Mayfield Primary SchoolYEAR THREE: SPRING TERM
OUR YEAR THREE DURING SPRING TERM
OUR CORE INTENTION IN ACTION
SPRING TERM 'WHEN I GROW UP...' THEME: CLASH OF THE TITANS*
*Year 3 & 4 work on a two year thematic rolling programme. We are currently on the 1st cycle studying Passport to New Europe. This page reflects the 2nd cycle to give you a flavour of that.
A 'When I Grow Up' Spring Summary
As our chronological 'When I Grow Up...' journey through history continues, we move from the Roman occupation of Britain into the turbulent and often challenging Anglo-Saxon and Viking period to 1066 in a theme we have titled Clash of the Titans. In doing so, we asked the children to consider whether life improved from the Roman period and what this turbulent period in history meant for the native Britons.
Our Geography worked focused upon the seven regions/kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon Britain, as the children made huge maps which we populated throughout the term with important places, rivers, mountainous ranges and other natural features. We used this to add modern towns, cities and regions to demonstrate where they would be in relation to these regions. We also studied the countries of Northern Europe and Germany that formed the native lands for the differing groups that made up the Anglo-Saxon and Viking people. Making the geography work very practical, visual and hands on has proved highly successful and popular and has been a constant feature that the children have enjoyed returning to and discussing throughout the study.
Meanwhile, in History, the children took on the role of Time Team archaeologists as we took an in-depth look at the Sutton Hoo findings and other excavated artefacts from discovered settlements. This provided a way in to further questions about the lives of Anglo-Saxons and then, in turn, Vikings and the challenges they faced. We considered the key figures and the threats to the differing regions/kingdoms at the time - both from each other and the 'native' Scots and Welsh as we moved through a timeline of key events including Alfred the Great leading his kingdom against the Viking invaders. We also studied the Viking invasion routes and settlements alongside a study of King Aethelred II and Danegeld.
Science allowed us to investigate fossils and rocks as we undertook a range of tests that allowed us classify and identify them. Whilst we focused upon the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings to develop a compass during our forces and magnets theme - making prototypes and testing their effectiveness.
Our Music studies focused upon our glockenspiel work as we played and performed melodies together with the conductor (teacher) providing the notes for us to read and follow. It wasn't easy!
For our Computing work, we imagined we were like the Time Team from TV. We created a podcast that was broadcast live from the Sutton Hoo site as discoveries were being unearthed!
We made longboat replicas during Design & Technology, the longboats were fabulous and a highly popular part of our theme. The children demonstrated superb joining and connecting skills, whilst we used textiles and collage to design and produce jewellery and armour from the time in Art this formed the focus for our Art Attack theme day.
We looked at rules, laws, rights, freedoms and responsibilities during our PSHE & Relationships work. We linked these to our own Star of Safety Charter and how this is important to the way in which we behave and the expectations that it makes of us.
As ever, we continued with our discrete studies in Physical Education, French and Religious Education. Extreme Earth dance sequences formed part of our work whilst our games focus centred upon cricket skills with bowling, throwing and striking. We developed sentences around fruit vocabulary as part of our French unit and learned terms for animals and considered what is 'good' about Good Friday as we studied Easter, the significance of forgiveness at this time and - on a separate aspect - the miracles performed by Jesus in the New Testament.
We picked up upon our multiplication and division studies in Mathematics and then moved on to problems involving money and data. We finished the term studying length, perimeter and then finally fractions. Poetry, reports and narratives all linked to our Clash of the Titans theme were focus of our units in English during the term. A full and busy time with lots of fun along the way!
