Wonder, Believe, Shine & Achieve - Welcome to Year 3!
Spring Term
In this term, Year 3 will learn about the Victorians in Salford. During this time, Salford grew a lot because of industries like factories and textiles. Many new buildings were built, including schools, churches, and houses. The Victorians also introduced things like the first public parks and better transport, such as trains. Today, you can still see the influence of the Victorians in Salford, with old buildings and roads that were made during that time. We will visit Salford Museum and become Victorian Time Detectives.
In English, Year 3 will explore a range of core texts and writing activities that engage their imagination and understanding of different genres.
Core Texts:
- Mill Gil by Sue Reid – a vivid first-hand account of life during the Industrial Revolution.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens introduces them to classic literature and themes of society and struggle. - Ottoline and the Yellow Cat by Chris Riddell will inspire creative thinking and character analysis, especially Ottoline’s character.
- The Highwayman, a dramatic poem, will help children explore rhythm, imagery, and storytelling.
- Hortense and the Shadow by Lauren and Natalia O’Hara will captivate them with its magical adventure and encourage narrative writing.
- Out There in the Wild – Poems on Nature will inspire reflection on nature through poetry.
Writing Themes:
- Spring 1: Students will write a Timeslip story about a Fire at the Mill, create a non-fiction Explanation text on How a Robot Dog Works, and engage with Poetry through Out There in the Wild.
- Spring 2: They will describe Ottoline’s character in Ottoline and the Yellow Cat, write an Adventure narrative inspired by Hortense and the Shadow, explore how Manchester has changed in a report, and create a non-fiction Explanation text on Light and Dark.
- Other Themes:
Shakespeare Week will introduce students to the world of Shakespeare and his timeless influence on storytelling.
Maths:
Year 3 will study several key topics. They will learn multiplication and division, focusing on times tables, multiplying and dividing numbers, and solving related word problems. They will also explore length and perimeter, understanding how to measure and compare lengths and calculate the perimeter of simple shapes. In fractions, children will learn to recognize and write fractions, understand parts of a whole, and compare fractions. Finally, they will study mass and capacity, learning to measure weight and volume using appropriate units, as well as solving practical problems involving mass and capacity.
Science:
Year 3 will learn about light, forces, and magnets. They will discover that light helps us see and travels in straight lines, forming shadows when blocked. They will explore materials that are transparent, translucent, or opaque. In the force's topic, children will learn about push and pull, how friction slows things down, and the effect of gravity. They will also understand how forces make things move or stop. In the magnet's topic, they will explore how magnets attract and repel certain materials, learn about poles, and discover how magnets are used in everyday life.
Religion:
This term, pupils explore who Jesus is and what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. They begin by retelling the visit of the Magi and learning what the gifts reveal about Jesus as king, God, and saviour. They develop a simple understanding of the Kingdom of God as a way of living shaped by love, justice, and compassion. Through studying one of Jesus’ miracles, pupils see how his actions show God’s power and mercy at work in the world. They then learn several parables, making links between them to understand what the Kingdom is like, before retelling one parable and explaining its message. The term ends with recalling the ‘Our Father’ and recognising how this prayer guides Christians in building God’s Kingdom today.
Homework
- Children are expected to complete daily (at least 5 out of 7 days):
- Read their assigned reading book and write a comment in their reading record
- In Spelling Shed, play 2 games working up to extreme level, work through the worksheets and PowerPoint (sent by email).
- Play 2 games of TT Rock Stars
- Complete their MathsWatch Homework
- Reading Records are handed in on a Friday for checking.
- Spelling Tests take place on a Friday morning.