Spring 2 - Animals including humans 

This half term we have been learning about how we can stay healthy by eating a balanced diet. We have learnt about food groups and how we can use food labels to look for important information. We looked at different types of skeletons in animals (endoskeleton, exoskeleton and hydrostatic) and some of the advantages and disadvantages of each one. When looking at the human skeleton we looked at how important it was to protect our vital organs. As part of this lesson we carried out an investigation to see if we could build a skeletal structure that would protect our vital organs (actually a chocolate teacake) from cracking when dropped from a height.

Forces - Spring 1

This term in Science we are learning all about forces. We started by recapping on pushes and pulls we learned about in key stage 1. Thinking about the forces used in order to make things move. We used force meters to measure the force needs to move an object over different surfaces. Some of the results were surprising but we discussed the reasons why. When planning our investigation we were able to develop our scientific enquiry skills, making sure we were keeping the test fair and recording our results. 

Rocks and soils  - Autumn 2

Year 3 have been learning all about rocks and soils. We started our topic with a visit to 'Planet Haribo' to explore what some of the rocks were like there. We developed our use of vocabulary by sorting them according to their properties (layered, smooth, rough, grainy, glossy, sharp). We sorted some rocks from here on earth too and tested their properties, looking to see if they were buoyant, permeable and durable. The children thought of everyday uses for some of the rocks we know about and why they are suited for different purposes. We have learnt about Mary Anning and her contribution to palaentology and our knowledge of fossils. When learning about how soil is formed, we also made a mini composter, thinking about the benefits of making our own compost at home.

Helping plants to grow - Autumn 1

This half term Year three are learning about plants. We have shared what we know already, and talked about some of the things we would like to find out. We are lucky to have lots of budding scientists, who have worked in groups to come up with some fabulous ideas to test. They have planned their own investigations and thought about how they will make them a fair test. We are looking forward to sharing some of their findings as we gather the results and think about what they tell us.