Year 3 – Autumn Newsletter 2022

Dear parents/carers,

Welcome to Year 3. I am looking forward to working with you and your children this year! The children have already settled into Year 3 well, they are enjoying the new ‘grown up’ routines and they have shown me some fantastic work!

English

To begin with, we will be sharing texts from the author Roald Dahl and using his stories to help develop our sentence structure including punctuation, determiners, and conjunctions. Our writing will support improving our word choices such as exciting adjectives and effective adverbs. Through other aspects of the curriculum (science, geography, history etc.) we will be developing our non-narrative skills with explanation and instructions writing.

Ensuring your child reads for at least 15 minutes a day will help their reading skills to develop along with discussions around the text read. It is just as important to read to your child regularly along with listening to audio books.

Maths

To begin the term, we will be looking at number systems with a focus on place value, addition and subtraction with explorations around money. We will be using a variety of equipment to help children build their practical mathematical skills to support problem solving and calculations. The children will also be developing their mathematical vocabulary to develop reasoning tasks. To assist with children’s mathematical development encourage them to handle real money and understand the value of coins and notes along with reading analogue and digital time in a 12hr and 24hr format.  Continue to practise the times tables and use Times Table Rock Stars – login’s will be in your child’s next Friday.

History and Geography

We begin the year with a history topic – Ancient Egypt. We will be focusing on the achievements of the earliest civilisation and using our skills of research. In geography we will be exploring climate zones and learning lots of geographical vocabulary and applying this to our class work.

Science

Throughout the Autumn term we will be looking at the area of Science ‘Light & Shadow’ followed by ‘Forces’. For light and shadow, we will be exploring reflection, the need for light to be able to see and much more. In forces we will look at how things move on different surfaces and the effects of magnets on different material.

Computing

This year in computing we will be starting off learning how to programme using the application ‘Scratch’. Children will learn about algorithms, sequencing, and storyboarding. Running alongside this we will continue to focus on staying safe online.

Art and DT

In art we will be developing our sketching skills and getting creative with a range of material through our Egyptian topic. Through DT we will be looking at, designing and making Shadufs to support our Egyptian learning.

RE

In RE we be looking at the local parish church, ideas and beliefs about God, our own ideas, Christian beliefs, Mother Theresa and Advent.

PSHE

Our PSHE learning will lead us to think about mental health, Families and Friendships – what makes a family and features of family life. Safe Relationships – personal boundaries, safely responding to others and the impact of hurtful behaviour. Respecting Ourselves and Others – recognising respectful behaviour, the importance of self-respect and courtesy & being polite.

Music

In Music we will be developing the skills of listening and appraising, musical activities and perform and review. In addition, children will be taking part in Wider Ops to learn brass instruments.

Physical Education

The children will have PE on a Monday and Thursday this term. Monday’s PE will be ball skills and Thursday’s PE with Mr Snelling will be Fundamentals. Please ensure your child always has their PE kit in school, we are fortunate enough to sometimes get extra PE sessions and we do not want children missing out on these. Please also ensure that girls wearing tights have spare socks for PE.

French

This year, children will begin to learn French at Clavering. They will be starting with the topic ‘Bonjour, ca va?’ Miss Ullman will be teaching the class French weekly.

Homework

Each week your child will have a learning task. This will either be linked to school English, Maths, Topic or Science. This task should take 20/30 minutes. This is set on a Friday and should be returned the following Thursday (to allow marking time!)

Spellings- These are being sent home on a half termly basis. Your child must learn the weekly words for their weekly test. The date on the sheet corresponds to the test date.

Children have been grouped based on a diagnostic test and my assessment from their application in their work. If you feel your child can learn the words with ease, for the test, please test them on their application in a sentence.

Tests are on a Friday morning- the children will be shown their score.

Times Tables- It is SO important all children are practicing their times tables. This should be done a minimum of 5 times a week. They should be valued in the same way as all homework activities. I will be awarding stickers/ certificates for those playing Times Table Rock Stars.

Reading- Children now have a reading journal as well as their reading record. Some children are on levels and others are free readers. No matter which your child is the system still works in the same way. The children choose their own book (this can be a home or schoolbook), they write the title and start date in their journal and Mrs Bond or myself will write this in their record. Every time they read you record the reading (as last year) in their record book. Once a book is finished your child needs to complete a reading challenge. These are stuck in the front of their orange journal. Once your child has completed a challenge, we need a signature from a parent/ guardian, once done so they change the book. Reading is still crucial even once a free reader! Books, reading journals and reading records MUST be in school every day. There is a sticker handed out to each child every time they have read!

Books- I would strongly advise at some point covering all books that go between school and home in plastic as well as wrapping to make them more durable.

Snack- Please remember all children must bring a morning snack from home. In KS2 the class earn fruit points, there is then a competition amongst all classes to see which have the most points each week. Just to bring to your attention, the children no longer are provided with snack in the afternoon. I have noticed the class are hungry in the afternoon- please send a second snack in for the afternoon (at least for the first term while the children get used to the routine).

If you have any questions or concerns at any time, please email me via the office and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Kind Regards,

Miss Hagger