Sapphire Class

Welcome to Sapphire Class!

I am Mrs Forth, Year 3's Class Teacher. 

I am Miss Weatherall, Year 3's Class Teacher.

Spring 2

Spring 1

Week 7

Today in Year 3, we practised our sewing skills as part of our Design and Technology learning. We explored two different techniques: the running stitch and the over stitch. We carefully practised each style, making sure our stitches were neat, even and secure. After testing both methods, we discussed which stitch would be the most suitable for our pouch. We thought about strength, appearance and how well the fabric would hold together. We then chose the stitch we felt would work best for our final design.

Week 6

As part of our learning for Safer Internet Day, we completed some tasks all about AI. We chatted about what AI actually is and what tasks it can perform. In small groups, we completed a task where we had to determine whether some actions involving AI were okay, not okay or if there was more context required to answer! We're really aware of online safety so we were brilliant at deciding what would be safe and unsafe use of AI.

This week in Year 3, we have been learning all about how different types of rocks are formed. To bring our learning to life and deepen our understanding, we carried out a delicious practical activity using chocolate!  

To explore igneous rocks, we melted chocolate to represent magma. We then allowed it to cool and solidify, just like magma does beneath or above the Earth’s surface, forming igneous rock.

For sedimentary rocks, we layered pieces of broken chocolate to represent sediments. We then applied pressure to squash the layers together, demonstrating how sediments are compacted over time to form sedimentary rock.

Of course to finish, we enjoyed eating our chocolate rocks and they were delicious! 

In Maths, we have been focusing on dividing by 8. We worked practically using counters to help build understanding, showing that dividing by 8 can be done by making groups of 8 or by sharing into 8 equal groups. We also noticed that division by 8 can be worked out by halving, then halving again, and halving once more. This links to our understanding that dividing by 8 is the inverse of multiplying by 8.

In DT, we created a template and discussed the importance of using a template before beginning our making. We talked about how templates help us to achieve the correct size and shape and support accuracy in our final product.

Today, we planned a set of instructions to help the Queen’s Guard capture the nasty giants from our class story, The BFG. We used pictures to help us plan each step carefully and think about the correct order. Throughout this week, we will be using this plan to write clear, well-sequenced instructions, including adverbials of time and imperative verbs. 

Week 5

We had a great time on NSPCC Number Day!

We took part in a tournament on Times Table Rockstars. Loads of other schools, not just in the North East, but the whole of the UK joined in! 

In Science, we explored the features of a range of rocks and discussed their different uses. We then carried out three separate experiments to help us observe and compare their properties.

In English, we explored a range of texts, including previously read stories, information texts, and pieces of writing we have created during independent writing such as letters, diary entries and descriptions. We discussed the purpose of each text and who the audience might be. We then looked closely at instructions, learning that their purpose is to inform the reader how to do something.

Week 4

We became archaeologists in History this week! We explored replicas of artefacts which have been uncovered by archaeologists at Ancient Roman sites across Britain.  It would be amazing to see these primary sources of history first-hand but the replicas were really cool!

Today in English, we explored the four types of sentences: Statements, questions, commands and exclamations. The children worked collaboratively to identify and sort different sentences, showing great teamwork and discussion skills.

Week 2

In English this week, Year 3 have been learning what a clause is and how to identify one in a sentence. To help us practise, we worked as a team and played Cut the Clause, where we cut sentences apart, and sorted them into clauses. We then re-arranged the clauses to create silly sentences! 

This afternoon, Year 3 became scientists as we explored friction and how it affects the way objects move! We tested a toy car on a variety of surfaces made from different materials and observed closely to see what would happen. We discovered that rough surfaces created more friction, slowing the car down and stopping it more quickly. Smooth surfaces were very different — with less friction, the car zoomed along and travelled much further!

This term in PE, we are continuing our gymnastics unit. The children explored a range of shapes, balances, rolls and different ways of travelling. They then worked with a partner to put these skills together into their own short routine, focusing on control, coordination and teamwork. 

Week 1

Today in Science, Year 3 continued their learning about magnets. The children explored a range of objects made from different materials and investigated whether they were magnetic or non-magnetic.

The children then investigated whether the size of a magnet affects its strength. Using three different magnet sizes, they discovered that the largest horseshoe magnet attracted the most paper clips. This means that larger magnets can sometimes be stronger and attract more objects.

Autumn 2

Week 7

We finished off the Autumn term in style by running the Santa Dash around school. We ran so many loops that eventually we lost count! 

Party time! 

We hope the grown-ups enjoyed our Coffee and Carols morning! 

Week 6

Our Christmas dinner was absolutely delicious!

Today in Science, Year 3 explored magnets. We identified the two poles of a magnet and learned that they are called the north pole and the south pole. We then investigated what happens when we put different poles together. We discovered that some poles attract each other, while others repel. The children enjoyed making predictions and observing the results of their investigations.

Week 5

In Writing this half term, Sapphire Class have been reading The Tear Thief by Carol Ann Duffy. We have used this text to enhance our writing skills, writing a diary entry from the perspective of one of the characters, and now planning our own fantasy narrative. We made a story map, drawing the key events from the story in order, before adding time connectives and past tense verbs with post-it notes. We then practised orally rehearsing our story, using our story map to support us, by telling our story to our partner.

Today in Science, Year 3 explored how push and pull forces affect the movement of objects. We used Newton meters to measure the pull force needed to move different items around our classroom. The children enjoyed comparing which objects required a small pull and which needed a stronger one. We then investigated how far objects would travel when given a gentle, medium, and hard push. Using tape measures, the children carefully recorded the distances and discussed how the strength of a push changes how far an object moves.

Week 4

We spent some time in the library this week, exploring all of the different types of books we have. Some of us read quietly with friends or alone, some of us told jokes and some of us even found a book of optical illusions!

Week 3

The children explored the art of watercolour painting. They experimented with layering techniques to see how colours overlap, creating depth and detail. Inspired by the work of Maria Sibylla Merian, Year 3 created their own illustrations. Super job Sapphire Class!

Year 3 had lots of fun planting trees with Chris. They were excited to know they’ve helped something grow that will be part of our school for years to come!

We then transformed into force investigators! We explored a variety of everyday objects and tested whether they required a push or a pull to move. The children then went further, investigating which objects needed a stronger force to move, change direction, or even change shape. To make our experiments even more exciting, we tried using different surfaces and noticed how they affected the amount of force required.

Today, Year 3 became detectives! Working together, we explored a range of clues laid out on our tables. After investigating carefully, we discovered that all of the clues were features of a diary entry. From spotting dates and personal pronouns to noticing the use of past tense and emotive language, the children pieced together the evidence with great enthusiasm.

Week 2

On Friday, we visited Hetton Methodist Church for Bible Comes Alive. We got to meet characters from the bible such as Abraham, Joseph, Ruth, King David, Esther and Mary. Each character told us their story from the Bible. These stories taught us lots about what Christians believe about God and promises he made. At the end, we got to take part in a quiz and even got juice and biscuits!

This half term, Sapphire Class are learning about the language of music through playing the glockenspiel. We began this week by learning how to hit the keys with the mallet to make the best sound as we practiced a song using the E note.

Year 3 took part in Michael Rosen Day where we joined a live webinar hosted by Michael Rosen where he performed and talked about some of his poems.

Year 3 have been focusing on reading with fluency and expression. The children practised using their voices to show tension and frustration — bringing the story of Arthur and the Golden Rope to life!

In Science this week, Year 3 have been learning all about how our muscles help us move. We discovered that our skeletal muscles work in pairs. To help us understand this, we used balloons to model how muscles work - when one muscle contracts, the other relaxes. These pairs of muscles pull on our bones to create movement, just like a team working together! This helped us see what is really happening inside our bodies every time we move an arm or leg!

In Reading, we have been enjoying the story Arthur and the Golden Rope. As we read, we identified unfamiliar words and then used dictionaries to find out their meanings. This helped us to understand the story more deeply and expand our vocabulary at the same time. The children showed great curiosity and teamwork as they explored new words and discussed how they added to the adventure in the story!

In English, Year 3 have been focusing on writing detailed character descriptions of The Tear Thief. The children have been working hard to use third person pronouns and expanded noun phrases to bring this mysterious character to life in their writing. Mrs Forth and Miss Weatherall are so proud of the finished pieces – the children have shown fantastic imagination and creativity. Well done Year3! 

Week 1

We have had a lovely first week back after half term as the children took part in Outdoor Classroom Day. We completed a scavenger hunt in Reading in order to find images from our book, Arthur and the Golden Rope, so we could sequence the events and summarise the story so far.

We then spent the afternoon taking part in all kinds of activities. We completed orienteering with Mr Wilkinson and even got to enjoy a story at the firepit with Mrs Lawrence after working hard to build shelters and dens on the yard, using our OPAL equipment.

Autumn 1

Week 7

In Geography, we have been learning about different types of land use throughout the UK and the local area, such as land used for agriculture, artificial land use like residential areas, and even lesser land use like moorland and heathland.

This week, we learned how to use grid points on a map to locate different landmarks before using this technique to identify land use in the local area. It was a bit tricky because some grid references have land used for more than one thing so we tried to go with the majority!

This week, we consolidated our place value learning by exploring finding 1, 10 and 100 more than a number when crossing 10s. We used counters to make numbers on a place value chart before adding and additional 1 or 10 counter. When we realised we had ten, 1 or 10s counters, we knew we had to exchange for a counter of the next place value as we can't have ten 1s or ten 10s!

Week 6

This afternoon Sapphire Class explored adding colour to their self-portrait in the style of Julian Opie. Great job Year 3!

Week 5

Today we tasted a range of foods. We identified the food group: Fruit and vegetables, carbohydrates, protein, dairy, fats/sugars. We then discussed which and how much, would be suitable for an athlete and why. 

In Maths, we explored and discussed the value of hundreds, tens, and ones. Super partner work and discussion Year 3!

This afternoon, we explored the artwork of Julian Opie and replicated some of his drawings. We then created a self-portrait in the style of Julian Opie. 

Sapphire Class are already super excited about their new text, Leon and the Place Between! We looked for nouns in the storybook and then worked together to create a bank of interesting adjectives to describe these. We used our learning to create fantastic expanded noun phrases to describe what Leon could see at the circus! Great job Year 3!

Week 4

Today we explored how energy moves through food chains. We were able to position ourselves to create our own food chain and could discuss the transfer of energy between the sun, the producer, the primary consumer and the secondary consumer. Great job Year 3! 

Week 3

We took part in the Houghton Feast Art Project this week. We used images of things from our local area to create beautiful artwork which will be shared in the library during Houghton Feast! We completed our observational drawings using tickle-touch pencil strokes and added depth and movement with watercolour pencils.

Week 2

Today Sapphire Class explored nouns. We know that a noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. We conducted a noun hunt in our classroom and we were later able to identify a range of nouns when reading our new text, The First Drawing- Both by listening to the story and through inspecting the illustrations. We then began to discuss the difference between common nouns and proper nouns. Super job Year 3! 

This afternoon we used marks and lines to show texture in our artwork. We inspected a peacock feather, discussing linear patterns before producing our drawings. 

Week 1

We have had a lovely first week in Year 3. The children have all settled in beautifully and worked very hard in all of their tasks. We have been exploring numbers to 100 this week. Sapphire Class did an excellent job at representing two-digit numbers using base ten manipulatives. We then used part-whole models to partition two-digit numbers to 100.

Year 3 loved their first session with ELDance this afternoon. The children practiced and performed a mini routine focusing on their timing and smooth transition between shapes. Well done Year 3!