As we reach the end of the final week of term, we have, once again, lots to celebrate in the life of Year 3!

Thematic

This week in our thematic learning journey, we concluded our topic by finding out about the history and importance of chocolate, with a particular focus on the Maya civilisation. From ancient traditions to modern-day treats, our exploration took us through time, taste, and culture! We learnt that the Maya would prepare a bitter, frothy drink made from crushed cacao beans, water, and spices like chilli or cornmeal. This drink wasn’t a dessert — it was a sacred offering in rituals, a celebratory beverage, and a symbol of prestige.

Our thematic learning also took us beyond the Maya to explore how chocolate spread across the globe. We traced its journey from Mesoamerica to Europe, where it was sweetened with sugar and transformed into a luxury item for the elite. This historical perspective helped us appreciate how chocolate is more than just a snack — it’s a global story of agriculture, trade and invention. To bring our learning to life, we ended the week with a hands-on chocolate tasting session. We sampled a variety of chocolates, comparing flavours and textures.

Next Term's Thematic

Next term, we begin an exciting new topic: Rainforests Revealed. Get ready to dive into the lush, vibrant world of rainforests as we explore their mysteries through the lenses of Geography and Science.

To help support your child with their learning, we provide children a Knowledge Organiser—a single-page document that summarises essential facts, key concepts, and important vocabulary related to this topic. This organiser serves as a learning tool, allowing children to easily access, retain, and apply their knowledge.

We have attached the Knowledge Organiser below for your reference. We encourage you to review it with your child at home and use it as a guide for discussions, which will help reinforce what they learn in class and make connections to their broader understanding of history.

Maths

This week in maths, our classroom has been buzzing with shapes of all sizes as we explored the fascinating world of 2D and 3D geometry. From identifying basic shapes to building and describing complex forms, children have been sharpening their spatial awareness and mathematical vocabulary in fun and hands-on ways. Through games, group challenges, and creative tasks, our children not only practised naming and identifying properties of shapes, but also developed reasoning skills by explaining how they knew which shape was which. We used plenty of mathematical language and had great discussions about the properties that make each shape unique.

Next term, we will be moving onto a new topic: Measure, where children will be learning about capacity, volume and mass.

English

Inspired by the quirky characters and deliciously dramatic setting of the story, this week, children planned and wrote their own narratives, bringing their creativity and storytelling skills to the forefront.

Drawing on what we've read in the book, children developed a story with a twist. It was fantastic to see children take risks with their writing, trying out new ideas and pushing themselves to improve both their vocabulary and structure. Peer feedback and group discussions helped refine each draft, and the final pieces were a joy to read — full of imagination, humour, and drama!

When we return, we will be starting the term off by writing an explanation about the importance of the Amazon Rainforest, linked to our Thematic learning, and written in the style of a National Geographic article.

Next term:

• 3R and 3Y will have their swimming sessions on Mondays. Children will need to come dressed in their PE kit to school on this day, and bring with them their swimming costumes to change into. 

• Swimming kit reminder:  full swimming costume/swim shorts and swimming hat.  

• The Year 3 and 4 Viking Games will be taking place on Thursday 5^th June- children will need to wear their PE kits.

Thank you!

As we come to the end of a jam-packed and exciting term, the Year 3 team would like to thank all our families for your continued support. Your encouragement at home and involvement in school life make a real difference, and we’re truly grateful.

We hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved, restful half-term, with plenty of time to relax, recharge, and enjoy time together as a family.

We look forward to welcoming all the children back to school on Monday 2nd June, ready to dive into our new topic and another exciting term of learning.

Have a wonderful break!

The Year 3 Team