Class page
Hi and welcome to Year 3!
The class teacher is Miss Harris.
Spring term 2024
English
We are starting starting the term with a short story called 'The Black Hat', in which a boy, living in a forest, discovers a hat containing magical creatures. The children will explore use of creative language in this unit of work. We will also be learning how to write different types of poetry, such as Haikus, acrostic poems, shape poems and Cinquain poems, themed around our topics of 'The Rainforest' and 'Rocks, Soils and Fossils.' We will learn how to write non-chronological reports as part of our non-fiction genre.
After half term, our texts will be based on our history topic: Roman Britain.
VIPERS guided reading and phonics
Each morning Year 3 take part in either Read Write Inc. phonics lessons, to help the children learn their sounds, or whole-class guided reading sessions, where they learn the skills of comprehending a text. Our current book in guided reading is 'The Sheep Pig' by Dick-King Smith. In these sessions we learn to explore:
Vocabulary
Inference
Prediction
Explanation
Retrieval
Summarising
The children answer questions based on these reading skills about the given text.
Our Friday morning VIPERS lesson is now dedicated time for completing Accelerated Reader quizzes after your child has finished their reading book.
Maths
We teach and learn maths through the 'White Rose' programme. This term we focus on Multiplication and Division, using both mental and formal written methods of calculation. We will be using practical resources such as Base 10 to support learning. You can support your child by regularly testing them on their Year 2 times tables (2s, 5s, 10s), and helping them to learn their new Year 3 times tables (3s, 4s, 8s).
Science
We are learning about 'Rocks, Soils and Fossils', in which the children will learn about how the 3 different classes of rock are formed, what properties these have and why they can be used by humans for different purposes. We will learn about what fossils are and how they are formed; and the varieties of soil types and how soil is formed.
Geography
For this first half term, Year 3 will be learning about tropical rainforests. We will be looking at where rainforests can be found across the world, why in those particular areas and linking this with climate zones. We'll explore the layers that make up the rainforest and the vast range of wildlife found in these biomes. We'll also explore the impacts human activity has on the rainforests and what protections are offered to these forests.
History
In the second Spring half term, we will our topic will be Roman Britain, and will feature an exciting trip to Vindolanda and the Army Museum.
Forest School & Commando Joe's
Year 3 have been split into 2 groups on a Monday afternoon to take part in either Forest School or Commando Joe's. These sessions form Year 3's first PE session of the week.
Swimming
Swimming forms Year 3's second PE session of the week - this takes place on a Tuesday afternoon at Wentworth Leisure centre. On a Tuesday the pupils have a slightly earlier lunch and get ready to walk straight down to the swimming pool. Please ensure your child always brings a costume/trunks, a towel and goggles for their swimming lessons. Swimming kits can be taken home to be washed after each session.
Tuesday afternoons each week are my PPA non-contact times so the children will be escorted to the pool, supervised and walked back by Mrs Love and Miss Crozier. Mrs Love will teach their weekly RE lessons following their return to school.
Homework
Children will receive a homework wallet to keep homeworks in. Spellings set for practising will be posted on class dojo. Please encourage your child to complete their homework as it helps a great deal to reinforce recent learning and new skills.
Please do ask if you have any questions or queries about ways to support your child.
Miss Harris
Class teacher
TT Rockstars
Times Tables Rock Stars (ttrockstars.com)
The times tables that the children are required to know by the end of Year 3 are:
2x, 5x, 10x, 3x, 4x, 8x.
To log in to TT Rockstars at home, simply type it into Google and click on the link. Go to Login (4th option along the top) and click on School pupils. It will then prompt you for the school name, then it will ask you for username and you need to select pin (not password) and enter pin. The children have this information inside their reading records.