Units of Learning
Click on the link above for an overview of the ‘Units of Learning’.
Overview
Year 3 is quite a demanding Year as pupils move from KS1 to KS2. In this Year, we expect pupils to become much more independent and responsible learners.
In Literacy, over the year, pupils explore a variety of writing styles: non-chronological reports, poetry, myths & legends, adventure stories and instructional writing.
The children are taught how to improve their writing through the use of targets and teacher led discussion. They are introduced to paragraphing and a range of punctuation, e.g. speech marks, commas and exclamation marks.
Daily reading continues to be a feature of classroom life. Each day begins with a Big Read lesson. In addition, each pupil completes a weekly assessment on their Reading Book. A class novel is read daily to promote the love of reading. Weekly visits to the school library offer the children the chance to select books of their own choice to enjoy.
Every Maths lesson begins with a short focused activity to keep number and key maths facts fresh in the children’s minds. By the end of Year 3 pupils are expected to know the times-tables with quick recall. All maths lessons are a series of carefully planned activities aimed to help our pupils become confident mathematicians. The children also begin to apply what they have learnt to solve real-life problems.
In Science the children learn about themselves and the world around them through investigations and practical experiences. They plan and carry out experiments and explain their findings. The Year 3 topics include Forces and Magnets, Ourselves and Other Animals, Plants, Rocks & Soils and Light & Shadows.
Art and Design Technology are taught through our termly topics. For example, when they learn about The Stone Age in History, the children design a moving form of transport in D.T. which would have helped people in the Stone Age to move the materials required to build Stonehenge; this also gives them an opportunity to apply their mathematical skill using accurate measuring. We examine and reproduce Art from this period, e.g. cave paintings.
Children enjoy weekly PE lessons and learn a variety of games and skills, such as good sportsmanship, as well as going swimming. Year 3 children have the opportunity to take part in a variety of after-school clubs, offering a wide range of activities to cater for all interests.