Stainforth Kirton Lane Primary School

Engage, Innovate & Express Year 3

Spring 1: Rocks, Relics and Rumbles

This half term our Big Question has been "Are all rocks the same and what do we need them for?". To kickstart this topic we spent the afternoon exploring and investigating different rocks, looking carefully at the textures and patterns on the surfaces of the rocks and trying to identify and name different rocks.

Throughout the half term we have been learning all about these different types of rocks and why their different properties make them useful in different ways. We know that because chalk is soft, it makes good writing tool and because granite is hard, it makes a good kitchen worktop. We've also learned all about the world we live in, discovering that it is made of 4 layers and that the earth's crust is made of tectonic plates which are always moving! We found out that the movement of these tectonic plates causes volcanoes to form and erupt and earthquakes to happen. We investigated the effects of tectonic plates pushing into each other, pulling apart and sliding against each other by using biscuits (the tectonic plates) and jam (the mantle).

Our History Super Learning Day also linked to our topic learning as we talked about how one type of rock, coal, was mined locally at Hatfield Colliery until just a few years ago. We talked a little bit about what it would have been like to work as miner, some of the dangers of working in a mine and the impact the closure of Hatfield Colliery had on the local community. Some children shared stories of family members who used to work as miners. We used our sketching and painting skills to create beautiful and detailed drawings and paintings of one of the lifts at Hatfield Colliery and we then spent the afternoon doing our own archaeological dig on the school field.

Autumn 1: The Stone Age

Year 3 became Neolithic Stone Age people for a Pre-Historic Day out at Murton Park. We had a great time learning to hunt with spears, grind our own flour, weave our own fabric, create cave drawings and study artefacts.

Develop/Innovate: For our topic this half term we have become Historians!

We have learned that artefacts are an important source for helping Historians to figure out what life was like in the past. We have also spent lots of time researching and learning about life in the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic), Bronze Age and Iron Age and considering the ways in which life improved over time. We have also worked on our skills in sculpting to create our own clay pots in the style of the 'Beaker Folk' clay pots from the Bronze Age and have learned the importance of seam allowances and fabric patterns in preparation for creating our own Stone Age bags which are currently in the making...

Autumn 2: Mighty Metals

Engage: Our big question for this half term is "Can forces move an object without touching it?" so we kickstarted our topic by exploring everyday forces. We played with lots of toys and games which need to be pushed and pulled to work. Some of the toys and objects were also magnetic.

Develop: In Science, we have continued to explore the ways in which forces are used everyday. We have investigated how magnets work, learning that magnets have a north and south pole and will attract or repel each other depending on which poles are facing each other.

In our Design and Technology lessons we started by looking at everyday objects which have pivot and lever mechanisms and talked about why these types of mechanism are so useful. We've also been go-for-it-greens, working hard to make our own variety of pivot and lever mechanisms.

In Art we have learned about metal embossing, observing and discussing the work of Ninette Kruger and Magdalena Muldoon. We have practised making marks in metal by using pencils and clay tools to emboss aluminium foil. We will use our new skills in embossing to create our own intricate works of art.

Innovate: In the coming weeks we will use our knowledge of pivots and levers and our skills in making these mechanisms to design and make a prototype robot with an arm that can reach and grab. Watch this space for photos of our amazing creations!

Express: On completion of our prototype robots we will use stop animation to demonstrate to potential buyers exactly how the robots function and the different ways in which they can move. We will need to make sure the animations show the full potential of our robots in order to convince the buyers to purchase our prototypes and make them into real products!