Year 3
Mrs Muse
Year 3 2022 - 2023
In Year 3, children start a new Key Stage, they individually grow as a learner and become more independent. They build on their handwriting work from Year 2, becoming more confident joining their letters.
All lessons are planned carefully to ensure all children are supported in their learning. Year 3 love to take their learning outside whether it be Geography in our fieldwork lessons or measuring and comparing in our Maths lessons.
Maths
At St Alban's we follow a Mastery Approach to teaching Maths following the White Rose Maths scheme. This term, Year 3 will be learning Multiplication and Division, Length and Perimeter, Fractions and Mass and Capacity. Alongside this, children will learn their 3,4 and 8 times table.
Children have Maths homework weekly, which corresponds with what they have been learning that week. This supports children to retain what they have been taught and also to be independent with their home learning.
For multiplication and division practice at home, children can battle with online interactive games on Times Tables Rock Stars. They can compete against their peers or independently to earn coins that allow them to improve their rock star avatars.
English
For our English lessons we follow the Pathways to Write scheme. This half term the book we are studying is Journey by Aaron Becker. The children will write an adventure story based on 'Journey.' To achieve this, the mastery keys we are following are:
* Use the present perfect form of verbs in contrast to the past tense.
* Use prepositions, conjunctions and adverbs to express time, place and cause.
* Group related ideas into paragraphs.
* Use a or an according to whether the next word begins with a vowel or a consonant.
Reading
Year 3 have weekly class reading sessions following the Pathways to Read scheme. The book we are reading this half term is an Illustrated Atlas of Britain and Ireland. Throughout the sessions children will learn to retrieve and record information from non-fiction, use dictionaries to check the meaning of words they have read and identify how language, structure and presentation contribute to meaning.
Spellings are taught throughout English and Reading lessons and also given for homework.
Children are also expected to read at least three times a week. Books and reading records should be brought into school everyday and are checked on a Monday.
The Reading Plus programme can also be used at home and go towards childrens weekly reads.
RE
As a Catholic School the teaching of the Church is at the heart of everything we do. As well as daily worship, we follow the Come and See programme. The topics are delivered in three stages - Explore, Reveal and Respond.
Our topic for this term is: Pentecost - Serving: Energy. Year 3 will learn that Christians believe that the gift of the Holy Spirit - wind and fire - are symbols of power and energy. At Pentecost, the disciples were filled by the gifts of the Holy Spirit and went out courageously to carry the Gospel of Jesus to the whole world.
Geography
Our Geography lessons will have the enquiry focus of Land Use - Rivers.
Year 3 will learn what topographical features of a river and a coast are and the land around them. How the River Mersey has changed over time. How the water cycle works from mountain, to river, to sea and where the rivers and coast lines of the UK are.
Science
In Science, we follow the Developing Experts Scheme our topic for this term is Plants. This unit covers: comparing the effect of different factors on plant growth. Identify and describe the functions of different parts of a flowering plant and how they are used in photosynthesis. Investigate the way in which water is transported within plants. Explore the life cycle of flowering plants. Understand the pollination process and the ways in which seeds are dispersed. Compare the effect of different factors on plant growth.
Art
Our Art lessons this term will cover an Artist Study on Vincent Van Gogh. Year 3 will explore brush strokes and techniques and create texture with paint similar to the work of Van Gogh. They will also revisit colour mixing and create a colour wheel. For their finished piece they will decide on an object, scene or season and paint it using the different brush strokes to create texture with paint in the style of Van Gogh.
PE
Year 3's PE day is Thursday, children come to school wearing their PE kit.
Throughout the year, Year 3 will experience a range of sporting activites where they will develop their skills and improve their fitness levels. These activities include Gymnastics, Athletics, Rugby, Tennis and Dance.
St Alban's also offer a range of sport activities in their after school clubs such as, cricket, football, tag rugby and many more.
Music/French/Computing
Computing is taught using the Kapow scheme. This term, Year 3 will use iPads to develop their digital video skills to create trailers with special effects and transitions.
French is taught through using the Language Angels programme. The children enjoy this, as it is interactive with quizzes, songs and games to help them learn the language.
Music is taught using the Charanga scheme, children particulary enjoy using the instruments throughout, which then leads to them performing a piece of music at the end of each unit.