Third Class

Third Classes are located downstairs in the Aontas corridor (orange) rooms 6 and 8 and room 1 in the Dóchas corridor (blue).  Class teachers for the current year are: Ms. Harding, Mr. O ‘Loughlin and Ms. Walshe

General Information & Communication

• Parents can contact teachers for any class queries by sending a message through Aladdin Connect or emailing the school at info@ennisns.ie.
• For administration queries, please send them to info@ennisns.ie

Encouraging Positive Behaviour

The Principal Awards are given out each month to deserving pupils.  These are awarded for good behaviour, improvement in work, etc.  Photos of the monthly prize winners are uploaded to the school website.

Homework

• 30-40 minutes is the recommended time for completion of homework in third class.
• We ask that homework is supervised by a parent/guardian each evening.
• Please sign the homework diary daily.
• Oral work should be checked daily – reading/poetry/spellings/tables/prayers etc.

English

• Guided Reading

Differentiated Reading Groups – daily reading practice focussing on fluency and comprehension.

• Accelerated Reader – Children are given access to books tailored to their own reading level. Children receive a username and password and are encouraged to log in to their individual account to complete quizzes that test their comprehension of the book. Quizzes may be taken at home and in school.
• SRA -Third classes use the SRA Reading Laboratory in order to promote and improve comprehension skills.

Maths

• The following areas are an integral part of the 3rd class maths curriculum:
• Skip counting and tables: Please test your child daily on their skip counting/ tables homework as it leads to greater speed and success in mental and written tasks.
• New areas for third class:
  • Multiplication and Division tables and activities
  • Time: five minute intervals in analogue time (past and to), digital time,
  • Chance
• Izak9 provides a shared learning environment rich in problem solving, reasoning and fluency, where pupils can develop team work and resilience.

Gaeilge

• Bua na Cainte is our Gaeilge programme for 3^rd We focus on oral work, as well as songs, poems and regular verbs (past, present and future tenses).  There are weekly spelling tests in Gaeilge with an aim to improving vocabulary and pronunciation.
• Léigh sa Bhaile (Read at Home) is our Irish reading book for Homework.
• We try to informally incorporate spoken Irish (Gaeilge neamhfhoirmiúil) throughout the day.

History, Geography & Science

History

Ancient Egypt, The Vikings, Monasteries/Early Christian Ireland, Local History of Ennis (walking tour of Ennis).

Geography

Map of Ireland, Provinces and Counties, My County (Clare), European Countries with a focus on Denmark.

Science

STEM based work focussing on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Regular exposure to Science experiments with a focus on procedures and group work.

Visual Arts, Music & Drama

Choir

Children may attend choir on Thursdays after lunch and they perform a number of times throughout the year.

Band

Children have the option of joining the band. Practice is on Tuesdays after lunch.

Tin Whistle

Each class will learn Tin Whistle as part of Music.

Visual Arts

Knitting and weaving, as well as in-class art activities, take place throughout the year.

Drama

The children take part in a Christmas Show every year.  Drama is also integrated with other subjects such as Gaeilge, English, History, etc.

Physical Education

• PE takes place every week in Third Class.
• Children receive swimming lessons, rugby coaching and GAA training.
• 3^rd class do a daily run/walk (1 km approx.)  so please ensure your child has appropriate footwear.
• Pupils may take part in lunchtime hurling leagues.
• Please wear school tracksuit and suitable footwear on P.E. days.

Social and Personal Health Education

In 3rd Class we follow the Stay Safe and Walk Tall programs where a variety of topics relating to Social and Personal Health Education are covered.

Religion

Children take part in Religion lessons, where we use the Grow in Love program. Children engage in prayer throughout the day and each class has a prayer space where children are given ample opportunity to develop their own personal relationship with God throughout the course of the year.

Assessment

Weekly Test

Spelling, Litriú and Tables test takes place every Friday morning. Parents are encouraged to sign these tests weekly.

Accelerated Reader

Your child has a code (inside front cover of journal) to access Accelerated Reader. Termly individual reading targets are set for your child based on their reading level. Accelerated Reader is a tool that assesses your child’s reading comprehension. https://ukhosted11.renlearn.co.uk/2935049/

Any Other Information

• Weather depending, on Friday afternoons, we go on a walk around Ballybeg woods.  Please inform the school if they will be collected early on Fridays.
• We go on a walking historical tour of Ennis during the year and a school tour in the final term.

Useful Websites

We have pulled together some useful websites for students

View and Download Useful Websites Third Class