Year 3

Mrs Clarke, Mrs Corstorphine and Miss Croft

Spring 1 Term - Who Made Metal First?

Our driver theme this term is focussed on the Bronze Age and the Iron Age. This will be a continuation of the learning we did about the Stone Age in the Autumn Term. The children will consider ‘Who made metal first?’. They will find out why bronze was a significant change from the Stone Age. They will think about what the people used bronze for to help them in their daily life. We will look at the changes that happened during the Iron Age. The children will learn about Stonehenge too.

English

In English, we are focusing on explanation texts and instructional writing. We will start with an exciting text based on our theme. It is called The Boy with the Bronze Axe and it is based in Skara Brae - a village we found out about during our learning about the Stone Age. We will be writing a character description using one of the main characters from the book. We will then be learning how to write an explanation text using the features needed.

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 this half term, we will continue to learn how to subtract using the column strategy. Our next unit will be about length and perimeter. The children will learn how to use a ruler accurately and measure in cm and mm and later will be using m. They will also be learning how to calculate the perimeter of a shape.

Science

This half term we will be learning about circuits and switches. We will find out how to make a complete circuit and how to draw it onto paper. We will then investigate switches and find out how a switch works.

In RE, we will be exploring a focussed enquiry question: ‘Could Jesus heal people? Were these miracles or is there some other explanation?’. We will think about what a miracle is and then listen to a few different stories from the Bible where Jesus performs a miracle.

Art

In art this half term we will be focusing on Bronze age and Iron Age jewellery. We will look at some examples of jewellery from these ages and will sketch them. We will learn how to apply shading in our work. We will then design our own torc bracelet and will make one using papier mâché.

This half term the children will be having 7 sessions of Forest School. These are led by Amanda who the children worked with in Year 2. The children will be doing lots of exciting activities in the woods.

Computing

In computing this half term we will be finishing our units of work on spreadsheets and touch typing. We will also do an exciting unit about emails where the children will learn to read and send emails using their We Learn365 account.

PSHE

In PSHE this half term the children will consider many aspects linked to the unit ‘Dreams and Goals’. The children will explore how to stay motivated when they are doing something challenging, how to have a positive attitude and how to work well in a group.

Important information

PE this half term is timetabled for Tuesday. Children should come to school wearing a white T shirt, black shorts/joggers and trainers/plimsolls.

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.

Homework will be sent every week. The tasks are outlined in the weekly email sent to parents and are explained in class. There will be an English task and a maths task that links to the lessons we have been doing during the week. There is an optional activity on Learning With Parents. Children will also need to read to an adult 3 times per week and record this in their reading records. They can also use Timestable Rockstar to help them secure their multiplication and division facts.

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 for the 2, 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables.

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.'

Useful links:

English: