Welcome to Class 3.
We are really looking forward to all of the exciting new learning we will be doing this term.
We hope you find the information on this page useful and enjoy looking at all the exciting learning that will be taking place in year 3.
Here are some key facts for this term:
- PE is taught on a Tuesday.
- Spellings are sent home every Friday ready for our weekly spelling test the following Friday.
- Homework is sent home on a Wednesday and is due back on a Monday.
- Outdoor learning is taught on a Wednesday.
Literacy
At the start of term, we will be reading ‘The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse’ building up important reading and writing skills before planning and writing a character description. Following this, we will read Brambly Hedge where we will be building our skills further to write a setting description.
After half term, we will be reading ‘The Firework Maker’s Daughter’ as we focus on developing grammar and vocabulary skills to write a diary. Then we will move onto reading ‘Oscar and the Moth’, where we will be building on our speaking and listening skills by performing our play scripts to our class.
We will also be focusing on the importance of cursive writing and we complete handwriting activities regularly.
Maths
We will continue to follow the Mastery approach to mathematics, using concrete and pictorial representations to allow us to fully understand mathematical concepts before moving on in our learning. Children will also have daily opportunities to complete reasoning and problem solving questions to deepen their understanding.
We will start the year by looking at place value and number, building a secure understanding that will help us in other maths units across the year. We will then be moving onto focusing on the four operations.
As well as revisiting the 2, 5 and 10 times tables we have previously learned, this year we will be focusing on learning the 3, 4 and 8 times tables.
Science
Our topic for the first half term is forces. We will be comparing how things move on different surfaces, observing how magnets attract and repel and describing magnets as having two poles. To further our learning, we will be exploring the work of Andre Marie who was an important scientist in the finding of electromagnetism.
After half term, we will be moving onto learning about animals including humans. We will be revisiting our learning from year 2 before moving onto our new learning. During this topic, we will be exploring how skeletons and muscles support humans and some animals. Finally, we will be studying the work of Wilhelm Rontgen who discovered X-rays.
During our science lessons, we will be focusing on the importance of scientific enquiry skills in our experiments.
Geography
In geography, we will be learning about rivers. We will be exploring different parts of a river, why rivers flood and the journey of the River Tees. We will also be going on a class trip to our local river to gain a deeper understanding of the River Tees, tributaries and the weir.
History
In History this term, we are going to be focusing on our local history. We will be making historical enquiries and learning about the woollen mills in our town. We will also be exploring what daily life was like for those involved in the mills.
Again, to further our learning we will be going on a historical visit around Barnard Castle to learn more about our local history as we visit the grounds of Ullathorne Mill and historical buildings around town.
RE
We will begin our year by revisiting what we already know about religion and worship. Then, we will move on to exploring Hinduism and how Hindus worship. We will also be learning about the importance of the Mandir, shrines and Puja.
During the second half of term, we will be focusing on Christianity, exploring how and why Advent is important to Christians.
PE
This term we are lucky enough to have a coach join us for our PE lessons. We will be furthering our dance and gymnastic skills by learning different movements and creating our own routines. Our dance will be structured around rivers to link with our geography topic. We will also be performing our dance to the whole school.
Music
In the first half of the term, we will be exploring ‘How Does Music Bring Us Closer Together’. We will be following a process where we both listen and appraise and compose and improvise. We will be using our inner ear to develop a clearer understanding of how notes sound. This means that when we learn songs to perform, we have a theoretical knowledge about which instruments are used as well as how the music sounds and makes us feel.
After half term, we will begin a new unit ‘What Stories Does Music Tell Us About The Past’. Additionally, we will be learning traditional and modern Christmas music. There will be a focus on playing an instrument, singing through sign as well as using our voices.
Art
After half term, we will begin our exciting art project which will involve a whole school drawing focus. As part of this, we will be building on our shading and hatching skills as well as looking at line, tone, stippling and scribbling.
DT
During our design and technology lessons, we will be building our skills by using cross stitch and applique to design and create a cushion. The children will complete their design ideas by stuffing and sewing the edges of their cushions.
French
To begin, we will be learning French phonics and how to pronounce different sounds. Then, we will be exploring numbers 0-10, days of the week and daily greetings.
Outdoor Learning
Our topic for this term is Den Building. We will be using our skills to build a lean to or tripod den. The children will also be introduced to tarpaulin where they will plan and build a tarpaulin den as well as securing their dens with paracord.
Computing
This term, we will be looking at algorithms. We will be using Rapid Router to create, programme and decode basic software. During our ICT lessons, we will also be learning about how to and the importance of staying safe online.