Year 3 Spring 1 Curriculum Information

Happy New Year! We have got lots of exciting learning coming up this half-term which I can’t wait to share with you.

We have thoroughly enjoyed our class novels so far in year 3 and we are looking forward to our next book where we will be exploring ‘The Tempest’ by William Shakespeare. We will be studying the events that occur in the story and looking closely at the vocabulary used, which will be incorporated into our VIPERS lessons. It is a charming, magical tale of power and justice! We will also read `Max the Champion’ by Sean Stockton; this inclusive book teaches the children to have high aspirations and not to let anything get in the way of their dreams.

In English, our focus is on ‘Flood,’ which is a lovely picture book by Alavaro Villa about a family who are preparing for the ominous progression of a storm. The book focuses on the transition from calm to storm and the impact that the storm and flood has on the family. The children will use their understanding of this brilliant book along with their developing English skills to write their own wonderful version of the story.

In History we will be studying the Anglo-Saxons and looking how they settled in Britain. We will explore their settlements and how they lived by examining their culture, trading and religion. We will be thinking about our big question: ‘How could the uniting and shared tolerance of the Anglo-Saxons, have created a more successful and positive community?’

We will then look at the how the Vikings invaded and how they created Viking settlements. The tensions and battles between the Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings will be explored through King Alfred the Great. We will also be reading the `Dragon’s Hoard’, which contains myths  from the Viking period.

During this half-term, we will be spending a day learning about our local history; Melton Mowbray has a rich history which we are very excited to delve deeper into.

We will be spending our two art days by looking at Anglo Saxon designs, as well as interlocking and interlaced patterns. We shall practise symmetry, illumination, and embroidery. We will refine our drawing skills through creating patterns and use different grade brushes when painting. We will also be having a session with the Creative Learning Service where we learn about the different ways that we can use ink within art.

Before we move on to length and perimeter in maths, we will continue to consolidate the children’s understanding of multiplication and division. The children will build on their initial understanding of multiplication and division, but also develop their methods to work out more complex questions. Please continue to go onto TTRS at home, as this will be incredibly helpful with both their understanding and confidence with multiplication and division.

We will continue to use the laptops to log onto Maths Whizz, supporting the children’s progression in maths, which everyone has been thoroughly enjoying! During our computing lessons, we will be marking ‘Safer Internet Day’, understanding how to, and the importance of, staying safe online.

In PE, the children will have dance and OAA (Outdoor, adventurous activities). They will develop their skills in these areas by working independently, as well as in groups which will allow them to develop our school value – teamwork.

In Music, the children will be exploring how to compose using their imagination. We will focus on songs like, ‘Your imagination’, ‘You’re a Shining Star’ and ‘Music Makes The World Go Round.’

In geography, we will be learning about rivers. We will be investigating what rivers are, how they are formed and understanding the key components. We will then begin to understand why rivers are important and identify rivers across the world. We will be thinking about our big question, ‘How are rivers formed and where are they positioned? Where can rivers take you?’

In PHSE, the children will study Dreams and Goals and recognise the difficulties that people may face in achieving success and understand the importance of trying to overcome obstacles.

In RE, the children will be studying Jesus’ Miracles. We will look at incarnation and delve more into Christianity. Exploring the question ‘Could Jesus heal people? Were these miracles or is there some other explanation?’ We will also be marking ‘World Religion Day’ by spending an afternoon learning about different religions and cultures.

In Science, the children will be looking at Light and investigating different surfaces, examining opaque, transparent, and translucent materials. We will also use mirrors and look at patterns in changing shadows. Our Big Question in science for this half-term is ``Why do we need light?’’

We are very lucky to have more books, resources and visits from the Creative Learning Service this half-term which will complement our learning brilliantly and develop the children’s understanding in the topics we cover.

I will be posting regularly on class dojo, so please check for lots of pictures, updates and reminders.

Year 3 Autumn 2 Curriculum Information

Welcome back! I hope everyone is feeling refreshed after the half-term break. We have got lots of learning and exciting opportunities coming up before Christmas which I can’t wait to share with you!  

We absolutely loved our class novel last half-term and I’m sure we will enjoy our new one just as much. This half-term, we will be reading ‘The Last Bear’ by Hannah Gold. This moving book teaches the children that you are never too small to make a difference. This links nicely to our school values of teamwork and compassion as the main character, April, strives to help the last remaining bear on Bear Island.

As well as ‘The Last Bear’, the class will be reading several new books including ‘The Egyptian Cinderella’ by Shirley Climo and our Everyone’s Welcome book: ‘The New Jumper’ by Oliver Jeffers.  We will be using these books to encourage the children with their writing.

In English, the children will utilise their prior knowledge from year 2 when learning how to write a non-chronological report about skeletons and muscles. This links well with our new science topic: The Human Body.

In Science, we will be thinking about our Big Question: ‘What makes us human?’ We will be learning about the different systems of the human body. Children will learn about voluntary and involuntary muscles and their purpose. They will also build prior knowledge from Year 2 through studying names of bones, joints, and their functions. The children will be examining the skeletal system, nervous system and seeing how the digestive system works!

In Geography, our learning will be about settlements. Building on an understanding of local geography, children will learn that settlements are places where people live. They will look back to ancient times when humans were nomadic hunter gatherers and will link to their learning in history about Ancient Egypt and people settling along the River Nile to farm. They will begin to reflect on the settlements we have today and why they were first built. The children will learn that rivers were an important resource for travelling and transporting goods in the past and that many cities grew around a river. We will look at the differences between cities, villages and hamlets and compare rural and urban settlements. Linking it to our Big Question: `Where do we live and what are the areas like?’ 

In History, we are exploring Ancient Egypt! Thinking about ‘How did a belief in gods and goddesses’ effect how Egyptians led their lives?’ During this topic, the children will look at Ancient Egypt’s hierarchal society at this time. Children will look at social pyramids and be introduced to lots of key vocabulary. They will also learn about what it would be like to live in Egypt at this time- looking at how archaeologists have been able to find out about the food they ate, the clothes they wore, the houses they lived in and the jobs they did. The children will learn about the similarities and differences between the lives of the rich and the poor. We will also look at the religious beliefs of Ancient Egyptians as this was paramount to understanding some of their great achievements- such as the building of the pyramids. The children will look at Egyptians beliefs regarding the afterlife and the artefacts found in the tombs of both a craftsman and his wife, as well as one of the most well-known Pharaohs- Tutankhamun.

In Maths, we will be reinforcing the children’s understanding of addition and subtraction and developing their skills of multipliying and dividing. Please encourage the childern to use TT Rockstars every day to supoprt their timestables understanding and confiednce. They can also go onto Maths Whizz at home, but please limit this to 2 blue and 2 red gems per week for the best impact and progress with their maths.

In our Design Technology days, the children will recognise how a castle is made up of multiple 3D shapes and they will use their skills to build a complex structure.

In RE, we are exploring Christianity and thinking about the following question: ‘Has Christmas lost it’s true meaning?’ We will see if sacred texts have to be ‘true’ to help people undrestand their religion.

Our focus in PSHE is looking at ‘Celebrating differences’ and how important it is to care for each other. We will also look at the effects of bullying and how to solve it. This links nicely to our school values, as we strive to be responsible and compassionate.

The children will be continuing to learn French this half-term as we develop our understanding of greetings and begin to learn about items within our classroom.

In PE, the children will be exploring dodgeball and tennis. We will develop our skills in these sports and show our school value of teamwork during our lessons.

We are very fortunate to have workshops provided by the Creative Learning Services (CLS). A historian will come into school to talk about the River Nile and Egypt to develop our learning from history and geography. There will also be an interactive Assembly from CLS on Remembrance Day and a Christmas Assembly titled ‘Deck the Halls,’ which will explain what Christmas was like in Leicestershire in 1891. We are very lucky to have our CLS books, which link to the topics we will be learning. This allows the children to develop their understanding of the topics- they love to be curious and find out extra information so this is perfect for them!

We have so much more planned for this half term, which we look forward to sharing with you all on Class Dojo. Please check Class Dojo for regular updates and information.

Year 3 Autumn Term 1  Curriculum Information

Welcome back! I hope everyone had a lovely summer and that you’re feeling refreshed and ready for an exciting half-term of learning.

We will begin year 3 by reading our first class novel: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. This book is about a robot called Roz who discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Roz goes on an incredible journey of survival with the help of some of the island’s animal inhabitants. This heart-warming, action-packed book displays our school values of acceptance and teamwork as the other animals learn to understand and support Roz.

Our reading in class will support our English lessons where we will be reading Stone Age Boy by Satoshi Kitamura. This book tells the story of a boy who is walking home and trips over… into the Stone Age! He meets a girl and learns about her way of life. This captivating story will support our own narrative writing, as we build on the knowledge and skills that we learnt in year 2. This story links well with our history topic on the Stone Age where we will be answering our big question: ‘How have British settlements developed to improve civilisation in the modern world?’

We will start year 3 by learning about place value in maths. We will build on the knowledge that we learnt in year 2 to solve more complex problems. We will also be reinforcing our understanding of addition and subtraction, using inverse operations to help us answer questions. Please continue to log on to TTRS at home, as this will really help the children during their maths lessons.

In geography, we will be building on our learning from year 2 by developing our understanding about maps, compasses and grid references. We will be reminding ourselves that maps, made by cartographers, give us information about different locations. This will help us to answer our big question, ‘How can we find our location?’

We are very lucky to have resources from the Creative Learning Services (CLS) again this year which will complement the learning that we will be doing in class. They are kindly allowing us to use books which link to the topics we cover, as well as artefacts, memorable learning and assemblies.

In science we will be exploring different kinds of rocks to answer our big question ‘How are rocks formed?’ We will be exploring key knowledge of rocks, including their appearance and simple physical properties We will also be learning about different scientists, particularly what geologists do.

In RE this half-term, we will be exploring Hinduism, and focusing on the question: ‘Would celebrating Diwali at home and in the community bring a feeling of belonging to a Hindu child?’ In PSHE, our focus will be looking at ‘Being me in my world’ and considering our self-identity and worth. This links well to our everyone’s welcome book ‘Dogs don’t do ballet’ by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilive. This brilliant book is about a small dog who has a big personality and even bigger dreams. Can she be a ballerina and a dog in her world?

This half-term, we will be developing our art skills by focusing on lines as a basic tool. We will be experimenting creating lines with different materials, weight and print.

In PE, we will be starting the year by working on our fundamentals and ball skills. This will support our hand-eye coordination and will allow us to develop transferable skills for many sports.

We have some exciting opportunities this half-term, including a trip to a working farm, which I’m sure will be a memorable experience for the children. I will be sharing regular updates and pictures, so keep an eye on Class Dojo for these!