Welcome to

Sapphire Class 2022

Curriculum
Letter

Curriculum
Map

Useful Links

Sapphire Class is the year 3/4 class and is taught by Mr Kricka. Mrs Beckett teaches Computing and P.E.
We are supported by Mrs Davies.

Our Learning

Summer 2

This half term the children visited Arger Fen to support their learning about habitats and plants. We spent the morning on a bug hunt and managed to find a range of crawling and flying creatures. The children practiced using a key to help them identify each creature. In the afternoon the children looked at a range of skulls and used clues to work out what animal each skull belonged to. They also interviewed a plant, and after carefully observing and drawing it they gave their plant a name. Some were very interesting!

In English, the children have been learning about Anthony Browne. They read a number fo stories written by him and then wrote their own version of Zoo.

In maths, the children have been learning to tell the time. To apply their understanding, they took part in an investigation and used their reasoning skills to explain their answers.

The children have also been learning about the parts of a flowers and about the roles they play in plant reproduction. They produced a labeled 2d model of a flower and wrote desc riptions of each parts role.

In Geography, the children have learned about land use and how urban and rural areas differ. They have produced maps of the local area and created keys. Using symbols they have learned to show a range of landmarks on their maps and the year 4 children even thought about scale and distance. They have studied the differences between urban and rural land uses and discussed how some, like housing can be in both areas but is very different.

In Art, The children have learned how to paint in the style of Georgia O'keefe and have painted a range of flowers. They have also studied the work of J. W. Turner and recreated landscapes using techniques from his work.

Summer 1
We have been busy this half term. Here is what we have been learning:

D.T.- Mechanical Posters
We learned about levers and linkages and made mechanisms that move. We then adapted these to create a recycling themed poster. Have a look at some here:

In Science, we have been studying plants and set up an investigation to test different requirements for growth.

We have been busy writing shape poems in English.

We learned about the nearby town of Hadleigh and its weaving heritage in History.

In Maths we have been learning about money. We used finding the difference or adjusting to calculate change.

Anchor 1

Spring 2

This half term the children have written stories inspired by the film Fantastic Mr Fox based on the book by by Roald Dahl.

They learned about non-chronological reports and wrote insect and plant guides for our bark path area. They enjoyed writing. for a purpose and are looking forward to seeing their texts displayed among the trees and bushes for the other children to read.

In Maths, the parents and children took part in a Maths cafe where they listened to the story of 'SirCumfrence at the Fraction Fayre' and then worked out fractions of varies shapes.

In R.E. this half term the children learned about Sikhism and the concept of being a Guru. They thought of a Guru as a teacher and were able to see how these teachers moved people from darkness into the light. They thought of their own 'lightbulb' moments and who they would go to for help.

In Geography the children have been on journey around the world, learning about where our food comes from. They used maps of the world to study climate zones such as the Tropics and temperate zones. They learned about the Mediterranean climate zone and how this was good for. growing fruit like lemons and olives. All of this talk of food made them very hungry.

In Art, the children developed their understand of collage by creating pieces based on 'The Dance' by Henri Matisse. They then looked at combining different media and creating distorted portraits inspired by Francis Bacon's 'Self Portrait'.

In Science the children learned about classification and characteristics of various invertebrates. They went hunting for some and created keys to help others identify them.

Spring 1 2023

In English this half term, the children read stories in familiar settings written by Francesca Simon. They then planned and wrote a Horrid Henry inspired story based on character they had invented after meeting some of Henry's friends.

As part of their History learning , the children also read and watched a recount of life as an Egyptian slave. The discovered what life would have been like and wrote a diary entry detailing the thoughts and feelings of a worker. After this the children found out about Howard Carter's famous discovery in 1922 and wrote diary entries detailing this.

In science the children discovered the three states of matter and conducted a range of practical investigations to demonstrate changes in state. They observed different coloured ice melting to create a new coloured water. They also created puddles and observed evaporation thought the day. Finally, they made rain of the own and discovered the role that evaporation and condensation played in the water cycle and discussed the question; What if water didn't evaporate?

In design technology this half term, the children took part in the Great Bread Bake-Off. They analysed existing bread products and evaluated their taste, texture and colour. Then they began to create the design criteria based other research. They tasted a range of added ingredients before deciding on a final design which had to be an appealing shape and use added ingredients. The judges were very impressed with the results:

Autumn 2 2022

This term in English, the children wrote newspaper articles based on The Lighthouse. They had to become reporters and interview the keeper and the local villagers as well as the ship's crew. They produced so excellent work in their final pieces based on Pigeon Impossible which you can see below:

In History this half term the children learned about the Stone Age to the Iron Age. We had a visit from a Stone Age man called Ugg and he took us on a journey through time where the children could see how people lived and how they evolved to become better hunters.

In Science this half term the children learned about teeth and the digestive system. They investigated tooth decay using egg shells and observed the effects of sugary drinks on your tooth enamel.

In R.E., the children have been learning about Islam. They had a virtual tour of a mosque and were able to recreate their own model mosque to show what was inside.

Autumn 1 2022

This term in English, the children read The Firework Maker's Daughter and wrote informal letters between the characters. They all thought that Lila was an excellent role model and she inspired them to keep on going when pursuing their dreams and ambitions.

The children also wrote performance poetry in the form of instructions and began by reading and analysing 'Instructions for Giants'. They then decided on what they would like the giants to keep and destroy and write some poems of their own. They also learned how to perform a poem and how rhyme gives a poem rhythm.

Finally, the children used their knowledge of volcanoes that they had been learning about in Geography to write their own non- chronological reports.

In Design Technology this half term the children researched, designed and made their own juggling balls. They had to look at some existing designs and evaluate them based on a range of criteria. They then used their findings to design juggling balls of their own and then made them using a range of sewing stitches.

In Science this half term the children learned about rocks and soils. They investigated different types of rock and tested their hardness and permeability. They found out what soil is made from and tested a range of samples to find the best soaker and drainer.

In Geography, the children learned about volcanoes. They found out how they are formed and how they can be both destructive and useful. They looked at a number of famous volcanoes and learned what happens when they erupt.

In R.E., the children have been learning about Jesus as a saviour. They looked at what it meant to be a saviour and how that relates to their lives. Also how Jesus showed he was a saviour through his actions. The children read stories from the Bible and talked about how he had saved people and showed them how to live.

In P.S.H.E. the children learned about respect and how this looks and sounds. They also learned about different ways to show respect and discussed a range of scenarios.

Summer Term 2

English

This term, the children learned about stories about issues and read The Great Kapok Tree. They then wrote stories of their own based on its structure. We had a brilliant variety of versions; some based under the sea and some based in outer space. All of the stories had a message that humans are destroying habitats without thinking about the consequences.

History

The children learned about the Mayan civilisation this term. They found out how important maize was to these people and how they ate it almost everyday! They also discovered the significance of an early form of chocolate and the ceremonial role this played in their society.

They discovered how clever the Mayans were and learned about their number system, which included one of the earliest uses of a zero. The children learned how to write a range of numbers and completed some Mayan Maths challenges. They were able to discuss the connections and contrasts this numbers system has with other civilisations and modern day society.

The children learned about the structure of Mayan society and found out who was most and least important. They even played games at playtime pretending to be priests and farmers and slaves…thankfully there were no sacrifices!

Science

This term in Science the children learned about the significance of flowers, their parts and their function. This included the lifecycle of a flowering plant. They were able to observe and draw the parts of flowers and follow a plant from flowering to producing seeds. They then discovered the many ways that seeds are dispersed and conducted an investigation into seeds dispersed by the wind by making and testing a seed model. They set up and performed fair tests, observed, recorded and present their findings.

Art

In art this term the children developed their understanding of working with textiles by producing a dyed and printed piece. First the children dip dyed a fabric square and then created a collagraph printing block using string, spaghetti and beans inspired by Mayan patterns.

Summer Term 1

In English this half term the children have been learning about adverts and persuasion. They created some spy gadgets and had to describe them using some amazing adjectives.

They also learned about explanation texts and created some art machines of their own to write about. There were carving, painting and tie-dying creations. They had to use casual conjunctions and write in the present tense. For their final piece they invented their own butterfly and wrote an explanation of its lifecycle.

In Science this half term the children learned about muscles and bones and a healthy diet. They learned about the food groups and created some healthy meals. They also conducted a sugar and fruit and vegetable portion survey. They then investigated muscle strength and if it relates to the amount of exercise, graphing their results once they had completed.

In Design Technology the children found out about food you can grow in your own garden. They learned how to be food safe and practised chopping techniques. They then evaluated some strawberry smoothies and used their findings to design a smoothie of their own. They were delicious.

In Geography the children compared Andalusia and Suffolk and discovered that both regions have a lot in common and some very significant differences. They looked at the physical geography of both places and discovered that they are both mainly flat which is why they are important regions for farming. They noticed that Andalusia is also a coastal region, like Suffolk, and how many people travel there for beach holidays.

In R.E. the children learned about the Kingdom of God. They started by designing a crown and thinking about what the ideal kingdom might be like. They then learned about the way that God wanted Christians to live and how Jesus taught this through parables.

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Spring Term 2

English

In English this half term the children learned about the features of fables. They found out that the characters were animals and then thought of some characters for their own fables based on The Hare and the Tortoise. There were lots of interesting character combinations using fast and slow-moving animals. After this they wrote a fable of their own based on the moral; don’t be greedy.

We then wrote adverts after learning a model text using talk for writing. The model advert was for a spy gadget which linked to our class reader for this half term: Anisha: Accidental Detective. The children then planned and wrote adverts for their own spy gadgets. :

In Science this half term, the children learned about sound. They were able to see sound waves in action using tuning forks and a glass of water. They also investigated how sound travels by making and. testing string telephones. They experimented with varying pitch by making a straw whistle which they cut to different lengths. They also investigated sound proofing and had to choose the best material to stop sound waves from travelling. See the sound in action below:

Our history topic this half term was a study of British clothing through the ages. The children stopped off in each time-period, starting with medieval Britain and researched the types of clothing worn by the rich and poor.

In Design Technology the children made their own kites. They started by researching and evaluating some existing products. They also learned about the parts of a kite; their function and why they were made from certain materials. All of this fed into their designs and they then made and tested them.

Spring Term 1

In English this half term the children have been reading Butterfly Lion by Michael Morpurgo. They have written setting descriptions based on the waterhole and persuasive letters to convince Bertie's dad to keep the lion.

For poetry this half term they have been 'keen learners' and studied kennings and other forms of list poems.

In art this half term we have been developing skills in printing and learned a number of techniques using lots of different materials. The children have spent lots of time mastering how to ink up rollers and have tried relief printing in a variety of ways. They designed a printing tile based on animal fur patterns and printed these in their sketch books. Finally they used plasticine to make a stamp to print a repeated pattern using overprinting in a range of colours.

In Science the children have been investigating light. They have experimented with reflection and learned that bright colours reflect the most light. The year 4 children had a challenge to decide on the best fabric for some high visibility clothing. They then investigated shadows and how moving the object further away form the light source can change the appearance of the shadow.

In Geography this half term the children have been learning about rivers and the water cycle. They looked at local river (The River Brett) and found out that the start of a river is called the source and that the end of a river is called the mouth. They then found out about some of the other features such as meanders and the three parts of a river: the upper, middle and lower course.

In French the children have learned how to say a range of clothes and colours and can tell you what they are wearing.

Autumn 2

In English this half term the children learned all about instructions by making a dream catcher. They then created their own playground games and wrote instructions for how to play them.

Do you have an electric personality? Sapphire class spent their Design Technology lesson looking at electric toys and created one of their own. They created robots with lights and animals with moving tails. They had to use their knowledge of circuits to make their personality come to life.

In Science the children learned about circuits and tested different materials to find out if they were conductors or not.

In Geography this half term the children have been on a round-the-world trip, learning about the countries of the Southern Hemisphere, Northern Hemisphere and the Equator. They found out about the amount of daylight hours in countries in the Arctic Circle and thought about how this would affect their lives. They learned about lines of latitude and longitude and how to find countries given coordinates on a globe.

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Autumn 1

Sapphire Class visited Colchester Castle to support our study of the Romans in History. We had a story tour of the Roman temple vaults, time exploring the museum galleries and hands on archaeological activities where we had to build a Celtic roundhouse and Roman villa. We were able to reinforce our understanding of chronology, examine evidence and problem solve, all through practical and creative tasks.

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English

This half term we have been writing our own fairy stories inspired by the work of Hans Christian Andersen. We read The Princess and the Pea and explored how some other authors had adapted this popular fairy-tale. After reading Lauren Child’s version we thought carefully about our description and language choices. After reading Rachel Isadora’s version set in Africa, we thought about a setting of our own. The children chose underwater, futuristic and space settings for their own stories and we had a range of different objects to represent the pea such as; a meteor, a pearl and even a microchip!

For our non-fiction unit, we learned about non chronological reports and focussed on writing in third person and present tense. We also learned about paragraphs. We looked a variety of sports-based reports as an inspiration for our writing and our final piece was based on the Roman army which was our history topic. We wrote about the soldier’s weapons and armour. Also, about their training and included some interesting facts. Did you know that a Roman soldier had to buy their own sword and shield?

For poetry we learned about Haikus. These are a Japanese form of poetry that paint a picture of a scene. They are made up of 3 lines. The first and last lines have to have 5 syllables and the middle line has 7. We looked at manga characters and a film called Howl’s Moving Castle and this inspired us to write to describe the castle. We focussed on using powerful verbs and interesting adjectives.

For our class reader we discovered what a horrid, stinking pair the Twits are and enjoyed seeing them get what they deserved at the end of the story.

In Science we have been learning about forces and magnets. We investigated push and pull forces by testing how different surfaces effected the amount of force needed to push or pull a car along. We then looked at magnets and discovered materials that are magnetic or non-magnetic. We found out that the magnetic materials were all metal. Although we also found out through a coin investigation that not all metals are magnetic.

In Art we have been learning about 3d forms. We cast a shoe using brown gummed tape and then came up with our own design after looking at a range of shoes and their purpose.

In R.E. we have been learning about Reconciliation and have thought deeply about what this means. We used the picture of a zip to support our thinking and how this puts two sides back together again. We read the parable of the lost son and discussed how this demonstrated to Christians the importance of reconciliation and then thought about how Christians practice this in their daily lives and through worship. In response to this we made our own prayer kits. We looked at some important Christian figures such as Desmond Tutu who was a peacemaker and to demonstrate our learning we made peacemaker badges for people to wear in school.

In P.S.H.E we have been learning about how we can manage fallings out and what choices we have. We thought about what a friend is and what friends do. The children discussed and shared what is important to them in their own friendships. Then we looked at the good and not so good choices and thought about ways to mend or friendships and make them stronger.

Computing this half term has helped us to think further about how we can keep safe online, how we should behave online and what we do if something happens that we are not sure of or that makes us feel uncomfortable. We have looked at how we can protect our identities online and how we should represent ourselves. The relationships we form online were also something we considered as we start to explore playing games with people outside of school. We all agreed that we should continue to treat people in a way we would like to be treated when we are online and that we shouldn’t say anything to anyone online that we wouldn't say to them face to face.

In PE we have been developing our Basketball skills and creating our own Yoga flows. In Basketball, we looked at dribbling styles, fouls, options for passing, defending and shooting. Unfortunately, we had a wet weather session but we made the most of it and did some rhythm drumming with pool noodles in the hall which was a lot of fun and kept us very active! We looked at lots of different poses in Yoga and then transferred them into some Yoga flows. We then went on to create some Yoga flows of our own using what we had learnt. We also found out lots of breathing exercises and ways to focus on positive thoughts and get rid of negative thoughts which was very helpful.

Welcome to

Sapphire Class 2022

Curriculum Letter

Curriculum Map

Useful Links

Sapphire Class is the year 3/4 class and is taught by Mr Kricka. Mrs Beckett teaches Computing and P.E. We are supported by Mrs Davies.

Our Learning

Summer 2

Curriculum
Letter

Curriculum
Map

Sapphire Class is the year 3/4 class and is taught by Mr Kricka. Mrs Beckett teaches Computing and P.E.
We are supported by Mrs Davies.