Our Learning : Year 3 / 4

Sycamore Class

Mrs Bowker

Mrs Brough

Mrs Lamb

Mrs Hine

Summer Term 2013

The Lake District

English
Our Literacy lessons will be linked to the theme and we will be writing adventure stories set in the outdoors. Later, we will be studying newspaper reports and magazines before producing our own brochures and articles about aspects of the Lake District and topics studied in science and Design Technology. We will continue with our important daily Guided Reading and Skills time, when children follow-up their guided reading sessions, as well as develop handwriting, spelling, number and ICT skills.

Mathematics
We will be focusing on applying our understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in order to solve problems. We will be developing a data base of information linked to mountains and lakes in the Lake District. We will also be furthering our understanding of fractions and 3D shape. We will use practical opportunities to gather and handle data and represent it through pictograms, bar graphs and Venn and Carroll diagrams.

Science and Technology
This term we are focusing on three main areas for our investigations. Firstly, we will be learning about the function of the main parts of a plant and enjoying the opportunity to take our learning outside into our school garden. Later, we will be investigating properties of materials through the study of rocks and soils and their uses in both our own locality and in the Lake District. With visits in mind, we will be preparing for a picnic involving hot and iced foods and finding the best insulators to keep our food at the correct temperature. We will be linking this to design technology applying our learning about insulation to clothing and how we might dress for outdoor adventure.

Humanities
Our Lake District theme will involve us in the development of practical skills such as map reading and research into the lives and crafts of people who have lived in the Lake District in both the past and the present. We will learn about the climate and land use in the Lakes and think about environmental issues following its discovery as a place for leisure. Visits, drama and ICT will all help to stimulate and consolidate our learning.

R.E.
This half-term we will be learning about Buddhism We will be thinking about religions say about doing good and how we should live our lives. Our learning will be supported by visit from a Buddhist to help us learn about aspects of the life of the Buddha.

Music
The children will be continuing to develop their music skills with Mrs Barker on Wednesday afternoon and these will also be related to our Lake District theme.

Art and Design
The children will be studying the art of Van Gogh initially to produce paintings of plants linked to our science topic followed by landscapes linked to our Lake District theme. We will also be using collage techniques to produce landscape pictures using a range of materials. Also linked with our Lakes theme we will be studying well known Lake District artists and producing landscape paintings in their style. As part of this work we will be developing the children’s sketching skills and use of perspective, foreground and background.

P.E.
For one of our sessions we will be learning skills for Outdoor Adventurous Activities focusing on orienteering, trails and team building skills whilst our other lesson will be dance linked to the water in the first half term, after half term we will be focusing on striking and fielding games such as rounders and cricket and athletics. The Year 4 children will continue swimming for the remainder of this half term. PE will take place on Tuesday and Friday but children need to have their PE kit in school EVERYDAY. Please try not to send your child in earrings on these days as even if they can be removed there is always the worry that things will be lost! Thank you!

Helping at Home:
Please continue to use the ‘Learn by Heart’ book that your child brings home each night for ‘instant recall facts’ such as number bonds and times tables and the ‘Spelling Challenges’ supporting Support for Spelling and phonics. They have been taught how to use these books but again, please come in if you are unsure. Also please encourage and support your child with their Home Challenge activities. Thank you!

We spend a lot of time in the classroom talking about and practising working together as a team. We discuss ways in which we can make everyone feel welcome and valued as part of our class team. However, if your child is not feeling happy about school for any reason, please do not hesitate to let us know so that we can arrange a mutually convenient time to sort things out.

If anyone can help with a small group of children in their guided reading or skills time (9:15-9:40 Mon to Thurs and 1:00 to 1:25 on Fri) and/or with listening to individual readers then please let us know we always welcome as much help with this as possible!

Thank you as always for all your support.

Mrs Bowker and Mrs Brough

Home Challenges: Summer Term
Topic: The Lake District

Your Challenge~ Everyone needs to complete TWO challenges from the ideas below BEFORE half term on 24th May. Remember you can take notes from books or the internet but please do not copy pages.

Please remember that in order to gain essential skills you also need to:
• Read and talk about your reading book every night or as often as possible
• Complete the spelling challenges that are set for you each week
• Regularly practise your maths skills to help you make progress through your Learning Journey

http://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk Click on ‘Learning’ then find Facts and Figures ~ Can you find the names of some of the lakes’ and hills. Which are the three largest lakes and three tallest hills? Now Search ~ Maps Find the large map and try to find the hills and lakes on the map.	Visit a place in the Lake District and write a short journal or a diary about what you did. Maybe you could take a few photographs and add some captions. You could go to Brockhole Visitor Centre, Grasmere, Grizedale Forest or even climb a mountain!! Have FUN!	Collect a large pile of soil and spread it on a piece of white paper. Look carefully at the soil and see what you can find. You might have a magnifying glass to help you. Try and draw what you can see. Sort them into living and non-living things. Remember to WASH your HANDS!
Plan a picnic to take with you if you were to visit the Lake District. Write a menu and decorate it. and/or Pack a rucksack with all the things you would need if you were to spend a day exploring/walking in the Lake District. You could draw or find pictures of items and stick them on too.	Some of the Lake District was formed by volcanoes. Find out some information about volcanoes. Draw the ‘cross section’ of a volcano to show what happens inside it. You could make a model volcano or maybe one that explodes!!	Design a plant! It can be as realistic or as crazy as you like but it must contain roots, a stalk, leaves, a flower(s), stamen, maybe seeds… You could draw, paint, collage or make a 3D plant. Give it a name, label it and describe what it does or could be used for!

Ancient Egypt Assembly

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Light and Shadows

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Ancient Egypt day with Mr Tully...

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Mr Tully transported the year 3 and 4 children to Ancient Egypt where they mummified a king and dressed up. They thoroughly enjoyed the visit and learned an enormous amount!

English
We will continue with our important daily Guided Reading and Skills time: when children follow up their guided reading sessions, develop handwriting, spelling, number and ICT skills. Our Literacy lessons will focus on myths and tales from Ancient Times as well as poetry linked to light and dark. After half term we will be writing reports about aspects of Ancient Egypt based on information texts we have studied and research that we have carried out.

Mathematics
We will be focusing on counting, estimation and rounding and applying our understanding of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division in order to solve problems. We will be developing our time, measuring and data handling skills linked to our learning in science about light and shadows. We will also be concentrating on fractions and shape. We will be using robots and ICT to support our learning on position, movement and angles.

Science and Technology
This term we are focussing on light and shadows within our topic on space. We will hopefully be out in the sunshine observing, measuring and discussing changes in the shape, size and positions of shadows. We will also be investigating reflection and transparency using mirrors and everyday objects. We will apply our understanding to the way Ancient civilisations told the time and to phenomena in our solar system. Later in the term we will be getting out into the garden to develop our understanding of plants and plant seeds for this year. We will also be designing and making an item linked with the garden in DT.

Humanities
We are very excited about our topic on Ancient Egypt! We will be using evidence from the past to find out about what it would have been like to live both as a pharaoh and a slave in these times. We will look at ancient artefacts and stories to help us understand what was important to people who lived in these times and what they believed in. Visits, drama and ICT will help stimulate and consolidate our learning.

R.E.
This half-term we will be learning about Islam and why the Prophet Mohammad is respected by Muslims. We will be thinking about who we personally look up to and why and considering how we can be good role models to others. After half term, we will be focusing on what it means to be rescued or saved. We will be learning some New Testament stories such as The Lost Sheep and relating our learning to the reasons for Jesus’ death on Good Friday.

Music
The children will be continuing to develop their music skills with Mrs Barker on Wednesday afternoon and these will also be related to our Long, Long Ago theme.

P.E.
We will be learning skills for net and wall games during our games lesson. Our other session will be gym then dance after half term. PE will take place on Tuesday and Friday but children need to have their PE kit in school EVERYDAY. Please could you check that pumps still fit include a warm top jogging pants and outdoor shoes but also shorts to enable your child to access the apparatus in the hall. Please try not to send your child in earrings on these days as even if they can be removed there is always the worry that things will be lost! Thank you!

Helping at Home:
Please continue to use the ‘Learn by Heart’ book that your child brings home each night for ‘instant recall facts’ such as number bonds and times tables and the ‘Spelling Challenges’ which you will soon be receiving. They have been taught how to use these books but again, please come in if you are unsure. Also please encourage and support you child with their Home Challenge activities. Thank you!

We spend a lot of time in the classroom talking about and practising working together as a team. We discuss ways in which we can make everyone feel welcome and valued as part of our class team. However, if your child is not feeling happy about school for any reason, please do not hesitate to let us know so that we can arrange a mutually convenient time to sort things out.

If anyone can help with a small group of children in their guided reading or skills time (9:00-9:30 Mon to Thurs and 1:00 to 1:30 on Fri) then please let us know.

Thank you as always for all your support.

Mrs Bowker and Mrs Brough

Home Challenges: Y3/4

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Topic: Long, Long Ago ~ The Ancient Egyptians

Your Challenge~ Try to complete as many of the activities as you can to learn more about our theme. You can earn 5 points for each challenge that you complete with extra points for well-presented and detailed work. There will be special prizes for children who have produced their own work to gain the most points. Remember you can take notes from books or the internet but please do not copy or print out pages. Have fun!!
Please hand in by Friday 22nd March at the latest.

Paint tea or coffee onto paper to make papyrus. Write your name in hieroglyphs on the papyrus. Now make a code for your friend to ‘crack.’ Remember to draw and colour carefully.	Draw a map of the River Nile in Egypt. Find out 10 facts about the River Nile.	Find out about sun dials and why they were important. Look on churches etc and see if you can find /photograph one. You might have a go at making one or explaining how they work in a little ‘Sun Dial’ fact booklet.
Write some instructions for mummifying a pharaoh. Think about What you will need: /What to do: Use toilet roll or bandages to make a mummy!	Use Lego to make a model of a pyramid or a sphinx. Take a photo or bring your model to school to photograph.	Bake some bread or cakes from an ancient Egyptian recipe. (See back of sheet for some recipes). Remember to take a photo or better still, bring some to school to be sampled!!
Find some old white sheets and some cardboard/string for sandals and dress up as an Ancient Egyptian. Find out what rich people would have worn and make extra things for your outfit.	Keep a moon diary for a month. Draw how the moon changes each night. Look in the paper or on the internet if it is too cloudy on some nights.	Find out about one of the Egyptian Gods. Draw a picture of him or her and colour /paint carefully or make a model using recycled/junk materials.
Go outside on a really clear night and look at all the stars. Think about them as being suns like our sun! Write a poem or information about the stars.	Find out when Tutankhamen’s tomb was discovered. Make an old ‘treasure’ map of Ancient Egypt and put on real information and symbols about where it was and what was found in it.	Draw a large scarab beetle or make a model on and paint it in ‘Ancient Egyptian’ colours. Why was the beetle so important?

We made paperchains to decorate our classroom.

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Making Christmas Pudding

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Our Class Assembly

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Our pictures in the style of Arcimboldo

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We enjoyed making fruit smoothies...

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Sycamore Class had fun in their capacity lesson.

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The Ruskin Library

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Sycamore Class visited The Ruskin Library at Lancaster University on 27th February. John Ruskin was an artist and a writer who lived in the Victorian era.
We learned how to make books and draw carefully just like John Ruskin.