9 Nov 2018

Yr3 Curriculum Update – 09/11/18

Working together to achieve success for every child

Welcome to our 4th edition!

In each update, the Year 3 Team will bring you snapshots of what your children in Year Three have been up to every 2 weeks. You will see a variety of learning experiences exemplifying learning which is fun, exciting, challenging, innovative and/or creative…and whatever they are, we know that your child has worked really hard to get there and should you have the chance, you may want to share this newsletter with your child to find out the juicy details and discuss the great learning they have been doing!

 

Transdisciplinary Learning – It’s all connected!

How we organise ourselves

 ‘The food we buy goes through a process of change before we eat it. ‘

Our unit began with the children exploring what was inside their snack boxes and asking the question, ‘Where does my food come from?’ We wondered how far we could trace this journey. The question was trickier when the food contained multiple ingredients and processes. This will form the main part of our inquiry over the next few weeks.

The children have also been sorting pictures of food on the basis of different criteria . They are thinking about the word ‘processed’. As we read more and have rich discussions around the often complex systems involved in getting food to us, we hope to be more appreciative and aware of what we are eating.

 

Our Sky Garden has a wide range of plants, natural surrounding and even the occasional butterfly for the children to enjoy! As the weather has cooled down, it was a wonderful opportunity to make a picnic of it and eat snack surrounded by nature. It also provided a perfect link with our unit as we looked at the vegetables that had been planted. The carrots look ready for picking!  

 

Literacy

In literacy, we have been reading a variety of books and articles on food. Since KJS is represented by several nationalities, we have had engaging conversations about ‘kimchee’, ‘natto’, ‘dumplings’ and ‘idlis’, among other favourite traditional foods. The children have enjoyed relating to these foods and after we discussed ‘fermenting’, are keen to try their own hand at it!

We have been watching videos, in particular those from TESCO, on Farm to Fork as we explore the various processes food goes through before it arrives at the supermarket, ready for consumers. This is helping the children build their vocabulary on what jobs the various machines perform. We have also ‘unpacked’ the words of the central idea to get a clearer understanding of it.

 

Maths

In maths we are building student confidence with how we might approach maths tasks. Working in an organised and systematic way, identifying the information given and being able to articulate what is being asked, are all skills used by successful mathematicians.  The maths tasks are challenging and engaging. They allow for several possible answers and explanations.

There are also several strategies that successful mathematicians can try such as, use a smaller number, Act it out, Draw it and use materials and look for patterns.

The children regularly share their thinking which helps them to use mathematical language as well as help their peers grasp ideas.

 

At home you might like to…

  • Observe where maths is connected to our worlds. Some examples are, using time to plan our day and looking at prices at a supermarket.
  • Noticing the information on food labels and food packaging of food you purchase
  • going for a walk in a garden and appreciating nature. What uses do the plants have? Which ones are edible? Do they have medicinal properties? Which ones keep the insects away?

 

Chinese Year 3:

In the Chinese classrooms, we continue to focus on the concept of wellbeing and providing different learning opportunities for children to explore their own interests and promote agentic learning.

Here is a glimpse of some of our classrooms:

 

Reminders

A few key reminders for students and parents:

  • Please remind your child to pack his/her hat for school each day, as children who do not bring their hat will not be allowed to take part in snack or lunch play.
  • There are extreme peanut allergies in Year 3, so please make sure your child does not bring nuts to school or eat peanut butter or nutella for breakfast before he/she heads to school.
  • Please remind your child to pack his/her own cutlery as we do not provide extra sets of cutlery at school.

 

Key dates for the Diary

Thursday, 15th November      Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, school musical

Friday, 16th November  Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, school musical