Autumn Newsletter – Year 3

Dear Parents

Welcome back, I hope you’ve all had lovely summers and are ready for the new term!

Class 3 have a busy term ahead with lots of different activities including our trip to Audley End (More information to follow later in the term). If any parents feel they may be available to help throughout the year with various trips, forest school etc. then please let me know (please do not go to the office).

Thank you.

Topic- Victorians (History/Geography)- In our topic work we will be learning about how Victorians lived, their homes, work and schools, the life of Queen Victoria, Victorian inventions and the legacy of the Victorian era.

English– we will be studying a variety of text types to help develop your child’s writing skills including: Stories from other cultures. We will look at poems from around the world in which children are immersed in a diverse range of festival and celebration poems from around the world. We will also study a film unit in which we will be describing scenes from different viewpoints, characters feelings, planning and writing a story where the character has a change of heart. Writing rhetorical questions. Researching a topic to present pros and cons of dog ownership.

Grammar includes: punctuating speech; conjunctions for time and cause; using grammatical terminology using fronted adverbials appropriately, using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause, using the present form of verbs in contrast to the past tense, using adverbs to express time and cause and revising word classes.

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.  Children must bring their reading records and books to class every day.

Maths –This term we will be building on knowledge of place value including partitioning numbers and ordering them. We will then be moving on to addition and subtraction and multiplication and division. We will also be building on the children’s times tables knowledge of 2,3,4,5,6,8,10 times tables and improving their speed and confidence in mental calculations.

At home it would be helpful if you practiced telling the time both analogue and digital and continued practicing times tables and related division facts.

Science –First half term we are studying animals including humans in which we will learn to identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat. We will also learn to identify that humans and some other animals have skeletons and muscles for support, protection and movement.

In the second half of this term we will be learning about light and shadows which will includebeing able to recognise that they need light in order to see things and that dark is the absence of light. Noticing that light is reflected from surfaces. Recognising that light from the sun can be dangerous and that there are ways to protect their eyes. Recognising that shadows are formed when the light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. Finding patterns in the way that the size of shadows change.

French –We will begin learning numbers 1-10 together with days and months.  The children will learn how to say hello, goodbye, introduce themselves and say how old they are.

Computing –The children will be learning to use various word processing software (Microsoft office) and how to use the internet to accurately search for information.

Art and DT –In art the children will be drawing from still life observations and learning about the life and work of William Morris. In DT they will be designing and making models of a Victorian house.

In RE we will be learning about the local parish church and ideas and beliefs about god. We will also be learning about Mother Teresa and advent.

PSHE – We will be looking at relationships, feelings and making positive contributions.

Music – play and perform in solo and ensemble contexts, using their voices and playing musical instruments with increasing accuracy, fluency, control and expression.

PE- Swimming has commenced on Mondays with our second PE lesson of the week taking place on Tuesdays with Mr Dyce.  Mr Dyce will be developing their cross country skills. Each child will need trainers suitable for use on the field as well as the playground. Please ensure your child has full PE kit in school all week, which includes a separate jumper, pair of shoes and socks to the ones they wear in the day-particularly girls wearing tights. Children will not be permitted to take part in P.E lessons without their PE kit.

Homework– It is greatly beneficial to your child’s learning for you to hear them read whenever possible, the children will be set spellings to learn each week, ready for a test on Fridays. The spellings will be recorded in their home spelling book in order for them to practice these at home. Maths, English, Science or Topic homework will be set on Fridays for return the following Wednesday tasks are set in order to support and consolidate the learning taking place in class. 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 there is ever any confusion, or your child is having trouble with the homework, please let me know (preferably before the Wednesday) so I am able to help them.

If you have questions or concerns, please make an appointment to speak to me before or after school.

Best wishes

Miss Turner