St. Paul's Church of England Primary School

We have been reading the brilliant story, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We have researched Roald Dahl and his life and found out some interesting facts.

In Literacy we have been writing letters to Roald Dahl to find out more. We have also been thinking about other books by Roald Dahl and have written book reviews to recommend to our friends.
We have also designed and made our own snozzberry sweets for Willy Wonka’s factory!

St Paul’s School
Langleybury

15.6.10
Dear Mr Dahl,

My name is Callum and I am Year 3 pupil at St Paul’s School.

My favourite book is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because it is terrific! I really like all the characters in your stories and I enjoy reading about what happens to them, it really makes me laugh!

Which is your favourite book and why? I would like to ask you how long it takes you to write a book? Where do you get your ideas from?

I have really enjoyed our Roald Dahl week at school, it has been fun and exciting! I have enjoyed finding out all about you and your books. How can I become an author? Please can you give me some useful tips? Thank you for reading my letter.

Yours sincerely,

Callum Bourke

A review of Matilda by Roald Dahl

This has to be one of the best books by Roald Dahl that I have ever read! It is beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake.

This story is about a sorrowful little girl who enjoys reading very much but her horrible parents don’t let her go to school so she has to go to the library to read. She ends up reading all the books in the library!

I particularly enjoyed reading about her parents who just sat in front of the TV all the time and didn’t take any notice of poor Matilda.

I would recommend this story to anybody who enjoys reading because it is funny, exciting and quite sad.

A brilliant book, I couldn’t put it down!

By Robbie Codd

A review of Boy, Tales of Childhood By Roald Dahl

This book tells the story of the wonderful author, Roald Dahl. It is an excellent book because it tells you the story of Roald Dahl’s life, a must for any Roald Dahl lover!

The tales in the book, although very interesting, are sometimes frightening and of course sometimes funny but all true.

I especially like this book because I enjoy reading true stories. Finding out about the author of so many wonderful books was extremely interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone aged 7 – 9 because it will interest them to find out more about Roald Dahl.

This book is a real page turner! I couldn’t put the book down. I was on the edge of my chair waiting to read what happens next.

An interesting, factual book full of memories of Roald Dahl’s childhood and how he became a writer.

By Emily Gunning.

Legoland

On the 17th June, Year 3 enjoyed a fabulous day at Legoland!
The weather was superb. We all had a truly stupendous day!

We enjoyed the ‘Get Moving’ workshop where we built our own Lego cars and learnt all about friction when we raced them: the heavier the car, the faster it goes!

After this, we visited lots of exciting rides. With the park almost empty of people we managed to have a go on nearly everything!

Art

During our Art lessons, we have been investigating patterns in textiles from different times and cultures. We have
used ideas from these as a starting point for developing our own designs.
We have been investigating print making techniques and have explored ways of combining and organising shapes, colours and patterns to make a decorative textile piece.

PSHE

During our PSHE lessons, Year 3 have been thinking about and discussing the environment and how we can help protect it.
We read the story ‘One World’ by Michael Forman then, having discussed the problems faced by the children in the story, we wrote descriptive postcards and diary entries as if we were one of the children in the story. This linked very well with the descriptive writing we’ve been practising during our Literacy lessons.

Dear Diary
Today I went to the sandy seaside, I could see some beautiful rock pools, I also noticed there wasn’t any horrible litter on the lovely sand!
I could hear everyone having a fantastic time which made me feel really pleased, also happy to be there!
I walked along the beach excitedly to one of the deep rock pools and played with some of the green seaweed and dark water to make my own wonderful world but I didn’t put lovely animals in the sandy bucket because I might forget to take them out of it!
As I looked closer I could see an oil can in the glistening water and I was so upset I felt like crying but then remembered that I knew what to do, I got another sandy bucket from my kind brother and carefully we put the sandy bucket in the dark water, then I scooped up the oily can with the oil and to my great relief there was nothing left in the pretty pool but gorgeous fish and starfish! That made me feel much happier compared to when the oil was polluting the pool because I had helped our precious world!

By Xanthe

Dear Diary
Today I went to a rock pool and I saw beautiful crabs and amazing fish.
I heard water crashing against the rocks and seagulls flying above my head.
I smelt seawater in the air, it smelt fresh and clean, it made me feel alive.
I touched the chilly seawater as it splashed in my burnt face, it sent a shiver down my spine.
I felt excited and free and proud of this beautiful place.
I wanted to keep this place safe so I took out the rusty tin can and cleaned away some dirty oil.
My world is beautiful, I want it to stay beautiful.

By Callum

Dear Dan
Today I went to the lovely beach. I happily played in the beautiful rock pool. I took my brand new fishing net and my blue bucket and spade. I looked at all the lovely sea creatures but then I saw a horrible old tin can and some oil. I didn’t want the rock pool to be messed up so I took it away.

From Santiago

Science week

Year 3 have been busy investigating the characteristics of materials.
We have studied the characteristics of paper, plastic and fabric and investigated which material would be most suitable for a shopping bag by carrying out a fair test.
We used our knowledge of measuring accurately using millimetres, centimetres and metres to ensure that the three bags were the same size. This made our test fair.

In Maths we have practised measuring accurately in mm, cm and m and this helped us in our Science investigation. During Science week we used our maths skills to measure and record.

Once we had carried out the test we found that fabric was the strongest material because it held the most weight. We then discussed our results and thought about why this is. This helped us to understand the properties of different materials.

During Literacy we have been learning about the features of persuasive writing. We have used what we have learnt to create our own advertisements to persuade people to use our shopping bags.
We have practised our ICT skills too!
We have combined text and graphics to create bold, eye catching advertisements.

History

Year 3 have been finding out about the rich and poor in Tudor times.

We have looked at how houses were built and what materials were used. We have thought about what life must have been like and how life has changed.

Tudor times

Early Tudor Houses

Early Tudor houses were very basic. They only had
one room, which made it very cramped for the families
who lived in them. The floor was just mud therefore
it was difficult to keep clean. The windows did not
have any glass in them which made it very cold as
well as damp when it rained. A small fire in the middle
of the room would heat the room but made it very
smoky although the roof was thatch which let out a
little bit of smoke. It must have been uncomfortable
for people to live in because they didn’t have much
furniture either. These houses were very different to
today because we have heating and running water
and we can keep clean and warm.

By Anja Adamson

Later Tudor Houses

Later Tudor houses had been improved. Houses were built with two storeys so there was more room and privacy for families. They used stone to cover the floors therefore it must have been easier to keep clean. The biggest change must have been the glazed windows. This helped to keep in the warmth and keep out the wind and rain. This must have made life a lot more comfortable for the people living there. In later Tudor houses, chimneys were used and must have made a big difference because the room wouldn’t have been as smoky. The roofs were tiled and this helped to protect the house from the rain. They also had more furniture and houses began to look more like the houses today.

By Abbie Chidley

Year 3 have been investigating faiths from around the world. We have used this information to create shape poems using alliteration.

In RE we have compared the similarities and differences between Christianity and other world faiths.

Christianity

Christians are people who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Jesus Christ, who was crucified around A.D. 30 in Jerusalem, is the founder of Christianity. He is the Son of God and came to earth to teach.
Jesus was a Jew who was born about 2000 years ago in Bethlehem. He lived for 33 years before being crucified by the Romans.
Christians believe that God made the world and that there is only one God, the Father, the Son and The Holy Spirit.
The Christian place of worship is called a Church. This is where we celebrate together and pray, teach, and learn.

By Ben Evans

What are the similarities and differences between Christianity and Hinduism?

Hindus believe in their God called Brahman. The gods of the Hindu faith represent different forms of Brahman, whereas Christians have one god.
Hindus have a place of worship called the Mandir. This is a temple and similar to a Christian church because it is here that Hindus come together to worship and pray.
Unlike Christianity and the Holy Bible, Hinduism does not have one sacred book but several scriptures. The most ancient sacred texts of the Hindu religion is called the Vedas.

By Emily Gunning

What are the similarities and differences between Christianity and Judaism?

Christianity shares a number of beliefs and practices with other religions, particularly Judaism. With Judaism, Christians believe in one God, who created the universe and all that is in it.
Christianity and Judaism are similar because The Old Testament and the Torah (Jewish Holy Book) have the same content. The Jews believe that the Messiah is coming, while Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Saviour and are now waiting for his second coming.

By Scarlett Roach

In Year 3 we have been thinking about what gifts are and what they mean to us. We have discussed the importance of giving as well as receiving. We have talked about gifts not always being parcels but how we can give by helping or listening, the gift of life and the wonderful things around us, the gift of love of family and friends. These are all gifts which are precious to us and more important than any other gift we may ask for.

RE

In RE, Year 3 have been describing experiences and feelings they share with others, including characters with religious meanings. We looked at the first part of the Christmas story when the Angel Gabriel visited Mary. We then described how we think Mary would have felt.

I think Mary felt astonished when she saw the Angel Gabriel because I would feel astonished if I saw her. When Mary saw Angel Gabriel she must have felt confused because she wasn’t sure why she had been chosen.When the Angel Gabriel visited Mary, Mary must have felt protected because God’s messenger was in her house. When Gabriel visited Mary, Mary would have felt blessed by God.The Angel Gabriel’s visit must have changed Mary’s life because she was the chosen one to be the mother of the Son of God.

By Xanthe Swann

When the Angel Gabriel visited Mary I think Mary felt nervous, stunned, anxious and surprised because the Angel just appeared. I would be nervous if an angel just appeared like that. I think it changed her life because she was going to have the Son of God. I think it changed her life because she was getting married to Joseph. I think it meant a lot to her and she probably felt important, elated and special.

By Naomi Baldemor

Year 3 have been thinking about who God is and what He means to us.

If God was an animal He would be a lion because He is not scared of anything and He is as fast as lightning.
By Anja

If God was a flower He would be blossom because He is wonderful.
By Megan

If God was a colour He would be gold because He is bright and the light of the world.
By Naomi

In order for Mrs Hill to really get to know us, we all wrote about our hobbies and interests. We used connectives to make our sentences SUPER sentences.

P.E.

In PE Year 3 have been practising balances. We are using each other to help us balance.

Literacy

Year 3 have been busy in Literacy. We have been finding out about how dialogue affects plot. Here we are discussing how a character feels by the way he is speaking.

Science

Year 3 have been learning about the importance of looking after our teeth. We made a huge model of a mouth and labelled all the parts.

"We aim high and work hard in all we do."