3A
Welcome to Year 3A
Welcome back to the first half of the Summer Term in Year 3A. This term is going to be very busy and we have lots of fun activities planned for you all to enjoy over the next 6 weeks.
We will be using our curriculum questions of ‘Where are we going and Who will we meet?’ throughout our units of work, travelling around the world and meeting many significant individuals and looking at many different places.
All of our Summer 1 learning is listed below. We will be posting lots of photographs and learning on Class Dojo so keep an eye on there. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to speak to us before or after school.
Mathematics
In mathematics, we will be learning all about graphs, with a focus on drawing and reading pictogram and bar graphs. We will be answering one-step and two-step problems about graphs too. We will then move onto learning all about fractions. We will count in tenths up to 1 whole; understand how to find a fraction of an amount and of a number; compare and order fractions with the same or different denominator; find equivalent fractions; and adding and subtracting fractions within 1 whole.
English
In English, the children will be reading ‘Hot Like Fire And Other Poems’ by Valerie Bloom. Whilst reading this anthology of poems, the children will be responding to and learning new language and vocabulary, performing, analysing, looking at structure and stanzas etc. We will then use one of the poems to imitate, innovate and write our own poems independently, by the end of the half-term. We will write and perform poems in a range of forms.
Guided Reading sessions occur daily and will focus on reading comprehension by using a range of questioning techniques to develop their understanding (VIPERS). We will also focus on decoding and fluency if necessary. Children will have opportunities over the week to read independently, read for pleasure or read 1:1 with a member of staff.
Science
In science, we are learning about the topic ‘Plants’. We will be learning how to identify and describe the functions of different parts of flowering plants: roots, stem/trunk, leaves and flowers; how to explore the requirements of plants for life and growth (air, light, water, nutrients from soil, and room to grow) and how they vary from plant to plant; how to investigate the way in which water is transported within plants; and how to explore the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants, including pollination, seed formation and seed dispersal. Our key scientist for this term is ‘George Washington Carver’.
History
In history, we will be learning all about ‘Crime and Punishment'. We will look at what actually is crime and punishment before looking at how it has progressed from Roman Britain through to modern-day Britain. We will compare and contrast the similarities and differences between these eras before looking at the introduction of the police force through Bury’s own Robert Peel in the 1800s.
Art
In Art, we will be learning all about ‘Sculpture and 3D: Abstract shape’. We will be joining 2d shapes to make 3D structures; joining materials in different ways when working in 3D; developing ideas for 3D artwork; applying knowledge of sculpture when working in 3D; and evaluating and improving a piece of artwork. We will meet the sculpturist Anthony Caro.
Religious Education
In RE, our key question is ‘For Christians, what was the impact of Pentecost?’ (Kingdom of God). We will learn all about the Kingdom of God and how Jesus inaugurated it; how Christians believe Jesus is still alive, rules in their hearts and lives through the Holy Spirit, if they let him; how when Jesus returned to be with God the father, he sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to help make the Kingdom of God visible to reflect the love of God; how Christians celebrate Pentecost as the beginning of church; and how the Pentecost can be represented by different symbols such as the Holy Spirit, flames, wind, the breath of God, and a dove.
French
In French, our topic is called ‘French Transport. We will learn how to say a range of transport and identify (near) cognates; say how they will travel on holiday; ask and answer questions about a transport picture prompt; ask and answer questions about where you are going and by what form of transport; before conducting a French survey about how we travel to school and presenting the results.
Music
In music, we will begin learning to play the violin with Mr. Price from Bury Music Service. We will learn the name of the strings and play a range of pieces whilst learning about notation and the interrelated dimension of music.
Life Education
In Life Education, we will be continuing our topic of 'economic wellbeing'. We will recognise different ways to pay for items; understand money is needed when paying for items using a cheque, bank transfer or card; create a simple budget; explain how situations involving money can affect our feelings; understand that a range of things might influence our spending choices; recognise that there is a wide range of jobs available and that personal skills and interests affect career choices; and understand that stereotypes sometimes exist about the job people do. We will then learn about a new topic called ‘Safety and the Changing body’. We will learn all about First aid emergencies and calling for help; how to help someone who has been stung or bitten; the importance of being kind online and what this looks like; understanding that cyberbullying involves being unkind online; understand all email are not genuine; understand the choices people can make and those which are made by others, begin to recognise who and what can influence our decisions; and develop an understanding of safety on or near roads.
Physical Education
In PE, we will be focusing on ‘Athletics’. We will learn how to run at fast, medium and slow speeds, changing speed and direction; be able to run, jump and throw using a variety of techniques; know and understand how altering the movement of any parts of the body during performance affects end results; learn to use skills in different ways and link them to make actions; and develop an understanding of how to improve in different physical activities.
The children can come into school wearing their PE kit on the day they do PE, which for our class is Wednesday. The children are required to wear:
Black shorts/tracksuit bottoms/leggings;
Red t-shirt;
Black trainers.
Homework
Children will have weekly homework to complete to support their learning in school. As a minimum the children have 3 main tasks to complete:
Times Tables Rock Stars – 5-10 minutes a day;
Spelling Shed – 5-10 minutes a day practising weekly spelling patterns;
Accelerated Reader Book – Read daily for 10-15 minutes.
Reading Books
Reading books will be changed as and when required by your child. If a child finishes their book, they will quiz on the book through ‘Accelerated Reader’ before choosing another book within their ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development). This ensures children are making the optimal amount of progress for their reading needs. The quizzes monitor comprehension and vocabulary, assessing whether the children have understood the book they have read.
It is very important that your child brings this book home and back to school daily as no new books will be allowed home if it is not brought in. It is equally as important that your child reads every evening for at least 10 minutes. This can be independently, with an older sibling or adult.
TTRS
The children will have individual logins for Times Tables Rock Stars. They can access the app at home on a tablet or through the internet. Please encourage your child to play for 10 minutes a day as by the end of Y3, the children need to be fluent in their 2x, 3x, 4x, 5x, 8x, and 10x tables.
Spellings
Children will be given a set of words to practise every Monday. This may not be in the form of a paper slip but rather through spelling shed. Spellings tests will happen weekly on Monday. To support them further, encourage your child to access Spelling Shed for 10 minutes a day. This gives the children a variety of learning games to maintain engagement and also assignments to complete linked to spellings for the week.
Please visit this page regularly as it will be updated with photos of our work and links to aid learning. Take a look at our planning documents to find out more about what we will be learning this year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to speak to us in the morning or at the end of the school day.
Miss. Logue and Miss. Attique.