Dorset

Term 1 Week 4   27.9.23

Week 4 already! Time certainly does fly when you are having fun and that is exactly what Dorset 3 have been having!

In English this week we having been thinking about the pros and cons of giving a stranger food. Noko the Porcupine, who is the main character in our story Quill Soup, has travelled a long way and has finally come across a village where he hopes to find food and shelter.  The other animals in the village do not want to share their food and make up many excuses when Noko knocks at their doors.  We set up a conscience alley as a strategy to allow the class to share their reasons for and against helping Noko.  On one side children gave reasons for and on the other against, as an undecided villager walked down the middle to listen to both sides of the argument.  You can see the ‘alley’ in the slide show.

In maths we have started looking at addition and subtraction and have been looking at strategies for adding ones, tens and hundreds and seeing if we can spot patterns to help us.  This includes using number bonds and practical resources such as number lines and dienes.

In geography we have been exploring how to use maps and atlases and how to make a clear key.

In PE we had a great time exploring the game of dodge ball and we have started to think about the best strategies to be successful and how we can improve upon these. Instead of getting out, if you got hit by a ball you had to do ten star jumps. This resulted in Mrs McGinley doing a fair amount of star jumps as she tried to join in!! She will be asking the children for tips on how to dodge the ball more successfully next week.

This week Maurice stayed with Harry for the weekend.  He enjoyed a sleepover at Harry’s nan’s, met his aunty and uncle and chilled at Harry’s house and even watched the Incredibles 2 with Harry’s family.  I thought we saw some popcorn around Maurice’s face!!

Finally, we have been busy making Christmas cards (we know, it’s only September!!). These are the ones that are professionally printed so you can order them to send to your friends and family with the benefit of some of the proceeds supporting the school.  Unfortunately, no sneak previews but I can tell you we were using our art knowledge of complementary and harmonious colours.  We are looking forward to receiving the printed versions in the not too distant future so the children can share their knowledge of colour theory. 

Thank you for your continued support with your children and we look forward to sharing next weeks learning with you.

Mrs McGinley and Mrs Bentham

Home Learning Term 1 Week 3

Spelling:

In Year 3, the year spelling is set into two groups: red and blue. We will have a weekly test the following Wednesday. Here are the spelling words for next week for each group:

Red (taught by Mrs McGinley): 

We can add -y to many root words to make adjectives.

For some words we double the final consonant before adding -y

dotty

spotty

runny

muddy

yummy

nutty

funny

sunny

Science topic words:

Seasons

diet

Blue (taught  by either Dr Wilson or Mrs Nash):

Words using the suffix 'ous'

dangerous

mountainous

enormous

famous

hazardous

fabulous

Jealous

nervous

Science Topic Words:

vegetable

protein

In addition, please find some information to support your child at home: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/english/primary-spelling/

Also attached is a list of the 100 most common words that your child is expected to know how to spell by the end of Year 4 (please see attachment).

To further support your children, we would like them to continue to learn their multiplication facts. There will not be a weekly test but this is a chance to learn and revise them. Here is a link to some possible activities you could do with your children:

https://www.timestables.co.uk/

https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/times-tables

Reading

Children should bring their Accelerated Reading Book to and from school and home each day.  Children are asked to change their book when it is finished using the guidance and support provided by the teaching team within the class.  

We recommend children in Year 3 read for at least 20 minutes a day.  Parents please log your child's reading on the BOOM reader Parent Portal or by using the BOOM reader parent app on your tablet/mobile no more than once a week.

Please note: pupil login details have changed slightly due to an upgrade that has taken place on the Accelerated Reader platform. Pupil login details (user name and password) should now be enter in all lower case (no capital letters at all). These login details are used each time your child quizzes a school reading book which carries an accelerated reading quiz code.