Clovers - Miss carroll
End of Term 4
Clovers Class have had a truly wonderful Term 4 with World Book Day events which included a visit from the author Mark Robertson who helped us learn how to draw dragons and a visit to Ashton Gate stadium to meet another author who inspired us to write about our passions. We had a fabulous visit to ‘Slimbridge’ to help us with our understanding of animal habitats (meeting some rather smelly flamingos along the way) and, best of all, thanks to the PTA, as of March 31st, Clovers Class adopted a capybara at Noah’s Ark Farm Zoo!
We have written wanted ads for the mysterious Professor Van Tam (from the book Ancient Egypt Sleepover) using our skills in descriptive writing, and created magnificent fact files on Egyptian Mummies, and the history of the Iron Age.
Maths had been met with a challenge and determination to succeed. Scattered amongst some fractions revision, Clovers have made progress in their understanding of some rather tricky division activities.
Clovers have made raisins dance in science, created masterpieces of art using the stimuli of Ruth Daniels and William Morris, and have shown courage, control and balance, when using the PE climbing frame and vaults when participating in gymnastics.
Finally, in RE, we learned about the importance of ‘dharma’ in the Sikh religion and how we can use this in our everyday life to show our school values of Respect and Empathy.
Once again, another terrific term leading to the achievement of our 5000th dojo point and another Dojo afternoon in Term 5!
Overview for Term 4
English: Reading and Writing
Clovers Class will continue to use the book ‘The Ancient Egypt Sleepover.’ by Stephen Davies for fluency of reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills and this term, they will also use it as stimulus for writing. The children will refine their skills in creating effective paragraphs, using direct speech appropriately, writing settings, character descriptions and building their grammar skills: prepositional phrases, pronouns, adverbs and fronted adverbials. They will also work on their presentation and understanding of non-fiction texts in using this book as well as within their cross-curricular writing in Science, History and RE.
We will also celebrate World Book Day on March 5th with a dress-up day (character, book, favourite word- should your child wish to participate) and a range of fun activities throughout the day. Additionally, on March 6th, we will have a writing workshop from the author Mark Robertson (The Egg, The Dragon Snatcher, The Sandcastle, Dare to Care for a pet Dragon and Ice trap.)
Spelling
Spelling comes in three forms: home learning (statutory words), practise in school (spelling rules and patters) and personal spellings.
Term 3’s home learning will be from the statutory words list for Y3/4: m-p: material medicine mention minute natural naughty notice occasion(ally) often opposite ordinary particular peculiar perhaps popular position possess (ion) possible potatoes pressure probably promise purpose.
Some children will use the following as their statutory words for the term: many, money, move, mind, most, mother, monkey, music, night, next, never, nothing, new, nice, number, people, path, plant, past, pass, pretty, poor
Class learning will be:
Some children will have their spelling focus as: homophones, words with the suffixes ful, less and ly: bad, play, hope, care, happy, sad, colour and harm.
Year 3 will focus: prefixes: auto and super, homophones, the ‘ch’ sound in ache, anchor, school, Christmas, choir and echo, and proof-reading, editing and dictation.
Year 4 will focus: prefixes: anti and inter, endings spelt with ‘-cian’, ‘-sion’, ‘-tion’ and ‘-ssion’, and proof-reading, editing and dictation.
There will also be some personal spellings which may include words such as because and different and the homophones: their, there, they’re, your, you’re, with, which, witch, our and are.
Maths:
Term 4 has a focus on formal multiplication and division with fractions continuing to be reinforced throughout the term.
Y3 Clovers will continue to focus the 8 times table introducing the 6 times table in Term 4. Meanwhile, Y4 will focus on speed of recall of all times tables. They will also begin their timed preparation for the Multiplication Check using https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Check and https://talkingtimestables.uk/y4_ks2_mtc_practice_tests_multiplication_tables_check.php
See parent/carer notes:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/multiplication-tables-check-information-for-parents
All children will be encouraged to use known facts to discover other facts using ‘If I know 2 X 5 is 10, then I know 10 ÷ 2 is 5, and so on as this will support them in their understanding of division- a key focus for Term 4 maths.
Science:
Science for 4 in Clovers Class continues to be ‘From the Amazon Rainforest to Antarctica’ relating to changing state of solids, liquids and gases. Clovers will be able to identify, compare and describe theses, consider why The Amazon is known as the ‘Lungs of the World’, construct food chains, identify prey, predators and producers, and investigate condensation and evaporation. There will be opportunities for Year 4 to revisit their understanding of the Water Cycle to teach Year 3, whilst learning more about temperature.
We will also visit Slimbridge Wetland Centre to investigate animal and bird life on March 27th.
History:
This term is a history focus. Clovers Class will continue their understanding of a timeline with the focus on Bronze and Iron Ages following on from Term 2’s Stone Age. The Big Question: How and why did life change between the Stone Age and the Iron Age?
The children will learn about cause and consequences, adaptations and developments in agriculture, society, buildings and tools/weapons and equipment. They will investigate the legacy these periods in time have left on today’s world and how it impacted the success of the Egyptians (in preparation for Term 6’s history).
PE:
Clovers will develop their skills in balance, strength, and agility in gymnastics throughout Term 4. They will have the opportunity to use sports equipment (including the climbing frame) to create shapes, balances, rolls. The children will have the opportunity to work with a partner and build confidence in jumping whilst creating a variety of shapes, from varying heights.
Please note: PE will now be Tuesdays and Fridays.
We will also visit Ashton Gate Stadium as part of the Robins Foundation outreach programme on the afternoon of Wednesday March 11th.
RE:
Term 3 investigates Sikhism with the Big Question: How does the teaching of the gurus move Sikhs from dark to light? The word ‘guru’ means teacher, honoured or religious person or saint and Clovers will consider who these people are in their lives and how their actions support them in their daily lives. The children will think about how they should live their lives and in turn how they themselves can become the teacher.
PSHE
Term 4 PSHE has a focus on ‘Healthy Me’ thinking about how to be healthy physically, mentally and emotionally. We will consider food choices that will be healthy, behaviour choices that will help us in being happy, relaxed and calm and learn some techniques to support our emotional wellbeing.
French:
The children will continue to learn names of vegetables. They will be encouraged to ask for vegetables in role-play at a market, and draw, label and match the names of these foods.
Art:
Term 4 is an Art term. Clovers Class will investigate patterns in society from wallpaper, to painting, to cloth. We will learn abut Willima Morris, Megan Carter and Ruth Daniels.
Please note: any old, clean and unused patterned fabrics would be wonderful to have if you were able to donate any to Clovers Class.
I.T.
In Term 4, Clovers will learn more about programming with a particular focus on repetition in shapes- an excellent connection to our learning in Art. The children will create programs by planning, modifying, and testing commands to create shapes and patterns.
End of Term 3
What an incredibly busy and engaging term Clovers Class have had. From learning about solids, liquids and gases in science, to being able to describe the four layers of the Amazon rainforest in geography. From comparing fractions and finding equivalence in maths, to writing using the present perfect tense, Clovers Class have emersed themselves in their lessons and have continued to make wonderful progress.
Our visit from ‘Zoolab’ helped us in understanding the habitats and features of many animals found in a rainforest whilst our writing work in English lessons, helped us learn about Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius.
We have been excited to read and discuss our book ‘The Ancient Egypt Sleepover’ honing our skills in listening carefully, making predictions, sharing ideas and even challenging each other when we have a different point of view.
Finally, our wonderfully eclectic Class Assembly demonstrated our geographical knowledge, our fabulous yoga skills and our magnificent singing.
Well done, Clovers!
Overview for Term 3
English: Reading and Writing
Clovers Class will use the book ‘The Ancient Egypt Sleepover.’ by Stephen Davies to continue to develop fluency of reading, increase their range of vocabulary and improve their comprehension skills. This magic mystery book will also support Clovers pupils in their adventurous writing and role-play skills. It will also be of benefit to them in preparation for learning about Egyptians later in the year.
As this is a short term, ‘The Ancient Egypt Sleepover’, will be continued in to Term 4.
Our Reading for Pleasure whole class book will be: ‘Gregory Cool’ by Caroline Binch.
Using the picture book/short text, ‘Escape from Pompeii.’ by Christina Balt, the theme of displacement, danger and destruction are all wrapped up in this book based on the adventures of a young Roman boy caught up in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Clovers will be encouraged to use paragraphs, develop their skills in using direct speech with appropriate punctuation, and learn to use the correct verb tenses-progressive and the present perfect (a verb tense used to talk about something that started in the past and is continuing at the present time.) They will develop these skills by writing settings, character descriptions, diary entries and letters.
Spelling
Spelling comes in three forms: home learning (statutory words), practise in school (spelling rules and patters) and personal spellings.
Term 3’s Home learning will be from the statutory words list for Y3/4: f- l: famous, favourite, February, forward (and forwards), fruit, grammar, group, guard, guide, heard, heart, height, history, imagine, increase, important, interest, island, knowledge, learn, length, library
Class learning will be:
Year 3 will focus on suffixes ‘-ness’ and ‘-ful’ following a consonant, prefixes ‘sub-’ and ‘tele-’ and the apostrophe for contractions.
Year 4 will focus on prefixes ‘anti-’ and ‘inter-’ and endings which sound like /ʃən/ spelt ‘-cian’, ‘-sion’, ‘-tion’ and ‘-ssion’
There will also be some personal spellings which may include words such as beautiful, colour, colourful, where, were, are, our.
Maths:
Y3 Clovers will continue to focus on the 2-, 3- and 4-times tables to secure their knowledge but will also begin to commit to memory the 8 times table. Meanwhile, Y4 will focus on speed of recall of the 7 and 9 timetable but will also be expected to dabble in other the times tables throughout the term. tables. All children will be encouraged to use known facts to discover other facts using ‘If I know 2 X 5 is 10, then I know 10 ÷ 2 is 5, and so on….
Place Value will be revisited in Term 3 looking at tenths (ths) for Y4 when rounding to the nearest unit, and for Year 3, the importance of place value of addition when adding a 3-digit number to a 2-digit number.
Both year groups will revisit subtraction and addition before moving on to fractions: identifying simple fractions of diagrams, comparing and ordering fractions and in Y4, adding/subtracting.
Science:
Science for Terms 3 and 4 in Clovers Class is ‘From the Amazon Rainforest to Antarctica’ relating to changing state of solids, liquids and gases. Clovers will be able to identify, compare and describe theses, consider why The Amazon is known as the ‘Lungs of the World’, construct food chains, identify prey, predators and producers, and investigate condensation and evaporation. There will be opportunities for Year 4 to revisit their understanding of the Water Cycle to teach Year 3, whilst learning more about temperature.
Geography:
This term is a Geography focus. Clovers Class will investigate the Amazon Rainforest with direct links to science. They will learn about the location, the distance from our own country, the physical features and the effects- both positive and negative- human society has on the ‘Lungs of the World’. The children will also learn about the layers of the Rainforest and the specific terms used to identify each zone.
PE:
Clovers will develop team building skills through fielding and attacking games such as hockey, with the support of the Robins Foundation Team on Wednesdays. Friday afternoons will consist of yoga and dance- improving balance and posture and self-interpretation to music.
RE:
Term 3 investigates Hinduism in RE. The children of Clovers Class will learn about the story of Rama and Sita thinking about the Big Question: ‘How does the story inspire Hindus to follow their dharma?’: religion, duty and righteousness.
PSHE
Term 3 PSHE has a focus on ‘Dreams and Goals’ thinking about who and what inspires us to be better- the very best we can be. In addition, who and what can hinder us in achieving these dreams and goals and consider ways in which we can overcome these obstacles.
French:
The children will begin to learn names of vegetables following on from learning about fruit in Term 2. They will be encouraged to ask for fruits and vegetables in role-play at a market, and draw, label and match the names of these foods.
D.T:
Term 3 is a Design and Technology term. Clovers Class will investigate the skills and techniques required for ‘Mechanical Systems – mechanical cars.’ They will draw exploded diagrams and annotated sketches of their design. choose and use appropriate tools and materials to make mechanical cars and measure and compare the distance travelled by the different cars they make.
Music:
Throughout the year, Clovers Class will be learning a variety of songs and genres to support them in their participation of the Bristol Beacon Performance in July. Through this, they will learn about pitch, rhythm, beat and performance skills. Alongside this, they will also follow the school syllabus using the Charanga programme. This includes ‘Let Your Spirit Fly’, ‘Three Little Birds’- Term 3, and ‘Lean on Me’, as well as learning to accompany songs with the glockenspiel.
End of Term 2
It has been another busy term of learning in Clovers Class. We have learned all about The Stone Age with a particular focus on the homes and tools that were used during this historical period of time. Clovers were able to sequence the events of this era on a timeline and use it to understand the importance of farming and construction. Towards the end of term, pupils designed and built model versions of Stone Age homes; considering the shape and texture of their work, with some others recreating modelled version of Stonehenge.
In maths, addition and subtraction have been a key feature of learning, whilst in Writing, Clovers have continued to identify, compare and use noun phrases and expanded noun phrases.
As part of Clovers Class ongoing learning in Science- our bodies- we have researched and calculated dietary information to create a balanced diet, comparing some of our favourite foods and drinks with more healthier options.
We have also been lucky to once again, have some Art lessons with BGS looking at still life and depth of perception.
Finally, many of Clovers Class participated in the Bristol Beacon ‘Big Winter Sing’ which was as ever, truly wonderful.
Overview for Term 2
Reading
In reading, Year 3 will be exploring Tilly and the Time Machine. Through this exciting text, pupils will continue to build fluency and deepen their comprehension skills. They will practise retrieving key information, making inferences, and discussing characters and events in detail. Regular guided reading sessions and class discussions will help pupils develop confidence, understanding, and a love of reading.
English
In English, pupils will use Leon and the Place Between as inspiration for their writing. Year 3 will revisit fronted adverbials, conjunctions, adverbs, and expanded noun phrases to make their writing more engaging and descriptive. Year 4 will focus on creating atmosphere in setting descriptions, using a wider range of vocabulary and ensuring accurate use of standard English verb forms. Both year groups will continue to develop their grammar, punctuation, and editing skills to produce well-structured and imaginative writing.
Maths
Children in Years 3 and 4 will focus on addition and subtraction this term. They will use a variety of efficient strategies, including column methods, to solve problems accurately and confidently. Lessons will encourage reasoning, mental fluency, and explaining methods clearly to strengthen mathematical understanding.
History
Our history topic this term is the Stone Age. Pupils will examine artefacts and evidence to learn how early humans lived, hunted, and built communities. They will investigate how tools and ways of life changed over time and explore what these discoveries reveal about the past.
Science
In science, pupils will continue learning about nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet. They will explore how food provides energy and nutrients and consider how our diet affects our overall health and wellbeing. Lessons will include practical investigations and discussions linking science to real-life choices.
PE
PE will take place on Wednesdays with the Robins and on Fridays, with a focus on team building. Through a range of cooperative games and challenges, pupils will develop communication, coordination, and problem-solving skills while learning to work effectively as part of a team.
French
This term, pupils will be learning the names of musical instruments in French. They will practise identifying, saying, and recognising them through interactive speaking and listening activities, building confidence in pronunciation and everyday vocabulary.
RE
In Religious Education, pupils will explore the religion of Islam, focusing on the key question: Why do Muslims call Muhammad the “Seal of the Prophets”? They will learn about the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and reflect on how his message continues to guide Muslims today.
PSHE
In PSHE, pupils will explore themes such as individuality, respect, and resilience. They will discuss topics including challenging assumptions, managing friendships, understanding diversity, and celebrating what makes everyone unique. Later in the term, they will focus on hopes and dreams, working as part of a team, overcoming disappointment, and preparing for change in a positive way.
Music
Children will be rehearsing for the Big Winter Sing, developing their vocal and performance skills. They will explore rhythm, pitch, and expression while learning to perform confidently as part of a group.
Computing
In computing, pupils will study systems and networks. They will learn how computers communicate, explore how information travels across networks, and develop an understanding of how the internet connects people and devices safely.
End of Term 1
Clover Class have had a fantastic first term, showing real enthusiasm and progress across all subjects. In English, they enjoyed Tilly and the Time Machine and Gorilla, improving their vocabulary, comprehension, and writing skills. In Maths, they strengthened their understanding of place value, number facts, and times tables, while in Science they explored the human skeleton and teeth through hands-on investigations. Geography lessons saw them compare Naples and Bristol using maps and grid references, and in DT they designed and built impressive pavilion structures. The children developed teamwork and resilience in PE, reflected thoughtfully in RE and PSHE, and made a great start to their music work as they prepared songs for the Bristol Beacon performance. It’s been a busy and successful term for everyone in Clover Class.
Overview for Term 1
English: Reading and Writing
Clovers Class will use the book ‘Tilly and the Time Machine’ by Ade Edmonson to develop fluency of reading, increase their range of vocabulary and improve their comprehension skills through a variety of question styles including oral work, written responses to questions and predictions based on evidence found in the text.
Note: ‘Tilly and the Time Machine’ touches on the death of a parent. Please be assured this will be discussed sensitively and appropriately within the lessons and furthermore in PSHE activities.
Using the picture book ‘Gorilla; by Anthony Browne, the themes of loneliness and friendship will be explored through illustration as well as text. Clovers will be encouraged to use noun and expanded noun phrases in their sentences, develop their understanding of the importance of punctuation (capital letters, full stops and commas) and will improve their skills in using and applying verbs whilst considering fronted adverbials. They will also be encouraged to think about prepositions (above, below, next too etc.) when writing sentences about scenes from the book.
Spelling
Spelling comes in three forms: home learning (statutory words), practise in school (spelling rules and patters) and personal spellings.
Term 1’s Home learning will be from the statutory words list for Y3/4: a-b words-accident, accidentally, actual, actually, address, answer, appear, arrive, believe, bicycle, breath, breathe, build, busy, business.
Class learning will be:
Year 3 will focus on word endings such as er, ed, ing, s, es, the prefixes un and dis and the sounds ‘ei’ (vein), ‘eigh’ (eight), ‘aigh’ (straight) or ‘ey’ (they).
Year 4 will review their understanding of the possessive apostrophe with singular proper nouns, and homophones (peace/piece, main/mane, fair/fare).
There will also be some personal spellings which may include words such as believe, friend, much and who.
Maths:
Y3 Clovers will primarily focus on the 2-, 3- and 4-times tables to secure their knowledge and speed of recall, while Y4 will begin to focus on speed of recall of the 6 and 7 tables. All children will be encouraged to use known facts to discover other facts using ‘If I know 2 X 5 is 10, then I know 10 ÷ 2 is 5, and so on….
Place Value is the main focus for all children in Clovers Cass including recognising the value of 3 and 4 digit numbers, comparing and ordering, adding and subtracting.
Year 3 will also investigate tenths as fractions and decimals, polygons and prisms whilst Year 4 will investigate positive and negative numbers, triangles, trapeziums and quadrilaterals.
Science:
Science for Terms 1 and 2 in Clovers Class is Our Amazing Human Body (biology based): The skeleton and Teeth. The children will be able to identify and explain that skeletons (human and animal), support, protect and move, naming several bones. They will be able to identify, compare, describe and label teeth (human and animal) and be encouraged to observe, ask questions, make sensible predictions, and read, draw and interpret data.
Geography:
This term is a Geography focus. Clovers Class will investigate the comparisons between the Port of Naples, Italy, with Bristol. They will think about the question: How is Naples different to Bristol? The children will compare the size, location, population, climate, landmarks and use of the port between these two cities. They will develop their mapping skills to decipher contour lines, read and interpret a ‘key’ and use grid references to 2 places.
PE:
Clovers will develop football skills supported by the Robins Foundation Team on Wednesdays, and on Friday mornings, will consist of fundamental skills of being able to balance, run, dodge, hop, jump and skip whilst also encouraging social and emotional thinking to be part of a team, show resilience and a determination to succeed.
RE:
Term 1 investigates Christianity in RE. The children of Clovers Class will think about how we can all demonstrate empathy towards others using the Big Question: How does believing Jesus is their Saviour, inspire Christians to save and serve others?
PSHE
Linked to English, Black History Month and RE, children will discuss and reinforce their understanding of the School Values and British Values. They will also participate in learning activities to help them think about ‘Being me in my world’: considering their role in their family, home life, friendship groups and school.
French:
The children will begin to learn the days of the week and some colours in French. They will also retell the story of Little Red Riding Hood… but in French: Petit Chaperon rouge! Year 4 already know some names of the characters… but can they teach them to Year 3?
D.T:
Term 1 is a Design and Technology term. Clovers Class will investigate structures- namely pavilions. They will be encouraged to produce a range of free-standing frame structures of different shapes and sizes which are strong, stable and aesthetically pleasing. Children will be encouraged to select appropriate materials and use techniques such as paper rolling and fixing using interlocking slits in card.
Music:
Throughout the year, Clovers Class will be learning a variety of songs and genres to support them in their participation of the Bristol Beacon Performances in December and July. Through this, they will learn about pitch, rhythm, beat and performance skills. Alongside this, they will also follow the school syllabus using the Charanga programme. This includes ‘Let Your Spirit Fly’, ‘Three Little Birds’ and ‘Lean on Me’, as well as learning to accompany songs with the glockenspiel.