Hello and welcome to Year 3.

Spring 1 2025

What a busy half term we have had! In English, we have been gripped by a dark and mysterious adventure story, 'Ice Palace' by Robert Swindell. We have looked at the features of descriptive writing such as the use of similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration and expanded noun phrases. We went on to write our own wintry setting descriptions and descriptive narratives! 

In science, we have been learning about the structure of plants, each part and its function, as well as key vocabulary. We dissected tulips and were able to use our learning to correctly label each part of the flowering plant. We have been thinking about what plants need to grow and survive. We carried out an experiment to observe how water moves within a plant through the xylem and why this is so important for plant growth. 

          

        

In geography, we have been looking at 'Regions' and discovering what the difference is between the United Kingdom, British Isles and Great Britain. We have researched the UK's rivers, mountains, cities and counties. We made our own incredible Top Trump cards to show off our learning and had so much fun playing Top Trumps and competing with each other.  

     

We have created our own landscapes using oil pastels and water colours in art, paying close attention to David Hockney's use of pattern and colour for texture, movement and overall effect and incorporating these techniques in our own art work.

        

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Autumn 2 2024

In Year 3, we have been captivated by the adventure story 'The Iron Man' by Ted Hughes. This text has lent itself well to exploring a variety of writing genres. This half-term we have demonstrated our understanding by creating character descriptions, writing formal letters and completing diary entries! Throughout this unit, we have had numerous opportunities to refine our work through the practice of up-levelling techniques. Specifically, we have placed a strong emphasis on improving the presentation of our writing, focusing on the correct size and shape of letters, consistent letter joining, and appropriate use of finger spacing.

In guided reading, we have completed the science fiction adventure novel 'The Wild Robot' by Peter Brown. We have enjoyed it so much, we've begged our teacher to read us the sequel! Each week we have taken turns to read and tested our comprehension by answering VIPER questions on the text. 

In maths, we have learnt all about collecting accurate data through tally charts and totals and how to record the information in bar charts and pictograms. We have practised using this information to answer questions about our findings and to order and compare our data.  We can now identify acute, right angles and obtuse angles and can name lines: horizontal, vertical, perpendicular and parallel. 

In science, we have been learning all about our skeleton, the names of our bones and their location and purpose. We have thoroughly enjoyed our learning which culminated in a relay bones race in teams! 

In the run up to Christmas, we've collaged beautiful seasons calendars and painted wood slices to contribute to the school Christmas tree. We have also made gingerbread house Christmas cards.

We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas!  

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Autumn 1 2024

In Year 3,  we kicked off the school year on a fantastic note! We diligently set up our class rules and expectations and we are now settled and truly enjoying our time in KS2, embracing all the changes, new responsibilities and challenges that come with it.

     

In maths, we began the year consolidating our knowledge of place value ensuring we know the place and value of each digit in a 3 digit number.  We used dienes, counters and place value charts to support us in our learning. We have rounded numbers to the nearest ten and hundred and looked at a variety of different mental addition and subtraction techniques to help us solve calculations. Currently, we are looking at formal column methods, estimating and inverse operations.

 

In science, we have been learning all about how rocks are formed and how to identify rocks by their properties. We created our own dramas to creatively show each stage of the Rock Cycle and tested rocks for their durability and permeability. We learnt how fossils are formed, the best places to find them and what fossils can tell us about the past. 

We thoroughly enjoyed our History topic, 'Stone Age to Iron Age'! We eagerly explored texts in English and Guided Reading, such as ‘The Stone Age Boy’ and ‘The Boy with the Bronze Axe,’ which has brought this vast period of pre-history to life! So far, we have been captivated by the discovery of Palaeolithic cave paintings, Mesolithic tools, and Neolithic settlements like Skara Brae. We took part in an archaeological dig, created our own cave paintings using natural resources and had virtual tours of Skara Brae and Stonehenge. We have developed a solid understanding of the changes that took place over time, and we are incredibly proud of our knowledge and recall so far.

       

In art, we delved into the world of Van Gogh. We discovered that Van Gogh was eager to improve his portrait-drawing skills and, being a shy individual, often painted self-portraits by looking in a mirror. We created a portrait of Van Gogh using his unique technique of small brush strokes. Afterward, we examined his famous painting ‘Starry Night’ and learnt that this stunning view was what he could see through the bars of the mental hospital where he was a patient. We worked so hard on producing our own interpretations using taught oil pastel techniques. We were inspired by Van Gogh’s later love of bright colours to create Autumn paintings focusing on using bright pops of seasonal colour and blending techniques.

      

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Summer 2 2024

What an exciting final half-term we have had! Year 3 don’t like to be idle…we have been keeping busy, cramming in as much learning and as many experiences as we can! Here are a few of our best bits…

The recent Year 3 class assembly was a pan-tastic experience for us all! We were able share the plight of the vulnerable Giant Pandas and some fascinating facts. Did you know they have excellent camouflage for their habitat and they can climb, roll and swim? They spend most of their day eating; in fact, 99% of their diet is bamboo. They are talented movers and they can even wee upside down! (We found that last fact very funny!) We created charcoal panda portraits, concentrating on creating shade and texture, we sang our own panda song and displayed our ‘SAVE THE PANDA’ posters.

   

In English, we have been learning all about the life of Roald Dahl. Soon we are visiting the Roald Dahl Museum in the village he lived in, where he wrote the majority of his books. We discovered that he was quite a cheeky boy at school, and could be very naughty! He moved to a number of schools and ended up at a boarding school near a very famous Chocolate Factory in the Midlands. He even got to be a chocolate taster! It was this experience that inspired his book (and our chosen class text) ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’. Some of us created incredible chocolate rooms for homework and displayed them on Open Afternoon. They looked good enough to eat! In writing, we wrote letters to Charlie Bucket in the role of Willy Wonka, congratulating little Charlie and explaining the enticing prize in detail. We also wrote our own descriptions of the chocolate room, practising enhancing our descriptions by expanding nouns and considering appropriate similes. 

 

In History, we have been looking at the fascinating early civilisation ‘Ancient Egypt’. We began by studying artefacts and using what we observed to generate questions to be answered in the unit. For example, we were curious by the repeated image of a lotus flower and we didn’t understand its significance. We later found out that when we mapped out the Nile, the outline looks exactly like a Lotus flower! We discovered the importance of the River Nile to the Ancient Egyptians and we used a line art technique to create our very own artistic information posters. The information we included explained how the Nile was a source of transport and trade and vital for moving building materials. It provided fertile soil and a means to farm and keep animals close to a food and water source. We made our own ‘papyrus’ paper and Egyptian jewellery in preparation for our Egyptian Day. On Egyptian Day, many of us wore costumes, we even had a fierce looking Nile Crocodile amongst us! We learnt all about mummification and we discovered we would all make absolutely terrible embalmers!  We created our own shadufs in DT and learnt how to write in hieroglyphs and copied Egyptian art onto our handmade papyrus paper. It was all so much fun!

  

Summer 1 2024

It has been a pleasure to be back teaching Year 3. We kicked off the term exploring the wonderful wizarding world of Harry Potter, with the first novel, 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'. Year 3 researched and created their very own non-chronological report, ‘A Hogwarts Prospectus’. They began by identifying features by studying a wide range of non-chronological reports: headings, sub headings, introduction, formal language, paragraphs, present tense, supporting images and captions. 

The children were busy Team Bees, working together in small groups and taking ownership of different sections of the prospectus. They researched their content through the study of the book, stills from the film and supporting literature and websites. They completed a draft and checked they had the features in place. They edited and improved, checking for spelling, punctuation and grammar accuracy. They wrote up their reports in their best handwriting and presented their work on A3 tea stained card to give their work a parchment effect. The children added beautiful illustrations and captions and together we made a great display!

 

In maths, we began the term completing our work on fractions, adding and subtracting fractions with the same denominator and ordering and comparing fractions with different denominators. Next, we moved on to multiples of ten and multiplying with multiples of ten, formal written multiplication, division through grouping and sharing and we are currently learning formal written division. 

    

In geography, we have been learning all about earthquakes. We used atlases to identify The Ring of Fire and to find out which countries were closest to it. We found out that the ring highlights where numerous plates meet. The plates are constantly sliding past, colliding into, or moving above or below each other. This movement results in deep ocean trenches, volcanic eruptions, and earthquake epicentres. We discovered how people living in close proximity to these epicentres prepare for earthquakes, what supplies they need to stock in their homes and how their countries are adapting their buildings to withstand earthquake tremors. We have investigated plate movement with an experiment to see how plates move and impact each other. We have learnt how to respond to an earthquake alarm ‘Drop, Cover, Hold on’ and designed posters reminding people how to keep themselves safe.

  

In art, the children have been exploring the works of David Hockney with specific focus on his landscapes. The children have been exploring Hockney’s use of bright, bold colours. He often uses strong contrasts between light and dark, warm and cool colours to create a sense of depth and movement in his compositions. The children created their own colour wheels to see which colours contrast with others. They discovered Hockney’s use of etching patterns into paint and collated and sketched examples of all the patterns he used. They were then challenged to decorate their own colourful landscapes with these patterns.

   

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Spring 2 2024

In Science week, Year 3 looked at how boats have changed over time. They had fun making sailing boats and working out how they move. Some of them took the challenge and went on to make paddle boats too.

    

They also had a workshop run by Dr Bayliffe who came to talk about science and the children loved the chemistry experiments!

   

In English, we have been working hard to write stories. 

          

In Design and Technology, Year 3 have been learning about the function of a switch and how it can be used to control a circuit. They applied this knowledge to making an alien spacecraft that has a light that turns on and off.

  

The class had fun on World Book Day and some of them came dressed as a character from a book.

The whole class were very brave and stood up, presenting their information about the alien that they'd designed and made at home. They were impressive and so many of them learnt what is needed to be a public speaker. They were learning to give one another constructive feedback too. Well Done Year 3 - we were very proud of you!

Year 3 had an amazing result at the local speed stacking competition with both boys and girls teams doing exceptionally well. The boys triumphed, coming in 1st place!

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Spring 1 2024

Year 3 have greatly enjoyed reading the adventure story, The Ice Palace.  The wonderfully rich language in this book was used as inspiration for writing their own poems (based on the five senses in cold environments) and also for writing their own short adventure story.  The children have tried to include similes, just like the author did too! 

    

As part of this learning, the children made a 'freeze-frame' to show what it might have been like for the characters in the story. 

To end this half-term, they have read wintry poems and identified where they included alliteration (where the same letter or sound is used at the beginning of words). The children have used alliteration to write tongue-twisters using the first letter of their own name.

      

In geography, the children worked in groups to research one of the countries of the United Kingdom. They first presented the facts as a poster. The following week each group presented their poster to the class and told us what they had discovered.  We made top trumps cards using information we had researched online about rivers in the U.K. 

    

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed Number Day.  They dressed up for digits and had fun playing number games.

     

In Science, Year 3 have been learning about rocks and fossils. They learnt how fossils are formed and had the chance to make their own dinosaur fossil. 

   

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Autumn 2 2023

In English, the children have been gripped by the adventure story ‘The Iron Man’ by Ted Huges. The story lends itself well to a variety of writing genres. The children have created character descriptions, written formal letters and completed a diary entry. They have had many opportunities to improve their work through practising uplevelling techniques. For this unit, we have specifically focussed on improving our writing presentation including doing our best to use the the correct size and shape of letters, joining and using finger spaces. Mrs Field our English lead, even came especially to visit us and praise the improvements she had observed in our work. Well done Year 3! 

Year 3 thoroughly enjoyed a Christmas themed art workshop recently with artist Murial Hedgecock @theyoungartist. The children were taught how to use light, shadow and reflection to stimulate a 3D effect. Their beautiful snow globes looked good enough to sell in a shop! The children loved the experience and it was wonderful to hear their enthusiastic feedback when they discussed all that they had learnt.

     

This term the children have been learning all about key food groups, balanced diets, healthy eating and hygienic food preparation concluding in the design and making of a healthy sandwich. They have researched their favourite sandwich fillings; communicated their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches and cross-sectional diagrams; understood and applied the principles of a healthy and varied diet and finally, they’ve chosen the ingredients and prepared a sandwich using a range of food preparation techniques. For example, they’ve learnt which tools are used for which purpose and the correct way to cut foods safely and effectively.

Year 3 have now completed their Autumn Term swimming course at Westminster Lodge Pool. It has been amazing to see their confidence and ability grow in the water each week. Each child has made great strides in swimming and they should feel very proud of their achievements. They are all sad that the course is over and we hope that they continue to swim regularly outside of school to keep up their swimming skills!   

The class have shown off their performing abilities in multiple performances this term from the Harvest Assembly to singing ‘When I grow up’ from Matilda the Musical and singing and signing the christmas carol ‘Silent Night’ in the KS2 Christmas Sharing Assembly. Those children who wanted a stand out role on all these occasions were given it and everybody has had a chance to shine and shine they all did! We are immensely proud of all the children and we think they are magnificent performers!   

                    

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Autumn 1 2023

Year 3 have had a great start to the school year. They are working hard to establish their class rules and expectations now they are in the upper end of the school and the children are really enjoying being in KS2 and the new responsibilities and challenges it brings.

The children are loving our History topic 'Stone Age to Iron Age'! We have enthusiastically delved into texts in English and Guided Reading such as ‘The Stone Age Boy’ and ‘The Boy with the Bronze Axe’ to bring this huge area of pre-history to life through vivid narration! So far the children have been fascinated by the discovery of palaeolithic cave paintings, Mesolithic tools and Neolithic settlements such as Skara Brae. They have a clear understanding of changes that occurred over time and we are very proud of their knowledge and recall to date.  

    

Year 3 are thoroughly enjoying their French lessons this year. We began with a little introduction to France and its language, finding France on a map of Europe and learning some fascinating facts about where else in the world people speak French. I wonder if your children can remember how many countries speak French as their national language. (The answer is 29!) And did you know that France shares a border with 8 different countries? No, we didn't either! We learnt how to say the name of France's capital city and its flag and colours in French, we learnt how to greet each other in French and ask how others are feeling and reply with a suitable response.

In Art the children are learning all about Van Gogh. We discovered Van Gogh was keen to develop his skill at drawing portraits and as he was a shy person, he often looked in a mirror and painted himself. We completed a portrait of Van Gogh adopting his painting and drawing technique of using small flourishes of brush strokes. After this, we studied his painting of ‘Starry Night’ and discovered this beautiful view was actually what he could see between the bars of a mental hospital he was a patient in. The children worked on producing their own ‘Starry Night using pencils and watercolour.

In Maths, we began the year consolidating our knowledge of place value ensuring we know the place and value of each digit in a 3 digit number.  We used dienes, counters and place value charts to support us in our learning. We have rounded numbers to the nearest ten and hundred and looked at a variety of different mental addition and subtraction techniques to help us solve calculations. Currently, we are looking at formal column method, estimation and inverse operations.

We are now looking ahead to the second Autumn Term excited to launch our new Geography and D&T projects and explore new English texts and Maths units.  

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