Year 3 - Autumn (Terms 1 & 2)

In the first term of Year 3 our priority is to settle the children into new Junior routines and to establish good working habits.  A strong emphasis is placed on listening to and following instructions, and we will expect the children to take an increasing amount of responsibility for their possessions and for their learning. Year 3 PE times are on Thursday or Friday, so could you please make sure that the children have the correct kit with them on these days. Swimming will be on a Tuesday, with each class having a block of lessons termly.

 

English: In Literacy we shall be looking at stories with familiar settings, shape poems and playscripts and using these texts to investigate dialogue, rhyme and alliteration. We shall look at report and information texts, and investigate the use of verbs and simple tenses. Punctuation covered will include the use of capital letters, full stops, speech marks and commas in lists.

 

Maths: We shall be revising place value and developing the children's skills in ordering and counting numbers up to 1000. Children will practice and learn by heart all addition and subtraction pairs up to 20, and use these facts to add and subtract other two and three digit numbers. We shall also look at 2D shape, symmetry, and measuring in centimeters and metres. In term two we shall be moving on to multiplication and division, fractions , data handling and  telling the time on digital and analogue clocks. 

 

Science: We shall identify a range of common materials and their properties, looking at which materials are suitable or unsuitable for particular purposes. In the second term  we shall be investigating rocks and soils. For this children will be looking at a range of rocks, investigating their characteristics and how this links to their uses in our world today. When looking at soil we will be investigating how soil is formed and comparing different types.

In our science work we will be investigating how to make a test fair, and how to record information accurately.

 

Geography: We shall be looking at maps and plans of the school and locality, and investigating how the land is used around our school.  Following on from this we shall be looking at how our school and local environment has changed and could be improved.

 

Design/technology: We shall investigate a range of photoframes, using ideas from these to design and make our own frame.

 

Information and Communication Technology:  We shall look at word processing, that text and graphics can be combined to communicate information, and link this to work in the curriculum. We shall also be looking at how to research information using the internet.

 

Music: Children will be expected to play a steady  beat and a variety of rhythms using their bodies and a range of percussion instruments. We shall listen to a range of music, discussing how sounds are used descriptively.

 

Art:  We shall explore pattern through a range of techniques and using a variety of different media, including paint, pastel and pencil crayon.

 

Religious Education: We shall be looking at signs and symbols and their use in different religions. We will also be looking at the Hindu festival of Divali, its origins and how it is celebrated.

 

Physical Education and Games:  We shall be working on awareness of space and finding pathways, moving on to ways of transferring bodyweight using a range of small apparatus. In swimming we shall be working on water confidence and stroke and stamina development.

 

Personal, Social and Health Education: In both PSHE and Circle Time sessions we shall be talking about new beginnings and how to adapt to these changes.  The second term covers aspects of how we can all get on together and resolve problems we may have in our friendship groups, together with personal organisation. We shall also be looking at road and firework safety.

 

History: We do not study History during the Autumn Terms.  We will be learning about what it was like to live here in the past in the Spring terms.

 

 

Supporting Your Child:           

 

We would encourage you to read with your child on a regular basis and to discuss what they have read. This should be recorded in your child's reading record booklet. Number bonds and tables also need to be practised on a regular basis as they form the foundation for many aspects of numeracy. Your child will receive spellings and homework on a weekly basis, please encourage them to complete this to the best of their ability. If you have any concerns or queries regarding this please let us know.