Sapphire Class

Welcome to Year 3 (Sapphire Class)

Mrs Foster is your class teacher. 

In Sapphire Class, our PE days are Monday and Friday.  Please can the children bring their PE kits to school on both days.

Friday 14th July

Wow! What a year it has been.  I can't believe this is my final update of the year.  It has been a fantastic year in Sapphire Class.

In English, the children are busy writing their final story of the year.  A fantasy story about a group of children who go on a magical adventure in a forest.  The children have all made a fantastic start and I am really looking forward to reading their final pieces.  In reading, we have been reading a book of short stories called A Necklace of Raindrops and the children are really enjoying the different genres in the book.  There has been some fantastic discussions around the themes of the stories.

Over the last 2 weeks, the children have been learning about geometry.  They have become experts in identifying parallel and perpendicular lines; they have enjoyed drawing 2D shapes so that they could draw these lines as well.  The children have continued to practice their times tables and they can now use their knowledge to recall division facts.

This week, the children have completed their pencil cases.  I have been very impressed with their sewing skills - once the needles were threaded! They have continued to learn about different types of settlements in the UK including how land is farmed in England.  Next week, they will be returning to Italy to create a comparison between Italy and England.

This week, the children went to Hetton School for their sports afternoon.  They had a fantastic time and I have added some photos below so you can see what they got up to.  In Re, the children have continued to learn about how people of different religions and non-religious world views are trying to make the world a better place.

Please remember, you can come into class after school on Monday to pick up the children's reports.

Friday 30th June

Last week in geography, the children enjoyed a lovely, but hot, walk through Hetton to find out how land has been used in our local area.  The children completed a survey of the different types of buildings and places they could see.  

The children had a great time writing their stories 'The Day I Swapped My Sister' and I really enjoyed reading them.  In maths, the children continued with their learning about fractions and they are now experts at adding and subtracting fractions. 

The children have become very confident using Google Slides to create posters and presentations for different reasons.  As part of RE the children, the children have created posters about how people of the Jewish religion are working alongside others to help repair the world.  They then researched some famous Christians who sacrifice themselves to follow Jesus' teachings.  I was very impressed with the presentations the children created to share what they had found out.

Yesterday, the children went to Mr Snelson's class for their transition day and they all had a fantastic time.  I am sure they enjoyed telling you all about the facts they learned about wolves and they made some amazing wolf collages.

Next week, we will have a swimming session on Friday so please can the children bring their swimming kits.

Friday 16th June

This week in English, the children have planned and started to write their own versions of The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish.  They have thought of some very funny things they would swap their sisters for and I am looking forward to reading their completed stories next week.  In maths, the children have continued with their fractions learning.  They have been using what they have learned about fractions to compare them and are moving onto adding and subtracting fractions.  In reading, the children have continued to enjoy Fortunately, the Milk! and talking about the words and phrases used by Neil Gaiman to support our understanding of the story.

This term for RE the children are thinking about how world religions and non-religious world views encourage us to care for the world and those around us.  This week, the children created some fantastic posters about The Golden Rule which many religions encourage - treat others as you like to be treated.  The children are developing their understanding of using Google Slides to create presentations all about them.  They are becoming more confident inserting word art, text boxes and backgrounds.  This week the children learned how to search the web for pictures to insert them into their presentations.  In geography, the children used keys to create maps of the school in preparation of their visit to Hetton next week.

Friday 9th June

It has been a great first week back this term and the children have all settled well back into routines.

In English, we have been using books written by author Neil Gaiman.  For reading, we are using his book called Fortunately, the Milk and the children are enjoying reading about the adventures of a time travelling dad.  They have worked hard to look for clues in the story so that they can make predictions and inferences.  Our other book is called The day I Swapped Dad for Two Goldfish and the children can't wait to find out what happens when 2 children swap their dad.  We have looked at dialogue this week and used this to perform role plays about part of the story and today we have written a missing scene in the story.  The children did an amazing job.

This term in maths, we have continued our learning about fractions - this time we are focusing non-unit fractions.  The children have been using new vocabulary to describe fractions and have moved onto learning about how many parts make a whole.  This week, I have been really impressed with their reasoning skills as they are becoming more confident explaining how they know an answer is correct.

We started new topics this week.  For geography this term we will be studying the local area and we began by using satellite photos of the area around school to sketch maps which show the streets and how the land has been used around us.  In Re, the children started to think about ways in which we make the Earth sad through our actions and later in the term we will be looking at ways we  can care for the world around us.  The children had lots of fun in computing this week as the children were introduced to the chromebooks where they will be learning to create presentations all about themselves.

Please remember to encourage the children to practice their 3, 4 and 8 times tables,  use Numbots at home and to read every day for 10 minutes.

Friday 19th May

This week the children have finished reading Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure.  They have really enjoyed this mystery and going on the adventure with the characters.  In English, we have been reading the book How to Live Forever.  We have discussed what the benefits and disadvantages would be for living forever. They have used drama to persuade each other about living forever.  They enjoyed using the ipads to label the features of lost posters before using what they had learned to create lost posters for the missing book in the story. In maths, the children have continued their learning on fractions.  The children have become experts in recognising equal and unequal parts and representing fractions in different ways.  They had great fun this week when we all went outside for a times table lesson for National Numeracy Day.

In RE, the children have been exploring how Hindu's worship at home and the finding out what the items on a Puja tray represent.  The children asked some great questions at the start and were able to use what they had learned to answer them.  In computing, we have discussed how to send email safely and how to keep safe online - especially the importance of using safe passwords.  The children had fun sending each other emails with their safety advice. This week in science, the children have been learning about the different ways plants disperse their seeds after pollination.  They create fantastic classification keys to show the different methods on the ipads.

We ended the week with the children developing their hockey skills - I am really impressed with the skill they have shown in passing, stopping and blocking the ball.  Finally, today the children have been using the work of Henri Matisse to create their own dancing figures based on his work The Dancer.

Friday 5th May

It has been a short week this week but it feels like we have done lots on Sapphire Class.  Today was our Coronation Celebration and the children had a great time showing off the crowns they had made and sharing the coronation songs they have been learning.

In maths, the children have started a new unit on fractions.  They have made a super start identifying equal and unequal parts in a variety of shapes.  This week, they have continued to learn their times table facts for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 times tables.  Please encourage the children to keep practising their facts at home.  It has been great to see the children using Numbots this term and there is a lovely competition in class so see who is completing the levels - I'm a bit behind so I need to catch them up!

In English, the children are really enjoying our mystery story unit.  They have a great understanding of the different parts of a mystery story.  The mystery endings they wrote yesterday were amazing.  Today, they have been planning their own mystery story and I am looking forward to seeing their writing next week.

The children have continued learning about plants in science this week.  They have been using large pictures of flowers to help them understand pollination and this is part of the lifecycle of plant.  They worked together to act out and create a story of how a plant is pollinated.  During RE, the children have been learning about the Hindu God Brahman.  This week the children learned how Hindu's have many gods and goddesses which represent different parts of Braham such as creation, music, arts, wealth and good fortune.  During history, the children have been researching Greek Gods.  They worked in groups to learn about a particular god before sharing what they had learned about them with others in the class.

Over the long weekend, please encourage the children to read a little every day - just 10 minutes each day will make a huge difference.

Friday 28th April

This week in English, the children have been developing their use of dialogue in mystery stories and learning how to create effective titles for the stories that they write.  The children have continued to enjoy the story of Mr Penguin and the Lost Treasure and had fun finding all of the clues to the treasure this week.  

In PE, the children are learning the skills needed to play hockey.  Miss Kay and I were really impressed with the control the children showed when sending and receiving the ball from their partner.  For art this week, the children have been learning about collages.  They spent Tuesday creating fantastic landscape collages using torn paper.

Monday 24th April 

Today the children thought about the life cycle of a plant. They were asked to work in groups to role play their understanding of the different stages plants move through; seed, germination, seedling, pollination.

They performed what they had learnt  to others with confidence. Well done Year 3! 

Friday 21st April

It has been a great first week back for Sapphire Class this week.  I know the children really impressed Miss Redpath on Monday with their fantastic behaviour and they have continued this for the whole week.  As a class, the children have earned over 1000 Class Dojo points!

The children have started lots of new topics this week.  In English, we have been investigators and looking for clues in our picture book (The Mysteries of Harris Burdick) and our class novel (Mr Penguin's Lost Treasure).  The children have been using these clues to ask and answer questions about the texts.  For writing, the children have been exploring ways of creating mystery in their story openings.  They did a great job at writing a setting descriptions and story openings based on the pictures in our class book.  I am looking forward to the end to their stories about the city of Venice next week.  

In maths, the children have continued learning their 4 and 8 times tables.  Thank you for encouraging the children practicing their times tables at home - I have enjoyed discussing the work they have been bringing in with them.  As part of their times table learning, the children are looking for connections between the 2, 4 and 8 times tables.  They are also using their knowledge to solve a range of problems to help develop their understanding.

This week the children continued their learning about plants in science.  They really enjoyed dissecting flowers with Miss Kay on Wednesday so that they could see the make and female parts of a flower.  In RE, the children have been discussing how Hindu's feel about Brahman (God) and I was really impressed with their explanations of how Hindu's would describe God.  For PE, the children are developing their sending and receiving skills and I was impressed with the control and balance many of them shared. 

Please remember to encourage the children to read their school reading books for 10 minutes every day and to access Numbots to develop their number fluency.

Thank you for supporting the children with their volcanoes homework.  I have really enjoyed reading the factfiles they have created - I now need to think of a super reward for them.

Friday 31st March

It has been a great last week of the term.  Thank you to everyone who was able to come to our Easter crafts this week.  Also, Miss Kay has returned and will be working with us throughout the summer term.

This week, the children have impressed with their independent writing as they have been writing reports about tea.  The children have worked hard to include conjunctions and prepositions to extend their sentences and add detail.  in reading, the children enjoyed listening to the story of Escape from Pompeii.  Today, they have used Now Press Play to experience what Mount Vesuvius' eruption would have been like. In maths, the children have been learning their 4 times tables and using this to find the answers to missing numbers and real life problems.  The children have worked really hard to learn the multiples and now need to learn to recall the facts of the times tables.

This week, the children have finished out Volcanoes topic.  We have been exploring life in volcanic areas and then using this knowledge to compare Hawaii to Hetton.  In Re the children have created some great art work to show what they think the meaning of Easter is for them and for Christians.

Over the last few weeks, the children have all been using Numbots more to develop their number fluency and they have made lots of progress.  Please continue to encourage the children to use numbots when they can over the holidays.  They have challenged me to beat them so I'll be having a go to.

Have a great holiday everyone and I look forward to seeing the children back after the holidays.

British Science Week - WB 13.03.23

To celebrate British Science Week—we focussed upon all things FINGERPRINTS!

As a class, the children discussed how fingerprints are used in the modern world; unlocking phones, entering buildings, as well as solving crime mysteries!

The children were given the task of discovering how we can gather the clearest fingerprints. They studied the patterns on their fingerprints first and compared them to those of their peers. The children then worked on describing the patterns they could see and attempted to record these into their book. They looked at the names of groups of fingerprints and decided where they would best fit.

As a class they then explored how to take an effective print—comparing using graphite to cocoa powder and printing these onto Sellotape. It was quickly identified that when using graphite, the patterns within our fingerprints were clearest to see.

They discussed as a class how we are all unique individuals!

Miss Redpath was very disappointed to discover that someone in the classroom had touched something they were not supposed to! An investigation has now been undertaken to identify the culprit from their fingerprints! The plot thickens! 

Friday 10th March

It has been another super week in Sapphire Class this week.  I know that the children have especially enjoyed the last few snowy days.  For PE this week, the children had a great time during their Brazillian Football lesson.  I was really impressed with the brilliant skills the children were showing off.  I've included some pictures of the session below.

In English this week, we have finished reading our novel Cloud Tea Monkeys.  The children have produced some super writing based on the story.  They are becoming more confident using conjunctions and prepositions to extend the ideas in their writing too.  I can really see the progress the children are making with their handwriting and spelling.  In maths, we have continued with column addition and the children have done a great job.  They can all 'carry'  or group the ones and tens when they need to.  This week, we have been focusing on number fluency and the children are doing well at recalling the key facts.  I have challenged the children to try and do 15 minutes on Numbots over the next week and I will be logging on to to have a go.

On Tuesday, the children really enjoyed making and eating their Italian sandwiches.  They have shown that they have a good understanding of what makes a balanced meal and in PSHE they have even set themselves a fitness challenge.  We started our new geography topic which is all about volcanoes this week.  The children were finding out about some famous volcanoes and using their map skills to locate these volcanoes on a map.  This term the focus in RE is the Easter story and the children have been ordering the events of Holy week.  

Friday 3rd March

It is has been a great start to the new half term this week.  The children have enjoyed trying a range of foods in DT, dressed up for World Book Day and had a conversation with the illustrator Helen Shoesmith.  We all really enjoyed the conversation with Helen and lots of the children have been inspired.  They also loved hearing our class mentioned when 2 of their super questions were shared with the illustrator.

We have started a new book for English this week based on the book Cloud Tea Monkeys.  The children had a great time on Monday becoming apprentice tea tasters where they were able to try and describe a variety of teas.  They have also worked hard learning about prepostions and conjunctions to add more information to their sentences.  For reading, the children have enjoyed reading a selection of poems - From a railway carriage and Walking my iguana. This week in maths, the children have shown lots of resilience as they been learning how to use column addition.  They have really impressed me with their understanding of how to use column addition and their super presentation in books.

This week, the children started thinking about healthy diets and how they can use their learning from science and PSHE to help them create an Italian sandwich.  They loved trying lots of Italian food on Tuesday and planning the sandwiches they are going to make next week.  I'm looking forward to seeing what they make.  In science, we have started to look at the parts of flowers and what the functions of those parts are.  After investigating real flowers, the children were happy to be able to bring them home to share with you.  On Thursday, the children finished our learning about the Egyptians by working together to create some great fact pages to share their learning.

Friday 10th February

It has been an exciting week in Sapphire Class this week.  On Thursday, the children were able to try out something called Now Press Play.  Wearing headphones, the children went on an amazing adventure in Ancient Egypt, helped to mummify a Pharaoh and travelled to the afterlife.  It was fantastic to see them all joining in and their reactions to the events in the story made my day.  Ask them about it and I am sure they would love to tell you all about it.

This week in English, the children have continued enjoying the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.  They have been learning facts about rats and using these to write short reports for the Mayor of Hamelin Town.  I was impressed with how the children used conjunctions to create multi-clause sentences.  They have also used drama to explore the reasons behind whether the Mayor should or shouldn't pay the Pied Piper.  Mrs Woodhall enjoyed listening to their persuasive letters that they have written today.  In maths, the children started the week by thinking of ways to add using their arithmetic skills.  They have all done a great job at learning and using the different strategies.  Later in the week, we have moved on subtracting and I have really seen the children show their resilience.  It has been tricky at times but they have kept going until they are more confident using their number fluency skills.

Please encourage your children to access Times Table Rock Stars and Numbots at home to help develop these skills.  I will send home login details next week incase you need a new copy.

Over the last couple of weeks, the children have been working in small teams to design a garden for someone who may need support.  The children are working hard to achieve their goals for the garden and I am looking forward to seeing their completed designs next week.  In science, the children have moved onto investigating different types of soil and the layers of soil.  Finally, in art the children have been exploring hieroglyphs and cartouches from Ancient Egypt.  They are going to design their own cartouche which they will be printing next week.

Friday 3rd February

It has been very exciting in Sapphire Class this week as we have had our visit to the Oriental Museum in Durham. The children, and adults, all had a great time and I was so proud hearing the compliments from the public about how polite and well behaved our children are.

We started the day by taking part in a gallery trail.  The children were in groups and they had to look for clues in the Ancient Egyptian exhibits to learn all about this time in history.  We were able to see lots of artefacts from the past including a mummified boy, a hippo skull, lots of amulets, cartouches and even jewellery. When exploring the cartouches, the children were able to read the hieroglyphics to decode the secret messages.  Our next activity was to handle and investigate Ancient Egyptian - some of them were thousands of years old.  We learned that the Ancient Egyptians wore kohl around their eyes to help protect them from the sun.  They had little pots to keep the kohl in and a stylus to put it around their ideas.

After lunch, we were able to see a real mummy which was over 2000 years old.  We were able to ask lots of questions about the mummy, who was a 70 year priestess, and find out why she had been mummified.  We learned why it is important to always lie a mummy down so that it doesn't get damaged. This mummy was kept standing up and the bottom part was damaged during a flood in Egypt.  We could see the mummy's toes!  We also learned that this mummy had a prosthetic arm because she had been born without one.

Our final activity was drama.  William became a Pharaoh and we acted out a Weighing of the heart ceremony.  Some of the children became the embalmers and we learned how to mummify a person who had died.  We had to remove some of the organs and put them into canopic jars.  Then lots of the children became Egyptian Gods and they asked the Pharaoh lots of questions to find out the type of person he was. Finally, the Pharaoh's heart was weighed against a feather to decide if he would go to the afterlife or the underworld called Duat.  Our Pharaoh's heart was heavy which meant he had not been a good Pharaoh so he was sent to Duat.

All of the children loved the day - especially seeing a real mummy.  I am sure they have told you all about it.

Friday 27th January

This week in Sapphire Class the children have been learning about right angles.  They have made 'angle makers' and 'right angle checkers' then used they to investigate right angles in the classroom.  As part of this topic, the children have been drawing triangles and quadrilaterals.  They have been identifying right angles in squares and rectangles too. This week, the children have written their stories called Snakes in the Walls and I have loved reading them.  All of the children have done a great job using adverbs and amazing adjectives to create an atmosphere in their stories.

At the start of the week in science, the children were testing rocks to find out which ones were permeable.  They then compared and sorted rocks based on how hard they were.  Yesterday, the children started to learn about the famous paleontologist Mary Anning and how fossils are created.  In art, the children continued developing their printing skills and they spent time using mono printing to create repeating patterns. As parting of our computing lessons, the children have been learning how to use spreadsheets and they had lots of fun using their maths knowledge to create spreadsheets on Purple Mash.

On Monday, we were visited by Reverend Hilary from Hetton New Dawn.  She came to talk to the children about how the Church is helping to create the world that Jesus wanted today.  The children asked some great questions about our recent learning and they enjoyed learning more about Reverend Hilary's role within the Church and local community.

Friday 20th January

The children have had a great week this week.

In English, the children have been planning their own stories based on Wolves in the Walls called Snakes in the Walls.  It has been lots of fun researching the appearance and behaviour of snakes.  I am looking forward to seeing what they naughty snakes get up to in their stories.  This week in maths, the children have find their meansures topic and they have impressed me with how well they have done measuring in litres and millilitres.

The children really enjoyed their cricket session on Monday where they are practicing their catching skills.  This week, we started our new art topic which is all about printing and the children had lots of fun etching a design into a printing block and using this to create a print. In science, the children have continued their learning about rocks.  On Monday, the children used chocolate to learn about how igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks are made.  The children have started their learning around the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians and they enjoyed playing games where they had to match the Gods and Goddesses to their descriptions.  We ended the week with PSHE and talking about the dreams and goals the children have for themselves.

Friday 13th January

We have had a great start to the new term.  The children have all settled well back into routines and it has been lovely to see their enthusiasm for learning.

In English, the children have been writing a scary story called Wolves in the Walls. They are doing a great job thinking about their word choices so the reader can understand how the main character is feeling.  The children are enjoying their writing and are looking forward to seeing what will happen to Lucy. In maths, the children have been learning about mass this week.  They are using the knowledge that there are 1000g in 1kg to find the mass of objects.  This week, we have also been focusing on division facts for the 2 times tables.  Remember the children can access Times Table Rockstars and Numbots at home to support there maths learning.

We have started a new topic in science and the children have been investigating rocks.  The children spent Monday exploring the school to see where rocks had been used to build it and they particular rocks had been used.  This week, we have also began our new history topic all about the Ancient Egyptians.  The children have enjoyed learning about when and where the Ancient Egyptians were and yesterday they create some super information pages about why the River Nile was so important to them.  On Monday's the children enjoyed their first cricket session and they are looking forward to practicing what they have learned next week. On Wednesday, the children loved their music lesson where they were finding out about instruments of the orchestra. Finally, on Wednesday the children have had a great time in their French lessons with Madam Armes.  Please ask the children what they have learned: they can introduce themselves and ask you how you are feeling. 

Autumn 2 Curriculum Information

Friday 16th December

It was a festive week last week in Sapphire Class and the children had lots of fun taking part in a variety of Christmas activities.

This week, the children have been writing their explanation leaflets for their imaginary iRobot animals.  The children have enjoyed creating wonderful features for their animals and Miss Kay and I have enjoyed reading them.  In maths, the children have continued learning about numbers to 100 and 100 and I have been impressed with how they have applied their learning in different ways.

On Tuesday, the children went to Nissan social club to watch their Aladdin pantomime.  It was lovely to see the children get involved with the show and I know they enjoyed the dancing at the end.  They were all superstars on Wednesday and Thursday this week when taking part in our KS2 Christmas concert and the children did a great job being the Nativity stars.  Finally on Friday, it was our Christmas party and the children had a great time dancing, joining in with the games and they enjoyed their party boxes which were made by Lisa in the kitchen.

The children have all worked so hard this term and they definitely deserve a holiday.  

Have a great Christmas everyone and I am looking forward to seeing everyone back in 2023!

Friday 9th December

We have had a super busy time in Sapphire Class this week and the children have really impressed me.  This week the children have shown great resilience and a super attitude towards the assessments they have been doing.  As it is nearly Christmas, they have been working hard to learn the songs for our Christmas performance next week and I am sure you will all be proud of them.  I can't wait to see you at the performance next week.

Below are some photographs from the last 2 weeks to show some of the wonderful things the children have gotten up to.  

25.11.22

This week in Science we began to look at magnetism as an invisible force and explored how like poles repel, and unlike poles attract. 

The children explored magnet strength by attaching paperclips to lengths of string and attempting to make the paperclips hover. The children noticed that when adding more paperclips, it became more difficult to make the paperclips hover due to the increased weight. 

To extend the children's knowledge further and explore poles within magnets, we worked in pairs to create a compass. The children had to 'charge' the needle by rubbing it against the magnet poles. 

Great work year 3! 

Friday 25th November

It has been an exciting week in Sapphire Class.  On Wednesday, the children were able to take part in a chat with England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis.  The children really enjoyed listening to her about her career and how she began playing football when she was a child.  They also asked some super questions.

The children have finished their Cloud in the Jar stories today and I have been so impressed with the writing they have produced.  I have been very entertained with the adventures they have created.  In maths this week, the children have shown lots of resilience when using number lines and placing three-digit numbers onto them.  The children have really developed their understanding of 3 digit numbers. 

This week in geography, the children have been finding out about the climate of Italy.  They have learned that the climate can be very different whether you are in the south or north of Italy and then they created some great postcards to describe the weather and what they may have done when they visited.  The children have enjoyed their RE learning this week, especially as it is all about the meaning of Christmas.  This week we have explored the Christian beliefs around Christmas and then compared them with our traditions and beliefs of Christmas.  I have been really impressed with their deep thinking and how they have used their learning to explain.

Thank you for your support with the children's reading and accessing Timestable Rockstars and Numbots.

Friday 18th November

Thank you everyone for your kind donations for Children in Need today.  It was lovely seeing the children in their Children in Need accessories.  It has been an exciting week this week as yesterday we were visited by the poet Paul Cookson.  The children loved listening to his poems, joining in with actions and performing them.

In English this week, the children have finished writing their Star in the Jar stories and I have been very impressed with what they have written.  They have worked hard to include dialogue with accurate punctuation and think carefully about adverbs they could use at the start of their sentences.  This week in maths, the children have been learning about 3 digit numbers and the different ways they can represent them.  It has been lovely to see all of the children's confidences grow and to see them explaining the parts of the number.  At the end of the week, they were able to write addition and subtraction equations based on the 3 digit numbers they have been using.

On Tuesday, the children have enjoyed starting to create a new scene where they can show off their coding skills and I am looking forward to seeing their completed scenes next week.  In RE, the children are really enjoying thinking about the meaning of Christmas, sharing their family traditions and finding out what it means to Christians.  Over the week, the children have done lots of thinking about bullying and what they can do if they see someone being bullied or are being bullied themselves.

Friday 11th November

It has been another great week in Sapphire Class.

In English, the children have been learning about different types of adverbs and using them in their writing this week.  We have also been learning about dialogue and how to punctuate it with inverted commas.  The children are doing a super job and I am really enjoying reading their writing so far.  In maths, we have continued with our measures topic and the children have been converting between m and cm.  We then moved onto learning about mm and converting between mm and cm.  The children have really enjoyed taking part in practical activities where they have practised their measuring.

We started our new RE topic this week which is all about Christmas.  We talked as a class about why Christmas is special to us and the children created created Christmas cards to show what Christmas means to them.  It was lovely seeing all of the traditions that the children enjoy around Christmas time. In PSHE we have been learning about how differences can sometimes cause conflict and what we can do to resolve it.  The children enjoyed role playing different scenarios to show how they would resolve the conflict it described.  This week in geography, the children have been learning about the physical features of Italy.  I'm sure they would enjoy sharing with you what they found out about the River Po, the Alps and the Appennines.

Friday 4th November

It has been a great start to our new term this week in our brand new classroom and school.  On Wednesday, it was amazing to see the children's faces and listen to their comments as we walked around school for the first time.

This week in English, we have been developing our grammar knowledge and the children have been learning all about determiners.  They did a super job yesterday deciding when to use a or an in front of their nouns.  In maths, we have been exploring measuring and the children have been practising measuring in m and cm.  They have used their knowledge of 10 x 10 = 100 and the golden facts that 1m = 100cm to record the measurements in different ways.

We started our new geography unit this week which is all about Italy.  The children used maps to find the UK and Italy so that we knew where we were in the world.  The children then used maps of Europe to explore the countries and the seas which surround Italy.  For DT then term, we will be exploring mechancial systems and I introduced the children to levers and linkages.  We looked closely and some examples of mechanical systems to see how linkages and lever work together to make something move.  Over the term, we will be making model robot dogs and use the linkages and levers to make parts move.

Please look through the pictures below to see some of the things we have been up to this week.  Also, read through our Autumn overview so that you can see what we will be doing over the term.

Thursday 13th October

It has been a very busy week in Sapphire Class.  We ave taken part in a super prehistory workshop, tried some of the foods eaten by Hindu's during Diwali and displayed super coding skills.  Of course, there has also been the added excitment of seeing our little school being packed up ready for our move into our brand new school.

On Monday, the children and I really enjoyed out prehistory workshop with Olivia and David from Durham University.  We played games to help us remember the parts of history we have been learning about and I know that the children loved this game.  The children then spent the day as archeaologists, handling artefacts from the Stone Age to Iron Age and using these clues to think about life in the past.  They were able to handle some artefacts which were more than 2000 years old including a deer antler which had been carved into a tool for digging.  The children then used thier science skills to rebuild a skeleton (replica) of someone who had lived during prehistory.  They then investigated the bones and burial artefacts to work out which period of history the skeleton was from and what type of job they had done.  Finally, the children learned about how the Romans ended the Iron Age and brought lots of new technology and skills to Britain including coins.  I'm sure the children enjoyed showing you the coins they had created for their Iron Age tribes when they got home.

This week, the children have continued learning about recounts and diary entries and they will end the week by writing a diary entry to tell me all about the day they had on Monday.  In maths, we have continued to learn new mathematical vocabulary and use what they know to add and subtract across 100.  In computing, the children have been applying what they have learned about collision, timer and repeat commands to create code for programs.  They all showed great resillience, especially with the debugging challenges.  To end our RE topic, the children have talked about how celebrating Diwali can bring a sense of belonging to a Hindu child and some of the children enjoyed trying some of the samosas, pakoras and bhajis that could be eaten during the celebrations.  

Please have a look at the pictures of our workshop day below.

Have a lovely break everyone and I am looking forward to welcoming the children back after half term in our new classroom.

Friday 7th October

It has been another great week in Sapphire Class ending with a lovely visit to Hetton Independent Methodist Church for a Bible Comes Alive session.

This week, we have been learning about diaries and how they can be used to recount which happen on a special day.  We have been using the book Iliona - a slaves diary to learn about the features and to begin writing a diary entry together.  Ask us about the gladiators we have been finding out about.  In maths, I was so impressed with children as they were able to count all the way to 1000 in tens.  We have also started learning about three digit numbers.

In art this week, we learned about the artist Jullien Opie and used his work to inspire us to create our own ink drawings of ourselves - they look great.  This week in history, we have also been finding out more about the Iron Age and the children enjoyed creating maps of an Iron Age hillfort!  In science, we have been learning about the human skeleton and the children been creating skeletons to help them to learn about the names of the bones.

Zoolab - Monday 26th  September

On Monday, Sapphire Class were visited by Rob from Zoolab.  During the session, the children were able to hold and experience a range of animals.  The children learned about the different diets of the animals and talked about what it means to be an omnivore, carnivore and herbivore.  While exploring the animals, Rob also introduced the children to the types of skeletons and how muscles make the animals move.  Everyone in class had a fantastic time.

Thursday 29th September

It has been a great week in Sapphire Class this week and the children have enjoyed lots of different activities.  We have story time at the end of every day and the children and I have been enjoying our class novel Wild Way Home by Sophie Kirtley.  Ask the children about the story and I am sure they would love to tell you about it.

In English this week, the children have been writing their own stone age stories and I have enjoyed reading the adventures they been creating.  In maths this week, the children have been focusing making 100 in lots of different ways.  I have been impressed with how they have used their learning in lots of different contexts.

This week, the children have been investigating how Hindu's celebrate Diwali at home and in the community.  They worked in groups to used coloured salt to make Rangoli patterns which Hindu's place outside their doors to welcome people in.  For art this week, the children have been exploring lines and textures.  They have been focusing on peacock feathers using viewfinders to create the lines and marks they can see to create texture.  Our computing focus this term is coding.  On Tuesday I was impressed with the children's resilience in completing the coding challenges.  Children can access Purple Mash at home so they can continue to practise if they would like to.

Thursday 22nd September

Thank you for visiting our class page.  I will be updating this page each week to let you know some of the brilliant things the children have gotten up to during the week. All of the children have made a fantastic start to Year 3 and everyone has settled well. 

We have started the term recapping addition and subtraction facts from Year 2 in maths and I have been very impressed with the work the children have been doing.  The children can practice their key facts on Numbots.  This term, we will be focusing on recalling facts for the 2, 5 and 10 times tables.  All of the children are confident counting in 2s, 5s and 10s and we are now working on quick recall of their times table facts.  The children can practice their facts on TTRS and the children have enjoyed playing hit the button this week ( I will put the links below).  In English, the children have been writing a story based on the book Stone Age Boy.  I have really enjoyed reading the children's stories so far and I am looking forward to seeing their independent writing next week.  This term, the children have been learning how to use dialogue in their writing and how to use adverbs at the start of their sentences.

Our topic this term is Stone Age to Iron Age.  The children have worked hard on using timelines to work out how long each period has lasted for and their favourite place in the classroom is the Stone Age artefact area.  The children have been looking at a range of artefacts and investigating how they may have been used in the Stone Age.  In science, the children how been learning  about the importance of a healthy diet and how it provides us with energy to move and grow.  The children have been exploring what a healthy meal looks like with Miss Redpath.    This week, the children have started to learn about the Hindu festival of Diwali and why it is important to the Hindu community.

Websites:

I will send out TTRS and Numbot login details next week.

TTRS: Times Tables Rock Stars (ttrockstars.com) 

Numbots: NumBots | Motivational maths practice for schools and families.

Hit the Button: Hit the Button - Quick fire maths practise for 6-11 year olds (topmarks.co.uk)

Please look through the pictures below to see some of the things the children have been up to over the last couple of weeks.