2022-24 Year 3 Blog

 Today in Computing, we have been using the skills learnt this term to make stop motion animations. We have found out about the importance of frames, steady cameras and onion skinning! Using all of these techniques, we were challenged to design and make the ultimate animation. We then evaluated our work and made changes where needed!

 Today, year 3 identified the different layers of the Earth.  The outer layer of the Earth is called the crust and it is mostly made up of rocks and Minerals.  The next layer is the mantle, this is a lot thicker than the crust and is made up of melted rocks. Next is the outer core, which is a liquid and is made mostly from iron and nickel.  Finally, the inner core is the very centre of the Earth and it is solid as it is made up of solid metal, it is also the hottest layer.  The children really enjoyed learning how their Earth is made up. 

 In today’s Computing lesson, Year 3 have been learning how to sequence code to make their sprites make a noise. We then extended our programming by adding movement blocks to the code. We really enjoyed making our own code from scratch. 

 To conclude our unit on countries, the children looked at trade and what this meant to them. First, they watched a clip from BBC as to how countries buy and sell goods around the world for many reasons. Some countries can’t make the goods themselves or they find goods cheaper to import. The children clearly understood the difference between import and export. After they had completed a small task, the children watched a clip to see what happens when goods art transported by sea. We visited the port of Rotterdam, it really was fascinating to see what happens when a large container ship arrives. 

 Today in Computing, Year 3 have been exploring sequences of code that start using a variety of event blocks. We enjoyed exploring Scratch and discovering how sprites can be controlled using different code. We programmed our own animations using a range of motion blocks. 

 In Computing this afternoon Year 3 have been learning about the Scratch programming environment. We were each challenged to successfully login to our Chromebooks, open the Scratch website and then add 2 sprites, backdrops and motion blocks to our projects. We are looking forward to learning more about Scratch over the coming weeks. 

 In today’s Computing lesson, Year 3 learned about networks and how these allow computers to connect together. We also talked about how information is transferred on a network using a switch. Finally we discussed online safety and explained that is important to understand the types of information that are safe to share and with whom. We played on Interland to help us embed this understanding further. 

In today’s Computing lesson, Year 3 have been using the iPads for digital drawing. We compared the tools available on the iPad to drawing in real life and thought about the similarities and differences between them.