A Trip to the Synagogue!

We have had another great week in Year 3, with the highlight being out trip to the Synagogue!

Maths
In Maths this week, the children have been learning how to use a column method to add 3 digit numbers with exchanges. Although many found it tricky to begin with, all children showed fantastic perseverance and felt much more confident by the end of the week! Watch the video below to recap how to add with exchanges.

English

In English, the children started the week by learning how to use dictionaries effectively to find the meanings of unfamiliar words, including finding the classification of the word (e.g. noun or verb) and recognising which definition to use when there was more than one. Later, the children learnt how to use adverbials to add more information to a sentence and had a go at improving simple sentences by adding interesting adverbials. For example, ‘The boy went into the tent’ could become ‘At midnight, the child tiptoed into the large, colourful big top.’ Finally, the children learnt the difference between concrete nouns (something you can see, touch, hear, taste or smell) and abstract nouns (things that can’t be seen such as happiness, amazement, wonder). They then created some interesting phrases with the two, such as ‘doves of wonder’ and ‘curtains of magic’.

RE
This week, we visited a Synagogue to learn more about the religion of Judaism. We were so impressed with how enthusiastic and inquisitive the children were! We started by learning about the most important parts of a Synagogue, including the Ark, where the Torah scrolls are kept and the Bimah, where the Torah is read from, and some special symbols and objects, such as the Star of David and the Menorah.
We then learnt about some important Jewish celebrations, including Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and traditional Jewish weddings! The children then split into smaller groups to learn more about Shabbat and the Torah, and went to visit the smaller Synagogue where they learnt more about some of its features.

Children learnt that Shabbat is a day of rest in Judaism, starting when it gets dark on a Friday evening until nightfall on Saturday. Jewish families celebrate Shabbat every week with a special meal on a Friday evening, often with family and friends, which always includes two loaves of a special type of bread called challah, candles and prayers.

The children were then able to see a Torah scroll up close and learn more about it! They learnt that the scrolls are all written by hand by a scribe, and it takes about a year to write each one. Some children helped to remove and put on the Torah’s cover too, which includes lots of important objects, including bells which hang from ornamental finials, a breastplate and a yad (the pointer with which people read from the Torah with). The children also learnt that nobody is ever allowed to touch the parchment on which the Torah is written as it is so special.

The children were also shown around a smaller Synagogue attached to the main one, which is used for smaller services. The children saw the Ark and learned more about the Ten Commandments. They also learnt about the eternal light, which is a light above the Ark which is always on – every Synagogue has one to symbolise God’s constant presence.