, Joesph C, Amilia, Noemi, Iustin, Leonie, Dafne, Anna and Joseph S. We are very lucky and fortunate to have such talented musicians!

Photos taken of their performance will be added to next week’s blog.

Next week, as part of our Lenten Fundraising, the class will be going on a walk with the Year 4 children. Please can you send in their wellingtons as they may be treading through muddy terrain! The children are to wear their full school uniform to school with school shoes and be ready to ‘swap’ their shoes for wellingtons when they are going out. Thank you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mrs Lines and Mrs McNamara

Home Learning:

Using the song sheet sent home, practise the words to the songs being sung for our ‘Way of the Cross’ service which is taking place on Tuesday 26th March. Please see the newsletter for details. Use this link to help with practising here.
If your child has not brought their reading record into school, please send it in with them next week. We have a few missing. Thank you.
Spellings on spelling shed.

Friday 15th March 2024

March 15, 2024/1 Comment/in Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

We’ve been keeping ourselves busy again in Year 3 this week. Not only did the children manage to practise for and put on a fabulous St Patrick’s Day assembly, we have been taking part in Science Week. This included having a lesson taught by a teacher from Nicholas Breakspear, learning about a scientist called Brianna Green and running an investigation to answer the question given to everyone by Mrs Carey: Does having longer legs mean you can run faster? Our findings showed that it was certainly not true.

Following our assembly today, we had a wonderful time making soda bread and enjoyed an extra play for winning the attendance award. We also had an unsuccessful attempt at making our own butter!

Although we’re sure you have your own, here are some pictures of our assembly today. Well done to the children for working so hard and putting on such a great show.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Lines and Mrs McNamara

Home learning

Spellings on spelling shed

Science whole school home learning as detailed in the newsletter

Please also practise the songs for The Way of the Cross here, which will need to be learnt off by heart by the service (Tuesday 26^th March).

8th March 2024

March 8, 2024/3 Comments/in Archives, Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

We’re not sure we could have fitted more into this week if we tried!

On Monday, we went to Celtic Harmony for our History trip. Year 3 made shelters, hunted mammoths, made soup, listened to a story and saw how flint tools were made. Thank you to Lucas’ mum who was a helper on the trip.

On Tuesday Year 3 joined Year 4 in an e-safety workshop about keeping safe online. They were set challenges to solve and they enjoyed watching their class mates participate in the workshop through acting, answering questions etc.. They came away from the workshop empowered to become digitally resilient.

On Wednesday, along with Year 4, Year 3 attended a parish mass at OLSV as part of their Lenten preparations. Thank you to Noemi and Dafne who took up the offertory gifts. We also had a visit from Louis’ mum to read her favourite books. The class really enjoyed her storytelling.

Yesterday it was World Book Day. Everyone looked fantastic in their outfits. WBD is a highlight in the school calendar, recognising the power of books. We know that reading is important every day, not just once a year. World Book Day provides an opportunity to come together and share a love of reading, We also watched the live lesson on the BBC like hundreds of schools around the country. Miss Pringle came to Year 3 to read to the class in the afternoon and the children enjoyed seeing her in their classroom too. Your child has been given a World Book Day token. The £1 tokens and £1 books give all children the chance to experience choosing and owning a book – for free. So do encourage your child to take their token along to the relative shops to receive their free book.

We also did a book swap this afternoon. Some members of the class brought in a reading book and got one back in exchange! The children are keen to do this again…so please send in a reading book that your child no longer wants and your child should come home with another!

Wishing you a restful weekend!

Mrs Lines and Mrs McNamara

Home Learning

Next Friday, Year 3 are doing the St Patrick’s Assembly. They have been given their parts already and we would like them to practice them. Also, the class are singing two songs:

Christ Be Beside Me… and May the Road Rise to Greet You. Please give your child time to learn the lyrics to both songs by clicking on the name of the songs above.

Spelling shed for spellings and grammar task.

TTRs – log on and revise your 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables.

Mathletics – complete the tasks set.

Spring 2 Spellings: Spring 2 Spellings

NB: Some children have mentioned that their accounts are working properly. I have been in touch with Mathletics and they are going to get back to me early next week. In the meantime, we hope that if your account is working, your child can complete the work set.

1st March 2024

March 1, 2024/0 Comments/in Archives, Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

Welcome back!

This week has whizzed by!

We would first like to remind you that we have a class trip planned next Monday 4th March to Celtic Harmony. Please see the reminder below:

Year 3 Trip – Stone Age Day, Monday 4^th March

The children in Year 3 are on a trip to a Stone Age Day at the Celtic Harmony Camp, as part of their creative topic for this term. The class will be travelling by coach to the Celtic Harmony Camp, Brickendon (near Hertford), Hertfordshire SG13 8NY and will be experiencing a range of exciting activities including:

Watching the Friction Fire lighting display
Gathering food in the forest and cooking with prehistoric herbs
Building their own woodland shelter.
Seeing the flint knapping demonstration, viewing a range of stone tools and hunting the mammoth!

We will be leaving school at 9.15am and expect to return to school before the end of the school day.

We will be outside all day so your child should wear their PE kit, with extra layers to keep warm. Your child should have a coat, gloves, a hat and scarf. Children can wear thick socks with their wellies/old trainers. Your child will also need to bring a packed lunch, with no glass bottles or fizzy drinks, and no nuts please.

This week in Maths the children have been working hard on subtraction with exchanging 10s for 1s and 100s for 10s. In English, we have begun our new unit based on the book Flotsam. The children built up their inference and deduction skills by searching though trays filled with flotsam that gave clues about a character.

In RE the class have spent time explaining what they already know about Lent and Holy Week as well as recalling the three practices of Lent. This week we have also launched our RE focus on the Stations of the Cross and Catholic Social Teaching (CST). Throughout Lent we will be emphasising a different CST principle each week, employing art as a medium for exploration. Following a launch assembly about this by Miss Donatantonio, the children contemplated the concept of “Care of Creation,” discussing and reflecting upon the painting below:

It was so lovely to hear how the children responded to this work of art on multiple levels.

Home Learning:

TTRs Log on and practise your 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables.

Sing along times tables songs: 3 times tables

4 times tables

Log onto Mathletics : complete the times tables activity and Maths assessment that has been set.

Spelling shed. New Spelling List can be found here: Spellings spring 1

A SPaG activity has also been assigned on spellingshed.

UPDATE******************************************
Spelling sheet for this half term found here: Spring 2 Spellings

Apologies for the error in initial uploading.

Friday 16th February 2024

February 16, 2024/0 Comments/in Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

Our final week has been a busy one, filled with some wonderful activities.

On Tuesday we celebrated Mardi Gras and made pancakes. The children showed fantastic cooking skills with the crepe maker.

On Wednesday, along with the rest of Key Stage 2, Year 3 attended the Ash Wednesday mass at OLSV. Thank you to Christian and Leonie who did the offertory so well. The children were reverent and sang beautifully throughout.

Today, the children shared their Lenten promises in class and attended house meetings about the fundraising we are planning.

It was wonderful to see you all at parents’ evenings this week to celebrate your children’s success and share their targets. We look forward to continuing to work together next half term.

Have a wonderful break

Mrs McNamara and Mrs Lines

The children have enjoyed learning a new song about The Stone Age Era. Here are the lyrics below if they wish to perform it to you. Unfortunately I cannot upload the music on here.

Now the weather’s warmer we don’t have to move around.
It’s the end of hunter gathering, it’s time to settle down.
We’re domesticating animals, we’re cultivating crops,
We’re producing more than we can store, we’re making lots of pots.

Nomadic no more, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Oh, we’re farmers for sure, we’re living in the New Stone Age.

No more chasing animals, we’re taming them instead.
We’re building sturdy houses for the living and the dead.
We’re learning how to stitch and weave, we’re wearing handmade clothes,
And we look as sharp as the tools we carve from stone and flint and bone.

Nomadic no more, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Oh, we’re farmers for sure, we’re living in the New Stone Age.

We’re learning how to get on with the neighbours. (Morning! Turned out nice again!)
We’re making rules to help to keep the peace. (Get off my menhir!)
We’re growing so much food we’ve got a surplus. (Mm, delicious einkorn, I’m stuffed!)
So some of us can choose a new career:
Potter! Weaver! Builder! Fighter! Leader! Artist! Priest!

Nomadic no more, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Oh, we’re farmers for sure, we’re living in the New Stone Age.

We’re harvesting and sowing,
The population’s growing,
We’re giving up to-ing and fro-ing,
We’re staying put instead.

Nomadic no more, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Oh, we’re farmers for sure, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
No, no, nomadic no more, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Oh, we’re farmers for sure, we’re living in the New Stone Age.
Living in the New Stone Age [x3]

Friday 2nd February, 2024

February 2, 2024/0 Comments/in Archives, Year 3, Year 3 Archive /by Margaret Joyce

This week in Year 3 the children have been busy with their learning.

In Maths the children have been provided with lots of practical experience of dividing by sharing and grouping. They looked at how the use of arrays emphasises the link between multiplication and division. They were then supported to develop their understanding of grouping by visualising arrays and have begun to solve worded problems.

In English, Year 3 have begun writing their final piece which is an alternative ending to The Finger Eater. There have been a whole range of ideas on how to stop the troll from doing his nasty habit!

In recorders, the children have been practising the note ‘C’ and revisiting their B-A-G songs.

A highlight for this week was the children’s work in their history topic, The Stone Age. The focus was looking at the similarities and differences between the different Stone Age periods. We looked at musical instruments, hammer stones, pottery and cave paintings and discussed which stone age eras they were part of. Then the children tried their hand at stone knapping using a bar of soap. In the same way a Stone Age person would knap a flint core into an axe, a bar of soap can be knapped in the same way! The children had great fun doing this!

Click here to see the photos.

In Science we tested the permeability of rocks. By dropping water onto different types of rock, Year 3 were able to observe which ones allowed water to pass through.