Autumn One

English  

This half term in Year 3, our Reading and Writing lessons have been full of excitement and discovery! We have been exploring “Stone Age Boy” and the non-chronological report “Most Important Animal of All”, two texts that have captured our imaginations and helped us develop important reading skills.

With “Stone Age Boy”, the children journeyed back in time to explore the Stone Age. They made predictions about what the boy might find, retrieved information from the text, and used clues from the illustrations to infer how the characters were feeling. The story encouraged curiosity and sparked lively discussions about life long ago.

In the non-chronological report “Most Important Animal of All”, the children practised retrieving key information, making inferences from factual details, and thinking critically about how information is organised. This text helped them understand how writers present facts clearly and how structure supports comprehension.

Through these texts, Year 3 have developed their reading for pleasure, comprehension, and critical thinking skills — all while enjoying some fantastic stories and informative texts!

Maths

Maths in Year Three will kick start with place value and building our understanding of number representation up to 4 digits. Place value allows us to be hands on and practical with our resources to explore how different numbers can be represented to help strengthen our understanding. This skill allows children to make further connections with other maths topics we will be covering throughout the year. We will apply this exciting new knowledge to a range of problems solving and reasoning questions to deepen our understanding of place value. Throughout Year Three we will be focusing on becoming fluent in our 3s, 4s and 8 times tables. If you would like more opportunities to learn these times tables outside of school, Times Table Rockstars (TTRS) is an exciting way to master our times tables.

Science
Our first science topic is Animals including Humans. This exciting topic gets us moving our bodies and using our brains! In this unit we will be learning about our skeleton, muscles and nutrition in order to make sure we are fit and healthy! In this unit we also begin to understand how our skeletons compare to different animals and how their skeletons can help them move and protect them!

PE

Physical Education gets turned up a notch in Key Stage 2 – Swimming! Every Thursday morning, come rain or shine, Year Three will be venturing to Walton High School swimming pool for their weekly lessons. Swimming is a lifelong skill which we will aim to improve throughout the term through perseverance and dedication. For our in-school lessons, we will be building on out fundamental fitness skills which underpin our ability in other sports. We will cover ball skills, balance, locomotion perfect our skills ready to put them to the test throughout the year. We will cover the importance of a healthy lifestyle and develop teamwork skills along the way.

Computing

During autumn one, Year Three we be learning about computing networks and the difference between the internet and the WWW. Computing skills from previous years will continue to be used and are seen across our curriculum.

DT

Our first area of focus for DT is Frame Structures. We will be designing and building strong, stable frames using a range of materials, learning how shapes like triangles and rectangles can make structures sturdier. The lessons encourage problem-solving, creativity, and teamwork, as children test their designs, make improvements, and share their ideas with the class. Through this hands-on work, the children will develop a real understanding of how structures are built and why strength and stability are important.

History

In History, we will be turning back the clock 2.5 million years and visit our ancestors who lived in the Stone Age. Throughout our investigations, we will explore the meaning of time between then and now and how our lives have changed. We will be investigating key differences between then and now and discover how they used to get food and where they used to live. We will be investigating key stone age sites to aid with our historic investigation such as Skara Brae to help deepen our knowledge.

PSHE

Year Three will be covering the unit 'Family and Relationships'. This will allow us to discuss important topics such as conflict in friendships, knowing who to trust, respecting our differences and stereotyping. 

Spanish

Bienvenida al español! Children in Year Three will be learning Spanish! Learning a language is an important skill. From pronunciation to word recognition, the children will be fluent in no time! Our first Spanish unit will introduce the children to the way in which we will tackle speaking, listening and writing Spanish with a willingness to have a go, make mistakes and seek ways to keep improving. Our celebration of learning Spanish will include learning to talk about themselves and their feelings, how to greet others and count up to ten. Do let us know if you have any expertise in this area: we’d love to hear from Spanish speakers in our community.  

Music

In Year 3 Music, the children will be exploring South African instrumental music. They will learn about traditional rhythms and instruments, such as drums, shakers, and xylophones, and practise playing simple pieces in groups and as a whole class. The lessons will include the Gumboots song and dance, a style that originated in South African gold mines. Miners used heavy rubber boots to create rhythms by stomping and slapping their boots, turning everyday movements into music. Children will explore these rhythms through movement, learning coordination, teamwork, and listening skills. Through this unit, the children aim to develop an appreciation for South African music, rhythm, and cultural history, while experiencing the joy of creating music collaboratively.