Creation of Clay Animals:

This week in 3rd Class, the children have been exploring clay. They revised a variety of techniques, including moulding, pinching, and rolling, to create their own animal inspired clay pieces. The children really enjoyed the experience and were excited to learn a new technique called scoring, which they used to attach their pieces together successfully.

Exploring Ancient Egypt and Modern Egypt

In 3rd Class, the children have been learning about Ancient Egypt and comparing it with Egypt today. They explored famous landmarks such as the pyramids and the Sphinx and learned about the important role of pharaohs in Ancient Egyptian life, including the famous Queen Cleopatra. The children discovered how the River Nile was vital for farming, travel, and everyday life in both ancient and modern times. They also learned about cities in Egypt today, such as Cairo and Alexandria, as well as famous places and monuments across the country such as Mount Sinah. To finish, the children explored some popular Egyptian foods and enjoyed learning how food and daily life in Egypt have changed over time!

Over the last few months, the children in Mr Delaney’s 3rd Class have been working hard and have had the opportunity to explore and learn using fun interactive games, problem-solving activities and engaging and stimulating conversation. This is clear to see in their work.

Art – mixing colours and using salt to paint

The children were trying to use a different method to mix colours. Here they were shaking conkers in cardboard boxes. By using conkers, they got a wide variety of colours and shades. We were ready for the mess and had a bit of fun doing it too!!!

For the spooky season, the children created different art pieces using salt and paint. They scared us with how creative they got. They had the opportunity to draw their terrifying piece in pencil. They were then challenged by applying glue over their pencil grip which spooked a few with the mess. Salt was poured over the glue and then the creativity came through with the wet paint being applied. If you need Halloween decorations for next year, you know who to ask!!!

Modern Egypt vs Ancient Egypt

Over the last month, we have been learning so much about Ancient Egypt and Egypt of today. We have been able to compare them both and discuss what has changed. We have also compared modern Egypt to Ireland and compared the differences in culture, food, schools, landscape and climate.

In history, the children made a variety of posters and had different challenges to complete. Some of the children created a menu of all the food they would have eaten in Ancient Egypt. They created a hierarchy pyramid that showed the different jobs and roles that people had. One group drew a side profile of an Ancient Egyptian home that included children playing and learning to hunt. Another group learned about the clothes, makeup and wigs that the Egyptians would have worn and drew and designed their own Egyptian clothes.

The children were also learning about hieroglyphics and how they were used. Each child drew out their name using images for the letters.

The children created projects on modern Egypt in groups. Here they explored the different food that is eaten in Egypt such as Koshary, Mahshi, Hammam and Taamiya. They were able identify the differences in our education system including the class sizes and the difference in subjects. In our research, the children were able to discover the different sports and religions in Egypt and compare them to Ireland.

During our study of Ancient Egypt, the children were fascinated by the jewellery that was worn. They made a great effort to recapture the beauty of Ancient Egyptian necklaces by creating their own using paint and string.

Maths

In Maths, the children have been exploring and working hard in a range of topics. They have been growing patterns with shapes using blocks and then creating their own shapes. They have been practicing their problem solving in addition and subtraction using counters and creating their own word problems. They have also worked extremely hard to recognise different times on a clock in 5 minute intervals through engagement with mini-clocks and math talk.

English

Over the last few weeks, the children finished their recount writing and retelling stories from their own lives. Each child made such an improvement from their first attempt and that was down to their own perseverance. They are now practicing their narrative writing and have made excellent plans and introductions to their stories. The creativity behind the stories is excellent to see and their imaginations are so impressive.

Gaelige

It is great to see how much effort each child is putting into their Gaeilge. Every day, the children are learning a new verb and sentence to go with it. They are working hard at the minute in learning all the vocabulary and phrases you can use when talking about school. The children are able to ask to go to different parts of the school, describe the class they are in and tell each other what subjects they like and do not like.

Each week a riddle is put up on the board that tests the children’s problem solving abilities. In the last few weeks, they have been writing their own riddles and have been able to test each other. Can you guess the right answers to the riddles above?

The children in 3rd Class A have been hard at work over the past couple of weeks. Here are some of the things we have been up to!

Maths:
Maths in 3rd Class – Multiplication
Our 3rd Class students have been working hard on their multiplication skills this
week! Through games, group activities and maths talk, the children explored patterns in the times tables and learned a wide range of different strategies to make multiplication
easier and more fun. The children spotted different ways of solving multiplication
sums, for example, skip counting, repeated addition and drawing models. 3rd class
showed great enthusiasm for multiplication!

Measuring Up – Length and Time:
3rd Class have also been learning all about length and time. Using rulers and clocks,
the children measured objects around the classroom, drawing shapes with specific measurements and practised telling the time to the nearest five minutes. These practical lessons helped them see how maths connects to real life — from measuring their school equipment to timing everyday activities.

Games in PE – Basketball and Soccer

This month, 3rd Class have been developing their skills in basketball and soccer as
part of the Games strand in PE. The children practised dribbling, passing, and
teamwork through fun drills and mini-matches. They learned the importance of
communication, cooperation, and fair play while staying active and having lots of fun.
Everyone showed great energy and enthusiasm — a fantastic effort from all our
young athletes!

Creative Origami in 3rd Class!
Our 3rd Class students explored construction over the past few weeks through the art of origami! Using colourful paper and lots of imagination, the children learned how to fold and shape paper into beautiful fish and boats. The lesson encouraged patience, creativity, and fine motor skills while introducing students to an art form that combines precision and fun. By the end of the session, the classroom was full of floating paper boats and schools of origami fish. It was a wonderful sea of creativity and colour!

Huge thanks to Sam, Martha’s dad, who popped into 3rd Class for a visit today to talk about the land of his birth Australia, which the children have been learning about.

They got to dress up as the legendary Ned Kelly, taste Vegemite and hear stories of Kangaroo crashes, Geelong AFL, snakes and much much more. They got to bring the AFL football out to GAA too!

Thank you Sam!

The children in 3rd Class have been busy making powerpoint presentations and poster projects on Australia in geography. Check out some of the projects below.

Today 3rd Class attended a workshop in Collins Barracks on the life and work of William Morris, a key figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. The pupils learned about Morris’s love of nature and design and how his legacy continues to inspire artists today.

Led by visual artist Mirjam Keune, the “Art of Flowers: Drawing & Collage with Willaim Morris” workshop included:

• A short, child-friendly introduction to William Morris,
• Observational drawing of real flowers and
• A hands-on flower collage activity inspired by Morris’s iconic patterns.