Year 3/4 - Swifts
Summer Term 2012
24th April.
Since returning from Easter Holidays the Swifts have been extremely busy starting lots of new topics in different subjects!
In Maths we have been looking at coordinates, symmetry and 3D Shape. This has included hunting for Tudor galleons and designing jewellery for Queen Elizabeth I. Here are some pictures of the children playing coordinate galleon battleships!
In Science we have begun a new topic on plants. Last Friday the children worked in groups and dissected a tulip or daffodil in order to identify the different parts. They all took a lot of care over this eventually producing some fantastic diagrams of the different parts.
During gardening we have started planting a range of different crops including radish, peas and beans. The children are taking care of all of the plants in the environmental area using their Science knowledge extremely effectively.
Spring Term 2012.
21st March.
Over the last couple of weeks we have been extremely busy making the most of the sunshine with some outdoor learning!
In English we have started our block on persuasive texts. Last Monday the children were given some scenarios to act out using persuasive tactics. Here are some pictures of this taking place on the playground.
In Science we have been continuing our work on forces focusing on air resistance. The children had some fantastic ideas about air resistance and really impressed me with their use of scientific language.
They were asked to make parachutes testing different materials to identify which would create the most air resistance. After creating a range of designs it was over to Mr Wines to launch a selection of brave (plastic) animals from outside of Miss Prince’s classroom.
We finished by looking at air resistance on a greater scale using the parachute for some different games!
In art we have been completing our ‘Face of Britain’ entries. Here are some of the children’s self potraits.
29th February.
Since arriving back from Half Term the Swifts’ have been doing lots of exciting learning in different areas on the curriculum.
Last Wednesday we restarted our gardening after a six-week break. The children are now in control of the raised beds and will undertake the growing and care of a nominated vegetable. After much deliberation we settled on… Spinach! This will be planted over the coming weeks and will be passed onto the school kitchen once harvested.
As part of this session we also completed some vegetable tasting. Here are some pictures of everyone trying carrots, turnip and radish.
In Science we have started a new topic on Forces. Last week our focus was Gravity. The children planned and completed an experiment investigating the pull of gravity on different objects.
Here are some pictures of the experiment in full flow.
This week marks the start of Fair Trade fortnight. As part of this we have been looking at the banana trade and processes involved in growing, transporting and selling bananas. The children have designed some fantastic informative posters, which we are going to share with KS1.
Finally in art we have been busy completing our self-portraits for the queens jubilee. The Swifts chose to use watercolours and have been thinking carefully about mixing and blending colours.
1st February
Over the last two weeks the Swifts have been working extremely hard in lots of different areas of the curriculum.
In English we have been focusing on ‘The Wind in the Willows’ as part of a story writing block of work. As part of this topic we walked along the Tarka Trail indentifying different features of the riverbank and coming up with some fantastic descriptive language and ideas for our stories. Here are some pictures of the walk.
In Art we have begun a topic focusing on weaving. We started by weaving with paper producing some very successful results! Next week we will be moving on to using a loom.
In Science we have been looking at changes in state. Last week we thought about evaporation and condensation and completed a demonstration using a kettle! The children had some brilliant scientific ideas and all worked extremely hard. Here are some pictures of us working outside.
17th January
We have all now settled back in after the Christmas break. Last week the children thought carefully about New Years Resolutions and set themselves some targets for the coming year. Here is a picture of our resolution tree.
Our topic for this term is a Geography block of work in which we will be comparing Bideford to both Plymouth and Exeter. Amongst other things the children will be looking in detail at the river as well as the geographical features of Bideford, Plymouth and Exeter. We will hopefully have the opportunity to visit Plymouth later on in the term. The Swifts made a start last week by identifying what they already know about each location. Here is our display board.
In English the Swifts are in the middle of writing bird reports. This is all part of the Big Schools Bird Watch which we will be participating in on February 1st. In order to attract the birds to the area around our classroom Mr Wines has been hard at work building a bird table and topping it up with seeds, fruit and fat balls d
Autumn Term 2011
For this term's curriculum overview please click here.
5th December
Over the last two weeks the Swifts have been extremely busy!
Last Tuesday afternoon the children took part in a Tri Golf session run by a teacher from Bideford College. This took place in the hall where they practised using different clubs including a putter and a driver. Several of the Swifts demonstrated a fantastic swing (narrowly missing fixtures and fittings)! Everyone really enjoyed participating in the session and having the opportunity to try out a new sport.
In ICT we have been using the paint programme to produce pictures of Grendel and Beowulf, which has been the focus of our latest English block. The children produced some brilliant descriptive writing based on the two main characters and have included lots of detail in the accompanying pictures.
Finally the children have started designing their Christmas Placemats to be used for our Christmas dinner on the 15th December. This week we are hoping to finish them as well as make some decorations for the classroom.
22nd November.
Last week the Swifts were given the opportunity to take part in a work shop based on Macbeth. They were told the story and then used drama and dance to re enact it! All of the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Here are some of the bits that they particularly enjoyed
I really liked the acting session and the parts were really good. It was really nice and I liked being Malcolm. The witch dance was brilliant fun. There were loads of good parts, Claire and Tamsin made them much funnier than the original story. I had a really good time!
Jasmine
I was one of the witches and one of the party guests. I liked dancing around the cauldron like witches. I liked eating all the food at the feast! I liked Claire because she told us what to say and Tamsin because she taught us the dance.
Luke
Claire and Tasmin made all of us feel really proud and happy. I enjoyed the part when I was the soldier in the scene but then Macbeth killed me. I thought it was funny when the witches did a creepy cackle. It was fun when we all got to do the dance and when we got to wear different costumes and hold the swords.
Lauren
7th November.
Over the last week the Swifts have been busy designing and making Roman Shields. They started by looking at the different types of shields used in the Roman Army and then came up with their own designs in small groups. Finally the designs were reproduced and painted onto cardboard. Here are the results!
In English we have been working on Shape Poems and Calligrams. The children have been coming up with some fantastic similes and metaphors using pictures of fireworks to inspire them. This week we will be writing our own Shape Poems about roman soldiers.
In Maths we have started a new block on Multiplication. The children will be taught a range of methods to tackle multiplication questions including arrays, numberline, partitioning and the column method.
Finally a big well done to all of the Swifts for a fantastic assembly on Friday 4th November. Everyone worked extremely hard to learn lines and deliver an important message about firework safety.
10th October.
The Swifts have now moved back into our classroom after spending the last five weeks in the Marquee. It is fantastic to be back indoors with all of our resources available and a much quieter learning environment! Here our some pictures of the classroom.
This week the children have begun new blocks in both English and Maths. In English we have started work on instructions, looking at features of and different types. Our final outcome is for the children to come up with their own instructions for making ‘Yummy Roman Cakes’.
In Maths we are focusing on 2D shape and symmetry which includes looking at polygons, angles and reflection.
This week the Swifts have been extremely busy!
On Tuesday they visited Westward Ho alongside the Goldcrests and Barn Owls as part of our Science topic on habitats.
The children had a fantastic time rock pooling and were able to identify various plants and sea life with the help of identification charts. They thought about how different organisms were adapted to live along the sea shore and completed field sketches before returning to school in time to celebrate Harvest.
On Friday we celebrated European Day of Languages. We chose to focus on France as this is our Modern Foreign language.
The children made flags and practised numbers by playing bingo in French. They learnt about French traditions and culture and enjoyed a game of Boules on the lawn (also known as the school field).
Finally the children had the opportunity to taste some French cuisine including croissants and brioche which they all enjoyed!
In Science we have been looking at habitats and how animals are adapted to suit their environment. The children have been thinking carefully about characteristics such as camouflage, climate, diet, size and shape.
To link with the story we have been learning in English, which is called Merlin and the Dragons, the children have designed their own dragon complete with adaptations to fit into an environment of their choice.
We have had a wide (and creative) selection including dragons that live in volcanoes, rivers, forests and even one that has been adapted to live in London!
On Friday the Swifts took part in a drumming workshop. The children had the opportunity to experiment with a range of different drums practising rhythms and beats, before attending a drumming festival with the rest of KS2 in the afternoon.
In the Swifts’ we have started our topic for this half term. We will be looking at invaders and settlers focusing on The Romans. The children have all been thinking of interesting questions that we can explore during the topic and have already produced some fantastic research during ICT sessions and as part of their homework.
This week we have also been doing some gardening as part of the year 3/4 carousel. The children have learnt how to use tools safely and made a brilliant job of clearing, weeding and tidying the raised beds in the Environmental Area. We are keeping a class diary to track all of our gardening activities throughout the year, which will become part of the whole school Food for Thought project.
