Measuring carefully and solving problems

We were finding out how many hand heights are the same as our body height.
Some of us used this information to predict how tall a giant was by using a hand print.

Some photos of us doing this are shown below:

Stop frame sweetcorn

Go here to watch a sweetcorn (maize) seed grow using stop frame technology.

Grow a seed in a matter of seconds.

200 marbles!

We have reached 200 marbles! We have followed the Golden Rules and earned a non uniform day. Please come suitably dressed tomorrow, Wednesday 30th September.

Aquathlon - great effort

Here are some pictures from this year's first sporting event for Year 3.

Well done to everyone who took part. We're looking forward to the basketball competition on Friday.

Don't forget to wear a blue t-shirt as our team colours.

Strange fish

I found this site tonight and remembered the strange looking fish which Tinn had found in the library. This inspired him to draw an unusual looking fish in his art lesson (based on Andy Warhol type repeated pictures).

Scroll down this page for some fascinating, feathery finned creatures.

Plantastic!

Look at 3L's shiny brand new blog.

They are doing some great experiments about plants. Look here for details.

We must take some photos of Santi's bean - now taller than 80cm!! - and our plant experiments.

Measuring length

Here are some rules for measuring how long, wide, narrow, deep, shallow, skinny, fat, thick, thin, short, tall things are:

What you need:
a ruler, a metre stick, a pencil, tape measure, a thing to measure (Tom want to measure a carrot)

What you do:
Get your ruler and thing you are measuring
Make sure you use the right side of the ruler with the right units (mm or cm)
Line up the start of the object with the zero mark.
Count on from the zero to the end of the object.
Read the measurement with your eyes just above the end of the object.

Great came for learning your 100 square AND developing your investigative skills!

This NRICH challenge really makes you think about the 100 square.
Try to think carefully about patterns that you see in a normal 100 square...what is the pattern in the first column of the normal 100 square, under the number 1?

This should help you solve it.

You could also print it out, cut out the pieces and solve it like a jigsaw.

Go here to see a normal 100 square to help you solve the challenge.

Ooops! Aquathlon on TUESDAY 29th October

Apologies for getting the events dates muddled up.

The Aquathlon is on Tuesday, 29th September, from 7:50 – 8:50 (during our normal P.E. lesson)
and the Basketball is on Friday 2^nd October, from 7:50 – 9:50.

Thanks to Rachel for noticing and pointing this out.

Remember that parents can join in with the Aquathlon if they want to. I’ll be in the pool and jogging round the track so it would be good to see some other adults taking part.

It's Library time

What do we do in the library?

As well as looking at Fiction and Non Fiction books on our own or with friends, we play games or use the computer to research books.

Look at the pictures below:

sh- ch- spelling pattern

Today we are learning about words which have a sh and ch letter pattern.

Look here for a game which helps you practice spelling from pictures.

Here is a wordsearch for sh ch words as well as a few other spelling patterns.

Here is a powerpoint game, made by Veronica Carter, from a school in England. Have a look and match the letters to the sound in the word.

Plant investigations

We have learnt about parts of plants, how we use them and what they need.

What would happen if we changed the conditions needed for healthy growth (air, water, light, warmth, soil) or changed some of the parts of the plant (cut off the leaves, roots or flower)?

Follow the link to see a copy of our ideas to investigate.

We have three plants. One will get all of the normal conditions for growth, but the others will have something changed (different conditions). We will only change one thing for each plant to make sure that the investigation is as fair as possible.

3W is feeling blue! Healthy beans!

3W is feeling blue...no we're not, but we will be wearing blue at all Year 3 sporting events this academic year. (Feeling blue means that you are feeling a bit unhappy). So if you want to get one ready for the upcoming basketball event next week it might be a good time to go shopping this wwekend.

Here's a summary of PE:


Friday 25th Sept - practice for aquathon in PE lesson - bring normal pe kit+swimming kit.
Tuesday 29th September - Basketball interclass! Wear as much blue as possible! Remember sunscreen and hat. Friday 2nd October - Aquathlon - blue kit (if you have time to wash it...otherwise normal pe kit) and swimming kit...again remember sunscreen.

Healthy beans - take a look at this picture...hasn't Santi's bean grown well!

Play shape reveal at home

Play shape reveal at home.

Stop the reveal and ask a partner (mum or dad?) what they think the shape is.

Why?
Are you sure?
What can you see? (corners, sides, type of sides)

Add and subtract 1, 10 and 100

It's really important in Year 3 to be able to add and subtract 1,10 and 100 quickly. If you can't do that yet:
DO NOT PANIC!
Remember that these things can help you: 100 squares and numberlines.

Here are some numberlines you can use to help you count on (add) or count back (subtract).
Here is a hundred square which you can use to help you add or subtract. Can you splat the number which is 10 more than 33?
This game is great for helping you to get more used to where numbers are on a 100 square.

When you have used a 100 squares and a numberline lots, you will eventually be able to have a virtual one inside your own head...that can really help your maths.

Want to get quicker at learning your number bonds for 10 and you like saving whales? Try this game.
This one is great for learning your number bonds up to any number. 2 minutes a day at this one would really help you to make an improvement.

Try this game for adding 10. This is a one player game.
This game is great for -10 and is also a one player game.
This game is a two player game...you get to sink a submarine!

Breaktime toys

At break time we can play some games which do not need equipment:
tag, hide and seek, stuck in the mud, forty-forty, candles, running, freeze tag, chinese whispers, toilet tag, goofy, singing statues, duck duck goose, banana, What's the time Mr Wolf, clapping games (concentration, the sailor went to sea, sea, sea)

Some playground games need equipment:
chess, basketball, war basketball, skipping, football, ball tag, four in a row, checkers, speed stacking, Indiana Jones, GoGos, Barbies, Squid, Lego

Next time in PSHE we will have a go at sharing some of these games in class.

If you find any good websites with playground games then send them in, either as email or as a blog comment.

Here's a good place to start. Which is your favourite?

This wikipedia site also has some good games.

Plant Simulation

Want to try to help a plant to grow well, but you have less than a minute spare?

Well try this site at the BBC. We used it in class, but now you can try it at home. How much water and light do the plants need?

Comparing Fables

Look at the year 3 EAL blog to find out about different Aesops fables...stories with a message. Compare two different versions.

Go here to find out.

Oh yes, and while you are there, feed the goldfish!

Swimming and some photos from ICT

Here's a message about our swimming lesson next week:

All students must remember to bring their PE kit and swimming kit to their swimming lesson next week (Friday 25th September).

Here's a photo from ICT today. We were learning to attach pictures to emails. Wow - what skilful ICTers!

The best multiples game is...

Guilli, Toby, Tom, Anika and Santi were playing these games with Mr Ben on the smartboard today.

We liked the pumpkin multiple game the best.

Have a go: here is the link.

Spelling homework and times table practice

Tonight's homework is to practice the -ng sound. You could either follow this link and try the dragon game , (phase three, -ng sound) or you could do the word-search which your child may have taken home.

Don't forget to try some of the times tables games too.

Times tables...want to make learning more fun?

Have a look here...or at Timez Attack for some great computer games to help practice times tables.

Timez Attack is a free program you can download from the web. You can then pay (quite a small amount of money) to upgrade so that you have more backgrounds. It lets you have a lot of practice and repetition...which is how some of us learn best.

Gridclub is another amazing site you can use for many subjects. You do need a password however so I'll send an email out to parents and children if you are interested. Please comment and let me know if you want to use the Gridclub site.

Here are some more fabulous online games from Woodlands Junior School in Kent. I like this one as it lets you choose the answer from a selection...good if you are beginning to learn your times table facts.

Aquathlon - come, support. photograph, compete

Bangkok Patana Primary Aquathlon 2009

The ever popular Primary Aquathlon will take place again this term for those children in Years 3 to 6. The Aquathlon consists of swimming and then running without a break in between. Swimming and running are both great sports for improving the efficiency of your heart and lungs; and combining events such as swimming, running (and cycling in triathlons) is becoming increasing popular. It is also a great way for children to set their own personal goals whether it be, achieving a specific time or just completing the event without stopping.

Year 3: Tuesday 29^th September

3 S, L, C, W – 7:50 to 8:50 during their PE lesson

3 M, P, R – 8:50 to 9:50 during their PE lesson

Distances: 100m Swim with a 200m run but students can choose to run 400m if they wish.

Good luck to all competitors!

Year 4: Tuesday 29^th September

4 K, H, G, P – 10:10 to 11:10 during their PE lesson

4 E, W, M – 11:10 to 12:10 during their PE lesson

Distances: 125m Swim with a 400m Run

Years 5 and 6 Monday 28^th September

5 W, N, M, J - 10:10 to 11:10 during their PE lesson

5 B, A, R - 11:10 to 12:10 during their PE lesson

6 B, G, P, H - 7:50 to 8:50 during their PE lesson

6 T, S, D - 8:50 to 9:50 during their PE lesson

For the Primary Aquathlon 2009, the children in years 5 and 6 can choose between two categories.

*The “Fun and Fitness” category is for those children who want to swim at the 25m pool and enjoy the Aquathlon at their own pace while improving the efficiency of their heart and lungs over a 150m swim and 400m run with the option of running 600m if they wish.

*The “Competitive” category is for children who would like to race against their peers and record a time over the standard Patana Primary Aquathlon Distance of 200m swim and 600m run.

Parents and Teachers

The BPS Aquathlon 2009 will once again be open to both teachers and parents to participate with their class or child. Come on Teachers, Mums and Dads, pull on your costumes and show your children how it should be done!

Training

All Key Stage 2 Children will train for the Aquathlon during their Swimming Lessons the week before, when particular attention will be paid to learning the course and setting up the swim to run transition.

Remember: Children will need to bring their PE Kit (including hats and trainers), Swimming Kit and Sun Cream to this training session as well as the event itself.

Blog training for parents and nursery visit photos

It was good to see so many parents who came in to learn more about reading and commenting on the blog. I hope the session was useful. It was useful to me to find out what difficulties you have.

Here are some photos from our visit to the School nursery (where plants grow up...not children!)

We were learning about how plants can be grown and changed by taking cuttings and by grafting.

Myths, Legends and Folktales

We've been reading a North American tale about how Coyote stole fire from the Fire Beings.

We're making books which retell the story in our own words.

We are thinking about the differences between myths and other kinds of writing.

We know that:

• myths are about made up events
• myths are set long ago and often begin with the words "Long, long ago..."
• myths often have clever or powerful heroes
• myths sometimes try to explain why things are the way they are. (How did the squirrel's tail go curly?)
  

Please leave a comment if you can think of other things we know about myths.

This link takes you to a great website where you can read OR make stories of your own. You can read stories made by other children here...why not have a go at making one yourself?

Follow this link to find a page which explains how myths, legends and folktales are different.

Seeds and plants

Please bring in seeds from home. We need them so that we can plant them at school because we want to learn how to help plants grow well.

You could get some seed packets from the market.

There might be some seed pods which you could collect and then plant.

You could save some seeds from your lunch. You might be able to find seeds from:

watermelon
banana? (would ants come if we planted a banana?)
pumpkins
apple seeds
tomato
pomelo
grapefruit
durian
coconut
longong
mango
orange,
tangerine,
mandarin,
satsuma,
lemon
lime,
mangosteen,
kiwi
cherry,
pear,
pineapple,
papaya,
grape,
lychee,
peach,
nectarine,
sunflower,
rock melon,
passion fruit,
cucumber,
potato,
sweet potato,
beans,
peas,
carrott,
sweetcorn,
onion,
garlic,

Want to hear some stories...straight from the school website

Go here on the school website and then enter your school username. There are several stories which you can listen to.

My favourite is George's Marvellous Medicine because I love the disgusting things he uses to make a potion.

Which is your favourite?

Go here for a quiz about George's Marvellous Medicine.

Do you play enough?

This BBC news story says that 9 out of 10 parents think that children work better when they are given time to play in school time.

What do you think?

Please leave a comment...remember that you can leave an anonymous comment, but I'd like you to put your name at the end of the comment box.

Have a good play at the weekend!

My snail poem

This is my shape poem

I am a snail that is slippery and soft.
I like to scare people when my head goes pop.
When I am old people throw me away.
I have a hard shell and small antennas.
slippery, slithery, sticky, oozy, gooey, icky.

Punn 3W

Student Council Reps and...It's not part of the topic but...

Well done to Joe and Punn, the brand new, sparkling and enthusiastic 3W Student Council Reps for Term 1 . We had our class election today and children voted anonymously for their choice.

A big thankyou to ALL of the children who PARTICIPATED in the election but were not the overall winners. These were:
Seb, Anika, Richie and Ali. Everyone took a RISK and stood up in front of the rest of the class and said why they thought they would be a good Rep and also told us a little about their ideas for what could be changed.

I'd like to say a huge well done to Seb, who took this risk AND has only just started at Patana this term.

...have a look at this site. Move your cursor across the river and see what happens...amazing!

Plants....

Who...?
What...?
Where...?
When...?
Why...?
Which...?
How...?

Today we drew labelled diagrams of the parts of plants. See here for the one I drew in class.
Here are some questions which we want to find out about.
How did we get the first plants? (Poon)
Where do we get seeds from? (Jessie)
How do flowers grow? (Seb)
How does a flower gets its colour? (Cane)
Do plants or flowers eat? (Rita)
Why do we need plants? (Ali)
How do flowers get energy? (Anika)
How do plants breathe? (Toby)
Does cotton grow on plants? (Richie)
What is a plant? (Joe)

Number facts crossword

Here's a great crossword which you can print out...maths and literacy in one neat package.

Beam does some excellent maths activities and can be found here.