Welcome to Year 3
I would like to welcome both you and your children back after the summer holidays to Year 3. I hope that you all had a relaxing break and that the children are raring to go and excited about all the new learning we have ahead of us this year.
This half term the topic is called ‘Bright Sparks’, which has a Science focus, looking at light and electricity. We will have a go at making our own circuits with switches and then we will be using what we have learnt in our Design and Technology lessons to create our own house, with a simple circuit, for one of the three little pigs to live in! This links to our English lessons where we will be looking at the text ‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs’. We will also be thinking about conductors and insulators as well as uses of electricity in our Science lessons. In our History lessons we will be exploring what life was like without electricity and how electricity began.
In Maths this half term, the children will be learning how to recognise the place value of each digit in a three digit number. They will also be learning how to read and write numbers up to 100 in numerals and words; they will then use this to solve number problems and practical problems. We will also be exploring different calculation strategies using number facts and place value. In addition to this, we will be learning how to add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both pounds and pence.
In English we will be learning to retell stories in more detail and take part in discussions about books. Also we will learn how to express our preferences about books. In our writing we will be looking at texts such as, ‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs’ and explore how to describe a character. We will progress to writing our own short stories with a clear structure. Related to our science learning, we will learn to write an explanation text about electrical circuits.
In our Core Skills curriculum we are focusing on the unit ‘Learning with Others’. We will choose targets that are relevant to the needs of the children in Year 3.
P.E- P.E lessons will be on a Monday and Tuesday this term. However, sometimes there may be unforeseen changes in the timetable which could mean that P.E. would have to move to a different day. Therefore, it is best if your child brings their P.E. kit in on a Monday and leaves it in school until Friday to ensure that they do not miss out on any P.E. lessons. If you are unsure of the house colour T shirt that your child needs, please ask. Please ensure that your child has suitable footwear (trainers) for this as well as some jogging bottoms as it is getting colder outside! The indoor kit of shorts, house group T-Shirt and pumps are also still required. Can I remind parents that the only earrings that children are allowed to wear are studs. These will need to be removed/covered over before starting P.E lessons. Please bring in tape/plasters so that this can be done quickly and efficiently ensuring that the P.E lesson starts on time. As well as this, girls should wear black shorts and not shorts with a skirt over the top as this could impede them when playing sports/on the equipment.
Home learning - All homework will be given on a Friday and is due in on a Wednesday (occasionally your child may take home additional homework which will help them in their learning, this is an optional extra).
Reading- Please continue to read with your child at least 3 times a week. Those children on free readers are able to select books from the class library or can choose one from home. Please write a comment in your child’s reading record book when you have read with them.
Spellings- The children will be given a spellings book to take home with them on a Friday. These will contain spellings from the Read, Write, Inc scheme.
Maths- The children will be set a task to complete from ‘My Maths’ which is an online resource, this will be relevant to the maths learning for that week. As a payable optional extra, you may purchase the Schofield and Sims maths workbook for the children to work through. More details to follow.
If you have any queries or questions about any of this information please do not hesitate to come and see me.
I am really looking forward to this exciting term of learning and I hope that your children are too.
Yours sincerely,
Miss Fowler