Welcome to Year 3

Welcome to Year 3

Our Year 3 team includes:

Miss Davies - Teacher

Mrs Carter - Teacher

Mrs Barbet - HLTA

Mrs Holmes - Teaching Assistant

Mrs Bateman - Teachig Assistant

Reading

Reading is essential to all curriculum areas and we spend time focusing on reading every day. Our reading lessons follow Steps to Read which is a programme of carefully crafted units of work that cover all aspects of word reading and comprehension through high-quality fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts.

In addition to this, the children read independently for 15 minutes each day. Accelerated Reader puts the children in the driver’s seat. They choose books matching their zone of proximal development allowing them to read fluently whilst continuing to challenge themselves. Regular quizzes allow the children to hone their reading skills with authentic practice whilst encouraging growth.

Children also experience the joy of reading through the whole class novel. The class novel is a time to come together around a powerful, relevant text that engages the children and promotes discussion. In Year 3, we read a range of exciting texts including class favourites: Stone Age Boy, and Who let the Gods out by Maz Evans

Reading at home is essential. Reading books go home on a Thursday and are returned to school on a Wednesday. Children are encouraged to record their own thoughts, feelings and ideas about what they have read in their reading records as well as comments made by adults at home.

Writing

Our writing lessons follow Read to Write, which is a programme of study designed to empower children to become confident and successful writers. The units of work centre on engaging, vocabulary-rich texts, with a wealth of both fiction and non-fiction writing opportunities. Several of the carefully selected texts we study in Year 3, have strong thematic links to our History and Geography curriculum including the Iron Man, Return and Jemmy Button.

Spelling and Grammar

Grammar and punctuation are taught through an organised progression of lessons that follow the grammar and punctuation objectives outlined in the English National Curriculum. Ready, Steady, Spell is used to deliver spelling lessons, which involve studying spelling rules and the relationship between sounds and written symbols and using morphology to help spell through meaning.

Mathematics

Mathematics lessons follow Maths No Problem, an evidence based mastery approach that aims to develop children’s mathematical fluency and their deep, long-term and adaptable understanding of maths. The children can then use this knowledge and understanding to solve a range of maths problems. Maths No Problem incorporates a concrete – pictorial – abstract method that enables all children to access learning and lessons are differentiated so that and all children achieve.

To supplement Maths No Problem lessons, we also dedicate time every morning to arithmetic and fluency. During this time, we explore the four areas of fluency: flexibility, appropriate choice of strategy, efficiency and accuracy. We work on securing mental strategies, practicing the recall of facts and unpicking the most appropriate method for the task. Dedicating time to these skills ensures that our children can think faster and more clearly, giving them the energy, attention and focus to tackle deeper, more meaningful problem-solving and reasoning questions.

Wider curriculum

In Year 3, children are taught a broad and balanced curriculum that includes all of the National Curriculum subjects. Over the course of the year, different subjects are prioritised at different times to ensure coverage and maximum attainment in all areas. The curriculum is exciting, dynamic and has been designed to build upon the children’s prior knowledge. Our History units for this year include Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron age and the transition to agriculture, Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. while our Geography work will focus on Cities of the UK, Landmarks of the World and Mountains of the World. In Music Year 3 are currently learning to play the ukulele, children will be able to bring their instruments home every Monday and return them to school every Friday ready for the lesson the following week. We also have a range of exciting projects planned in Art, DT and Computing.

P.E will take place every Tuesday. Children should come into school wearing their PE kit. Please remember to remove all jewellery! You can find more about what to bring on our uniform page.

Outdoor Learning

Forest school will take place every other Tuesday. This is led by our specialist P.E teacher Mr Fisher. Children will engage with nature in our outdoor classroom and will undertake fun, exciting and engaging activities in the outdoors. Please bring suitable footwear and a coat.

Trips and Visits

Year 3 have the opportunity to take part in a trip to the World Museum in Liverpool. This will be in the summer term following on from our Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt topics.

Homework

Reading

Reading together at home is one of the single best ways to build your child's confidence, vocabulary, and love for learning. To support their progress, here is how our home reading routine works:

Reading books go home daily. Please ensure your child returns their book bag to school every morning so we can read with them in class.
Each time you read with your child, please leave a quick note or signature in their reading record.
Any child who reads at home at least 4 times a week (and has it recorded in their book) earns a raffle ticket.
Raffle tickets go straight into our "Reader of the Month" draw for a chance to win a reward.

Maths - Maths Whizz

Maths-Whizz is an award-winning online maths tutor that tailors its lessons specifically to your child’s unique learning needs, helping to boost their confidence and ability in a fun, interactive way.

Your child’s individual login is in their reading record. You can access the platform on any desktop, laptop, or tablet with an internet connection by visiting www.whizz.com.
Research shows that completing 60 minutes of Maths-Whizz per week is the optimal amount of time to make excellent progress. Your child will get the chance to spend some of this time on the platform during the school week, but we ask that this is "topped up" at home to reach their 60-minute weekly target.
We recommend finding a quiet space for them to work, and while encouragement is always welcome, please try to let them answer the questions independently. This ensures the virtual tutor accurately adapts to their current level.

Spelling

Building strong spelling skills gives children the confidence to express themselves in their writing.

Spelling is taught in class three times a week using the Ready, Steady, Spell program to build key spelling strategies and patterns.
Every Friday, the spelling list for the words learned that week will be posted as an assignment on Google Classroom.
Please encourage your child to practice these words at home throughout the week using quick look-cover-write-check routines or practice sentences.
Children will take a spelling quiz on the following Friday to check their understanding of the week's list.

Remote Learning

All children have access to a range of online resources that they can use to further embed their knowledge and understanding.