Welcome back! This week starts with an Inset Day on Monday, so we will welcome back the children on Tuesday morning. Please can all children remember to wear their PE kits to school, and Year 3 need to bring their Forest Schools clothes in a bag to change into. This will need to include different shoes for the forest from those shoes the children will wear for PE. Please remember a waterproof jacket too as we will be going to the forest no matter the weather! 

Maths: We begin our first week back with fractions for year 3. This is the second part of our fractions unit so we will be exploring how to add and subtract fractions, as well as looking at different ways to partition a whole number. Year 4s will continue with decimals, looking at how to partition decimals this week. 

Literacy: In Maple Class we will be starting our new text this week, The Iron Man written by Ted Hughes. PLEASE DO NOT READ AHEAD! I am keen for the children to come fresh to this new text and carry out some prediction work so it's crucial they do not read it ahead of lessons, if they don't already know it. 

The illustrated version is quite good for this age, especially the version illustrated by Laura Carlin who is an artists we studied in the Autumn term. These are readily available at all good bookshops, online on Amazon brand new or second hand, or it can be loaned out of any local library. As always, it is so helpful for all the children to have their own copies so they can read along, look closely at the text and refer to it while they are writing. But please do not worry if this is not possible, I have a few copies in the classroom, and the children can always share. In this first week back, we will be familiarising ourselves with the first chapter by using questions to open a story. 

Literacy in Ash

This week we will be doing some independent writing. I will hand out an updated spelling list of the Yr 1/2, 3/4, 5/6 words.

We will start our new text after we return from our residential. 

Science 

Yr 3 - We are continuing with our Light unit and this week we will be learning all about shadows.

Yr 4 - We are learning about Habitats and will be looking at classification keys to identify and classify animals.

Yr 5 - This week we will be looking at th physical changes as an adult becomes elderly

RE: We will be begin this unit this week by exploring the Big Question, What spiritual pathways to moksha are written about in Hindu scripture? We will focus on the idea of a goal and how we can achieve our goals. 

Art: We will be finding out about Marcus Coates this week, looking at his work  and asking, what we can learn from birds. 

Next Week: Year 4 and Year 5 will be leaving us for their residential to the Isle of Wight! Whilst they're having the time of their lives, I will be having lots of fun back at school with the year 3s. I am hoping to take the Year 3s to the library in Chichester so watch this space for more information.