Class Teacher: Miss Effingham 

Teaching partner: Mrs Willis

 

Welcome to Year 3!

This class page is where you will find all the key information about Year 3’s learning and school life this year. Miss Effingham and Mrs Willis are looking forward to working closely with your child and supporting their development through many interesting topics, as well as some very exciting learning experiences. 

If you have any questions or queries, please contact Miss Effingham. 

Class Timetable - Autumn Term

 

Year 3’s PE days for the first half term are Mondays and Tuesdays. Please ensure your child arrives at school dressed in PE kit. Any jewellery, including earrings, should be removed and hair should be tied back where possible. 

PE Kit includes: 

• Red or dark PE hoodies, black or grey tracksuit trousers or shorts (unbranded) 

• Black, grey or white trainers 

• Zip-up sports jackets are suitable for colder weather. 

Curriculum Overview

Autumn Term 1:

• English: We will be developing our narrative writing skills, focusing on writing our own versions of the story ‘Mini Rabbit Not Lost’ and adapting them for a Key Stage 2 audience. 
• Maths: Place value; addition and subtraction.
• Science: Our focus in science will be on movement and nutrition, looking at the uses of different bones and muscles in our bodies and finding out how a balanced diet and eating the right nutrients can help us to keep those bones and muscles healthy and strong. 
• History: In history, our topic is ‘From Stone Age or Iron Age’ where we will be investigating what life was like during these ages and how it changed over time.
• RE: Our big question in RE will be ‘What is it like for someone to follow God?’ in which we will learn about several stories from the bible and link this to ways in which people practice Christianity today. During this time, we will also be preparing for our school Harvest Festival celebration.
• Art: Based on the work of Georgia O’Keefe, we will be learning how to create tone and texture in abstract pieces of artwork.
• Music: We will be exploring rhythmic patterns.
• French: Year 3 will be introduced to French greetings for all times of the day and how to describe feelings. 
• Computing: Creating and editing documents. 
• PE: The children will be improving their coordination and balance, practising one-leg balance and footwork.
• Relationships, Health and Sex Education: We will be learning how to take care of our bodies and minds by recognising and understanding our feelings and looking at ways to keep ourselves and our minds healthy.

Autumn Term 2:

• English: We will be moving onto exploring fables such as ‘The Lion Inside’ and ‘The Koala Who Could’, identifying the key features of the genre and using writing techniques to write our own fables. 
• Maths: Finishing addition and subtraction; multiplication and division.
• Science: Year 3 will move onto investigating rocks and soils and the properties of both. This will include different types of soil, the sedimentation process and fossil formation within rocks. 
• Geography: Our focus in geography will be on volcanoes, starting with the formation of mountains, the placement of tectonic plates and then looking at where and why volcanoes are formed and how people can live near them.
• RE: Our big question in RE will be ‘What is the ‘Trinity’ and why is it important for Christians?’ where we will learn about the baptism of Jesus and how Christians show their belief in God and the Trinity today. 
• DT: Eating seasonally – learning which fruit and vegetables are grown in each season and making seasonal tarts. 
• Music: Continuing to explore rhythmic patterns. 
• French: French adjectives for colour, size and shape. 
• Computing: Digital art and e-safety.
• PE: The children will be moving onto sending and receiving balls and continuing to practice their static balance. 
• Relationships, Health and Sex Education: We will be looking at how to safely connect with others, focusing on setting boundaries, treating others with kindness and fairness and recognising good friendships. 

Outdoor Learning: 

Where possible, we will be spending time learning outdoors and will enjoy using the outdoor learning area and the large grounds that we are fortunate to have as a school. Therefore, please can you ensure that your child has a suitable waterproof coat every day in school. This will allow us to be able to take our learning outdoors whatever the weather!    

Homework:

Reading, spellings and times tables are weekly tasks for the children to complete at home and there may be additional tasks where consolidation is needed. 

10 new spellings will be set every Tuesday ready to be tested the following Tuesday. Children should learn these spellings, as well as be able to use them in a sentence. Spelling Frame can be a useful tool for learning these spelling rules at home. 

We practice times tables every Friday morning. The children will use https://www.timestables.co.uk  to practice their speed when recalling times tables facts up to 12 x 12. This is in preparation for their National Multiplication Check in Year 4. Children will receive personal log-in details for this website to practice at home. 

Reading:

Please read with your child as often as possible, even if only for a few minutes. 

Miss Effingham will check the children's reading records each Friday. Please date and sign their reading record each time they read to an adult and encourage them to read a range of text types. It is also helpful to discuss and ask your child questions about the texts they read to develop comprehension skills. Useful documents, including key questions to support with hearing your child read, can be found below.

Key Dates:

Residential trip to York - 9th-11th December 

For up-to-date information, please check the weekly school newsletter.

Parent-Teacher Meetings: 

We offer these termly, dates are included on our weekly newsletters.

Communication:

You can contact Miss Effingham via the contact form (see top right panel of this page or via the school office (office@archbishopcranmer.notts.sch.uk or schooladmin@archbishopcranmer.notts.sch.uk).