Elm Class

24th November 2023

Maths

We have had a very successful (and mathematical) month this November as we moved away from addition and subtraction. In this new block, pupils have been exploring multiplication and division in greater depth. We have been using arrays, number tracks and number lines to improve our understanding of multiplication and utilising many resources to experiment with division through sharing and grouping. Helpful supporting materials can be found on your child’s MyMaths account as we regularly update tasks based around the activities we encounter throughout the week.

We've been learning all about castles in our DT classes. We've learnt about their key features, what made the structures stable and how they were built to withstand attacks. Two weeks ago the children used all this knowledge to design their own and now they are following their castle plans to build their own out of cardboard.

Thank you to everyone that has sent in cardboard so far to be used in our DT lessons.

If you have more cardboard at home for your child to use to continue building their castle, please send them in with it on Monday.

We look forward to updating you on their castles in our next blog post.

History Trip

Yesterday we visited Stonehenge on our school trip. We explored the museum which had a 360 video of Stonehenge that showed how it had changed over time and then looked at the Stone Age tools, bones, fossils and models of Stonehenge. We also saw a skeleton of a human found near Stonehenge. Then, we walked around Stonehenge. It was huge! We thought about how it was built all the way back in the Stone Age and why it was built. Was it built as a burial ground or as a clock or as a place of worship for Druids? Ask your child what they think. Finally, we explored the Stone Age houses from the Neolithic period. Inside were wooden beds, fire pits and clay pots. The walls were made from chalk, wattle and daub with thatched roofs. We had a great time. Ask your child what their favourite part of the trip was.

17th October 2023

Welcome back to our class blog.

We have had such an exciting month and have so much to share with you!

Maths

In Maths we have moved from Place Value to Addition and Subtraction. The children have been adding and subtracting 1 and 2 digit numbers from 3 digit numbers. We have explored crossing into the 10s and the 100s columns using both place value counters and column method.

Science

In Science we have been learning all about igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks. To show our understanding of how these rocks are formed, we used chocolate to create chocolate rocks.

For igneous rock, we placed chunks of chocolate into a bag, sealed the bag and then placed it into hot water. This melted the chocolate and it then hardened into one piece of ‘rock’.

Sedimentary Rock required us to layer gratings of white, milk and dark chocolate and then press down to push it together, just like the sediments dropping to the floor of the ocean and pushing down on each other to form rocks.

Sedimentary Rock Creation

To make metamorphic rock, we had to use our sedimentary and igneous rock. We placed the rocks together and applied heat from our hands to merge them and shape into a ball.

Here are our sedimentary rocks.

Here are our metamorphic rocks.

History and Science School Trip

On Wednesday 11th October, we visited the Natural History Museum to support our learning about the Stone Age and Rocks. We thoroughly explored the red zone, examining and touching lots of different rocks, learning more about how rocks are formed and how they are shaped by the elements. The children also experienced an earthquake and viewed precious gemstones. For history, we explored the human evolution section, seeing a range of skulls and models of humans, from Neanderthals to Homo-sapiens.

Pictures of our school trip will be presented at our class assembly.

Class Assembly

On Wednesday 18th October we will be presenting our class assembly on rocks. More information will be posted about this in the future.

Kind Regards,

Miss Finlay

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19th September 2023

Welcome to our monthly class blog update.

The children in 3 ELM have had a wonderful first few weeks in Key Stage 2 and we would like to share with you some of our highlights.

English

The children have writing a narrative about The Boy's adventure in 'Stone Age Boy'. The class have excellently described the actions and feelings of the main character as he goes on his journey, writing in past tense and using personification. Ask your child to explain The Boy's journey to you using our plot point map below!

Next week, the class will begin to write their own narrative, inspired by this story!

Science

In Science, the class have learnt that there are three types of rock - Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic. Within our lessons, the children have been holding rocks, identifying what type of rock they are and grouping them into categories.

Art

Exploring cave paintings has been our focus so far in art. Looking at the texture, content and colour within them. This week, the class created their very own paints, following the techniques that stone age people would have used. With a range of natural resources, the class squeezed and crushed pigment out of berries, leaves and vegetables, mixing with water and flour to create a paste. These paints were then tested in art books and you can see an example of this below.

Thank you for reading our class blog for this month. I look forward to updating you next month on our highlights, which will include pictures from our upcoming school trip to the natural history museum - more information will be revealed next week.

Kind Regards,

Miss Finlay

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5th September 2023

Welcome to the first blog post for 3 ELM!

With the first day of school approaching, the video attached below will give you all the information that you need regarding your child’s curriculum in Autumn 1, PE Dates, Homework and more.

I am looking forward to teaching Elm class tomorrow and the fabulous year that we are going to have!

If you have any questions, you may contact me at year3@birkbeck.bexley.sch.uk

Kind Regards,

Miss Finlay

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