School value: In Summer 1 our value is Creativity. In Summer 2 our value will…

Click here to read about what we are doing in Year 3 this term and for links to useful websites to support your child’s learning.
School value
Autumn 1: Co-operation
Autumn 2: Politeness
Literacy
We will read Stories of Peace and Kindness by Elizabeth Laird, and a range of non fiction books about dinosaurs. We secure the correct letter formation and basic joins. We work on writing clear and accurate sentences to build short paragraphs e.g. a story ending or a character description.
The library at Touchbase Pears is a great place to borrow books and is free to join and use. This online library is another great place to read.
Spellings
We learn the spelling patterns from the national curriculum for Year 3, along with words from the statutory spelling list.
Your child needs to be able to spell all of these words by the end of Year 2, and these words by the end of Year 4. Spellings are tested on Thursdays, and new words are sent home the same day to practise. Try using games like Karate Kats and Spooky Spellings to make spelling fun.
Maths
We will work on understanding of place value and number, and mental and written methods for addition and subtraction. Your child has a school subscription for two excellent National Curriculm-aligned maths sites/apps. The log-in details for these can be found in the front of their reading record.
Science
Unit 1 – Earth Rock
You may find these helpful to look at with your child:
Unit 2 – Food and our bodies
These links may be useful to support your child’s learning in science:
Animals and humans knowledge organiser
Computing
Unit 1: Digital devices
Unit 2: Stop frame animation.
We constantly work on how to use technology safely and responsibly; how to recognise unacceptable behaviour; and ways to report concerns.
Keen coders might enjoy this free club at the Central Library. Great online safety resources here. These links explain parts of computing really clearly.
Trips for the term
King Edwards School – Concert (28.09.2023)
Thinktank – Dinosaur Workshop (12.10.2023)
Old Rep Theatre – Peter Pan (15.12.2023)
Topic Focus
Footprints From The Past
Art and Design
In the Autumn term, we focus on texture and form. We work with a range of media, such as clay and batik. Learn about texture and form in these videos.
Design and Technology
We learn about and investigate levers and pneumatics and use our skills (cutting, joining etc) to design and make a dinosaur with a moving limb/tail. Look at these levers and linkages. What could you design and make at home?
History
We carry out a study of the life and work of Mary Anning, Lyme Regis, 1799.
Read more about Mary Anning here. This BBC video really brings her story to life.
Lapworth Museum on the University of Birmingham campus is free to visit and has a great range of rocks and fossils as well as a huge allosaurus!
Geography
Using maps, atlases and globes, we identify fossil sites. We learn about keys and symbols within maps. We develop compass knowledge to include north east, south east, south west and north west.
Can you use these resources from the Ordinance Survey to help your child learn more about maps? Maybe you could visit Wren’s Nest in Dudley.
Spanish
We begin learning Spanish in Year 3. Topics covered include instruments and seasons.
These songs are fun
Music
We sing a range of songs linked to our topics and the seasons, working of pitch and expression. We play tuned percussion instruments and learn to play question and answer phrases.
We learn more about improvising and composing, using instruments and voices and we learn about a range of different composers from history.
PE
Autumn 1 & 2- Invasion games: Football and Hockey
Autumn 1 – Health-related – Fitness circuit/booklets – compare their performances with previous ones and demonstrate improvement to achieve their personal best.
RSHE
No Outsiders
In our No Outsiders lessons we read Oliver by Birgitta Sif. It is a story about a boy who feels lonely and different and what happens to change that. We also read This is Our House by Michael Rosen. This story is about a boy who doesn’t want to share and how that makes him and his friends feel. Have a look at the stories:
Oliver read aloud by the author
This is Our House by Michael Rosen
Our lessons focus on healthy families, friendship conflicts, bullying, trust, and respect.
RE
We explore:
Sharing & Being Generous
Caring for Others, Animals & The Environment
Creating Unity & Harmony
Participating & Willingness To Lead#
These videos are a great place to start exploring the many faiths in our school.