School Value: Community

Literacy

Spring 1

Our contemporary picture book is Our Tower by Joseph Coelho and Richard Johnson.

We shall be reciting and performing our classic nonsense poems Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll and On the Ning Nang Nong by Spike Milligan.

Spring 2

Year 3 will be reading the classic novel The Iron Man by Ted Hughes and a range of non fiction books about chocolate and where it comes from.

In handwriting we work on the correct letter formation and basic joins. Dictation is now an integral part of our English lessons and it helps to improve retention of information, pace of writing and self checking. The aim is for the children to write cohesive sentences that make sense and in turn build to writing short paragraphs.

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 Friday, and new words are sent home the same day to practise. Please ask your child for the list each week because they have the responsibility of taking them home.

Try using games like Karate Kats and Spooky Spellings to make spelling fun.

 

Maths

Spring 1: Multiplication & Division and length & perimeter

Spring 2: Fractions and Mass & Capacity

Your child has a school subscription for two excellent National Curriculum-aligned maths sites/apps. The log-in details for these have been sent home.

Mathletics

Times Tables Rock Stars

 

Science

Spring 1: Rocks and Soil

Spring 2: Light & Shadows

This is a useful link to BBC Bitesize Science https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/ztgp46f

 

Computing

Spring 1 & 2: Programming  – Sequencing Sounds

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.

There are great online safety resources here.

These links explain parts of computing really clearly.

 

Art and Design

Spring 1 & 2: Growing artists

In this module the children will learn how to draw using organic and geometric shapes as a basis for their drawing, to show light and shade in their work, shade with accuracy and blend tones smoothly and to draw on a large scale.

 

Design and Technology

Spring 1: Mechanisms – Pneumatic Toys

Spring 2: Electrical Systems and Circuits

The children will learn how to design, make, evaluate and gain technical knowledge in each module.

This link at BBC Bitesize will be useful to find out more https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zywg7v4

 

History

Spring 1 & 2: The Mayans

The children will learn about Mayan civilisation and the importance of corn and chocolate as part of it. There will also be a local study of John Cadbury & Bournville as part of this module which includes a visit to Cadbury World on Wednesday 19th March 2025.

Please follow this link to the BBC Bitesize information on The Mayans  https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zbwbqyc

 

Geography

Spring 1 & 2: Where Does Our Food Come From?

The children will learn to locate the world’s countries, using maps to focus on Europe and North & South America, concentrating on their environmental regions, key physical and human characteristics, countries, and major cities. Throughout the module the children will learn about crops that grow in different biomes, their impact upon the environment, responsible trading and be able to read and discuss trends in data.

This module includes a visit to Cadbury World on Wednesday 19th March 2025.

Please follow this link to BBC Bitesize Geography https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zs9ydnb

 

Spanish

We begin learning Spanish in Year 3. Topics covered include vegetables and ice creams.

Pronunciation help

 

Music

We sing a range of songs linked to our Geography and History topic and the seasons including 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.

Please try these links at home:

https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/Melody-Maker/

 

RSHE

In continuing with our topic we will be looking at keeping ourselves healthy, respecting others and their culture. After we will explore keeping safe online and cyber bullying.

 

RE

Spring 1: Being Fair & Just and Being Accountable & Living with Integrity

Spring 2: Remembering Roots and Being Loyal & Steadfast

These videos are a great place to start exploring the many faiths in our school.

 

Trip for the term 

We shall visit Cadbury World on Wednesday19th March 2025. The focus of this trip is the sourcing and production of chocolate which the children study in Geography and The Aztecs in History.