Welcome to Year 3

We wish your child every success for the coming year. Here is some information to make the transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 as smooth as possible.

Term topics

Autumn

Skull and crossbones

In the first half term our Skull and Crossbones topic focuses on Pirates. We bring this to a close in English through learning about the famous pirate Blackbeard. Using what we have found out about him we create Wanted posters.

As we move forward in our topic we begin to learn about the Vikings, pirates of the past. We use our learning to inform us to create an advert of a Viking house for sale, as well as write a newspaper article to describe Viking Raid. We also write a letter describing a Viking feast.

In History we research and answer the question ‘Were the Vikings raiders or traders?’ We also use a range of sources to find out about other aspects of Viking life, which enables us to make comparisons with life in Anglo-Saxon times. We also think about ‘Why was King Alfred a great leader?’

We lead into map skills work in Geography with creating maps and using co-ordinates to locate places. We build on this further as we learn to draw a sketch map from an OS map extract and introduce grid references and a key. We also build on our knowledge and understanding of the local area as we begin to investigate why people choose to live in our local town. In turn, we answer the enquiry question ‘Would a Viking prefer to raid a town or a village?’

In Science, we consider the enquiry question ‘What would happen if humans did not have skeletons?’ using texts such as ‘Book of Bones’ by Gabrielle Balkan. We link this to developing an understanding of how muscles work in the body.

RE gives us the opportunity to learn about Diwali and explore the question ‘Would celebrating Diwali at home and in the community bring a feeling of belonging to the Hindu child?’ Nearer Christmas we consider the question ‘Has Christmas lost its true meaning?’

Whilst in PSHE we work on the Jigsaw unit ‘Celebrating Difference’. We also take part in Anti-Bullying week.

In Music we focus on the history of Music, as well as learn about the music of a contemporary composer.

We work on developing our observation skills in Art and creating self-portraits linked to Viking portraits. We also paint Viking longships.

DT gives us the chance to design and make pirate treasure bags. We sew and learn how to use fastenings, before evaluating our work.

In Computing we learn about coding simple programs through the use of Purple Mash

In French we work on greetings, colours, the days of the week and the months of the year.

In PE we have the opportunity to develop Invasion skills as well as work on Unit 2 of Real PE - Social Skills, which focuses on ‘balance and agility.’

Medium term skills Autumn term

Spellings

Spring

Footprints in the past

This term we step back into the past and learn about dinosaurs, the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and we explore the wonders of Ancient Egypt and its people. This is just a taster of the learning that goes on in Year 3!

In Maths we use a combination of concrete, pictorial and abstract strategies to work through a range of maths including multiplication and division, money, statistics, length and perimeter finishing with work on fractions.

In English we use a wide array of quality texts to support our work, for example ‘Escape from Pompeii’. When reading these texts we use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, Summarise) to really unravel what is happening.

The themes of our topic ‘Footprints in the Past’ help shape our writing in English. We explore story openings through the text ‘Gigantosaurus’ as well as learn about direct speech.

We work on descriptive story writing linked to ‘Escape from Pompeii’, whilst the texts such as ‘How Dinosaurs Really Work’ and ‘Uneversaurus’ introduce us to the world of dinosaurs and gives us the opportunity to read and research information to write a non-chronological report.

Texts such as ‘See Inside Ancient Egypt’ and ‘Why were the Mummies Wrapped?’ springboard us into the world of Ancient Egypt and provide opportunities for writing an explanation text about how the pyramids were built, as well as a diary extract about Ancient Egyptian life.

In Science we investigate and learn about different rocks and soils, as well as experimenting to make our volcanoes erupt! We also research Mary Anning’s contribution to palaeontology and explore how fossils are formed, bringing this to life through the creation of our own fossils.

In History we learn how the story of Pompeii is important to historians. We also begin to understand who the Ancient Egyptians were, using a timeline to understand their place in the past. We explore the significance of the pyramids and learn how they were built. We also become History detectives, using different historical sources to find out who was the boy behind the golden mask. As well as exploring the importance of the River Nile in Ancient Egypt.

In Geography we learn how and where volcanoes are formed as well as investigate why people may live by volcanoes. We build on knowledge acquired through our work in History and look at Egypt as it is today. We develop our locational knowledge and map Egypt using atlases, globes and digital sources. We focus on the role of the River Nile in the present and make comparisons with the River Nile in the past.

Through Art we compare the work of different artists who have painted volcanoes, before creating our own pictures using different media. We learn about the work of Gustav Klimt, which inspires us to design patterns and explore the use of colour. From this we create a mural for inside an Egyptian tomb. Whilst in Design Technology we investigate why pyramids are sturdy structures, experimenting with construction kits and different body shapes.

In Computing we work with Spheros to develop our programming skills and also begin to learn touch typing. We learn how to use simple search technologies to explore Egyptian tombs, recognising some sources are more reliable than others. Meanwhile in Music we explore how to listen and appraise music, as well as begin to learn to play the glockenspiel.

We begin with the jigsaw piece is ‘Dreams and Goals’ in PSHE focusing on our hopes and ambitions and how we might achieve them. The puzzle piece ‘Healthy Me’ gives us the opportunity to learn about healthy living and keeping ourselves safe. In RE we learn about and consider the enquiry questions ‘Could Jesus really heal people?’ and ‘What is good about Good Friday?’

In French we continue to develop our confidence in speaking, understanding and writing numbers, months of the year, colours and animals.

PE gives us the opportunity to develop our skills in Gymnastics as well as Golf. We also focus on the Cognition and Creative units of Jasmine, where we work on many aspects including ball skills, sequences of movements and partner work.

Medium Term Skills Overview

Homework Challenges 2020

Summer

An African adventure

This term we go on an exciting adventure and explore the wonders of Africa. Here is an overview of the learning that goes on in Year 3!

In Maths, we use a combination of concrete, pictorial and abstract strategies to work through a range of maths including multiplication and division, time, fractions, geometry and mass and capacity. We constantly review all the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

In English, we use a wide selection of quality key texts to support our work and our cross- curricular learning. When reading these texts we use our VIPERS (Vocabulary, Infer, Predict, Explain, Retrieve, and Summarise) to unveil what is happening. We focus on fiction and non-fiction texts.

The themes of our topic ‘An African Adventure’ help shape our writing in English. We explore story openings through the text ‘Lion in the Long Grass’ as well as learn about adverbs and descriptive language. The Butterfly Lion helps us reflect about the African savannah and encourages the use of description and letter writing.

We continue to explore persuasive writing linked to our geographical learning about Kenya and design persuasive posters to invite tourism to this country.’

In History, we continue to learn about the importance of the River Nile in Ancient Egypt and make comparisons to life in modern Egypt. We study key historical people like Cleopatra and Wangari Maathai.

In Geography we study the river Nile and consider its’ importance today in Egypt. We explore the wonders of Africa and focus on Kenya and the Masai Mara, in particular. We use maps and atlases to support our understanding of Kenya and consider the meaning of the Kenyan flag. Through the study of Kenya, we consider the climate and compare this to the climate of the United Kingdom. We explore the African savannah and all its natural beauty.

In Science, we research animal families that live in Africa, and explore their habitats.

We look at plants and trees, and investigate the requirements for their healthy growth. From this, we learn about light and shadows. We investigate pollination and the importance of bees, and link this to our English work on explanation texts.

Through Art, we begin to appreciate the work of Georgia O’ Keeffe and her painting of flowers before creating our own pictures using different media. Whilst in Design Technology we investigate about different foods grown in Kenya and the UK and make African themed drinks.

In Computing, we work on using technology safely, and identify efficient use of suitable keywords when using search engines. We explore branching databases and explore presenting results in graphic form. Meanwhile in French, we learn about different foods, including breakfast and going on a picnic. In Music, we listen and appreciate music, and learn to play the glockenspiel.

In PSHE, we focus on ‘Relationships’, where we discuss family roles and responsibilities, keeping ourselves safe and being a Global Citizen. Our puzzle piece of ‘Changing Me’ helps us understand that many changes happen in humans and animals during the growing up process. In RE we learn about and consider the enquiry questions ‘Do Sikhs think it is important to share?’ and ‘Would visiting the River Ganges feel special to a non-Hindu?’

PE gives us the opportunity to develop our skills in Swimming. We also focus on the Cognition and Creative units of Jasmine, where we work on many aspects including ball skills, sequences of movements and partner work.

Who are our Year 3 teachers?

Copper Beech

Mrs Ashmore and Mrs Smith

Silver Birch

Mrs Garden and Miss Roworth

Poplar

Mrs Hodges and Mrs Marchant

Year group Teaching Assistants

Mrs McPhee and Mrs Joseph, Ms Newton and Mrs Blackman

Welcome to Year 3

Read our Welcome to Year 3 sheet containing some information to make the transition from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 as smooth as possible.

Useful documents

Useful websites

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In This Section

Welcome to Year 3

Term topics

Autumn

Skull and crossbones

Spring

Footprints in the past

Summer

An African adventure

Who are our Year 3 teachers?

Copper Beech

Silver Birch

Poplar

Year group Teaching Assistants

Welcome to Year 3

Useful documents

Useful websites