Willow Class
Autumn 1
2015-16
Year 3: What makes the Earth angry?
KS2 Geography: pupils to be taught physical geography,
including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers,
mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle
WOW: Show a range of clips from Tsunami; volcanoes and
hurricane. Video conference a school in Iceland.
LC1
What causes a volcano to erupt and which are the
famous volcanoes in the world?
LC2
How do volcanoes impact on the lives of people and
why do people choose to live near them?
LC3
How can we recreate an erupting volcano?
LC4
What causes an earthquake (and a tsunami) and
how are they measured?
LC5
Who experiences extreme weather in our country?
LC6
Which countries have experienced earthquakes and
tsunamis in your life time?
LC7
How can we capture a stormy weather pattern using
music, drama and dance?
LC8
Reflection: Each group to put together a weather
presentation of extreme weather using music, drama
and video clips.
Literacy Link: During LC1 the children will be
asked to research volcanoes in the world and
pin point them onto a world map.
During LC2 children will asked to think of a
range of questions they would like to ask an
Icelandic child. These will be emailed or asked
during a video conferencing session.
During LC4 the children will be asked to
research earthquakes and tsunamis and write
about them in a Learning Challenge journal.
During LC5 children will link with children who
have experienced flooding. Again
opportunities could be made for video
conferencing or emailing (children in Japan).
Creative Art Link: During LC3 children will be
provided with an opportunity to design and
make a volcano and then they will need to
think of a way of making it erupt.
Numeracy Link: LC4 provides opportunities for
scale work.
Expressive Art Link: During LC7 there will be
opportunities for children to create some music
which will be used as part of their reflection
presentations. Possibly Peter Grimes.
© Focus Education 2014
Journey
to the
centre of
the Earth
HG
Wells
2
Year 3 Geography: What makes the Earth Angry?
Links to Year 3 mathematics:
Me
My
teacher
Can you count on and back from the year a volcano erupted in 4s, 8s, 50s and 100s?
Can you write ten facts about an earthquake or volcano and include at least one written
number in each sentence?
Can you count up and down the Richter scale in tenths?
Can you find the difference between two Richter scale measurements?
Can you calculate how many items will be needed in survival kits for multiples of 2, 3, 4, 5 and
8 people?
Can you calculate how many mountain peaks are in one range of mountains if it has ½ , ¼ or
1/3 the number of a bigger range of mountains?
Can you find out how long earthquakes can last from the longest to the shortest in hours,
minutes an seconds?
Can you plan a trip to another part of the world and calculate the total distance travelled
from school and back?
Can you plan a trip to another part of the world and calculate the total cost?
© Focus Education (UK) Ltd 2014
3
Year 3 Geography Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Geographical Enquiry
Physical Geography
Human Geography
• Do they use correct
geographical words to
describe a place and
the things that happen
there?
• Can they identify key
features of a locality by
using a map?
• Can they make
accurate measurement
of distances within
100Km?
• Can they use maps and
atlases appropriately by
using contents and
indices?
• Can they describe how
volcanoes are
created?
• Can they describe how
earthquakes are
created?
• Can they confidently
describe physical
features in a locality?
• Can they describe how
volcanoes have an
impact on people’s
lives?
• Can they confidently
describe human
features in a locality?
• Can they explain why a
locality has certain
human features?
Geographical
Knowledge
• Can they name a
number of countries in
the Northern and
Southern Hemisphere?
• Can they locate and
name some of the
world’s most famous
volcanoes?
• Can they name and
locate some wellknown European
countries?
• Are they aware of
different weather in
different parts of the
world, especially
Europe?
Year 3 (Challenging)
• Can they work out how
long it would take to
get to a given
destination taking
account of the mode
of transport?
• Can they explain why a
locality has certain
physical features?
• Can they explain how
people’s lives vary due
to weather?
© Focus Education 2014
• Can they name the two
largest seas around
Europe?
4
Year 3 Design Technology Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
Developing, planning
and communicating
ideas
• Can they show that
their design meets a
range of requirements?
• Can they put together
a step-by-step plan
which shows the order
and also what
equipment and tools
they need?
• Can they describe their
design using an
accurately labelled
sketch and words?
• How realistic is their
plan?
Working with tools,
equipment, materials
and components to
make quality products
• Can they use
equipment and tools
accurately?
Evaluating processes
and products
Mouldable materials
• What did they change
which made their
design even better?
• Do they select the most
appropriate materials?
• Can they use a range
of techniques to shape
and mould?
• Do they use finishing
techniques?
Year 3 Music Knowledge, Skills and Understanding
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Can they create repeated patterns with different instruments?
Can they create accompaniments for tunes?
Can they combine different sounds to create a specific mood or feeling?
Can they improve their work; explaining how it has improved?
Can they use musical words (the elements of music) to describe a piece of music and compositions?
Can they use musical words to describe what they like and dislike?
Can they recognise the work of at least one famous composer?
© Focus Education 2014
5
Possible Written Outcomes or Incidental Writing Opportunities

Diary entry in role as Tranio or Livia on the day after the eruption

Letter to relative in Britain describing events

Explanation - volcanic eruption

Fact file on earthquakes and volcanoes

Non-chronological report on daily life in Pompeii

Thought bubbles of city dwellers before and during eruption

Evacuation instructions

Using picture of volcano erupting, description of eruption

Eye-witness account

Discussion/comparative report - Should people re-build towns
and cities close to active volcanoes?

For sale notice for home in Pompeii


Volcano poem

2. Capturing Ideas

Text mark key information that gives detail about everyday life
in Pompeii

Note additional information about everyday life found in
illustrations

Research earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, text mark key
information and make notes, highlighting technical vocabulary

Annotate notes with generalisers and adverbs of cause and
effect

Experiment with forming sentences from notes and annotations

Research towns and cities which have been re-built close to
active volcanoes, listing advantages and disadvantages

Debate in role as townspeople who want to re-build and those
who are against it

Freeze frame and thought track different scenes in the city
before and during eruption

Interview survivors

Build word bank of nouns, verbs, adverbs and adjectives to
describe eruption

Loudspeaker broadcast to warn the people of Pompeii
Year 3 and 4
Hook
Enter darkened classroom with video of volcanic
eruption in progress
Roman day in school
1. Responding to the Text

Book talk: how is the plot structured? What is the climax of the
story?

Book talk: how does the writer build up towards the climax?

Visual literacy: how do the illustrations help us to understand
how the people felt?

Book talk: why does the writer include the poet’s song near the
beginning of the book? What impact does this have on the
reader?

Book talk: find clues in the text and the illustrations which tell the
reader the book is set in Roman times and in another place

Book talk: why has the writer included information at the back
of the book? Is this a fiction or non-fiction book?

Make story map/timeline of events

Writer talk: how does the writer add pace to the events? Look
at choice of verbs and structure of sentences.
Sentence Games (use throughout unit)

Topic sentence game - give topic sentence.
Children suggest contents of paragraph

Metaphor game

Conjunction game

Improve a sentence- focus on the grammatical
elements that need consolidation or review
3. Contextualised Grammar Teaching

Fronted adverbials to describe an event

Choice of verbs to convey pace

Look at simile and metaphor and develop a range from word
bank created

Develop poetic sentences with a focus on starting them in
different ways - adverbials, ing, ed, simile

Connecting adverbs of cause and effect
Guided Reading Possibilities

Non-fiction texts on volcanoes and earthquakes

Non-fiction texts on the Romans

Atlantis: Legend of a Lost City by Christina Balit.
Find clues relating to context.

Identify and discuss features of text type for final
written outcome. Level of text can be pitched at
each groups’ level, ensuring both access and
challenge.
4. Modelled Writing
Shared Writing
Guided Writing
Independent Writing
MAKING LINKS ACROSS THE CURRICULUM
Geography/Science
• See Year 3 Geography Learning Challenge
• See Year 3 Science Learning Challenge: What do
rocks tell us about the way the earth was formed?
DT
• Make a game like “knucklebones” and write instructions for it
Art
• Create repeating patterns in the style of the edges
of pages in text, choosing colour and tones
appropriately
Author: Christina Balit
Publisher: Francis Lincoln
ISBN- 978-1-84507-059-5
History

See Year 4 History Learning
Challenge
ICT


Use images in a slide-show/animoto to
support explanation of how volcanoes erupt
Add sound to slide-show
Useful links
http://museumvictoria.com.au/education/learning
lab/ancient-roman-empire/recreation-of-vesuviuserupting/
Year 3 Geography:
What makes the earth angry?
Year 4 History:
Why were the Romans so powerful
And what did we learn from them?
Year 3: Can you write an eye-witness account of the eruption?
Me
My
teacher
Can you talk about the events in the book?
Can you make a timeline of the events?
Can you add some time adverbials to the timeline?
Can you add some information that explains the events?
Can you watch a clip of an eye-witness being interviewed and write down some of
the sentence starters for questions and answers?
Can you role play an interview of an eye-witness, using the sentences you found and
your timeline?
Can you use your timeline to group the information into paragraphs?
Can you use your plan to write your report in paragraphs?
Can you end your account with a personal comment?
Can you check that you have used the past tense in your account?
Can you proof-read to check what you have written makes sense and that you
have used the right punctuation?
Can you read your account to a group?
8
Year 3: Can you write an eye-witness account of the
eruption?
Link to Learning
Challenge:
Science: What do rocks tell us about the way the earth was formed?
Geography: What makes the earth angry?
Text Type:
Narrative
Spoken Language
Objectives:
Show they have listened carefully by asking relevant questions.
Vary the use and choice of vocabulary dependent on the audience
and purpose.
Reading
Objectives:
Draw inferences such as inferring characters’ feelings, thoughts and
motives from their actions.
Begin to understand that narratives are structured in different ways.
Writing Objectives:
Group related material together to form simple paragraphs
Grammar
Objectives:
Use the perfect form of verbs to mark relationships of time and cause.
9
Year 3: Can you write a non-chronological report about volcanoes?
Me
My
teacher
Can you talk about what you have already found out about volcanoes?
Can you find some more information you need in books, clips or on the internet?
Can you find the key facts and write them down?
Can you read a non-chronological report and find out how it is organised?
Can you list and name the different words that the author has used to start
sentences – Many…, Some…, Typically…, During…, After…, Before…?
Can you use a plan to group the information into paragraphs?
Can you use different ways to start your sentences - conjunctions, adverbs and
prepositions?
Can you start your report with an interesting fact to hook your reader?
Can you use your plan to write your report in paragraphs?
Can you end your report with a comment to the reader?
Can you edit and improve your writing?
Can you proof-read to check what you have written makes sense and that you
have used the right punctuation?
10
Year 3: Can you write a non-chronological report about
volcanoes?
Link to Learning
Challenge:
Science: What do rocks tell us about the way the earth was formed?
Geography: What makes the earth angry?
Text Type:
Non-chronological report
Spoken Language
Objectives:
Develop and explain ideas giving reasons.
Start to show awareness of when and how Standard English is used.
Reading
Objectives:
Choose books for specific purposes.
Retrieve and record information from non-fiction.
Writing Objectives:
Group related material together to form simple paragraphs
Write a non-narrative using simple organisational devices such as
headings and sub-headings.
Grammar
Objectives:
Use conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and
cause.
11
Year 3: What’s that coming over the hill?
Painting
Pupils should be taught:
To develop their techniques, including their control and their
use of materials, with creativity, experimentation and an
increasing awareness of different kinds of art, craft and design.
WOW: Use viewing frames for the children to select views they
particularly like around the school or on a trip or visit.
LC1
What is a landscape picture?
LC2
Who are some of the famous landscape
painters?
LC3
How have landscapes been painted in
other times and places?
LC4
What is perspective?
LC5
Which particular styles of landscape
painting do we like?
LC6
Can we sketch our own landscape pictures
and mix paints to colour them?
LC7
How can digital photography help us paint
landscape pictures?
LC8
Can we produce two contrasting
landscape paintings?
Ref
Can we produce a guide to landscape
painting?
Geography and History Links: Opportunities for
the children to find out about landscape art from
a place or region they are studying.
Oracy Links: Opportunities for the children
to discuss and justify their choices.
Literacy Link: Opportunities for the children to
develop writing for an audience.
© Focus Education 2014
The Art
Book for
Children
Phaidon
Editors
Landscapes
(Artists
Workshop)
Roundhill,
King,
Norton
and
Millard
12
What’s that coming over the hill?
Year 3
Painting
•
•
•
•
Can they predict with accuracy the colours that they mix?
Do they know where each of the primary and secondary colours sits on the colour wheel?
Can they create a background using a wash?
Can they use a range of brushes to create different effects?
Sketch books
• Can they make notes in their sketch books about techniques used by artists?
• Can they suggest improvements to their work by keeping notes in their sketch books?
Use of IT
• Can they use the printed images they take with a digital camera and combine them with other media to
produce art work?
• Can they use IT programs to create a piece of work that includes their own work and that of others (using
web)?
• Can they use the web to research an artist or style of art?
Knowledge
•
•
•
•
Can they compare the work of different artists?
Can they explore work from other cultures?
Can they explore work from other periods of time?
Are they beginning to understand the viewpoints of others by looking at images of people and understand how
they are feeling and what the artist is trying to express in their work?
© Focus Education 2013
13
Year 3: What’s so special about five notes?
Pupils should be taught to:
Play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their
voices and playing musical instruments with increasing
accuracy, fluency, control and expression; Improvise and
compose music using the inter-related dimensions of music.
WOW: Set up a ‘5’ themed treasure hunt around the classroom
so the children have to find objects (e.g. pentagons, 5x tables)
and phrases (e.g. ‘high five’, ‘five a day’)
LC1
What is a pentatonic scale?
LC2
Can we play melodies using the notes of
the C pentatonic?
LC3
Can we compose our own melodies using
the C pentatonic?
LC4
How can we combine rhythm and
melodies?
LC5
Can we write our own lyrics to a melody?
Ref
What will we include in our pentatonic
performance?
Geography Link: Opportunities for the
children to play melodies from music from
other countries and cultures and identify the
origin on maps.
Literacy Link: Children could draft and redraft their lyrics and evaluate the work of
famous lyricists.
© Focus Education (UK) Ltd 2014
14
What’s so special about five notes?
Year 3
Performing
Composing (incl notation)
• Do they sing in tune with
expression?
• Do they control their voice when
singing?
• Can they play clear notes on
instruments?
• Can they compose melodies and
songs?
• Can they combine different
sounds to create a specific mood
or feeling?
Appraising
• Can they improve their work;
explaining how it has improved?
• Can they use musical words (the
elements of music) to describe a
piece of music and
compositions?
Year 3 (Challenging)
• Can they work with a partner to
create a piece of music using
more than one instrument?
• Do they understand how the use
of tempo can provide contrast
within a piece of music?
© Focus Education (UK) Ltd 2014
• Can they tell whether a change
is gradual or sudden?
• Can they identify repetition,
contrasts and variations?
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