The Night Pirates
Our book this week is The Night Pirates by Peter Harris. We have been reading the story and talking about the different vocabulary. Next we will draw a story map and use it to retell the story.
Here is some of the pirate provision that has enhanced our learning this week.
For our writing challenge we wrote about what we’d done in the half term. Here are some examples;
This week, we introduced the children to Rekenreks. We continued to develop our subitising skills by using our “fast eyes” to quickly identify the number of beads shown. Rekenreks help children explore the structure of small numbers and build confidence in recognising quantities without counting.
We learnt that all of the beads should start on the right-hand side. This is known as the ‘ready position’. The children practised using the ‘pause (think), place (one finger), push (the beads)’ method. We always make sure we’re only using one finger when carefully pushing the beads.
Swimming and water safety
This week, the Year 3 children have been enjoying their daily swimming lessons.
The week started with the beyond the physical team providing a water safety assembly to all children in phase 3,4. The coaches talks about safe ways and places to swim and referred to the Water Safety Code:
- Stop and Think – always swim in a safe place
- Stay Together – always swim with an adult
- Float
- In an emergency, call 999
The swimming coaches have launched a competition for all children in phase 3,4 to design a water safety poster including the important four step Water Safety Code. Entries need to be handed in on 8th July.
Help at home by discussing the importance of water safety.
The beyond the physical team have also mentioned that there are still classes available after school for swimmers. Please book through the link sent out via text message. Please contact the office if you would like the link resending.
More fun on Residential
Some more pictures from day two
Day 2 of Residential
Just when we thought yesterday couldn’t get any better, today somehow managed it. The children threw themselves into an action-packed day of canoeing, zip wires and giant swings, showing fantastic courage, resilience and teamwork every step of the way. We even found time to celebrate two birthdays with a well-earned slice of cake!
It has been another unforgettable day full of adventure, laughter and memories. The children have been amazing from start to finish and are now thoroughly tired after all the excitement. We have a feeling tonight’s sleep will be very well deserved!
NSPCC
Following on from Staying Safe Week last week, we were lucky enough to have a visit from the NSPCC today. It was a great workshop in which the children learnt about different types of abuse and where to get help if needed. The children were guided through the NSPCC website to ensure they all know where to get help.
The children engaged brilliantly in discussions and were able to discuss different scenarios and how to respond to them.
Help at home: Check out the NSPCC website.
Residential Day One
What a fantastic first day! After the hike up the hill, children enjoyed pizza for lunch before making their own beds… some more successfully than others.
Each group has had a mix of four activities this afternoon: caving, nightline, climbing, giant swing, Quest, trapeze and the deadly prianha pool (all survived and toes intact).
Living and Learning
This week we have been learning about families. Our Living and Learning objective in class has been to understand that families come in all shapes and sizes.
We discussed what a family is.
‘It is love.’ (AJ)
‘It is a government of people.’ (AT)
‘A group of people you love and trust.’ (HYB)
We also talked about how our family does not always live in the same house as us. Each of the children chose one family member and drew them. They also wrote down why that family member is special and what they do to look after us.
Help at home by discussing families you know, their structure and how all families look different.
Topic – Design Technology
This half-term, our new topic is Design Technology.
We have started by discussing the different stages involved in the process of creating a product: designing, making and evaluating.
We have also started practising our sewing skills – using wool for an overstitch.
During the term, we are going to be designing, making and evaluating puppets!
Help at home by practising doing some knotting, threading or sewing. Can you thread some pasta onto a piece of a string?
Class novel – Extra Yarn
We have been reading Extra Yarn by Mac Bennett. It links to our new Design and Technology topic and is also a story with a powerful message about kindness. We’ve been talking about the characters and describing them. We also wrote some sentences about them. We are not fans of the archduke!
Annabelle is brave, positive and kind. She did not care about the money when the archduke tried to buy it.
He is not sweet and definitely not good.
Help at home by describing the characters in books you read together. Who is your favourite? Who do you not like? Why?