Autumn Term

In Year 3, the children are being encouraged to take a more independent approach to their learning. They will be expected to fulfil classroom responsibilities diligently and take even greater pride in the presentation and overall quality of their work. During the autumn term we will be exploring the following topics:

R.E.

In R.E. we will explore the Creation story and learn about how we can look after God's world - What does it mean to be a Steward of the Earth. We will then learn about Prophecy and Promise, celebrating Mass with our fellow parishoners and learning in more detail about the importance of Advent, the Mystery of the Incarnation and prepare for the birth of Jesus.

English

In English, we will be sharing 'A Bear Called Paddington' by Michael Bond and 'The Hodgeheg' by Dick King-Smith. We will use both of these to create stories, diaries and other pieces of writing.

We will spend time learning what makes a sentence, recap expectations from  and use conjunctions to vary our writing. Spellings will continue to be sent home on Mondays and tested each following Monday. In class we will continue to look at spelling patterns and a wider range of suffixes.

Mathematics

In Mathematics we will spend most of the term focusing on number and place value. We will work towards using column addition and subtraction with larger numbers. Children will be expected to select concrete resources (number squares, cubes, counters etc) to support their calculations. We will also recap prefious skills in shape, space and measure from Year 2. 

Times tables will be checked each Monday, beginning with the 2s, 5s and 10s. We will gradually add the 3s, 4s and 8s during the autumn and into the spring terms.

Science

In Science we will be investigating light and shadow and forces and magnetism. We will learn why variables in an investigation are important and consider ways we can control these. 

History

In History we will be increasing our knowledge and understanding of the past by studying how the life of a child in our local area has changed. We will use a mixture and primary and secondary sources to support this. 

Geography

 This term we will explore the UK. We will locate significant landmarks, including major mountains and rivers. The children will be expected to use grid references to describe a location. 

P.E. and Games

Work planned for P.E. will include dance and invasion games. We will continue to develop our throwing and catching skills and begin to learn about the importance of thinking  tactically by introducing dodging, feints and space into our performance.

Computing

In Computing we will be reinforcing online safety skills and how to use technology responsibly. The children will find out about how to refine their searches and how to use search engines more efficiently. We will learn how to use step and sequencing blocks to create simple algorithms.