This term we will be working on the following topics:

English      

Our focus texts will be Stone Age Boy, Ganesha goes Green, The Great Kapok Tree, Old Enough to Save the Planet and Lots (Poetry). While exploring these texts, we will learn to extend our sentences using a wide variety of conjunctions. We will create narratives using a range of tenses. We will create characters, settings and plots using descriptive devices efficiently, such as expanded noun phases and fronted adverbials.

When assessing the effectiveness of our writing, we will suggest improvements to spellings and punctuation as well as the correct use of grammar. We will also propose changes to our vocabulary to make our writing more interesting and engaging.

We will be doing Guided Reading lessons three times a week and Reading for Pleasure every day. When reading, we will be discussing new vocabulary, use stem sentences to explain our understanding of a text, and we will justify our answers, opinions and arguments. Further to this, we will discuss our understanding by predicting what might happen next from details stated and implied. We will also draw inferences and justify them using accurate evidence from the text.

 

Maths        

We will be teaching maths using the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics (NCETM) materials and guidance. We will be covering adding and subtracting across 10, numbers to 1000, right angles, securing mental calculations and column addition in the autumn term. The children will be presented with various contexts, representations and manipulatives to support their mathematical learning. We will apply this knowledge to solving word problems, using bar modelling and part-part whole models as a key representation.

We will also be working on practising and learning our 2, 5, 10, 3, 4 and 8 times tables.

 

Science       

We will be studying the science topic ‘Rocks and Soils’ this term. We will be grouping and comparing rocks according to appearance and texture, learning how rocks are formed, discussing what rocks are used for and how weathering can change rocks over time. We will be planning, carrying out investigations, recording and making conclusions. In the second half-term, we will be studying Plants; learning about how plants are formed and labelling the reproductive parts of a plant.

 

History        

In History, we will look at the Stone Age. We will learn about what life was like in Palaeolithic Britain, what was similar and what was different about the Mesolithic period and the Palaeolithic period and know how and why Neolithic people built huge monuments. We will also be learning about the changes from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

 

Art & Design            

In our Art lessons we will be reflecting upon the purpose of cave art paintings and introducing a sense of proportion when drawing an animal. We will be scaling up drawings in charcoal, creating tones and textures, experimenting with natural materials to make paint, exploring the colours and effects that can be created.

 

Music       

In Music this term, we will be working on notation and duration, through continuing last year's lessons with recorders. There will be a focus on ensemble playing and music reading. We will be singing and working towards a performance for the school's Harvest Festival and then prepare for our Christmas performances.

Recorders are needed every Wednesday. They can be brought in each week or can be left in school for these sessions.

 

Computing

This term we will be learning about networks and computer systems. We will be explaining that digital devices accept inputs, explaining that digital devices produce outputs and following a process.

 

Design Technology (DT)            

In Design Technology, we will focus on building 3D structures and children will draw and label a simple structure, understand how structures are made of 3D shapes and utilise skills to build complex structures from simple geometric shapes.

 

Physical Education (PE)      

We will be having tennis lessons with a professional coach where we will learn ball and racket control skills,  play as a team and learn how to be competitive in a healthy way. Additionally, we will learn how to play basketball and learn game strategies.   

 

French       

We will be learning key vocabulary and phrases through the following topics: Bonjour and En Classe.         

 

Religious Education (RE)             

In our lessons we will be learning about Hindu Dharma and Nature and God.

 

Personal, Social & Health Education (PSHE) and Relationships & Sex Education (RSE)

Our topics this term are: Families and Friendships, Safe Relationships and Respecting Ourselves and Others.

We will discuss what makes a family and the features of family life, personal boundaries, safely responding to others and the impact of hurtful behaviour, recognising respectful behaviour, the importance of self-respect, courtesy and being polite.

Your child should read to an adult for 15 minutes three times a week and independently every day. It is also important that an adult reads to your child regularly. Please talk to your child about the book and check their understanding by asking questions about events and the characters’ actions. Please also explain new or unfamiliar vocabulary. Their book bag should come to school every day.

Your child will have PE on Monday and Friday. Children wear their PE kits to school.

Your child needs to bring a water bottle every day.

We are a Healthy School. Please do not put sweets or chocolate bars in your child’s packed lunch. Please do not send in sweets or other treats when it is your child’s birthday. If you want to celebrate your child’s birthday with their classmates, you could buy the class a book, send in a healthy snack such as boxes of raisins or buy stationery such as a pencil, but due to the impact on the environment, we ask you not to send in plastic toys.

If your child is absent from school, please contact the school office: 020 8850 5486 and leave a message detailing why your child is absent. If your child has had an upset stomach, they can return to school when they are better. Please try to book medical appointments outside the school day and note that family holidays will not be authorised.

If you have any questions or wish to raise a concern, please contact the class teacher in the first instance. Please use the email addresses above.

Please see the school calendar and weekly newsletters for information about events for Year 3.