1. Year 3 Curriculum Newsletter
Discovery
This term we will continuing our topic of Scavengers & Settlers.
History
We will also be learning all about Skara Brae through role-play; the children will become archaeologists which will involve some digging in the wild area and finally we will be learning all about the Iron Age. A very exciting couple of weeks to come!
Art
We will also turn our hands to clay pottery when we use clay and other materials to create pots similar to those used by our ancestors.
Technology
We will complete our topic on Scavengers and Settlers by working on our cooking skills by making humus and pesto.
Forces and Magnets
We will be beginning our new unit this term focusing on different forces and magnets.
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
• What forces are and where they come from
• What friction is and how we use friction
• How we can reduce or increase friction
• How to measure the strength of a force
• How magnets and magnetic forces work
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
• How to design and make a marble run
• How to add sounds, lights and control mechanisms to a structure
We will be encouraging the children to share this learning with you through written tasks and talk homework. Please ask your child about their learning in school as it supports their consolidation of new facts.
Literacy
Our Literacy this term will be linked to The Iron Man. Throughout the term we will be learning key skills within the English Language to include homophones (two words which sound the same but are spelt differently and have a different meaning), using a dictionary and thesaurus to check our spelling and to up-level our word choices, predicting what will happen in a story based on the details given, identifying how language can contribute to meaning in a story e.g. fed up implies he is not happy.
It is important to continue to hear your children read and discuss the text, at this stage children must be able to understand the comprehension of anything they read, retrieving information and interpreting emotions through key words.
For those reluctant readers, encouraging reading of magazines, newspapers and comics is important. Please also practise the children’s spellings every week. Encourage your children to put their spellings into a sentence using joined up handwriting.
RE: We will be thinking about Good Friday and discussing the question ‘should religious people be sad when someone dies?’
PSHE
My friends and family– we will be thinking guilt, own strength and weaknesses, our personal hygiene and how to be assertive in difficult situations.
Year 3 Curriculum Newsletter
Spring Term
Important information to support learning:
Practise spellings (tested on Wednesdays).
Support homework given on a Wednesday to be handed in by Tuesday.
Practise times tables, which are tested on Friday. In Year 3 children are expected to know by heart, in and out of order x2,3,4,5,8,10 times tables. Children should also be secure in knowing that 2 x 5 = 10 therefore 10 ÷ 2 = 5
Read at least 3 days a week with your child.
Make sure children bring in PE kit (Monday – Dance) and Swimming kit (Friday). PE
In P.E. we will learning dance. Please make sure your child brings in appropriate clothing and trainers as daps can become wet outside. Tights must not be worn during P.E. so please ensure girls have their socks in their bags. Please note that earrings must be removed on PE days. Please remember to pack a coat on Fridays as the weather is very unpredictable!
Numeracy
This term we will be reviewing the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We will also be covering topics of fractions and interpreting charts. We will be concentrating on developing the children’s skills of solving real life problems using these operations. To help support your children you could involve them in real life problems such as using money in shops, measuring while baking and reading time and calculating duration of TV programmes. Children will continuously be tested on their times tables knowledge. This term we will focus on the 8 times tables.
ICT
The children will be learning how to be presenters. We have already researched the tricks of a cameraman including different angles, slow motion and adding extra information to support the viewers. The children will be recording, editing and evaluating their own videos.
Forces:
In Science, we’ll be finding out:
• How a ball flies through the air
• How different objects fall
• What gravity is and how it pulls on objects
• How air resistance affects moving objects
• How water pushes up on floating objects
• Why some objects float and others sink
In Technology, we’ll be finding out:
How to make a sailing boat or flying paper plane 
In Music, we’ll be finding out:
• How to play our homemade instruments
In International, we’ll be finding out:
• About sound and light pollution