In Year 3, we are committed to ensuring that all of our children complete the transition from Key Stage 1, whilst preparing them for the start of their learning journey in Key Stage 2. Throughout the year, children will continue to build on their prior knowledge, retrieving what they already know to make links with new learning. In Year three we promote the personal attributes of independence, perseverance and working with others, to help the children progress and take full advantage of the exciting opportunities and challenges throughout the year. 

Children in Year 3 will cover an exciting range of topics in-depth, with a key focus on investigations and creative thinking. Some of the children’s lessons will link to that week’s key question focus; all lessons will be meaningful and purposeful. In Music, alongside their theory lessons, children will have a weekly recorder lesson with their teacher, where they will learn simple melodies and develop a basic knowledge of rhythmic and some melodic notation. Children will have lots of opportunities to perform and showcase their talents throughout the academic year! The children will travel back in time to discover the Stone Age, The Iron Age and Ancient Egypt through a range of inspiring activities. In Art, the children will explore the work of Edgar Degas, Heather Hansen, Henri Matisse, Quentin Blake and the contemporary artist Laura McKendry; using their interpretations of their famous works. Personal Development and Well-being is an important aspect of the Year 3 curriculum, with children learning about the importance of a healthy lifestyle through diet and exercise. They will be given opportunities and support to articulately express their views and demonstrate their own self-worth and that of others. 

Our English curriculum is taught through high-quality key-texts, which often link to our wider curriculum. The Year 3 texts include: Leon and the Place Between by Angela McAllister, How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth by Michelle Robinson, The Pebble in my Pocket: A History of Our Earth by Meredith Hopper, Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Stanton, How to Make a Better World: For Every Kid That Wants to Make a Difference by Kelly Swift, The Promise by Nicola Davies and Bright Bursts of Colour by Matt Goodfellow. Our children will use their reading to further study the purpose of different text types, focusing on the choice of an author’s words and structure and inferring character’s motives, thoughts and feelings. Children will use these texts to influence and inspire their writing, with a focus on writing in paragraphs around a theme and structuring longer pieces using organisational devices such as subheadings. They will begin to write more complex sentences by including a wide range of subordinating conjunctions, both in the middle and at the start of a sentence. They will also learn to punctuate direct speech correctly and use technical vocabulary including verbs and adjectives for impact.

In Mathematics, following our CanDo approach, children will be exposed to a range of fluency, reasoning and problem-solving activities to use and develop efficient written and mental methods and perform calculations accurately with numbers of up to three digits. They will also begin to use inverse operations to estimate and check answers. In shape, children will draw and complete shapes with reflective symmetry and use mathematical vocabulary relating to 2D and 3D. Alongside this, children will learn how to calculate the perimeter of different shapes. Furthermore, children will continue to learn their multiplication tables focusing on 3, 4 and 8. Mathematics will contain a level of mastery so that children can show a deepened level of understanding and apply the learnt skills across different problems and situations.

In Year 3, children will love Science! Using their foundation of knowledge from Key Stage 1, children will begin to develop their own questions and hypotheses through enquiry-based learning and lots of purposeful investigations! Children will improve their understanding in the three main areas of Physics, Chemistry and Biology such as bones and muscles, rocks and magnets through different observations, researching and data collection. Children will then be supported to analyse their results to draw conclusions by finding answers to their questions and pose further questions to explore!

In Year 3, children will have an exciting start to learning French. They will learn to introduce themselves, greet other people and have a short conversation. They will learn to express their likes and dislikes using the French language. They will also learn about French culture and typical celebrations. Finally, they will learn to read a French story, then create and perform their own interpretation. All the while, they will be learning about French phonics and how this informs pronunciation.

Key Questions to drive learning and progress

• Where would you walk to?
• How many types of volcanoes are there?
• Where did you come from, pebble?
• How old should you be to rule?
• Do you dare step into the place between?
• How do you defeat a crocodile?
• How do I prepare for a survival adventure?
• What is life like outside of the cave?

Exciting Events in Year 3!

• Autumn Mountain Climb – Herefordshire Beacon
• Learning to play the recorder
• Birmingham Hippodrome – Pantomime Visit
• Egyptian workshop
• Day visit to Whitemoor Lakes
• Overnight camping on the school field

Class Novels include

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C S Lewis, The Iron Man by Ted Hughes, The Creakers by Tom Fletcher, Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman, The World According to Humphrey by Betty Birney, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling.