Thematic

Over the past two weeks, Year 3 has been immersed in an exciting new topic: Maya – The Rise and Fall. The children have shown great enthusiasm and curiosity as they explored different aspects of the Ancient Maya civilisation through the lens of Geography and History.

Our learning began by developing the children’s understanding of the world around them. They learnt about the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the Equator, and the Tropics, before exploring the climate and physical features of Mesoamerica: the region where the Maya civilisation once thrived. The children were fascinated to discover how the hot, tropical climate and dense rainforests influenced the way the Maya people lived.

This week, the children have been learning about where the Ancient Maya civilisation fits within world history. They created their own timelines, positioning the Maya civilisation alongside other historic periods they have previously studied. This helped the children make meaningful connections between different eras in history and develop a broader understanding of the past.

The children have also explored daily life in the Maya civilisation, learning about farming, housing, trade, and the impact of climate on how the Maya people lived. They were particularly interested in discovering the clever farming methods used by the Maya and how trade connected different cities and communities.

Next week, we will be moving on to exploring Maya beliefs, the children will also be finding out about the Maya number system and their writing system.

       

   

   

Maths

This week in Maths, the children have continued to develop their understanding of fractions. They have been learning how to find equivalent fractions and have practised adding and subtracting fractions with increasing confidence. The children have worked hard to explain their reasoning and use different methods to solve problems accurately.

Next week, we are excited to begin a new Maths topic: shapes and angles, where the children will explore the properties of shapes and learn about different types of angles and turns.

English

This week in English, the children have been putting themselves in the shoes of Jelly, the main character from The Great Chocoplot. Through journal writing, they explored Jelly’s thoughts and feelings as she faces the dramatic news that chocolate might disappear forever! The focus has been on using emotive language to bring Jelly’s voice to life-helping readers connect with her excitement. 

Next week, we’ll be moving onto non-fiction writing, with a focus on the use of persuasive language. The children will be designing their very own chocolate bar and will be creating a persuasive advert to promote and encourage readers to buy their chocolate.

To support this activity, the children will also have the opportunity to taste a small selection of chocolate next week. This will help inspire their ideas as they think about flavours, textures, packaging and how to persuade others to buy their product.

We are already aware of allergies that children have, however, if your child has any additional dietary requirements or intolerances that we may not be aware of, please inform your child’s class teacher, so that we can ensure suitable alternatives are available.

Year 3 sleepover: Thursday 21^st May

A reminder of the letters that have already gone out to parents can be found below. Parents of children who are attending need to have complete the following form, for their child to attend: https://app.keysurvey.co.uk/f/41841372/10f1/

On Tuesday 12^th May, there will be a parent information meeting at 3:15pm, in the main school hall.

Nearer the time, a letter will be sent home to parents of children who are not attending, outlining the activities and provision that will be in place for them on Friday 22^nd May. This will ensure parents are fully informed about how their child will be supported while in school.

Times Tables

Thank you to all the parents who were able to attend the Times Tables open afternoon with your child. We hope you found the session useful in seeing some of the ways we support the children in developing fluency and quick recall of their times tables facts.

Please find attached below a reminder of the different activities and strategies that can be used to support your child’s learning at home. Regular practice really does make a difference in helping children build confidence and accuracy.

We would also like to encourage the children to continue using TTRS regularly at home. Thank you for your continued support in helping your child with their learning at home.

Weekly Home Learning:

• Reading daily: please bring in your reading record signed by an adult.

• TTRS: at least 3 times a week for 10 minutes.

• Mathletics: Friday to Friday

• Spelling: please choose approximately 5 words from the Year 3/4 word list to complete ‘look, say, cover, write, check’. This should be completed in the orange Home Learning book and returned to school to be checked by the class teacher.

• AR Quizzes – complete on Accelerated Reader once a book has been completed.

Reminders for Term 5

• Children need to make sure they are wearing correct school uniform and shoes. 

• Children are bringing in their water bottles. 

• Children to bring in healthy snacks for breaktimes.   

• 3B and 3G will have their swimming sessions on Thursdays. 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.