I look forward to another half term with year 3 and know we will continue to have lots of fun learning together. This half term we will be looking at the following topics:
English
The children start by listening to Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, asking and answering questions and making predictions. They focus on the characters’ thoughts and feelings, and on the features of mystery stories. They revise their knowledge of different types of sentence and clause. The writing tasks include writing a newspaper report, a postcard to Ottoline’s parents and an extract from her notebook. For the final writing task they focus on the structure of mystery stories and create their own mystery stories about Ottoline and Mr. Monroe.
After, we will look at 'Chat show Challenge' which links to our history unit on railways.
The children are introduced to the main idea of the unit: that they will take part in a Town Hall debate and chat show, discussing the age of the railway in role as a character from history. As a class, they consider the pros and cons of railways and the different opinions that were held by people at the time. They use a range of questioning techniques, including probing questions aimed to elicit certain responses. In the debate, the children put across their points of view about the idea of a railway being built. They then receive a ‘surprise’ newspaper article, telling them about the opening of the railway. The unit concludes with a chat show, to discuss the feelings of the characters once the railway has been built.
Maths
We will be continuing to follow the 'Power Maths' scheme and this half term we will be learning: fractions, mass and capacity.
PE days and PE kit Their half term we will be doing Rounders and Athletics. We have 2 sessions of PE each week with Mr Wolfe, on a Monday and a Thursday. Children will continue to come to school in their PE kit on PE days, please make sure the PE kit is: a white or navy polo top or t-shirt, black or navy jogging bottoms/shorts, a Booth Wood fleece or navy blue hoody/jumper and trainers. No branded sports kit should be worn.
Science
In the ‘Scientists and Inventors’ children will learn about famous scientists and inventors linked to the Y3 science curriculum.
History
The children will learn about the development of the Railways in Great Britain giving them the opportunity to find out about the history of the railways and significant early locomotives. They will also investigate some important historical events, such as the opening of the first passenger carrying railway lines and the Rainhill Trials and they will learn about some of the key people who were influential in the development of the railways. In addition to this they will learn about the development of locomotive technology and examine the differences between steam, diesel and electric locomotives. The children will also learn about the growth and development of the railway network in Great Britain and use their geographical skills to map out some key routes.
Art/DT
Children will develop their understanding of frame structures and how they can be strengthened and stiffened. Children will discover information about a key event involving a kite that helped shape the world. Children will gain knowledge and understanding about the parts and shapes of kites. This will help them when designing and making their own kites. Finally, children will test and evaluate their kites against design criteria they have created.
Music
In this unit, pupils will learn the key features of House music, Reggae music and Rock and Roll music. They will select at least one key feature from each genre as a basis for their own 20th Century-style composition.
PSHE
Our Unit is called 'Changing Me' please see the unit overview below. Please familiarise yourself with what is covered and the key vocabulary used, as children may come home with questions.
If you have any questions then please just ask.
Homework and spellings
Homework is given our weekly in KS2 and helps to keep you informed of your child's progress andthe current topics in the classroom and also helps revise what we have learnt in school. Spellings will be set weekly and your child will receive a paper copy as well as the spellings being available on Twinkl Spelling and the website. Homework and new spellings will be set every Friday and will be expected to be completed by the following Friday. Children have logins to TT rockstars and Twinkl spelling (on the front of their reading diaries) and should be encouraged to do this at home where possible. Children should now be able to recall 2, 5, 10, 3, 4 and 8 times tables facts quickly and off by heart. Please keep practising if they are not there yet. Please continue to encourage your child to read at home regularly, some children may now happily read on their own , which is brilliant. But reading out loud to an adult a few times a week is still great practise.
Things your child needs
A bottle of water (no juice please in case of sticky spillages).
A healthy snack for break.
Fridays are 'treat' days, so your child can bring a treat for their snack. Alternatively, your child can bring money for our school tuck shop, which will allow them to buy a sausage roll/drink (50p each).
Book bag/rucksack with reading book and reading record.
Wear PE Kit to school on PE days (Monday and Thursday).
Contacting the Staff The year 3 team is always here for your child and you. If you just need a quick word then you may be able to catch one of us in the morning or after school. However, if it is something that requires a longer conversation then please email rbeech@boothwood.leics.sch.uk or phone the office to book an appt.
The Year 3 Team
