Autumn 1
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back! The new school year is here and we are very much looking forward to meeting our new classes and welcoming the children back to school. We hope you had a great summer and are well rested and ready for the return to school. We have a very exciting curriculum in Year 3 this year.
English
Children will be reading some powerful and inspiring texts. Using Joseph Coehlo's and Fiona Lumbers' Luna Loves Library Day, the children will discuss the importance of libraries and reading, and write a persuasive letter on the subject. Fly Eagle Fly! An African Tale retold by Christopher Gregorowski and Niki Daly will then offer children the opportunity to explore themes, including belonging, through narrative and poetry. Following this, children will read the beautifully illustrated graphic novel, Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland, allowing them to reflect on the experiences of refugees in the form of discussion and writing (both in diary and letter form). Children will complete the half term by exploring and writing their own Clerihews.
Maths
Children will be learning about numbers within 1000. The children will learn to understand the value of each digit in a three-digit number and to compare and order them. They will then learn to add and subtract three-digit numbers using different methods, including the column method before applying this knowledge to word problems. As Year 3 will learn about multiplication and division next half term, please continue to practice multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 times tables with your child this half term.
Science –Anatomy and Lifestyle
We have a very exciting science topic this half term where the children will learn about anatomy and lifestyle. Children will start the term learning the names and functions of major organs. The children will then find out what the key parts and functions of a skeleton are, about the different types of skeletons, and about how muscles help us to move. Following this, the children will explore the type and amount of nutrients that are required to give us a balanced diet.
Geography – Does the UK have good weather?
Children will learn about weather. They will learn how weather is measured and will use a range of equipment to do this themselves, before finding out why we have seasons and what the weather is like in the UK. They will investigate what the weather is like around the world and explore extreme weather. The children will then draw conclusions from what they have learnt to decide if the UK has good or bad weather.
RE – Christianity: The Bible and how its teaching affects Christians
Children will find out about the Bible and why it is important to Christians. They will learn about the images and messages that the Bible gives Christians, some of the stories Jesus told and how the Bible influences people’s lives. As part of this, the children will learn about the significant achievements of Mother Teresa.
PSCHE – Understanding our feelings
Children will explore a range of feelings and emotions (e.g. happy, sad, brave, afraid, angry, calm, generous, selfish) through storybooks, poetry, role-play and discussion activities. We will be developing children’s language to describe different feelings and explore how an emotion may feel in our bodies and how this can link to our actions. During Circle Time sessions, children will enjoy structured class discussions, which help them to understand and support each other.
Music
This year, Year 3 will be learning to play the recorder for the whole year and will have a recorder given to them so that they can practice at home. They will need to bring their recorder in to school for their music lesson each week. This term, the children will focus on learning how to hold and blow the recorder. They will also explore rhythms using crotchets, quavers, rests, minims and dotted notes using the sounds BAG. Children will begin to develop an understanding of staff notation and will have the opportunity to improvise and compose 1-2 bars of music using the rhythms and pitches we explore this term.
P.E.
Outdoor games will initially focus on team building through a variety of outdoor activities, with an emphasis on problem solving, communication and decision-making. Through athletic activities, the children will also develop their running, jumping and throwing skills.
For indoor P.E., children will either have dance or gymnastics. In dance, children will have an opportunity to create, explore and perform movement in response to classroom curriculum-based topics and given stimuli such as music, visuals and text. Children will be encouraged and taught to share and develop language to feedback and comment with an emphasis on creativity, composition, performance and peer learning.
As last year, children should come to school in their PE kit and do not need to bring their normal uniform to change back into. Please do make sure that they have warm enough clothes for the whole day e.g. some jogging bottoms if they wear shorts for PE.
Art
Year 3 will be practicing their observational drawing skills inspired by the American artist Georgia O'Keeffe . The children will make large scale drawings of natural forms, exploring different materials. They will carefully observe three shapes: the outline, the shadow and the shading to make their drawings look 3D.
French
In all year groups we will be spending the first half term setting expectations for best French learning behaviour, getting to know each other and learning key classroom language to help us communicate in French in the classroom. This will be done using songs, movement and interactive activities, with a focus on spoken French.
Computing
Year 3 will learn to program a BBC MicroBit to create a dice this half term. As part of this project, they will create and debug simple programs, solving problems by breaking them into smaller parts and using conditional programming.
Homework
English (spag.com) and maths (mathletics.com) homework will both be set on Wednesdays and should be completed by the following Monday. This will start on Wednesday 13th September.
Words to learn each week will be sent home in your child’s guided reading record. This will start in the week beginning 11th September.
Guided reading homework will be set from the week beginning 11th September – the day will depend on which day your child reads with their teacher. Your child needs to bring their guided reading record to school every day.
Healthy eating at playtime
Children can bring in a healthy snack to eat during break time. They are allowed to bring a piece of fresh or dried fruit or vegetable, or a small savoury sandwich (no crisps, biscuits, sweets, yogurts, cakes etc please) – teachers will monitor these snacks to make sure they are suitable. There should be no foods containing nuts brought into school.
Water
All children need to bring a small, labelled bottle of plain water to drink throughout the day and take it home each night to be washed. They can re-fill this bottle from the water stations in school during the day.
Communication between home and school
At the end of the school day, your child must always say goodbye to their teacher before leaving the school premises.
It is important for your child’s safety that the school has two accurate contact numbers in case of an emergency but also for us to be able to contact you and discuss what is happening in school. Please can you check that home and any mobile contact numbers that have been sent into school are correct and up to date.
We will work in close partnership with families to ensure your child’s time at school is successful – if you have any queries concerning your child’s education or welfare please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher on the playground or through the office and we will be glad to discuss any queries with you.
We look forward to meeting you all if we haven’t done so already, and to welcoming your children back to school!
Yours faithfully,
Stephanie Grosvenor (3SG – Year Leader)
Fiona Allan and Robert Firth (3AF)
Daniel Griffin (3DG)
Polly Szablowski (3S)
Poppy Price (3P)
