Class Newsletter
Spring Newsletter – Year 3
Happy New Year and welcome back to school. I hope you have had a restful and festive Christmas break and that you are looking forward to a busy spring term.
English
In English we will be studying a variety of text types to help develop your child’s writing skills including: Myths and legends – Greek Myths Become familiar with a range of Greek Myths. Use them to study powerful verbs, verb tenses, and use of 1st & 3rd person, paragraphs & ways of showing dialogue. Grammar focus: Use powerful verbs/ Begin to recognise the concept of a verb. Understand that writing can be 3rd or 1st person. Use and punctuate direct speech.
Recounts- Explore The Day I Swapped my Dad for Two Goldfish. Act out swap stories; learn about adverbials & recounts using past tense & 1st person & chronological order. Write a new version of The Diary of a Killer Cat using recount features & complex sentences. Grammar focus: Use adverbs and adverbials (prepositional phrases which act as adverbs).Create complex sentences. Use commas after or before phrases and clauses. Use and punctuate direct speech.
Traditional poems – Explore the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson and write a class poem using rhyming couplets. Revise verb tenses and learn about prepositions. Explore the poem Windy Nights and learn it by heart. Produce a class book containing poems written by the children Grammar focus: Introduce the idea of tense in verbs. Use prepositions to express time or place. Write sentences with more than one clause using a wider range of connectives
Adventure stories- Using Hodgeheg by Dick King-Smith, look for examples of adverbs and adverbial phrases. They memorise a section of dialogue and use it as a basis for their own writing. Use complex and compound sentences to write an animal adventure story. Grammar focus Use fronted adverbs. Use commas after fronted adverbials. Extend the range of sentences with more than one clause by using a wider range of connectives, e.g. when, if, because, although.
Performance poems- Listen to a range of performance poems & explore the features that poets use. Identify & use conjunctions that indicate time & cause. Investigate negative prefixes, informal language & rhymes. Write extra lines to one of poems & then a rap. Grammar focus: Use and recognise nouns, adjectives and adjectival phrases Use conjunctions to express time or cause. Use possessive apostrophe with singular and plural nouns.
Listening to your child read continues to be very important, as does discussing their understanding of the texts they are reading. There will be daily classroom time for reading, handwriting, grammar and spelling activities. We will be starting with Hodgheg, as we are now – Year 3 Hedgehog Class.
Maths
This term we will continue to build on their addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills as well as developing the children’s times tables knowledge by learning the 6 and 8 times tables and improving their speed and confidence in mental calculation – doubles and halves to 100+ and number bonds. Some of the objectives we will covering this term are: Place 3-digit numbers on a number line. Partition 3-digit numbers into 100s, 10s and 1s; compare and order numbers .Add pairs of 2-digit numbers using different strategies. Subtract multiples of 10 and near multiples Use counting up to find differences (subtract). Add 3-digit numbers using expanded addition. Subtract a 2-digit number from a 3-digit number using counting up Measure in metres and cm; convert cm to m and vice versa. Measure in cm and mm. Convert mm to cm and vice versa. Measure in kg and g. Convert g to kg and vice versa. Place fractions on a number line (1/4s 1/2s, 1/8s). Finding fractions of amounts (1/4s and 1/8s).Understanding denominator & numerator and comparing fractions. Recognise and find fractions with a total of 1.Multiplying and dividing by 10 and 100 using money. Using addition and subtraction to solve word problems Read and write analogue and digital times. Begin to calculate time intervals. Understand angles as turn and right angles as ¼ turns. Division within tables with remainders. Multiplication and division word problems
Topic
Our topic is Modern Europe with a focus on the geography of Europe and some history covering aspects of modern Europe. We will be studying at the physical and human geography of Europe, the climate and food as well as art and music linked. We will study modern Germany and Italy in greater detail.
Science
First half term we are studying forces and magnets. We will compare how things move on different surfaces, observe that some forces need contact between two objects, but magnetic forces can act at a distance, how magnets attract or repel each other and attract some materials and not others, compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet, identify some magnetic materials, describe magnets as having two poles and predict whether two magnets will attract or repel each other, depending on which poles are facing.
In the second half of this term we will be studying rocks and fossils. We will be comparing and grouping together different kinds of rocks on the basis of their appearance and simple physical properties, describing in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock and recognise that soils are made from rocks and organic matter.
French
We will be building on the excellent start the children have made with their learning of French, continuing to practise greetings and numbers and adding to their vocabularies with some simple verbs and instructions, as well as learning the names of parts of the body
Computing
The children will learn to combine text and graphics and will be consolidating their word processing and keyboard skills. We will also be creating PowerPoint presentations about different European countries.
Art and DT
Both subjects are linked to our topic work and we will be studying the art of Italy focusing on portraits especially the Mona Lisa and in DT we will be focusing on food technology and making foods from both Germany and Italy.
RE and PSHE
In RE we will be studying the life of Jesus and his parables. Later we will be looking at Hinduism and the festival of Holi. In PHSE we will talk about how to be safe and how to identify and manage risks.
Music
Year 3 will have a recorder lesson with Mrs Ford on a Wednesday morning and on Monday mornings they will have lessons on brass and woodwind instruments with Mr Clay.
PE
PE will take place on Wednesdays and Fridays. Mr Dyce will be working on gymnastics, striking and fielding games and invasion games. On a Friday, we will be developing skills in creative dance. Each child will need trainers suitable for use on the field as well as the playground and warm outer layers to be worn over their PE shorts and T-shirts.
Homework
As previously, in addition to hearing your child read whenever possible, the children will be set spellings to learn each week on Friday, ready for a test on the following Friday; please assist them with look, cover, write, check activities to consolidate their learning. Children who take part in Spell Attack groups will continue to have work set regularly.
Maths, English or Topic homework will continue to be set on Fridays for return the following Wednesday.
Please support your child to ensure that they understand what has been asked of them and to make sure that their work is clearly and neatly completed.
If you have questions or concerns please make an appointment to speak to me before or after school.
Best wishes for 2017
Mrs Hall
Class 3 Newsletter Autumn 2016
Welcome back to school. I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful summer holiday and that the children are ready for a busy term ahead. This newsletter outlines the curriculum areas to be covered this term as well as ways you can your child get the most from their time in Year 3.
English
This is an exciting time in your children’s development in literacy; they are beginning to be able to express themselves more fully, both verbally and in writing, and they are now able to access a far wider range of reading material. Listening to your child read continues to be very important, as does discussing their understanding of the texts they are reading. Daily classroom time will be given to reading, as well as handwriting and spelling activities and writing skills will be developed within the context of recount writing (linked to our history topic – The Romans), ‘traditional tales’, producing information texts and creating images using words in our poetry unit.
Maths
This term, we will be building on the children’s existing mental maths skills, with an emphasis on times tables (x2, x3, x4, x5, x10) and adding and subtracting 2-digit numbers with increasing speed and accuracy. Knowledge of number bonds up to 20 (ie 7 + 5 = 12, 9 + 7 = 16 etc) will continue to be important and any support with consolidating this at home would be very much appreciated. The children will be working on doubling and halving numbers to 20 and learning to tell the time to the nearest 5 minutes. We will also be working on units of measurement (length and mass) and reading scales with increasing accuracy. The children’s learning will be re-enforced with practical work both within the classroom and at home through homework activities.
History and Geography
Our history topic area this term is the Romans and we will be investigating why the Romans were so powerful and their impact on life in Britain. We will also be finding out about settlements in geography and exploring why certain locations have been chosen for major towns and cities. Both topics are rich and interesting and provide opportunities for cross-curricular learning. We will be bringing the topics to life with a visit to Colchester Castle on Thursday 3rd November – more details to follow nearer the time.
Science
To begin the term, we will be looking at how animals including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and they get nutrition from what they eat. Also we will identify that humans and some animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement. In the second half term, we will be studying light and shadows.
French
The children will begin to learn French formally this year, starting with revision of basic greetings and learning of numbers and moving to learning animal names. French will be taught by Mrs Rudkin on Wednesday mornings.
Computing
We will be using the school laptops to teach the children to combine text and graphics and will be consolidating their word processing and keyboard skills. We will be learning to animate graphics and e-safety will be an ongoing theme when using the internet.
Art and DT
The focus of our art this term is mosaics. We will be researching examples of Roman art and use a variety of techniques to produce our own versions. To begin the year, we will be sketching fruits and vegetables grown on our allotments for the harvest festival.
In DT, we will be developing our 3d modelling skills to produce Roman shields (any donations of old newspapers for papier mache gratefully received!)
RE and PSHE
In RE, we will be visiting our local church and studying ideas and beliefs about God. Our PSHE learning is linked to our science topic on Keeping Healthy in the first term and in the second half term we will be discussing citizenship and values, discussing how we can make a positive contribution and considering our feelings and relationships with others.
Music
Year 3 will be developing their musicality with Mrs Ford on a Wednesday morning. They will be learning to play the recorder and each child should bring their own recorder to school on a Wednesday if possible.
PE
Year 3 has swimming this term and will this take place on a Monday morning. The pool requires each child to wear a hat as well as their own swimming costume/trunks. Whilst additional adults accompany the children to the pool, we would appreciate it if you could work with your own children to improve their speed and independence getting changed. The children will need to keep their PE kits in school for PE on a Wednesday afternoon with Mr Dyce. This term they will be working on cross country running followed by gym and invasion games as the weather turns colder. Each child will need trainers suitable for use on the field as well as the playground and warm outer layers to be worn over their PE shorts and T-shirts.
Homework
In addition to hearing your child read whenever possible, the children will be set spellings to learn each week on Friday , ready for a test on the following Friday; please assist them with look, cover, write, check activities to consolidate their learning.
The children will normally have one piece of homework to complete each week to allow time for reading. Maths and Literacy homework will be set on alternate Fridays for return the following Thursday. Occasionally additional homework may be set to support classroom learning, although this will be the exception rather than the rule, and any whole school homework activities will also be sent home on a Friday where possible. Please support your child to ensure that they understand what has been asked of them and to make sure that their work is clearly and neatly completed.
If you have any concerns or issues you would like to discuss regarding your child, I am always available at the end of the day (except Wednesday) so please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions.
A plea for help
Are you able to spare any of your time to come in and listen to children read in the afternoon on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday or to help with trips out of school? Please let me know if you are available to help – many thanks.
Mrs Hall
