Welcome to Puffins Class Blog!

Here you can check out all of the exciting activities we are getting up to in Year 3. We will keep you updated as we continue our learning journey and we cannot wait to share our successes and achievements with you all!

Miss Doubleday - Class Teacher

Mrs McHugh - Teaching Assistant

Puffins PE days for Term 5 will be Tuesday and Thursday, therefore children should come to school in PE kit on these days.

Homework:

The children need to be reading five nights a week. Their reads must be logged in their reading record! Parents, family and the children can sign it themselves. Reading records will be collected and signed every Wednesday. Children are expected to bring these to school everyday. 

Children will be given a termly homework booklet, which will include their spellings as well as arithmetic questions. 

Times tables are an important part of learning in Year 3. Your child can practice their times tables using the Times Tables Rock Stars website and TimesTables.co.uk

Term 5 

Week 5 - 

This week we have been busy making the three different kinds of rock using Starburst sweets! We made Sedimentary, Igneous and Metamorphic rocks. Overall, this was a very sticky but enjoyable afternoon! 

Week 4 - 

This week we celebrated World Book Day! We came into school in some amazing non-fiction costumes. We had Romans, the Solar System, a vet, lots and animals and many more! We read the picture book 'The Last Tree'. We discussed key themes in the book such as respect and the importance of teamwork. Then, we carried out lots of activities to celebrate this fantastic book - these ranged from a collage, black out poetry and thought-tapping. 

Week 3 - 

In Science we have been learning about the three different kinds of rocks. This week, we have investigated lots of different rocks, such as, Granite, Limestone, Sandstone and Marble. We described the rocks based on whether they were smooth or gritty, as well testing whether they could sink or if they were impermeable. 

Week 2 - 

This week we performed our poem 'Adventures of Isabel'. We used the green screen to create a realistic background. We absolutely loved adding expression to our voices and adding in lots of actions! You can watch one of our performances below. 

Week 1 - 

In Year 3 this week, we have showcased our vibrant performances of the ‘Adventures of Isabel’. We have focused on rhythm and expressive storytelling. In Art, we have displayed creativity by completing our stunning sculptures with paper and mod roc. These were inspired by Barbara Hepworth and Claes Oldenburg. The children were extremely proud of themselves, which was beautiful to see! 

Term 4 and 5 - Shake, Rattle and Roll 

We are brave, powerful warriors and we will meet in battle! This topic, we will focus upon the Romans and how they changed Britain. Using different source materials, we'll investigate the Roman Empire and the impact they made upon Britain, especially in our local area. We will learn about where the Roman Empire was established and compare the human and physical geographical features of Italy and Britain. We will also look at Mother Nature's awesome energies as they hiss and roar deep within the Earth's plates. Discover the dangerous and ferocious world of natural disasters and glimpse the savage and deadly effects of Mount Vesuvius. 

Term 4 

Week 5 - 

In our Guided Reading lessons we have been reading 'Varjak Paw' by Sf Said. In the book, Varjak Paw keeps on dreaming about warm summer nights and the smells the sweet smell of dates! When we read these  dreams, Miss Doubleday and Miss Tawn quickly realised not many of the children knew what dates were or what they tasted like! So Puffins had the opportunity to try dates. It is safe to say that only about six children liked the taste of them!! 

"It tastes like raisins!" - Arnas 

"I don't like the smell of them and they taste disgusting!" - Maddie 

"It starts of tasting nice however it leaves a nasty aftertaste!" - Olivia 

Week 4 - 

Puffins were very lucky this week as they had a visit from A-Life. They spent the morning completing a range of activities to help them understand how we can look after our bodies. The children made healthy and balanced plates of food, as well as learning about the importance of getting lots of sleep! They contributed amazingly to discussion time and worked very well in their teams! 

Week 3 - 

During maths this week, the children have learnt to divide two digit numbers by 1 digit. We began the week by using manipulatives such as counters and base ten to physically divide a two digit number. By the end of the week the children had progressed onto using the bus stop method which they all seemed to love surprisingly! 

Week 2 - 

This week in English the children began looking at our new model text 'Lost in the Rainforest'. Instead of drawing their usual text map, the children were challenged to create freeze frames from different parts of the texts. This was a fabulous lesson and it was very interesting to see how the children used their bodies to represent different actions and emotions!

Week 1 - 

Puffins ventured outside this week to complete their maths learning! The children had to multiply by ten by progressing through three cone levels. The class completed some amazing work this lesson despite it being a very chilly morning! 

Term 3 - Location, Location, Location 

Buckle your seatbelt and hold on tight as we go on an epic adventure of discovery. Have you ever taken the time to appreciate the beauty of our environment or indeed the country in which we live? Throughout this term, we will learn about the wonders of Eastern Europe. We shall use our developing compass skills and introduce the terms longitude and latitude. Throw away your Sat Nav, brush up on your map skills as we journey around the continent of Eastern Europe. Where will we find our favourite Location, Location, Location? 

Term 3 

Week 6 - 

This week we have brushing up on our times tables skills! Particularly, we have been practicing our four times tables - testing both multiplication and division facts. During one lesson, we made snowflakes by matching the the different answers to their questions. 

Week 5 - 

During school this week, we went outside a gather a variety of natural objects - this ranged from leaves, stones and twigs. Once we were back in the classroom, we used watercolours to mix colours to create perfect colour matches! Everyone loved this lesson and produced amazing colour matches! 

Week 4 - 

This week in Outdoor learning we made bow and arrows out of hazel branches and we fired these at a Woolly Mammoth! We managed to get a record breaking score of 22 shots on target! We also made a variety of Bronze Age artefacts using clay. 

Week 3 - 

On Monday we had an excellent day at Flag Fen! We learnt all about the Bronze and Iron Age. We got to see a Bronze Age round house, we made pots out of clay and saw a 3,300 year old causeway! We even got told a story around the campfire in the round house and saw a heard of Soay Sheep! 

Week 2 -

We have been extremely lucky this week, as we had our Godly Play! We spent the afternoon learning all about the Hindu Creation Story. Once we heard the story we immersed ourselves into a variety of activities to consolidate our learning. This included using a batik machine, making lotus flowers and re-inacting the story using prompts and costumes. 

Week 1 - 

This week in maths we have been creating equal groups using a variety of manipulatives. We really enjoyed this lesson as we gave each other challenging numbers to create equal groups for!  

Term 2 

Week 7 - 

This week in Geography we have been learning all about Sketch Maps. We learnt that early explorers used to use Sketch Maps to record their discoveries of different continents. We also learnt about the different features of a Sketch Map and how to use a key to 'unlock' the map! Following this learning, we went onto the field to draw a sketch map of the school. We then compared our Sketch Maps to a normal map, most children agreed that their maps were a lot more detailed and easier to understand! 

Week 6 - 

This week in English we have been learning about personification. We looked at lots of different pictures and analysed how we could personify nouns within the picture. We worked together to create beautiful sentences using personification! We then shared these with the class.  

Week 5 - 

On Wednesday we celebrated Lincolnshire Day! We began the day by learning some key facts about Lincolnshire, we then completed a Kahoot quiz which put our brains to the test! After break time the children were introduced to their mission for the day - to create a book mark to sell at Lincoln Market. However, this was not any old book mark, the children's bookmark had to perfectly represent Lincolnshire! We discussed lots of design ideas - from Tulips to Lincolnshire sausages! In the afternoon, children learnt how to use a running stitch to create their masterpieces. 

Week 4 - 

This week the children were very lucky as they got to learn about different Stone Age sites through Virtual Reality. They explored locations such as Stonehenge and the Skara Brae. Through Augmented Reality, the children got to hold different artefacts from the Stone Age! 

Week 3 - 

This week in computing the children have explored how digital devices have changed the way that we work. For example, we spoke about how many people used to draw pictures onto paper and canvas. However, now people such as architects, draw pictures using technology. The children had a go at drawing pictures on the Freeform app on the ipads to create their own pictures. All of the children created a masterpiece which they all seemed to be really proud of!

Week 2 - 

This week in Puffin class we have been practicing our place value knowledge. The children had a very  enjoyable maths lesson where they used lots of practical resources like base 10 and counters, to make numbers on the place value chart! They challenged their partner to make a three-digit number as quickly as possible - there was a lot of competition in the classroom during this lesson! 

Week 1 - 

This week in English the children have been learning about different types of poems and the features within them. To begin our learning journey we performed poems for one another!

Term 1 and 2 – Ancient Britain

Take a moment to step outside and stand quietly and still. Turn off all your technology and try to forget the modern world. Imagine this place 5000 years ago. What would you have seen?

Experience life without modern tools and luxurious home comforts – would you survive? In our topic we will discover how people evolved from hunter gatherers to farmers and the beliefs these prehistoric warriors held. We will also investigate where and why humans settled in the places they made home and how some of these still exist in modern times.