Sapphire Class 2022-2023

Mrs Smith

Welcome back to school!

The children will have PE on Friday mornings.

Please can the children bring their kits in from Monday to be kept in school.

Remember to log on to your child's Class Dojo page for daily updates, photos, notices and information. 

November

So far the children have been focusing on descriptive writing and they have been working hard to arrange their sentences to make them more exciting by adding different sentence starters and a range of new and exciting adjectives. 

In maths, the children will be moving onto multiplication and division with a big focus on times tables as this will really help them in all aspects of their maths. 

We have started our new science topic 'Animals Including Humans' and have so far looked into what humans and animals require nutritionally. In the next few weeks, they will have a look at what's inside the body and begin to compare different types of skeletons.

The children will be continuing with their Egypt topic and are going to be exploring Egyptian art, looking at different types of Egyptian music and learning key map reading skills whilst locating Egypt and the River Nile

October

In English, the children have been enjoying our new class book 'Into The Forest'. They have been busy changing and creating a new narrative and focusing on speech and using inverted commas correctly. Their stories have been inspiring and they have really taken all of the new aspects on board.

In maths, the children have been recapping addition and subtraction. We have been focusing on mental and formal written methods which have been introduced alongside concrete resources to cement their understand and bridge some of the gaps that had been missed the previous year.

We have been finishing off our science topic on 'rocks' and enjoyed carrying out an experiment to help us to identify and categorise them. This involved careful observational skills and predictions about the reaction different rocks would have to water and vinegar.

September

In English, our learning is based on our class book 'Stone Age Boy'. So far they have enjoyed discussing what they already know about the Stone Age and they are looking forward to producing some writing around the themes in the book in the coming weeks.

The first few weeks in maths we will be focusing on place value and making sure the children understand what value each number is representing. We will be using a lot of practical resources to aid learning and make sure they are secure before moving onto addition and subtraction.

Winhills now have a new online virtual school called the Diamond Online. You can find it here: 

www.diamondonline.uk 

This is where all of our lessons and tasks will now be for your child. 

Summer Term Homework

I hope you have all had a lovely Easter break. 

Firstly, there are some changes to home learning; attached is a letter that you should have received by parent mail on Friday outlining the new expectations for home learning.

Secondly, attached is the first of the fortnightly ideas for work. There are a wide range of activities, aimed at both indoors and outdoors learning, with 20 activities allowing for 2 activities per day (plus Maths Whizz, TT rock stars and reading). If you have any questions, please message me via Class Dojo. 

February 

In maths, the children have been learning about fractions. The have been identifying fractions, adding and subtracting fractions and looking at equivalent fractions. They have also been reassonning about fractions and explaining their findings. 

Year 3 also learnt about money. They made different amounts in different ways and focused on adding and subtracting money. 

They have now moved onto recapping and consolidating the 4 operations. 

In English, the children have loved the story 'Arthur and the Golden rope'. They have researched their own norse myths and innovated the myth 'Odin's eye'. They wrote fantastic stories and have written brilliant descriptive pieces. They also created dialogue between 2 characters and focused on using correct punctuation including inverted commas. They are very excited about reading the end of the story! 

In Science, the children designed and completed their own investigation involving faintness. They investigated whether sound becomes fainter when the distance between the sound source and the person increases. 

They also investigated pitch and created their own instruments! It was very noisy but the children did a fantastic job! 

In the Ice Zone, the children have been learning about viking invasions, specifically Lindisfarn. They have also learnt about the religion of the vikings and the gods they believed in. They have been very busy learning! They have created their cooking sheets ready to cook next half term too! They're very excited!

We also have a parents open afternoon for the ICE Zone on Tuesday 10th March. 

January 

Welcome back to the spring term! 

We have started a new book called 'Arthur and the Golden Rope'.

To introduce children to the book they have had to look at some illustrations in the book to infer and make predictions based on the images. They have also written a persuasive letter in response to an advert allowing the public to visit the magnificent vault. 

In maths, Year 3 have started learning about measuring. They have measured objects around the classroom using mm, cm and m. They will also be comparing, ordering and adding and subtracting different measurements. Next they will begin to learn about perimeter.

Year 4 have been revising the 4 operations to consolidate the new methods they learnt last term. They have been answering fluency calculations, 1 and 2 step word problems and reasoning questions. They have done a brilliant job and have retained everything from last term! Next, they have started learning about area. They began by using post it notes to measure the area of objects in the classroom.

In science, we have stated a new topic of 'Sound'. To begin our topic we discussed what we already knew. We then went outside to listen to the sounds around us and created a sound map. Then, we learnt about vibrations and how we hear sound. We even  made our own telephones!

The children have been very excited to get stuck into the new Ice Zone topic 'Anglo Saxons and Vikings'. So far they have learnt about the Anglo Saxons as they historically came first. They have learnt about the invasion, written letters to the Saxons and started designing their own pendants. They have also compared themselves to an Anglo Saxon child. 

Year 3/4 have also started forest school. On a 3 week rotation a class will go outside for forest school with the Ice Zone adults. They are very excited! 

December

As our Christmas play was 'Christmas around the world' we decided to research Christmas in different countries. In English, we made factual notes under different subheadings about Christmas. Year 4 researched 2 countries and then compared them. Once the children had written their notes, they then wrote a non-chronological report. When the children had finished their reports, they shared them with a partner and peer assessed them giving each other 2 stars and a wish. They used their partners suggestions to edit their reports. 

In maths, Year 3 have started learning about statistics. They interpreted and answered questions about the data in bar charts and pictograms. They also presented their own data in the two different types of charts and asked each other questions based on their data. Finally, they completed 2 challenging investigations based on graphs in which they had to interpret data to find the missing information. 

In maths, Year 4 have further developed their written methods for division. They have learnt a new method of 'bus stop' and have put this method into practice during fluency sessions and word problems. Year 4 have loved learning a new method and are using it well. We also looked at different links between multiplication and division and focused on how our times table knowledge can help us when dividing. 

Reward day was a brilliant end to the Autumn term! The children loved the silent disco, games and films that were available to them! It was a fantastic reward for all of their hard work this term!

November

In English, the children have been enjoying the book ‘Lob’. They have been role playing, writing diary entries and letters to Lob. They really enjoyed acting out Lucy getting lost in the woods and the vocabulary they have been using in their writing is fantastic. Soon they are going to write their own ending to the book. 

In maths, the children have been learning about multiplication and division. Year 3 have been practising their number facts and their written methods. They have also been practicing their reasoning skills to explain how they know. Year 4 have also been learning about measurements and working out the perimeter of rectilinear shapes. 

In science, we have started a new topic of electricity. The children have made simple circuits including bulbs, wires and cells. This week, they added a switch to their circuit and also used buzzers and motors. They have loved learning about circuits so far and they’ve been working well in their groups! 

We have also learnt about insulators and conductors. We added different objects to our circuits to determine if they conducted electricity or not. 

The children have begun researching 5 different religions around the world including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Sikhism. They worked in groups to research each religion and will then create PowerPoints to present to the rest of the class.

October 

In English, the children have started a new book ‘Lob’. 

The children have enjoyed making inferences from the front cover, visualis8ng the setting by listening to descriptions and creating their own Kenning based on Autumn (video below). It was lovely when we all went outside to listen to the sounds around us. The children are very excited to find out who or what ‘Lob’ is! 

The children practising their Kennings.

In maths, the children have been learn8ng addition and subtraction. Year 3 have been learning new methods for adding and subtracting. They have used their knowledge of place value to support their calculations and have practiced using the column method to answer calculations. Year 4 have been practicing their written methods for addition and subtraction. They have continued to develop the column method and they have also used estimating to support their calculations. The children then used the inverse to check their calculations and find missing numbers. 

We also had great fun completing challenges at our world maths day (photos above in a separate block). 

In science, the children have been learning about teeth. We created an experiment using hard boiled eggs and different drinks. We investigated the effect the drinks would have on the eggs as eggs have calcium and enamel similar to our teeth. The results were disgusting! 

In in the Ice Zone, the children have started making Roman mosaics and completing their cooking sheets ready for after half term. The shields all look incredible and are ready for the children to use in their Roman formations during outside learning. 

September 

In English, the children have been enjoying their picture book ‘Quest’. They have developed and used a wide range of vocabulary to describe the characters and the setting. Also, the children wrote their own stories alongside the pictures using fantastic speech and paragraphing. 

In maths, the children have been learning place value. Year 3 have compared and ordered numbers and have found 1,10 and 100 more and less than. Year 4 have learnt about rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100. They have also learnt to compare, sequence and  order negative numbers. 

In science, the children have been learning about the digestive system. They loved recreating the digestive system with crushed up food and a pair of tights. It was very messy! They then went on to write a diary entry as if they were a piece of food. 

The children have have all been working very hard in the ice zone. They absolutely loved Roman day and learnt lots of facts about the Romans. They have also been very busy designing and making their own shields. 

May 2019

ICE Zone (Home and Away) 

The children have looked at two European artists: L.S Lowry and Wassily Kandinsky. The discussion they had looking at the artwork was amazing! They were able to say what they liked and disliked about the art, which artists they preferred and why and they compared the two artists by focusing on the colours and techniques used. 

April 2019

The children are well rested and eager to learn after their Easter break. 

We have started reading a new text in English 'Leon and the place between':

The children have started to make inferences from the text and have written great character and setting descriptions. They are very excited to find out what happens next! 

In Maths, we have continued learning about shape. The children have learnt about angles, symmetry and different lines (horizontal, vertical, parallel and perpendicular). The children have been teachers and have described 2D and 3D shapes to their partners for their partner to draw and identify. 

They have also enjoyed using the number link boards to practice their times tables! They were very engaged in the games and worked great in teams. 

The children have started learning their new topic in the ICE Zone 'Home and Away'. They have had a trip to the St Neots museum (see pictures below) and have loved starting to learn all about St Neots and its history! 

March 

We have now moved onto a new text in English: 

The children have been amazed by this story. So far they have compared the Egyptian Cinderella with the original fairy tale, they have inferred how a character is feeling and they have identified verbs in the pharaoh's journey. We will be moving onto debating the good and parts parts of the characters life as a class and then writing our own stories! 

In Maths, the children have been learning about money. They have identified the different values, converted pounds and pence and added and subtracted money to find the totals. We are now moving onto time in which children will have to tell the time to the minute and learn about the days, months and year. 

In science, the children have been learning about light, reflection and about how light travels. The children have thoroughly enjoyed the investigations! 

World book day was amazing! 

The children had an amazing time at the Fitzwilliam museum (see pictures below). They listened well, discovered some amazing facts and made their own pictures with papyrus paper. 

February 

The children are still thoroughly enjoying the story 'The Wild Robot'. We have read a very exciting chapter about a fire breaking out on the island. The children created amazing adverts and wrote very emotional diary entries from this chapter. They were extremely eager to find out what happened next! 

Once we finished the story the children planned and wrote their own sequel 'The Wild Robot Escapes'. These stories were brilliant and the children are looking forward to reading the actual sequel soon! 

In science, the children moved onto creating their own scientific experiments to test different questions about magnets. One group created a fishing rod to test whether magnets worked under water!

Sapphire have been learning all about fractions and how to add and subtract them. They have really got the hang of finding a fraction of a number. We are now moving onto the 4 operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) and we will continue to develop our written methods. 

 January

Year 3 have started their new book in English: 

The children have researched their own animals and written fantastic non-chronological reports. They have also written emails, descriptions and poems using the fantastic vocabulary they have learnt from the story. 

Year 3 have hit the ground running in Maths as they've been recapping their place value knowledge before moving on to our new fraction topic.

Our new topic in science is forces and magnets. We have started the topic by investigating how cars move along different surfaces.

Moonstone and Sapphire class learning about pushing and pulling forces.

December

The children have been thoroughly enjoying the build up to Christmas! 

The children have created their own Christmas poems which included acrostic poems, spine poems and when poems. The children focused on rhyme, similes and fantastic adjectives to make their poems as visual as possible. 

In Maths the children have been enjoying investigations. They have worked together to try and figure out all possible answers and explain their reasoning. They have found these challenging but enjoyable. The mathematical language and discussion buzzing around the classroom is fantastic. 

The children have worked extremely hard with learning their dance and songs for the Christmas performance and I know they are very excited to show how amazing they are! 

Have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

November

We have started looking at our new text in English 'Bedtime for Monsters'. 

During this text the children focused on word types: adverbs, verbs, nouns and adjectives and used these different word classes when they wrote their own monster story. The children also included speech in their stories whilst using inverted commas. 

In maths we have moved onto multiplication and division, the children have been working hard to make links between the two operations and are begging to solve reasoning problems based around what they have learnt.

The children have really enjoyed learning about animals and humans in science. We have done experiments to test muscle endurance and learnt all about the human skeleton. We even created our own skeletons.

October

In maths we have be learning about addition and subtraction by using the column method. We have learnt how to exchange and made sure our columns were lined up correctly.

Year 3 have been working extremely hard in the ICE Zone. The children have learnt about the battle of Bosworth, the changes in the church and Henry VIII. They have also been designing and making fantastic dolls in the I.C.E Zone. 

The children have developed their  computer skills by learning about scratch. They have designed the backgrounds, changed the sprites and programmed the sprites to move and speak. They also showed fantastic teamwork and shared the laptops beautifully. 

In science we investigated the permibility of soil and explained our findings. We found that the soil with larger rocks was more permable because the water had more air and space to run through. The children were fantastic scientists and made sure their tests were fair. 

September 2018 

The children have come back to school excited and ready to learn! Please see the curriculum newsletter below which explains what the children will be learning this term in the classroom and in the ICE Zone.

The first day were completed some team building games in the hall and the children were amazing! They supported and encouraged each other and communicated really well. They also made some lovely art work. 

We have started looking at our new text in English 'Jemmy Button'.

The children will be making inferences from the pictures, writing in role of the characters, letter writing and diary writing. They are loving the story so far and are eager to see if their predictions are correct! 

They also role played an image from the book where they were focusing on the characters feelings and emotions. It was very interesting to see how each group interpreted the picture! 

In Maths we are focusing on place value.

The children will be learning how to identify and represent numbers up to 1000. They will also compare and order numbers using a variety of resources. 

We have started learning about rocks in science! The children were eager to compare the rocks by looking at their properties and sorting them into groups. 

We had a very special 'History off the page' Tudor Day (see photos below) where we all dressed up and learnt about how the Tudors lived. The children made fantastic items and had a lovely banquet feast!