Class Teacher – Mrs Gaskell
Teaching assistant – Mrs Porter and Mrs Gibson
PE Days – Wednesday and Friday
Welcome to Year 3!
In Year 3, we are guardians of the Be Respectful school value! Our inspirational person who helps us embody and promote this value around school is David Attenborough.
Autumn term 1a: Scrumdiddlyumptious!
In Science we will be getting to grips with food, learning what food groups there are and how certain foods do different things for our bodies. In Literacy we will be writing our own fairytale based on Jack and the Beanstalk, using lots of lovely expanded noun phrases and fronted adverbials and later we will be creating instructions on how to make our own chocolate! Maths is all about place value this half term with formal methods for addition and subtraction to follow. Geography will see us use our mapping skills to plot the route that chocolate makes across the globe and in history we will be looking at who James Lind is and why he was so significant! In D&T we will be creating our very own chocolate bars for Willy Wonka with our very own amazing wrappers!
Autumn term 1b: One planet, one world
In Science we will be working with magnets, observing how magnets can attract and repel each other and also comparing the magnetism of other materials on different surfaces. In Literacy we will be writing narratives surrounding Cruella De’vil, concentrating on speech and writing a biography based on the little people big dreams books. Maths is all about multiplication and division this half term so learning those facts and practising at home is really important. In computing we will be looking at digital animation and moving onto our Christmas unit in Spanish! In Geography, we will be focusing on the UK, looking at human and physical features as well as cities and counties. This term will also see our famous Christmas performance!
Spring term 2a: Rocks, Relics and Rumbles
In Science we will be getting to grips with all things rocks, investigating different types of soil and also fossils! In Literacy we will be writing our own stories based on Leon and the Place Between as well as creating Non Chronological reports for the animals that live there. We will be covering money and statistics this half term using all of our place value skills to support our learning. In Geography we will be looking at how erosion and deposition affect the landscape and in history we will look at what sources of information are.
Spring term 2b: Through the Ages
In Science we will explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal and we will also look at, recognising that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by a solid object. In Literacy we will write instructions on how to make Stone Age bread and write our story based on The Stone Age Boy. In maths we will focus on fractions and measurement – length and perimeter of shape. This half term is heavily history based with the children learning about British prehistory from the Stone Age to the Iron Age, including changes to people and lifestyle caused by ingenuity, invention and technological advancement. This half term will also see our annual school trip to Delamere forest to meet a real life Stone Age man!
Summer term 3a and 3b: Emperors and Empires
In Science we will be focusing on light, recognising that we need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light as well as the fact that light is reflected from surfaces. In Literacy we will be writing as a character from the book “Escape from Pompeii” and writing a persuasive letter to all residents to leave the area before the eruption of Mt Vesuvius! Maths is all about Fractions and time this half term with the children beginning to recognise the differences between digital and analogue clocks. In Geography we will describe and compare different features of human and physical geography of Italy, offering explanations for the locations for some of these features. In History we will show developing understanding of chronology by beginning to realise that the past can be divided into different periods of time, looking at timelines and the Romans!
Summer term 3b: Emperors and Empires continued
In Science we will be focusing on identifying that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement, as well recapping and consolidating our nutrition and rocks units. In Literacy we will be writing a short story based on “Grandma Bird & Everything you need to know about snakes” and writing non chronological reports on a bird of paradise. In maths we will be looking at measurement, shape and geometry as well as consolidating other units. In Geography, we locate geographical features on a map or atlas using symbols shown in a key. In history we will consolidate our learning on the Romans and be answering the enquiry question “What have the Romans ever done for us?”
All grown ups will be made aware of PE days prior to each half term. Children are to bring their PE kits to wear for sessions and kits are to be kept in school. Long hair is to be tied back and earrings to be removed prior to sessions.
Homework is given out every Friday and expected back in school the following Wednesday. Homework is now given via Microsoft Teams and should be returned via the “turn in” tab. Children will receive one piece of reading, one maths and spellings to practise each week. There will also be a half termly knowledge organiser with tasks given to learn each week. Homework is optional and no reward or consequence will be received by the children either way. Homework is an opportunity for parents to gain an insight into their children’s learning and ability, as well as providing a chance for children to consolidate their learning throughout the week.
Spellings tests will be on Fridays. Children can practise their spellings on Spelling Shed: https://www.spellingshed.com/en-gb/
Children are expected to read regularly at home: being a fluent reader is key to learning across ALL subjects and it’s a key life skill. It is ideal to read a book over a few days to allow your child to discuss what they have read to embed learning and demonstrate a clear comprehension of the text. It is a good idea to ask the children questions about the story or discuss the meanings of keywords within the book.
Times tables will also be tested each week so we would encourage you to practise as much as you can at home: Year 3 are expected to know 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 8x and 10x tables by the end of the year. Regular practise in short bursts is ideal and encourages rapid recall of facts. Don’t forget you can play on https://ttrockstars.com/ (log-ins should be stuck on the inside front cover of your children’s reading records) and https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/hit-the-button for fun and engaging ways to practise.
Thank you for your continued support with homework tasks. We love seeing all of your amazing efforts each week!
I am always available in the playground at the end of the day if anyone has anything they wish to discuss. Alternatively please contact the school office or leave me a message on class dojo.
Kind regards,
Mrs Gaskell and Mrs Porter.