Summer Term
Greetings from Year 3 and Year 4. We hope you had a wonderful and restful Easter.
We have quickly settled back into school life and the children have enjoyed seeing their friends and getting back to the school routine. The children have made so much progress since September and we are really looking forward to this Summer Term.
A few updates and reminders:
– PE days continue to be Tuesday (Y4 – swimming) and Thursday.
– Home reading. Please encourage your child to read at home with an adult or older sibling. Reading is an important aspect of a child’s learning and supports their understanding across the curriculum. Please also encourage your child to complete a reading activity in their reading record books each week. Any questions about this, please feel free to see me after school.
– Library books. We are lucky to have access to lots of fantastic books in our school library. Our library day is Monday; if your child wishes to change their book, they can do so on this day. Please also return any school library books that have been read. Any questions about this, feel free to see me after school or ask your child to speak to a Reading Ambassador.
– Water bottles. Please ensure your child has their labelled water bottle in school every day. Bottles need to go home at the end of each day to be washed.
Easter Church Service
Yesterday, the whole school attended church for our Easter service. Our Year 3 children performed Hot Cross Buns on the recorder. They did a fantastic job! A huge thank you must go to Mrs Bald who taught the children how to play.
Our Year 4 children talked about The Story of Easter and what each day means to them and how Christians remember. The children were able to talk about the things we have learnt in RE and used their oracy skills beautifully to relay this to the congregation.
Additionally, members of our class helped to tell the parable, ‘Road to Emmaus.’ Again, reading superbly well!
It was a wonderful service and all the children made the school proud. A big thank you to all the family and friends who attended too.
All of Year 3 and Year 4 would like to wish you a very Happy Easter.
PE
Dance
This week we listened to and performed dance routines to ‘Mas Que Nada’ by Sergio Mendes.
We talked about how the song makes us feel and how we could move to the music. We performed our routines to the class, focusing on pathways and how we could move around the hall.
Help at home – listen to song together and share your thoughts about the music. What emotions do you feel when you listen? Do you share the same emotions? Could you put together your own dance routine to the music?
RE
Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday
We have been learning about the significance of these three days in the Christian calendar. We have learnt about the crosses Christians use and what they represent. Yesterday our learning was supported by our whole school collective worship where Mrs Obbard handed each child a palm cross.
We have answered some difficult questions, such as – Would Mary call the day Jesus died Good Friday?
Here are some of the children’s responses:
No because it was her son that died not somebody else. And she was a kind mother to her son – Harper.
Yes she would because He gave his life for us – Leo S.
No as Mary will feel upset because Jesus was her son and he was badly treated people in Jerusalem – Madeleine.
Yes. She knows He did it for mankind and for taking away our sins – Tommy.
No. That would be a sad day for Mary because it was her son – Isla.
We have also made links to our own lives by thinking about the things that bring us joy, sadness and hope.
PE
In dance this week, we listened to ‘Running up that Hill’ by Kate Bush.
We discussed how the song made us feel and what emotions we may want to include in a dance routine. The children, generally, enjoyed that music and some had even heard parents play the song before.
Afterwards, we worked in small groups and planned a dance routine to the piece of music. We had a blast and thoroughly enjoyed the lesson. We even learnt that Mr Roundtree likes the song too.
Living and Learning
I recognise that family and friends are important.
I can find solutions to different problems.
We have been focussing on these two statements over recent weeks and learnt how we can make positive changes to our life and to the lives of others. We recognise unkind words and behaviours and that often words and comments can sometimes to taken out of context and cause offence (particularly online). We have also viewed people with different emotions and discussed how we should speak to these people and talked about the kind of things we can say.
We have discussed working with different people in our class and that it is important to include everyone and not leave people out. We know that it doesn’t matter what differences we have with others, it is still important to be kind and respectful. The following video caused a lot of amusement but also has an important message.
Top tip for watching YouTube with your child: go to the settings cog (it’s along the play bar) and turn off autoplay – this
avoids an inappropriate clip coming up automatically, and helps to discourage your child from passively watching clip
after clip.
Oracy
We have all been focussing on our prosody skills this week. Using the poem Good Hope by Benjamin Zephaniah, we have strived to use intonation, tone and volume, whilst ensuring we project our voice and make eye contact with our classmates. We have also discussed some of the issues Zephaniah may have faced and the key messages taken from the poem.
Well done everyone!
World Book Day
We have had an incredible day today, celebrating World Book Day.
The children arrived dressed in some fantastic costumes, many of which were homemade. They loved staying in character during the day, it has been very funny!
We have taken part in many activities; designing our own book cover, reading part of our favourite book, listening to other staff members read, reading quizzes, online draw along sessions and much more. It has been a real celebration of books and reading.
Thank you for all your continued support.
Update
What a busy week we have had in the Year 3/4 classroom.
We were lucky to have a visit from PCSO Louise who came in to talk to us about how to keep safe and to remind us about the importance of making right choices.
In writing this week, we have been writing a recount about Tarragon, the dragon slayer. What fantastic work the children have produced. We have thoroughly enjoyed using challenging vocabulary and strived to make our work stand out. Mr Kilner has been so impressed!
In PE, we have loved learning and performing yoga poses and sequences. We have learnt common poses like Warrior 1, Warrior 2 and Airplane. Calming breathing techniques and meditation have helped us to find a feeling of calm and we have left feeling ‘reborn’, ‘relaxed’ and ‘refreshed’.
Help at home – Ask your children about some of the vocabulary they have used this week in their writing. What word did they use to describe Tarragon/the dragon/Black Bull. Can they remember any other yoga poses? Are they able to teach family at home about how to perform them? Can they think of any ways PCSO Louise told us to stay safe?
Litter Picking Crew
Thank you to some of our pupils who have been making a difference in our local community by picking up litter on Hallfield Lane. Some of the Year 4 children have noticed litter on the paths as they walk to swimming each week and they feel really strongly that they want to do something about it. Well done for suggesting a great way to keep our streets tidy!
