Sapphire Class
Below is some important information about Sapphire Class.
Our PE days are Monday and Wednesday. The children can come to school dressed in their PE kit on both days.
The children all have a reading book and reading diary. Please encourage the children to read for at least 10 minutes every day. There is a letter inside of the reading record with more information about when the diary needs to be completed.
The children must bring their reading books into school every day.
Some of the children will continue to access phonics this term and as part of the program they will be bringing home a RWI book in a small folder. The children need to read this book every day to help develop their fluency and there are questions they need to answer in the back.
For spellings this term, the children will be bringing home spellings from the Year 3 which they must be able to read and spell. The children will complete a spelling test each week to see how they are doing learning the words.
In their book bags the children have a copy of their login details for Times Table Rockstars and Numbots (they are the same) and an Oxford Owl login.
Times Table Rock Stars - to practice and learn the 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 times tables.
Numbots - to practice maths fluency skills such as number bonds and number facts.
https://play.numbots.com/#/intro
Oxford Owls - weekly reading homework will be set for all children to complete.
Friday 15th July
It has been a great week in Sapphire Class this week and all of the children produced some fantastic work. This week, Mrs Woodhall was super impressed with their joined handwriting.
In English, we have started to write a persuasive brochure about Skara Brae in Scotland. The children are thinking really carefully about the positive adjectives they are using to persuade people that Skara Brae is the place to visit. In geography, the have researched Mediterranean countries so that they can create their own brochures next week. This week in maths, the children have done a great job measuring mass and using what they have learned in different contexts. Today we have moved onto capacity and they have made a great start to using litres and millilitres.
This week, the children have made Fattouch salad. They really enjoyed making the salad, tasting it and talking about the parts of it they liked and disliked. In PSHE, the children have been learning about some of the changes their bodies when they begin puberty in a few years. They have then made some fantastic ranbow mobiles to show how they feel about some of the changes they will go through as they transition to Year 4. For RE this week, the children have been discussing how peopl of the Sikh faith show their commitment to God. They have explored what is in a Gurdwara and the promises they make to God.
Friday 8th July
This week has been transition week and the children have had a fantastic time on their move up days to Year 4.
In English, the children have completed their Magic Paintbrush stories and they have done a brilliant job. In maths, the children have completed thier geometry unit. They can name and describe 2D and 3D shapes. This morning the children have had lots of fun making 3D shapes with spaghetti and marshmallows - they really enjoyed eating the marshmallows which were left over.
In science, the children have been learning about seed dispersal and they different ways that plants and animals spread seeds around. This week in geography, the children have been learning about physical and human features in the Mediterranean. They did a super job sorting the different types of features.
Friday 1st July
This week has been assessment week and I am so proud of the amazing job all of the children have done.
In maths, the children have continued to learn about different types of lines. Today the children have been investigating perpendicular and parallel lines around the classroom. Please ask them to show some of the lines they know at home. It is really important that the children can quickly recall their times tables facts for the 3, 4 and 8 times tables. Please encourage the children to use TTRS at home to practice these facts. In English, the children have planned their stories based on the Magic Paintbrush and they have started writing them today. The children have made a great start and I am looking forward to reading them next week.
In science, the children have been learning about pollination and they created some explanation writing to explain each of the steps. In PSHE, the children have been thinking abour what beauty means. They have created some lovely watercolour fish to go beside the definitions. Today the children have investigated the climate of the Mediterranean and compared it to the climate of Hetton so they can begin to think about where people would like to go on holiday. They have also explored some popular Mediterranean dishes this afternoon so they can begin to think about the type of food they would like to make over the neext couple of weeks.
Friday 24th June
This week the children have taken part in some of the Active 5 activities. They really enjoyed the body percussion activity on Thursday and yoga on Friday.
In English, the children have finished writing The Magic Paintbrush story. I have been so impressed with their use of vocabulary and dialogue this week and their handwriting has been amazing! I am looking forward to seeing them plan and write their own stories next week. In maths, we have started a new topic and the children have been learning about right angles, vertical and horizontal lines. They have had fun trying to draw shapes accurately using a ruler. It is really important that the children learn their 3, 4 and 8 times tables. Please encourage the children to count in 3s, 4s and 8s as well as accessing Times Tables Rockstars to practice their recall of the facts.
This week, the children have been learning about the life cycle of plants and they created some super diagrams to show this. We also investigated the colours of flowers that bees prefer and used this to create bar charts. In geography, the children started to learn so of the capital cities of the Mediterranean countries. I was so impressed with how they were using grid references and maps to find the capital cities. This week the children have also enjoyed French with Madam Aimes and cricket. They enjoyed finding out about simulations in computing and everyone is looking forward to having a go with simulations next week.
Friday 17th June
This week the children started to write a traditional tale, dissected flowers, tasted food and found out about the Mediterranean.
In English the children have been writing a story called The Magic Paintbrush and they have been focusing on using dialogue between characters. I have enjoyed reading the start of their stories and I am sure they would love to tell you all about the story so far. In maths, the children have been practising their 4 times tables. They are great at skipping counting in 4s and they have been trying to recall the 4 times table facts quickly. Please encourage the children to access Times Table Rockstars at home so that they can keep practising.
We have started a new topic in science this week about the life cycles of plants. We started the week with the children learning about the female and male parts of the plant then on Tuesday they worked together to dissect lilies to investigate the parts of the flower. They children then created posters to show what they had learned. We have started to learn about the Mediterranean this week to and they children did a super job at using an Atlas to find out about some of the countries in the Mediterranean. On Tuesday, they were learning about where our food comes from and how fruit and vegetables are seasonal. The children enjoyed trying some different fruits and vegetables from the seasons.
Friday 10th June
Welcome back and I hope everyone had a lovely half term.
There has been a change to our PE days for this half term. Sapphire Class will be doing PE on a Monday and on a Wednesday. We have a cricket coach coming into school on Wednesday and I know that the children enjoyed their first lesson.
In English this week, we have been reading traditional tales from around the world. We have read stories from Ghana and Australia - ask the children to tell you about the stories. For writing, the children have worked hard this week to plan and write a letter to the Queen about the Jubilee. All of the children's letters are amazing and I am looking forward to posting them to the Queen next week. We will have to watch out for the replies. We have continued working on time this week in maths. We have been looking at the 24 hour clock and working out durations this week. Please encourage the children to tell the time and work out durations at home as this will help with their learning next week.
On Wednesday, the children enjoyed their French lesson with Madam Aimes. They have been singing songs to help them to learn their numbers to 20. This week, the children have been learning about life in the 1950s. We have compared school days from the 1950s to 2022 and today we have been finding out about snacks from the 1950s to create some art work.
Friday 27th May
We have had a great final week of term in Sapphire Class this week and we have ended with a fantastic celebration for the Queen's Jubilee.
In English this week, the children really enjoyed baking a chocolate loaf cake. We then wrote a set of instructions so that the children could make the cake at home. They have all brought a copy of their instructions home to share with you. I am so proud of their writing this week as they have all done a fantastic job.
We have continued with time this week in maths. The children are becoming a little more confident reading the time on an analogue clock to 5 minutes and 1 minute. We have also practiced reading the time for quarter to and quarter. Please encourage the children to read the time over the holidays to help them develop this skill.
The children have completed thier science about plants this week and they have written some very interesting non-chronological reports about what they have learned. I am sure they would enjoy telling about what they have learned. In art, the children have continued to with their collages of the queen and the jewels they have used to decorate the crowns look amazing. Yesterday, the children took part in a dance workshop and that had a fantastic time. They were able to create a short performace to the song We Will Rock You by Queen!
Today, the children have taken part in some celebration activities for the Jubilee. They all looked amazing in their red, white and blue clothes. The children have all enjoyed their delicious picnic lunch and been outside for a disco with cake and juice. All of the children have received their Jubilee coin after singing to parents during afternoon tea.
Have a great half term everyone!
Friday 20th May
There has been lots of fun in Sapphire Class this week. The children have been investigating cakes, the 1950s and conducting science experiements!
In the English, we started the week by following a set of instructions to make an origami boat and I know the children loved being able to take them home. We have then read a story called My Strong Mind. The children have been using the events of the story to write a set of instructions to tell others what they can do stay calm in negative situations - they have some amazing ideas! In maths, we have started time this week. At the start of the week were reading the clock to o'clock. half past, quarter to and quarter past. Any support you have provide to encourage the children to read these time confidently would be appreciated. Today, we have been working on our problem solving skills and the children had to create magic Vs where both sides of the V had to add up to the same magic number. I was really impressed with the children's resilience.
Please remember to encourage the children to access Times Table Rockstars and Numbots at home to practice their times tables and number facts skills.
In science, the children have set up a science experiment. They are growing cress seeds in different places in the classroom to find out what plants need to grow - see the pictures below. In history, the children were finding out about key events in the 1950s. Ask them to tell you all about Rosa Parks, the Polio Vaccine, the first TV advert, Sir Edmund Hilary the first min car. They have created some super posters about the events they researched. Today, the children were cake tasting! They have been deciding what type of cake they prefer so that we can make cakes and write our own instructions next week.
Friday 13th May
We have had a great week in Sapphire Class this week and I have awarded over 1000 Dojo points! The children have been amazing.
This week, the children have worked hard on their Star in a Jar stories and I have been so impressed with the stories they have produced. They have worked hard to include description and a variety of adverbs to link the parts of their stories together. I have really enjoyed reading the stories they have created. We have completed our fractions topic this week. They have been adding and subtracting fractions and developing their understanding of fractions to be able to compare them. The children have also been practising their 8 times tables in class and working hard to remember the times table facts.
Last Friday, the children made paper dolls based on the fashions of the 1950s and I have included some pictures below of the designs they created - they were fantastic! This week, we have been finding out the members of the Royal family and creating family trees. The children had lots of fun trying to match the royals into family groups - we had some very interesting families created. In art this week, the children have started to create a collage of the Queen in the 1950s. The children have made a super start and I am looking forward to seeing their finished pieces next week.
Friday 6th May
This week the children have completed their stories about Star in the Jar and I have been very impressed with the vocabulary they have been using to describe Tom's feelings. Today, we have started planning our independent write where the children will be retelling the story from the stars point of view. I am looking forward to seeing their stories next week.
In maths the children have continued their fractions learning and we have been focusing on finding fractions of amounts. The children have been very resiliant when this was tricky at the start of the week and they are now finding fractions of amounts in a variety of contexts.
The children completed their science investigation this week and explored how water is transported around plants. I'm sure they would love to tell you about the blue roses they were investigating. In RE, the children are exploring the Sikh religion and the children have been talking about some of the important beliefs of the religion. The children are thinking about ways in which Sikh's show that they share and are caring towards one another.
In art today, the children have use paper dolls, templates and patterned paper to create outfits of the 1950s. They have talked about the type of clothes the children wore during this period and how it is similar and different to their own. Yesterday in history, the children were learning about the Queen's coronation in 1952 and thinking about what it would have been like to be part of the crowds. The wrote diary entries about what their experiences could have been like and I am so impressed with what they have produced.
Friday 29th April
We have had a fantastic start to Summer term in Sapphire Class. Mrs Finlay has joined our class and will be working with us every day and Mrs Marston will still be teaching the children on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons so that I can work with smaller groups. Our PE days have changed and we will be doing PE on a Monday and Friday afternoon.
In English this term, we are going to be writing a story based on the story, The Star in a Jar. The children have been working hard this week think about the adjectives they use to describe what they can hear, see and feel. In maths, the children have continued to learn about fractions. This week the children have been learning about fractions on a number line and writing tenths has decimals - I have been really impressed with their resilience when some of the challenges have been tricky.
For the Summer term, we will be learning about the Queen as we prepare to celebrate the Jubilee. We will be focusing on the Queen's life during the 1950s and some of the key events from the time. If you ask them, I am sure the children will be able to share some of the facts they learned yesterday. In science, the children have found out about the Polio vaccine and why it was so important in the 1950s. They create some interesting leaflets all about how and why the vaccine was invented. The children have also set up a very intersting science experiement using roses and food colouring - I can't wait to see the results next week. In PE the children are developing their sending and receiving skills and they are going to be using the skills they have learned in tennis.
Friday 18th March
The children have created some beautiful sunflowers today to show they are thinking of the people of Ukraine. We have put the sunflowers onto our class window so that you can see them on Monday.
In English this week, the children have enjoyed listening to songs to help them remember the new grammar we have been learning and I have been impressed to see how they have used this in their writing. Yesterday, the children started to plan their own story about a girl called Erin who goes on an adventure. I am looking forward to reading the stories they create when they finish their story maps next week. This week in maths, the children have finished their unit on length and perimeter and I have been impressed with how the children have applied what they have learned. We did a times table quiz this week on the 4 times tables and the children were able to recall lots of the facts. Next week, we will be looking at division facts for the 4 times tables so please encourage the children to keep practicing.
This week has been British Science Week and the children have been learning about deforestation. They have created some lovely work to show what they have learned. Today, we were chatting about how we can encourage wildlife to live in our school grounds and the children had some fantastic ideas. The children have really been enjoying their French lessons and it has been fantastic listening to them use what they have learned. I am sure if you ask them, they would be able to show you what they have been learning. In geography, the children have been using maps and atlases to find out about Greece and its physical features. This week the children have been using their maths skills to create bar charts to show what the weather is like in Greece compared to Hetton.
Thank you all for your support this week with buying the raffle tickets and donations for a charity to support the Ukraine.
Friday 11th March
This week in English the children have nearly finished writing their story The Secret of Black Rock. Yesterday, we were thinking about how we could make our descriptions more interesting and the children have created some fantastic phrases to describe the sea creatures that the main character would have seen. I am sure they would love to tell you about the story when you ask. In maths, the children have continued their learning about length and they are becoming more confident converting m to cm and mm to cm. If you are measuring anything at home, get the children to help you for extra practice. This week we have also been practicing the 4 times tables. Please encourage the children to practice counting in 4s and to go onto Times Table Rockstars so they can develop quick recall of the facts.
This week in RE, we have started to look at the Easter story and what it means to Christians. On Tuesday, the children have bread and juice - just like the disciples at the Last Supper - and we talked about what this represents. Next week, we will be moving onto the events of Good Friday and thinking about why Christians call this day 'Good'. In computing, I introduced the children to email on Purple Mash and they had lots of fun sending and receiving emails too. The children have access to their email at home if they ask to use it but they can only send email to each other.
On Wednesday, the girls really enjoyed going out for the football session with Mrs Snelson and it has been lovely to see them joining in with the football games at playtime. Mrs Finnigan has told me all about the progress the children are making with their swimming. Lots of children are now only wearing one arm band and they have started to develop their swimming skills by swimming the length of the little pool. The children in the big pool are doing great too and are really developing the different swimming strokes they are learning.
In science the children have continued to learn about Light and Dark. On Monday they had fun using torches and different materials to find out which materials were reflective. Next week is National Science Week so the children will be learning about deforestation over the week. The boys enjoyed art this week (the girls were outside) and they used a variety of materials from nature to create circular shapes.
Friday 4th March
It has been a great start back to school for Sapphire Class this week and the children have enjoyed beginning new topics.
In English, we have been learning about prepositions and how to use them in their writing. The children were able to identify them in prepared sentences and I am looking forward to seeing the children use them in their writing over the next few weeks. Our writing is based on the book, The Secret of Black Rock and the children have made a super start to writing the story. Today, we were really focused on using expanded noun phrases to describe the rock and I was really impressed with the children's choices of adjectives. In maths, we have completed our statistics unit and the children have all worked well in this topic. They have been able to draw pictograms and barcharts and use the information to answer questions. We have moved onto our new Length and Perimeter topic and it has been really interesting to see some of the measurements children have been giving to objects. As part of World Book Day, we read the picture book, How long is a Whale which compared a variety of marine animals to a whale. We all had lots of fun using measuring tapes to see the length of some of the marine animals - see the pictures below.
We have had Mrs Marston in class this week and she has introduced the children to our knew science topic - light and shadows. The children have enjoyed a number of activities exploring what light and dark as an introduction. They have also started to look at collages in art and the children worked together to make collages out of the natural materials they could find outside. We have also started a new topic in computing and over this half term, I will be introducing the children to email and how to use it safely. They enjoyed using 2Connect on Purple Mash to share the different ways they can communicate this week.
Friday 18th February
This week the children have been writing about jobs in the Victorian era. They have enjoyed finding out about some of the different jobs and the conditions the children have been working in. In English, they have written non-chronological reports about the jobs they have researched using some of the features we have been learning about. The children have all done a fantastic job.
In maths, we have moved onto statistics and the children have been recapping what they know about pictograms and barcharts. The children have been learning how to draw these and make interpretations from the results.
In art this week, the children used their nature drawings of flowers to make a printing block. They used the printing block to create a repeating pattern of their designs.
Friday 11th February
This week, the children have been writing about plants in their writing sessions. I am so impressed with their handwriting and application of phonics for spelling. They are all working really hard and I am so proud of the writing they are producing. In maths this week, the children have continued their learning about money including finding totals and change. They have found some of it tricky but they have kept trying and are doing an amazing job.
The children really enjoyed their dance lesson this week as it was based on the winter sports of the Olympics. They have had lots of fun snowboarding and skiing to create a dance performance. In history, the children have been exploring inventions from the Victorian era and learning about the problem they solved. Ask them about what they have learned - I'm sure they would love to share what they know. In science, the children carried out a fair investigation about the strength of magnets. They made predictions, tested the magnets using paperclips and explained what their results showed. Yesterday was our 'Dress in what makes you happy' day. It was great to see the children dressed in clothes that expressed something about them and made them happy. In the afternoon , the children drew support hot air balloons and added all of the names of the people who support them to grow.
Friday 4th February
This week the children have been learning about non-chronological reports and we have spent time looking at and learning about the features. I have added some photos below of the work the children have completed. In grammar this week, the children have been learning about conjunctions and they have enjoyed listening to songs which is helping them to learn so of the things we have been discussing. I have put the links for the songs below as I am sure they would love to share the songs with you.
Conjunctions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIVL38Is5Ac
Clauses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErwKUGfBzhg
In maths, we have moved onto the new topic of money this week. The children have been counting notes and coins in different ways and they have enjoyed using maths resources in class to help them with their learning. For NSPCC numbers day, the children have been thinking about all of the number facts that we know and they have been adding them to a t-shirt. I am sure the display of all of their facts will look fantastic when it is done.
This week in RE, we have been thinking about the stories of Jesus and what miracles are. The children have enjoyed listening to and retelling the stories and thinking about how Jesus was able to do some of the things that he did. We ended the lesson with the children role playing their favourite story and I have added some pictures below. On Tuesday, the children had a great time learning and developing their typing skills in computing. I have asked the children to log onto Purple Mash at home and to use the 2Type program to continue practising their skills. Finally, the children have been thinking about sing language and why it is something that people could try to learn if they would like to. We have discussed how having an additional need can be positive and how it can help us to be successful in the goals that we set for ourselves. The children drew a picture of themselves and wrote lots of positive adjectives to describe their personalities and drew things that make them special.
Friday 28th January
I have been so impressed with how hard the children have worked this week. They have all written some fantastic stories called Snakes in the Walls which was based on the book we read last week. Their writing has included lots of ambitious vocabulary and super punctuation. In maths, the children have done really well using their multiplication facts to find the answers to division. They are doing really well counting in multiples of 3, 4 and 8. The links are below to the songs we have used in class to help the children practice. it would be great if they could also practice at home.
3 x table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzVyBQ5uTbo
4 x table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ4ooLN7Bmo
8 x table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN3RG5iLKpo
This week, the children have been learning all about Queen Victoria and they have created some great factfiles to share some of the interesting facts they have learned. In science, the children have continued their learning about magnets and they have been comparing different types of magnets. We continued our dance lessons this week and the children were taking on the roles of servants, masters and rich children in the Victorian times. They really enjoyed using the roles to create sequences of movement and different pathways - they all agreed that it was hard work being in servant! We continued on with our art this week which is all about printing. The children created relief patterns and the used rollers and ink to create repeating patterns. You can see some of their patterns below.
Friday 21st January
This week the children have completed their writing of the spooky story The Wolves in the Walls. They have done a fantastic job and I have added a picture below so that you can see what they have been writing. In maths, the children continued developing their multiplication and division skills and we have moved onto multiplying and dividing 2 digit numbers. Next week, we will continue this and we will focus on recalling the 3 x table facts.
In science, we began looking at magnets and the children enjoyed taking part in activities where they were able to explore magnets and identify magnetic materials. The children enjoyed investigating pictures from the Victorian era to learn a little about what it was like during this period of history. On Thursday, the children completed a dance sequence where they were children who were working in a mine and thinking about what a day would be like for that child.
Friday 14th January 2022
The children have settled well back into routines after the Christmas holidays.
This week, we have started to write a new class story called The Wolves in the Walls. It is based on a book by Neil Gaiman. I have been really impressed with the children vocabulary work during this piece of writing and they have all written some super dialogue (which is new learning for year 3). I am looking forward to seeing the children's completed writing next week.
In maths, we have continued to practice the 3, 4 and 8 times tables and I will be sending a small piece of homework home next week for the children to practice their 3s. This week we have started a new unit based on multiplication and division and the children will be starting to learn how to multiply 2 2-digit numbers.
Over the last couple of weeks, we have started some new topics. The children have recapped what they know about forces and we have completed investigations into different types of forces. Next week, we will start to learn about magnets. In art, we will be learning about printing and you can see some pictures below of the children making rubbings of different objects from around school. Our history focus this term is how the Victorians shaped Sunderland and Hetton and the children made some fantastic timelines. This term in PSHE, the children are thinking about their dreams and goals - I have included a picture of some of the dream jobs the children would like to have when they grow up.
Friday 17th December
And just like that the Autumn term is over and we have broken up for Christmas!
It has been a brilliant last week of the term in Sapphire Class and the children have enjoyed taking part in lots of Christmas activities. We started the week with our Carols around the tree and I was so proud of the children's singing - they looked amazing in their santa hats around the tree. On Tuesday, it was our Christmas party and I have added some picture below so that you can see the brilliant time that they had. This week the children have also joined in the Sunderland Music Hub's Big Festive Sing and they had a lovely time joining in with the songs they had been learning with Laura.
The children have done lots of Christmas crafts this week. They have made santa decorations, christmas cards and they loved making their calendar. Yesterday, the children had hot chocolate and marshmallow treat as they watched the Christmas movie. Finally, the children are looking forward to seeing the Dick Whittington panto this morning.
Please have a look through the pictures below so you can see some of the fun the children have had.
Mrs Finnigan and I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and best wishes for the New Year. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back on Tuesday 4th January.
Friday 10th December
We have had a fantastic day in Sapphire Class today and we are definitely getting into the Christmas spirit. The children have looked fantastic in their Christmas jumpers and t-shirts. They have also enjoyed their Christmas lunch and the Santa dash today.
This week, the children have moved onto learning the 3 times tables and they have done brilliantly learning the facts. The song we have been singing this week is on this link: 3 Times Tables - Have Fun Learning! - YouTube
In English, we have finished our class story called Flood and the children were so proud reading their stories back. Next week, we will be planning a new story about a volcano eruption and I am looking forward to reading what the children imagine it would be like.
This week, we have been learning about how our bodies move in science and today we learned about different types of skeleton. Ask the children about the different skeletons that animals can have and I am sure you will be impressed with their knowledge. We have also learned a little about Virtual reality this week and I have enjoyed seeing the children's ideas for virtual worlds that they would like to visit.
Next week is a busy week. I would like to invite you all to school on Monday at 2:30pm for our Carols around the tree. The children have been working hard learning some Christmas songs and they are looking forward to singing them for you. The children have also made some santa decorations for the tree. On Tuesday, it is our Christmas party. The children can come dressed in their party clothes and I'll make sure everyone keeps clean for the party on the afternoon.
Friday 3rd December
It has been a busy couple of weeks and we have done lots of brilliant things in Sapphire Class.
Last week, a JCB digger visited our carpark and the children had an amazing time going out to explore it. They thought it was so fantastic that they could fit inside the scoop for a photograph - sorry for the slightly dusty clothes! I have put some picture below so you can see what they got up to. We also started our Christmas preparations last week. The children spent some time making tree decorations for our outside Christmas tree. We are going to add the decorations to the tree next week and you can see them when you visit for our Carols around the Christmas Tree in the last week.
This week, the children have been writing a class story called Flood. They are writing about a family who need to evacuate because of a monstrous storm which causes a flood. I am really enjoying reading their writing and how they are carefully choosing words to describe the storm. In maths, the children have completed their addition and subtraction unit and we are moving onto multiplication and division. The children need a little more practice with column addition and subtraction so I will be sending some practice home next week.
In science, we have moved onto the human skeleton and it was great fun watching the children find and label some of the bones they knew on their friends. I was so impressed with their knowledge. Today, we have learned what it is like when a volcano erupts and the children have created some fantastic drawings of erupting volcanoes based on what they have read. Over the last couple of weeks, we have completed some art activities and the children have been making tints of primary colours to paint shapes. Next week, we will look at using contrasting tints and colours to create patterns.
Finally, we had a visit from the amazing Laura and we have started to learn some Christmas songs and carols which we will share with you in the final week.
Here are some important dates for Sapphire Class:
Monday 6th Christmas Movie Night (there is a ticket price of £2)
Friday 10th Christmas Jumper Day
Santa Dash
Christmas Lunch
Monday 13th Carols around the Christmas Tree - parents are welcome and we will be starting at
2:30pm
Tuesday 14th Christmas Disco
Friday 17th Dick Whittington Pantomime (in school)
Have a great weekend everyone!
Friday 19th November
It has been a great week in Sapphire Class this week and it has been super to see the children in their odd socks for Anti-bullying week.
In English, I have been so impressed with the children's independent writing about earthquakes and I can see that they have worked really hard on their handwriting and spelling. I am really looking forward to reading the explanations they have written. If you ask them, I am sure they will be able to tell you some interesting facts about earthquakes.
In maths, the children have worked hard on their addition and they have become super stars at column addition with an exchange. We are moving onto column subtraction with an exchange next week but they made a great start today.
This week in science, we have started to look at why nutrients in food are important and how they keep us healthy. The children have thought about a healthy balanced meal and why it is important to choose the best foods to give us energy. The children have been learning about earthquakes this week in geography and we event had a practice earthquake drill - at the siren all of the children hid under their desks! We have been thinking about the meaning of Christmas this week in RE and the children what the different objects we see at this time of mean to those who celebrate Christmas.
This week has been Anti-bullying week and the children have completed activities around using kind words and why they are important. The school nurse came into talk to the children about the making and keeping friendships and being kind. They talked about what makes a good and bad friend. In computing, we have talked about the importance of keeping safe online and we had a special assembly to talk about the risks of being online and what the children can do to keep themselves safe. We have also learned that the information we see online isn't always true because sometimes no-one checks the information that is added. The children created some very funny 'spoof' webpages on purple mash to show how easy it was to create a spoof website.
Finally, we have ended the week with a fantastic visit to AAA Sports for a gymnastics and trampoline visit. The children have loved it and they all had a brilliant time trying some of the bars, beams and trampolines.
Friday 12th November
We have had a fantastic week in Sapphire Class this week.
In English, we have nearly finished our class explanation writing about volcanoes. Ask the children and they will be able to tell you how volcanoes are formed. They have worked really hard on their writing this week and are showing they can use adverbs and conjunctions in their writing. In maths, we have moved onto column addition today and I have been so impressed with the children's presentation in their books. They have shown that really understand place value and they have worked really hard adding up those numbers.
This week, we have continued to learn about our bodies and the Food Pyramid. The children were able to sort food into the different food groups and I enjoyed seeing their healthy balanced meals which they designed. In geography, the children have learned about some of the world's famous volcanoes and they have used an atlas to find where they are in the world. I have set the children the challenge today to find out about one of those volcanoes and create a factfile about it.
In PE, we continued with our new gymnastics and the children had lots of fun practicing the different types of walks. Through computing, we have started to think about how and why we use the internet and I showed the children have to access 2Blog on purple mash. The children enjoyed sharing their ideas about why they used the internet. Ask the children to log on to show you.
Finally, the children have learned about why 11th November is special and they worked with Mrs Rose to create a poppy wreath which was placed at the memorial in the centre of Hetton.
Today, the children have brought home a letter for Oxford Owls. The letter explains how the children can log on to the website to access a phonic book which we are using for phonics in class. Some children already have a book set that they can read with you at home and I will be setting books for other children from next week. Please log on to Oxford Owls so that the children can show you the book we have been reading.
The children have had their login details glued into the front of their reading diaries and I have shown them the website today.
Friday 5th November
We have had a great first week back after the holiday and I have been really impressed with the children's learning.
In English, the children have started to learn about explanation texts which is completely new for them and they are doing a super job learning about the features. This week, the children have worked hard on identifying main and subordinate clauses and they have worked really hard on their letter formation.
In maths, we have continued with our addition and subtraction work. The children have been learning how to count forwards and backwards crossing over 10s and they are doing really well. Next week, we are going to be focusing on the 10 times tables so that the children can recall the facts fluently.
On Tuesday, the children impressed me with their fantastic coding skills. I really enjoyed seeing the programs they created and that challenges they completed. They were coding super stars! We started our new geography topic this week. Ask the children how mountains are made and I am sure that they will be able to tell you all about it. They used atlases to find mountain ranges around the world and did an amazing job. In PE this week, the children had their first gymnastics lesson and they were practising their rolls, bear and crab walks and slides - ask them to show you what they can do.
Today, we started our new RE topic - the meaning of Christmas. I enjoyed listening to the children sharing some of the things they are looking forward to. They have chatted about Santa, spending time with family, eating Christmas dinner and of course - presents!
Here are the children showing the explanation texts we were exploring today.
Friday 22nd October
It has been a whirlwind of a week this week and there has been lots happening in Sapphire Class.
In English, the children have all written a diary based on a day they would have in the Iron Age. Today, I have been reading about the children having battles, going hunting and being chased by wolves and bears. I'm really looking forward to reading their finished pieces over half term. During the holidays, please can you encourage the children to read a little every day. After the holidays, we will be starting to learn how to join our writing correctly as this is part of the national curriculum for Year 3. The children can access Letter Join at home to practice their letter formation on a tablet or PC. I will attach a letter which explains how to use Letter Join at the bottom of this update.
I have been really impressed with the children's maths this week. They have worked hard and shown super understanding of what happens when we add and subtract when crossing 10 and 100. Over the holidays, please can you encourage the children to access Timestable Rock Stars and Numbots. The website links are at the top of the page and all of the children should have their username and passwords in their book bags.
Also this week, the children have really impressed me with what they have remembered from our science topic of Rocks and Soils. In PE, the children have been practising their footwork skills and we had lots of fun on Wednesday practising sidesteps, zogzags and hoptscotch - I will pop some pictures below for you to see.
In computing the children have been learning how to use timers and repeat commands as part of their codes. I was so impressed with the children's coding on Tuesday. All of the children have their Purple Mash logins so they can access Purple Mash at home and show you what they have learned. They may even have rewards they can show you for their super work!
Yesterday, we went to visit the Diamond Class Pumpkin Patch and we shared a spooky story for halloween. I will pop some pictures below.
Have a lovely half term everyone!
Friday 15th October
We have had a great 2 weeks in Sapphire Class and lots has happened.
The children have started to write a diary based on their adventure in the Stone Age and I have really enjoyed seeing their ideas and the improvement in their handwriting. In maths, we have moved onto addition and subtraction and I have been really impressed with their maths fluency - please encourage the children to access Numbots as this well help them lots.
Last week the children enjoyed our history workshop with Durham University and they have a great time exploring artefacts from the Stone Age to Iron Age. Then last Tuesday, we went to Hetton School and they loved the activities including archery and the climbing wall.
I have put some pictures below to show you some of the fun the children have had. This week we have heard from the author Pooja Puri who shared some of her book, A Dinsosaur Ate my Sister. She challenged the children to design a time machine. I have promised the children that if they complete their designs and bring them into school then I will reward them with Dojo Points. I can't wait to see their designs.
Friday 1st October 2021
It has been a very exciting week in Sapphire Class this week. The children have planned their first story which they will be writing next week. Look out for a copy of their story coming home as they are looking forward to sharing it with you.
We have finished our number and place value in maths and I am so impressed with how the children are using their knowledge of 3 digit numbers to talk about their understanding of number.
In science, the children have had lots of fun learning about sedimentary and igneous rock and they enjoyed using chocolate to explore how rocks are made. On Wednesday, the children investigated rocks and tested them using water, metal and acid - ask them and I am sure they can tell you all about it.
This morning, John from Durham University zoomed into our classroom for a workshop all about prehistory. The children were able to explore artefacts from the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age and had fun thinking about what the artefacts were called and used for. We really have some amazing history detectives in class who gave some super answers to the questions. The children were fascinated with a replica skeleton and John can use it to find out so much about the people in prehistory including what they ate!
Below are some pictures of some of the activities the children have been up to this week.
Finally, next week we will be doing PE on Tuesday and Thursday. ON Tuesday, the children are going to visit Sunderland Climbing Wall at Hetton School. I will make sure to take lots of photos.
