3BC loved being ACE investigators this week as we discovered a significant Victorian artefact that changed the lives of people in Leeds. The day started with us wearing our ACE Geographer hats. Using a route map and an 8-point compass, we successfully navigated our way to Scotland Wood. There, in all its glory, stood the Seven Arches Aqueduct.

Using our compasses to orient ourselves, we completed panoramic observational drawings of the area. We also identified several unique plants growing in the woods, such as Lesser Celandine, Holly and Oak trees.

The children were excited to link what they have learnt about the Industrial Revolution—and the desperate need for clean water—to this important Leeds monument standing before them.

We also took some time to be absorbed in nature, listening to the peaceful sounds of the birds and the brook. Working in pairs, the children explored the environment to discover small things that brought them joy in the natural world.

It was a fantastic day of history, geography, and mindfulness!

This half-term, we have been thinking about what it means to be absorbed in our learning. We have learnt that absorption happens when we focus on two things: getting good at something and trying our hardest. When these two elements come together, we enter the “flow” of learning. The more we explore and connect our ideas, the more “sucked in” we get! Take a look at all the things we have connected together this half-term! 3BC also took some time to reflect on other moments when they feel truly absorbed:

“I am absorbed when I am kind to others. It makes me feel joy.” — Willow

“I am absorbed when we read George’s Marvellous Medicine because I get sucked into the story.” — Rose

“I am absorbed when I am learning and I persevere.” — Max

“When I am at gymnastics I am absorbed because it only feels like it has been one minute!” — Olivia

“I am absorbed when I am doing sport as I enjoy it.” — Charlie

It is wonderful to see the children identifying that “flow” feeling across so many different parts of their lives. Whether through kindness, reading, or sport, 3BC are becoming true masters of focus!

After baking our own muffins, we were set the challenge of thinking of our bakery name, branding and packaging. After looking at different font types, we set to work. We thought about how we were going to lay out the letters and created either horizontal, diagonal, arched or straight guidelines. We selected the letters that we needed before carefully positioning them on our page.

We pressed firmly on the ink pad and then printed each letter onto our page. We then enjoyed adding some embellishments.

How fantastic they look!

We enjoyed helping Mrs Wake water the plants this afternoon…

To celebrate World Book Day and the theme of bedtime stories, we enjoyed coming to school in our pyjamas! We also enjoyed sharing our favourite books and characters.

Over the last two weeks, Year 3 have been diving into the world of collaboration, discovering that two, four, or even thirty heads are often better than one. This teamwork was in full swing during our Reading Rounders carousel, where the children practised “thinking out loud” to explore our class novel, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

Using the ‘Reasoning Line’ in Maths, they worked in groups of four to tackle complex two-step word problems.

The classroom  erupted with energy during our Volcano presentations, which required turn-taking and shared research to showcase their geographical knowledge.

Finally, the children put their heads together in partnerships to navigate the map of Europe, successfully locating capital cities through joint effort. It’s been a fantastic fortnight of listening, sharing, and succeeding as one big team!

Lots of us have worked very hard at home and have created an amazing volcano! Some of us worked independently and some of us with our parents, siblings and other family members. We used our knowledge of volcanoes from our Geography lessons to label the different parts.

How fantastic they are!

We thoroughly enjoyed designing and making our very own pair of mittens! Just like a designer, we looked at different examples of mitten designs and their features before designing our own. We showed lots of resilience when using the running stitch to attach the two pieces of felt together. We also created our own design to make them more personal which we carefully sewed on. Threading the needle (for some of us multiple times) proved to be quite tricky but they children persevered and it was lovely to see so many support and encourage one another.

Hopefully the weather will continue to warm up so there won’t be a need to wear them but they’ll be perfect for next winter!

How amazing our creations are!

3BC used their storytelling skills with a hands-on investigation of light to deliver an the epic tale of Lemminkainen. The children worked in collaborative teams to build their own shadow puppet theaters. The “secret ingredients” to their success were their mastery of opaque, translucent, and transparent materials. They carefully chose opaque cardstock to create the bold, dark silhouettes of the characters, used translucent fabrics to create the misty, magical atmosphere, and transparent layers to let the light shine through clearly. What a show!

To help us understand the terms: transparent, translucent and opaque we enjoyed searching for objects around the classroom.

Some materials surprised us when we held them up to the light and we discovered that it was translucent rather than opaque.