Year 3
Mrs Clarke and Miss Richardson
Our Theme
Our driver theme this term is called ‘What is a mountain and how is one made?’. We will be looking at where the UK major mountain ranges are and see how they are represented on a map using the contour lines. We will look at how mountains are formed and look at the three main types of mountains. We will look more closely at contour lines and consider whether it is a hill or a mountain. We will learn about Snowdon and will meet someone who has recently climbed it to find out their experiences. The children will celebrate their fantastic learning by making a leaflet for tourists visiting Snowdon.
English
In English, we are focusing on narrative writing and biographies. We will be using some extracts from Michael Morpurgo’s book called ‘King of the Cloud Forests’. The children will link their learning with our theme and will consider what it might be like to climb a mountain such as the Himalayas or Mount Everest. We will then develop an exciting story together about an adventure to the summit and will write parts of it together. The children will then write their own story about a mountain. We will learn about two famous explorers – Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and find out lots of facts about them. The children will look at some examples of biographies and see which features we need to include when writing one. They will then choose one of the explorers to write an informative biography.
Reading, as always, will be a crucial part of the children’s learning. The children will have a variety of reading lessons this year, whole class comprehension lessons, Little Wandle reading groups, AR quizzes, as well as one to one reading.
Maths
In Maths we will explore the use of fractions. We will start by considering that a fraction is part of a whole and exploring how to represent this using diagrams and numbers. We will then explore angles and shape using vocabulary such as obtuse, acute and right angles to describe the angles.
Science
This half term we will be learning about plants. We will be doing two units about plants in Year 3 - one now and the other in the summer term. We will learn about the parts of a plant and what they do to help the plant grow and thrive. We will consider what plants need to survive and will conduct an interesting experiment to see whether we can grow a seed in different conditions.
RE
In RE, we will be exploring a focussed enquiry question: ‘What is ‘good’ about Good Friday?’. The children will listen to the Easter story and will learn about Holy week. They will understand why Jesus’ crucifixion symbolises hope for Christians. We will also be talking to a Christian and exploring what Easter means to her.
DT
In our DT lessons we will be learning about linkages, levers and pop ups to create some cards. The children will look at different cards and how they use these techniques. They will then understand how these create movements and have a go at trying them out. They will design a card using a technique of their choice and then make their final product.
PE
This half term the children will be taking part in hockey skills with the coaches and also orienteering skills with me. During orienteering we will also be developing our thinking skills and group work skills.
Computing
In computing this half term we will be using a branching database. We will look at what a branching database is and will sort objects using just yes or no questions. We will create our own branching database linked to our learning.
PSHE
In PSHE this half term the children will consider many aspects linked to the unit ‘Healthy Me’. We will explore what it means being ‘fit and healthy’. We will also look at healthy and balanced diets. Towards the end of our unit we will celebrate our amazing body and consider how we can look after it.
Important information
The children will need to bring in their reading books and reading records every day. They will be able to quiz on their AR books during the school day.
Spellings will be sent home weekly in their yellow spelling books. These will be a focus during our spelling lesson during the week. It would be great to learn any tricky words at home. Please bring in the yellow spelling books on Friday so you can have the next set of words. Many thanks.
How you can help at home
Children can access Purple Mash at home to do some extra games with the spellings for the week. They can also access the computing lessons for this half term.
Support your child in learning multiplication and division facts.
Listen to your child read at least 3 times per week and have discussions about the text (record the reading sessions in their reading records).
If you have any queries or questions about this information or any other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Many thanks,
Mrs Clarke.
We work with a company called SEND Supported at school and they are releasing newsletters each week offering support and guidance to parents of children who many have additional needs in school. Please find below a link to these newsletters:
There are also lots of other resources and information available on their website. The 'Things to do Issue 2 - Resources' file has some lovely activities for all children regardless of whether they have additional needs or not. There are lots of great visual puzzles and games for children to play so please have a look if you can. There are also resources available now to support with developing children's memory skills in 'Thing to do Issue 3 - Resources.'
Audible are offering free audiobooks for children.
https://www.audible.co.uk/?source_code=M2M30DFT1BkSH1015140051&ds_rl=1235674&ipRedirectOverride=true
Login using your username and password to practise those spellings!
Message Mrs Clarke if you need a reminder of your logins
Look out for updates on inter-class battles!
BBC Supermovers : Select KS2 Mathematics to find all of our times tables dances and routines!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/supermovers/ks2-maths-the-3-times-table/z6sw382
Lots of free videos, games and presentations about different topics and themes, see what takes your fancy!
https://www.discoveryeducation.co.uk/what-we-offer/discovery-education-espresso
Free resources to help learn more about Science, History and Geography topics