North America Topic

In our geography lessons this half term we have been learning all about the continent of North America.  

This week, we used the computers to safely search the internet for information about some of the key geographical features of North America.  

Next week, we will be using the information that we found in order to create a poster about our chosen features.

Sport Relief

3V began the day the healthy way by running (or walking) a mile around the school fields in celebration of Sport Relief.  The children brought charitable donations in to school and enjoyed dressing up as their favourite sportspeople for the event.

3V celebrate completing their Sport Relief mile.

Our Class Assembly

It was 3V's turn to shine in the spotlight (or perhaps the limelight) this morning, as we performed our class assembly, 'Rotten Romans' for the rest of the school and visiting parents and carers.

Everyone performed brilliantly (to the great relief of Mrs Vaqueiro and Mrs Miller), remembering all their lines and the songs perfectly.  

Thank you so much to all the parents and carers who spent time helping their children learn their parts for the play, and to all the staff at Swan Lane who helped in putting together the production. 

Here are some photos of the stars of the show!  A video clip will follow soon.

Mrs Vaqueiro

Use the Force!

As part of our new science topic in 3V, we have been learning all about different forces.  Last week, we looked at magnets and learnt how a magnetic field works.  We used paperclips to show that, when certain metals enter a magnetic field, the magnetic force will draw them to the magnet.  We loved watching the paperclips jump onto the magnets!

Then, we looked at how magnets are used in real life to sort different metals in a recycling centre.  We watched a short video clip showing how a giant, revolving magnet collects the magnetic materials from the scrapyard.

Next, it was time for us to sort a scrapheap of our own: each table had a tray of mixed materials and needed to use their magnets to sort out the magnetic items from the non-magnetic items.  Before we began, the children had to predict which items would be magnetic and which would not.  Everyone agreed that metals are magnetic, but when we actually carried out the experiment, there were some surprises!  Neither the aluminium foil nor the empty lemonade cans would stick to the magnets, despite being made of metal.  The children concluded that not all metals are magnetic, despite their earlier assumptions.

Finally, (and following on from a class question) we had a sneak preview of the next lesson, when the children experimented to see whether the magnetic force would pass through different materials to hold a paperclip in place.  The children were surprised to see the results!

PSHE: Learning a New Skill

The learning objective for our PSHE lesson this week was for the class to learn a brand new skill and then reflect on the process, so Mrs Vaqueiro took the opportunity to teach everyone some basic Spanish.

The children learnt several different ways to greet someone in Spanish, how to find out how they are (and respond to that question) and three different ways to say goodbye.

Everyone joined in enthusiastically and enjoyed practising their new language skills with their friends.

Although some of the pronunciation was a bit tricky, the children did their best and everyone agreed that, while learning a new language can be hard, it is definitely worthwhile!

Take One Picture - Our Finished Displays

Over the past few weeks in 3V we have been working hard to complete the artwork for our new corridor displays.  The theme across the school for this term's artwork has been the National Gallery's 'Take One Picture' scheme.  

If you have followed our earlier blog posts, you'll know that we have been focusing on Seurat's 'Bathers at Asnieres,' which depicts a Parisian riverside scene.

3V took their inspiration from the sailing boats seen distantly on the Seine, and used a variety of media to create some sailing boats of their own.

First, the children created a graduated blue colourwash to give the impression of water.  Then, the children used the pointillist technique (pioneered by Seurat himself) to layer tiny dots of paint for the boats' hulls.

Finally, the children hand-dyed silks for the sails according to their own designs.

We think that the finished result looks stunning - we hope you will agree!

World Book Day

Thursday 1 March was World Book Day and 3V entered into the spirit of the occasion with gusto!

The children dressed as their favourite literary characters, and even Mrs Vaqueiro and Mrs Miller joined in, dressing up as Nancy and Peggy Blackett from "Swallows and Amazons."

We began the morning with a visit from Batman (who bore more than a passing resemblence to Mr Davies), who came to read us some stories.

Then, the children designed a character profile for their chosen book character.  We had hoped to spend the afternoon doing some more special, book-related activities, but the weather took a severe turn, meaning the school had to close early because of the snow!

Here are some photos of all the fabulous costumes - well done and thank you everyone for making such a super effort to dress up!