Welcome to Willow Class 2022-2023

Our class teachers are Miss Raheem/Mrs Fairbairn and our wonderful teaching assistants are Mrs Coverdale and Mrs Johansen.

Mrs Fairbairn will be teaching Willow class on Mondays. 

On this page you will find information about how things work in Willow Class and some useful resources that you can use to help your child with their learning. 

This page will be updated termly with information that may be of interest to you regarding projects, timetables, curriculum maps, videos, pictures and more. It will be useful to keep checking this page for any helpful documents that will keep you informed about this year. If you ever have any questions please do hesitate to get in touch.  We have another exciting year ahead!

Term 4 - PE will be Tuesdays and Fridays. Please bring your children to school in their PE kit on those days.

Needed for term 4 please.

***  Please may you collect small cereal boxes, toothpaste tubes, kitchen roll tubes (no toilet roll  tubes please!), stock cube boxes, snack- size raisin boxes, in fact, any small  and interesting box shapes. Please ensure that the tabs are all present and in good order as we will need to turn all the  boxes inside out for our junk modelling project and reassemble them using the tabs.

Please can you also collect clean milk bottle/carton lids, tin foil pie and cake cases as well as empty  baked bean sized tins with lids safely removed and outer paper removed.

Lastly, if you have hinges, screws, hooks, nails, wires, keys, or other small metal redundant items  gathering dust and taking up space, we would also gladly take these off your hands  for our art  projects this  term too.

Many thanks in anticipation for your help with this.

The Year 3 Team 

In the case of self-isolation or further lockdown

In the event of your child needing to self-isolate, please use the homework website links above that your child can access for a range of subjects. 

In the event of our class bubble isolating, or a school closure lockdown, we will be using Teams Online. Your child will need their username and password to access teams.

Here are some of our reflections:

"I needed perseverance and resilience to light the fire." Elliot

"It was hard trying to spark the flint." Xavier

"I saw snowdrops." Ryleigh

"I enjoyed doing the yoga poses."  Rosalyn & Lily

"My favourite bit was building a den of doom." Sadie

"I heard birds, blackbirds." Scarlett

"I liked digging." Rodiat 

Here are some of our reflections:

"The assembly was amazingly fun! Rosalyn."

"He was fun, I'm excited about getting his books!" Benji

"I've learnt that you can tell a story with any object, like sugar." Lily

"It was a great experience seeing an author. I've never seen one before." Joshi

"It was interesting finding out that bananas are radioactive!" Xavi 

"The author is awesome and funny!" Malek

"It was quite a big surprise having an author! I can't wait to buy his books!" Rosie 

Here are some of our wonderful reflections:

"When you are reading, it's like you are holding a rope and you are being drawn into the book. I've loved everything about today!" Rosalyn

"I've just loved spending time reading." Zac

"I've really enjoyed being able to share my books with Cedar class. " Rafe & Scarlett 

"I liked going to the library and looking at all the different books." Mia & Fifi

Here are some of our reflections:

"It's scary but I did it!" Xavier

"I was scared at first but I achieved it and I feel proud." Robyn

"I've learnt how to keep my balance." Benji

"I challenged myself to do it." Polina

"I encouraged my classmates." John

"It's not as easy as it looks." Malek

"It's awesome but scary!" Sadie

"I'm trying not to fall off." Deniz

"I had to persevere with it." William

"It's great fun!" Ryleigh 

Here are some of our learning reflections:

"I have learnt how to throw underarm and over arm." Alfie

"I've learnt how to bring the ball to my chest when catching." Robyn 

"I've learnt the basket catch." Mia

"I have learnt how to catch." Jesse

"I've got better at using my arm to aim." John

"It's been fun playing all the games!" Benny 

Here are some of our wonderful reflections of learning:

"I didn't know what Romans were at the start but now I do. I enjoyed making the mosaics! Jacob

"I loved writing the beginning of Romulus and Remus." Rosalyn

"I learned lots about mosaics. I also loved looking at the artefacts closely and holding them - I learned lots about them." Seth

"I didn't know what a Roman numeral was and now I know the Roman numerals for the 9 times table!" Xavi

"Writing a Kenning to describe a Roman soldier was my favourite part." Rosie

"My favourite part was making chariots and creating a map of the Roman Empire." Rafe

"It was fun cooking Roman bread and honey biscuits. We would like to do it again!" Mia & Fifi

"I enjoyed using the clay to create Roman coins." Lily

"I've enjoyed all the writing work on Romulus and Remus especially the drama!" Benji

"I've really enjoyed the class story this term." (Julius Zebra Rumble with the Romans) Zac

"I liked writing a job application to become a Roman soldier." Benny

"It was really interesting looking and holding the artefacts and trying to work out what they were." Elliot

"I loved everything about the project!" Joshi

Here are some of our observations about the artefacts:

"I think it is a Roman coin because it has Roman numerals and a face on it. It smells awful!" Ruby & Mia

"This is made out of wood. It is the same shape as a chocolate bar. We think it was used as something to write on with sharp tools. Maybe used by the gladiators." Malek & Sadie

"We think this could be a perfume holder belonging to an emperor. It smells like wood." Elliot & Matthew 

"It's from a plate because it has a rim on it. We think a Roman centurion made it. It smells like fresh air." Seth & Rafe

"This could be a pot or bowl. It is used for plants or food. We think it was used by rich people, possibly outside." Benny & Joshi

"We think this is part of the colloseum or could be part of a temple. It is the same colour. " Rosalyn and Deniz

"I think it is a necklace made from bronze. I think an army leader would wear it." Jacob 

"We think it is part of a cup that was used by a Roman soldier." 

"I can't believe they used spoons to clean the toilet!." Benji

"I've learnt that Roman coins don't just have faces and numerals they have pictures and people as well. Romulus and Remus must be really famous for it to be on a coin!" Ruby

"It was really interesting seeing a real Roman mosaic piece." Erika

Here are some of our reflections on the day:

"I had to persevere to use put the washes on the chariot." Xavier

"We had to compromise to work together." Rosie & Robyn

"Sticking the front bit on the front was really hard but I did it." Elliot

"I had to adapt my idea." Zac

"I really enjoyed making it." Erika

"I got frustrated but I continued with it." Fifi

Here are some of our reflections:

"I have enjoyed gymnastics. It is fun!" Fifi

"We've learnt different types of jumps." Sadie & Rosie

"I've learnt how to land properly." Deniz

"We've learnt how to put a routine together." Rosalyn, Ruby & Scarlett

"I've learnt how to do a teddy bear roll." Jesse

"I've learnt how to climb a rope." Alfie

"We've got better at listening to each other and working as a team." Malek & Polina

First, we discussed what types of skills scientists might need to carry out their jobs effectively. Willow class came up with lots of fantastic ideas! We then planned and carried out an experiment to investigate which solids dissolved in water. For our experiment we used, coffee, sugar, salt, pepper and flour. We also used hot and cold water. 

Here are some of our observations:

'It looks like it has settled and then changed colour - it has turned black." Malek

"It looks like it is dissolving slowly." Rosalyn 

"It has just sank to the bottom."William

"I think it has dissolved and changed the colour of the water." Zac

"This will take a long time to dissolve!" John

"It went white for a second and then disappeared." Rodiat

"It went really cloudy." Deniz 

"We cut a plant called 'Dogwood'." – Deniz

"We got to use shears.” John

"When the roots take place we will plant them in the hedge."Rosie

"The frost hammered the rhubarb – it is an idiom." Elliot

"Dogwood has red bark." Benny

"Fruit is going to go in the kitchen in the summer!" William

"It was fun planting them." Ryleigh

Willow class have been exploring a brilliant piece of music through our ‘Take One Piece’ project.  We listened carefully to the piece of music and described it. We loved creating our own stories to go with the music, and coming up with our own titles. 

We learned that Mussorgsky was describing a night of dancing and partying for a group of witches on a mountain top. Willow class enjoyed imagining they were witches standing around a bubbling cauldron. In groups, they invented witchy dances fitting to the shape of the music. Willow class had the opportunity to create an expressive piece of art inspired by the piece of music. They did a fantastic job!

Through this project, we have learned about the different sections of musical instruments in an orchestra, and extended our knowledge of key musical vocabulary - rhythm (regular pattern of beats or sounds), pitch (high and low sounds), dynamics (volume) and tempo (speed). Willow class had fun inventing their own music to the sound of the witches’ footsteps and the sound the witches’ make when casting spells.Towards the end of the project, we investigated the historical background of the composer, and presented our learning in a fact file.  Willow class have worked really hard and done an amazing job! 

Willow challenged themselves at various RAF challenges to see if they could get up to standard of the Air Force. They tested their proprioception skills – trying to touch various body parts with their eyes closed, finding the x on the spot and placing baubles correctly on the tree. They also tried their hand at binary coding making codes for different Christmas words and sayings. They all enjoyed learning more about STEM and are very interested in future work in this area.

Willow class were lucky enough to go on a special adventure on board the Polar Express at Cholsey and Wallingford Railway. Before the steam train departed, each member of the class, including the adults went through a ‘Naughty or Nice’ scanner. If you were deemed nice the lights went green; they turned red if you had been naughty! Thankfully, we had many green lights and we all made it onboard the train! Whilst on the train, the children were treated to hot chocolate and chocolate cookies. They listened to the original story of the Polar Express and joined in with the singing and dancing chefs. Towards the end of their magical adventure they had the opportunity to meet Santa. Willow class thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Huge thanks to Cholsey and Wallingford Railway for making it happen.

Here are some of our thoughts on the day:

 “It’s brilliant because I love trains!” Seth

The cookie is so good! It’s chocolate with chocolate buttons on it! John

“This is a lot of fun!” Rodiat

“This is better than break time!” Rosalyn

“This is the best day ever – no school!” Zac

“My favourite part was seeing Santa.” Robyn

“I loved it!” Fifi

“The hot chocolate was so good.” Alfie

“I loved everything about it!” Rafe

"I liked everything about it. The Y6 sport leaders were helpful and guided us." Rafe

"The tiger cub game was my favourite. It was quite tricky, but I liked the challenge. It was fun and hard at the same time." Malek

"I enjoyed the unicorns and dragons' game. I liked trying not to get tagged." Rosalyn

"Year 6 sport leaders were nice and spoke clearly so we could understand." Alfie

"I loved the rugby game because there was lots of movement." Benny

"Year 6 were really supportive and explained the rules of the game well." Elliot

"I really enjoyed making leaf necklaces as I have never made them before." Rodiat 

"Looking at different leaves on the leaf hunt was fun." Scarlett

"My favourite part was seeing the fire and listening to it pop and crackle." Erika

"Cooking the marshmallows was fun. The black bit is so good!" Jesse 

"I found it difficult putting the leaves on the string, but I did it. " Zac 

"Best things about forest was building the den and eating marshmallows." Joshi & Matthew 

"I never knew multiplication was repeated addition."

"Arrays help me to see the equal groups more clearly."

"For an array to work it has to have an equal number in every row and column."

"I've enjoyed using the counters to make different arrays."

"I think the darker the material the least reflective it will be."

"The shiny foil will be the most reflective even though it is not smooth."

"I was surprised that the darker material reflected some light."

"I predict the smooth materials will reflect the most light.

"The bubble wrap is not completely clear but it will still let light through."

This term we shall be getting to know each other, establishing classroom agreements and good learning behaviours. Our overriding goal this term is to settle the children back into school routines and support their social, emotional and academic progress.  Please drop us an email with any worries or concerns you or your child may have as ensuring a smooth transition is very important to us. We begin the academic year with a 'Take One Picture' project which will explore a  painting in depth through many different curriculum areas. We shall also be looking at the artist, his life, location and inspirations. Our main project is ‘The Stone Age’, with an emphasis on history.   

Prior to the session we considered the following questions:

How did people communicate in the Stone Age? 

What did people use to communicate? 

What was important to people living in the Stone Age?

We have observed different types of rocks and learned about their common properties. Rocks can be:

- Hard or soft   

- Permeable or Impermeable 

We can also consider the density and durability of the rock.

Here are some of Willow Class reflections during the session:

"This rock has got to be permeable because it has a lot of holes."

"The water falls of this rock, so it has to be impermeable. I think it could be a metamorphic rock."

"This is a sedimentary rock because you can see the layers."

"It has no buoyancy, so it has stuck to the bottom."

"If a rock has holes in it it will sink because if a boat has a hole it sinks."

"We think this is a human made rock because it holes."

"This rock is shiny, smooth and durable. Nothing is coming out."

"This is strong there is no evidence of peeling off when using sandpaper."

"This is like granite or marble like what you get on kitchen surface."