Autumn - “Jambo Rafiki” (Hello Friend)

This term we will take the children on an amazing African discovery where they will learn about culture, art and everyday rural life through wonderful literature and enriching visits. We will explore where Africa is in the world, and will learn about animals native to Africa and their habitats. We will investigate how skeletons and muscles work together to help us move and look at food chains and animal classification. The books we read will inspire us to write. We will design and make an African pancake. Using a variety of different techniques, we will explore African patterns in art, creating our own African textile piece and blow ink picture. We will end our journey exploring the beats of Africa.

Peer Mediation

During the year, all the Year 3 children are trained to be Peer Mediators.  Once trained, we will be asking for volunteers to work on a rota basis with the Infant School children at play times.

Questions we'll be asking:

• What do African animals eat? How do they move?
• How do we research safely information about Africa?
• How will you write a hunting story in the style of Paul Geraghty?
• How can we improve our African pancakes?
• What are the rhythms and sounds in African dance and music?
• Which African flags are symmetrical?

Can you help?

We regularly need help in school. If you are able to help volunteer with any activity, please let the School Office know.

Trips

There are many ways in which we will be enriching the curriculum this term:

• Trip to Marwell Zoo
• African Drumming Workshop
• Making Kenyan Pancakes

Cost of trips for the Autumn term should be around £25.

Supporting your child

If you want to do more to support your child’s learning, here are some ideas:

Watch Together

• The Lion King
• Big Cat Week or Elephant Diaries from the BBC
• Christian the Lion - Youtube

Do Together

• Try any new African foods, like plantain or okra
• Try to use only one jug of water for a day
• Listen to African music
• Talk to friends and relatives who have visited Africa

Read Together

• Some of the many African folktales
• Bringing the rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema
• Handa’s Surprise by Eileen Browne
• Emeka’s Gift by Ifeoma Onyefulu
• Masai and I by Virginia Kroll

MARVELLOUS Moving Machines

We start with a mystery - let's investigate some intriguing and unfamiliar inventions. We will research who invented what and when and the impact on us today. We will be inspired to write using some amazing texts including ‘Leonardo and the Flying Boy’, ‘The Invention of Hugo Cabret’. We will look at themes of resilience, self-esteem and challenge stereotypes. We will use collage techniques to create our own portraits and silhouettes, and create computer animations. In our French lessons, we will learn how to give directions. When we design our own robots, we incorporate our knowledge of electrical circuits.  

Questions we'll be asking:

• What material is it made from? Where might be used? How might it make a job easier for someone? Who is the intended user?
• How does it move? What does it look like inside?
• Who invented it and why? How do you invent some-thing?
• Why are fantastic failures just as important as stunning successes?
• Who is Leonardo da Vinci? Where did he live? When did he live? Why is he famous?
• Do we know the name of any other famous inventors? What did they invent? Who invented the telephone? Who invented the bicycle? How have inventions adapted and improved over time?
• When was electricity 'invented'? Who 'invented' it? How does it work? How do you make an electric circuit to light a bulb? What is a switch? How does it work? What is a conductor/insulator of electricity?

Can you help?

We regularly need help in school. If you are able to help volunteer with any activity, please let the School Office know.

Trips

As part of our Marvellous Moving Machines topic, we will be having a Moving Robot workshop at school.

During the day, the children will have the opportunity to study mechanisms and explore how they work before designing, constructing and decorating their own mechanical robot. Our workshop will be run by ‘Fire the Inventor’ who specialises in mechanical toys. 

Cost of trips for the Autumn term should be around £12.

Supporting your child

If you want to do more to support your child’s learning, here are some ideas:

DO TOGETHER

• Make a moving model using Lego, Knex or other construction material
• Design and make an analogue clock
• Invent and build some-thing together

READ TOGETHER

• See Inside: Inventions (Usborne)
• Neo Leo: The Ageless ideas of Leonardo da Vinci by Gene Barretta
• Oh, the Things They Invented!: All about Great Inventors (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)
• Three Cheers for Inventors! by Marcia Williams

GO AND VISIT

• Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium
• Science Museum in London
• Amberley Museum and Heritage Centre

WATCH TOGETHER

• Hugo
• The Railway Children
• Robots
• Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

SUMMER DIGGING DEEP

In the Summer Term, Year 3 become archaeologists and go ‘Digging Deep’ as we travel back in time to prehistory. We shall meet our very own “Stone Age Boy” who will help us explore the past. We will investigate the essential Stone Age skills needed for survival such as shelter building, finding food and tool making. We will explore the significance of ancient monuments and create our own cave art.  In science we shall discover the different properties of soils and rocks.  On a visit to Butser Ancient Farm, Year 3 will spend the day finding out that Stone Age people were not that different to us!

Questions we’ll be asking

• How do we find out about the Stone Age?
• How was the Paleolithic lifestyle different to the Neolithic lifestyle?
• What were the skills Stone Age people needed for survival?
• How do you build a Stone Age shelter?
• What is the local significance of Cissbury Ring?
• What did places like Stonehenge and Skara Brae means to Stone Age people?
• Where are the Stone Age monuments in the United Kingdom?
• Which soils were best to grow crops in?
• Which rocks made the best tools?

Trips

We shall be enriching the curriculum by:

• Visit Butser Ancient Farm for a Stone Age experience 
• Building our own stone age shelters

We estimate the cost of these activities to cost in the region of £20

Supporting your child

If you want to do more to support your child’s learning, here are some ideas:

Do Together

• Make some cave art.
• Create your own Stone age scene.
• Research different Prehistoric animals.

Read Together

Fiction

• ‘Ug’ by Raymond Briggs
• ‘Littlenose’ stories by John Grant
• 'Stone Age Boy' by Satoshi Kitamura
• 'Cave Baby' by Julia Donaldson

Non Fiction

• Books about the Stone Age including Usborne's 'Look Inside the Stone Age' and DK Find out 'Stone Age'.  DKfind out is a great online place to read and find out more about the Stone Age.  https:\www.dkfindout.com/uk/search/stone-age
• Horrible Histories: The Savage Stone Age
• The Secrets of Stonehenge

Go and Visit

• Visit or find out about Stonehenge.
• Visit Worthing museum to look at flint mine display, find artefacts from Stone Age/Bronze Age/Iron Age. Meet the Bronze Age woman.
• Go for a walk up Cissbury ring.

Watch Together

• The Croodes