Welcome back
We have had a very busy first week back in Year 3 and Year 4. We have been ensuring we stick to our routines and recapping on our rules and expectations in the classroom and around school. We have also welcomed Mr Goodwin and Mr Smith who will be based in our classroom from now on.
In writing, we have learnt about subordinate clauses and how these differ to main clauses. We have been able to identify subordinate clauses and we will look to use these in our recount writing next week.
In maths, we have begun using Frayer Models to represent number. The children have enjoyed the challenge that these models bring and enjoyed sharing their findings.
In Living and Learning, we have been learning about drugs and the benefits and risks surrounding them. We have also shared ways of reducing these risks and how we can keep safe at home and school.
Help at home – Ask your child if they can tell you what a subordinate clause is. Can they write a sentence using a subordinate clause, subordinate conjunction, and main clause? Can they check around the house to see if drugs are kept in a safe place?
Bandi Chhor Divas
This week, we have been learning about the story of Guru Hangobind Sahid Ji and how, in 1619, he saved 52 Sikhs from prison. We understand why Sikhs celebrate this event, known as Bandi Chhor Divas and how it links to Diwali. We have also compared this religious celebration with other events, such as Hanukkah and Christmas and how this celebration relate to us.
Help at home – ask your child about the story of Guru Hangobind. Can they remember how he helped free 52 innocent prisoners? Can they retell the Jewish story of Hanukkah and say how it links to the Sikh event Bandi Chhor Divas?
Night Monkey, Day Monkey
We have had another busy week in reception, our focus book this week has been Night Monkey, Day Monkey by Julia Donaldson and Lucy Richards.
We have talked a lot about the things we do during the day at school and those we do at night at home.
Our word of the week was: Nocturnal, the children have enjoyed exploring the different animals that are nocturnal and active at night.
“Foxes are nocturnal, they are awake at night!”
“Hedgehogs are night time animals”
Help At Home: Draw a nocturnal animal and label it.
We have also had so much fun exploring shadows, when the sun eventually can out! The children really enjoyed trying to stand on each others shadows, especially on Mrs Kendrew’s head! They even used objects to try to see the shadow shapes they made on the ground. Great work everyone!
Phonics
This week the children have focused on the diagraphs zz, qu and ch and the phoneme z. we have also looked at words with s added at the end like hats, sits.
We’ve also learnt the tricky words: go, no, to, into, his
Help at home: Today, your child has come home with a new ‘learn at home’ phonics sheet. The sheet links to all the phonemes we have covered this week. Please support your child by practising these at home.
Poetry Picnic
Each week we will be learning a new poem. We will recite the poem each day. By saying the poem out load we can focus on the sounds and rhythm of each word or line.
this week our poem was Shoes
Before I jump into my bed,
Before I dim the light,
I put my shoes together,
So they can talk all night.
I’m sure they would be lonesome,
If I tossed one here or there,
So I put my shoes together,
For they are a friendly pair.
Maths
In Maths, we have begun to explore composition by focusing on the concept of ‘wholes’ and ‘parts’. The children have explored their own bodies and familiar toys to begin to understand that whole things are often made up of smaller parts and that a whole is, therefore, bigger than its parts. We have made whole faces by adding different parts of eyes, ears a mouth and a nose.
Help at home: Sing Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes to your grown up and tell them some of the parts you have on your body that make up the whole of you.
Next week our focus book is How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers and we will also be looking at the artist Claude Monet.
Thank you to those families who sent in recordings of the children singing their favourite nursery rhyme, they have been lovely to watch. Thank you also to those who came to the Maths Stay and Learn session, please do get in touch if you ever have any questions. stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers and all jewellery removed. They will stay in their PE kit all day.
Stay and Learn Sessions
This is an opportunity for you to come into school to find out about the Early Years Curriculum and watch your child Learning in school.
Phonics Phase 3- 16.1.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
World Book Day 07.03.24 -8.50am-9.20am
Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’ learning journal with them.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Week beginning 11.12.23
Week beginning 25.03.24
Week beginning 08.07.24
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
PTA disco
On Friday 17 November, we have our PTA disco at St James’ Church Hall. Tickets are being sold every day this week. You’ll find a member of the PTA selling tickets in the playground if you would like to purchase some.
Potion Commotion
We have had so much fun with our book of the week Potion Commotion, we enjoyed hearing about Betty, making her own potion and saving the town from the hungry dragon. We have been writing our own potion recipes and even had a go at making our own, we had so much fun watching them fizz and bubble!
Maths
This week in our maths we have been learning to notice what we can see and how we can see it. We have been using number stories to help us to develop this skill, using the key words first, then, now.
Ask your child to tell you the number story below.
Help at home
Our first book after half term is called Binny’s Diwali where we will be talking about the Hindu Festival of Diwali, we will move on to talk about a different celebration called Bonfire Night and the story behind that. If you go to any light shows, see any illuminations or go to a firework display over the half term break, we’d love to share your photos in class. We’ll use the pictures to support our topic Light and Dark.
Reminders
We will be doing PE on Monday, so please send your child to school wearing their PE kit and trainers. They will stay in this all day.
Stay and Learn Sessions
This is an opportunity for you to come into school to find out about the Early Years Curriculum and watch your child Learning in school.
Maths- 15.11.23 2.20pm-3.00pm
Phonics Phase 3- 16.1.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
Early Writing- 05.02.24 2.20pm-3.00pm
World Book Day 07.03.24 -8.50am-9.20am
Learning Journey Drop In’s
An opportunity to “drop into” school and share your child’ learning journal with them.
Times- 8.45am-9.15am and 3.15pm-3.45pm (Tuesday and Thursday)
Week beginning 11.12.23
Week beginning 25.03.24
Week beginning 08.07.24
Don’t forget to email your pictures from home stjameseyfs@spherefederation.org thank you, have a lovely half term!
Mrs. Kendrew, Mrs. Rippon and Miss. Feldman
Spellings 15.09.23
Common exception words
These are everyday words that don’t follow the phonic rules taught at school.
Please learn the words below ready for a test on Friday 22nd September 2023.
are is she
ask love so
Spellings
Please practise your spellings for a spelling test on Friday 15 September.
- play
- spray
- made
- game
- read
- being
- eye
- sure
- said
- were
Final Week in Year 3
Wow! I think the last week has been the fastest week yet!
From construction challenges to pizza making, Year 3 have had a blast.
I want to thank them for all their effort this year. They are such a fantastic class and I can’t wait to see them in September.
One final thing…
have a great summer!
Group Reading
This half term, some children will spend our “Book Club” sessions reading in a shared group. Year 3 love this time and it’s brilliant to see them sharing a love of reading together.
I have been so impressed with how they organise themselves in their reading groups and decide on a realistic amount of reading that should be done at home before the next session.
In order for group reading to work properly, the children need to make sure they are reading at home so they can keep up with their group.
What’s the time?
This week, Year 3 have been learning how to tell the time on an analogue clock.
We recapped o’clock and half past and familiarised ourselves with the minute and hour hands.
After this, we looked at telling the time past the hour and to the next hour.
We notice that the numbers on the clock represent 5 minutes, so knowing our 5 times tables is very important.
We also tried to solve some word problems such as:
Year 3 leave for their trip at five past 9 and arrived at half past 9.
How long does it take them to travel there?
Help at home:
Use this virtual analogue clock with your child and ask them to make different times looking carefully at the hands.
Interactive clock | analog clock | digital | movable | teaching clock | visnos