Thematic

This week, Year 3 launched their exciting new topic in Thematic: Maya – The Rise and Fall. The children have started their learning journey with a focus on Geography, developing key map skills as they explored where the Maya civilisation once thrived.

We’ve been locating the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the Equator, and the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, using atlases and globes to identify the areas where the Maya lived. It’s been fantastic to see the children so engaged in discovering the geographical context of this ancient civilisation.

Next week, we shift our focus to History, where we’ll be delving into the beginnings of the Maya civilisation. The children will start to learn about important aspects of Maya culture, including their beliefs, achievements, and daily life.

Knowledge Organiser

Don't forget, to help support your child at home, 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. Additionally, we have included flashcards with picture prompts to support vocabulary retention. These visual aids can be a great way to engage children in learning through interactive activities. You can use them to quiz your child on key terms or to encourage storytelling and discussion about Maya culture.

If you have any questions or need additional resources, please feel free to reach out to us.

A Wonderful Day at Kent Life!

Today’s visit to Kent Life was a huge success and a truly memorable experience for all involved. The children enthusiastically participated in a range of engaging workshops focused on the fascinating world of the Maya. They delved into Maya religion and even stepped into the shoes of a conquistador. The children also had the chance to explore the beautiful grounds of Kent Life. A particular highlight was meeting and interacting with the resident farm animals!

We were incredibly proud of the children's exemplary behaviour throughout the day. They represented the school brilliantly, embodying our values at every turn. A huge well done to all of our Year 3’s— a fantastic day of learning, laughter, and discovery!

    

    

   

   

 

   

    

    

   

     

  

    

English

In English this week, Year 3 have been getting stuck into The Great Chocoplot by Chris Callaghan. Our focus has been on writing detailed character descriptions, using rich, descriptive vocabulary to bring key characters to life. We've been especially focusing on similes, helping children to compare and describe in imaginative and engaging ways.

Next week, we’ll take our writing a step further by stepping into the shoes of our main character, Jelly. The children will be writing a journal entry from Jelly’s perspective—exploring her thoughts and feelings. We can’t wait to see the fantastic writing that comes from it!

Maths

This week in our maths lessons, we've been exploring fractions: how fractions work and how they can be represented in different ways. Whether it's fractions of shapes or fractions of quantities, we've been exploring how to break down parts of a whole, and it's been an exciting journey!

One of the key concepts we've worked on is understanding fractions of shapes, which has enabled children to see that fractions are not just numbers, but also visual representations of parts of a whole. We then moved on to fractions of quantities and practised splitting quantities into equal parts, which helped children to understand how fractions can be used to divide up amounts in everyday situations.

To help reinforce these concepts, we used various mathematical representations. One of the most useful tools we explored was the array model. We also worked with bar models, which allowed us to break down complex problems into smaller, more manageable pieces. This hands-on approach made learning fractions more engaging and helped us make real-world connections.

Next week, we’ll continue to develop our understanding of fractions, but we’ll be focusing more on problem-solving.

Home Learning

Attached below is the overarching Thematic Curriculum homework ideas. Please refer to the homework menu which gives a variety of creative tasks for the children to choose from. Children only need to complete one task as a minimum, but can choose to complete more if they wish. Homework is due in on Friday 23^rd May.

Spellings

To support children with their spellings, we would like children to practise at home, using Sir Linkalot.

To access it on a laptop, PC, Mac or Chromebook (therefore IWBs): 
1. Type in the browser itself where you normally type www (not a search engine)...app.sirlinkalot.org (with no Ws before it) 
2. Click on 'More' (top right) 
3. Click on 'Sign in' 
4. The children will then need to type in their access code  

Times Tables Rock Stars  

• Tasks to be completed online. 

• Children’s logins are stuck in their Reading journal.   

Mathletics  

• Mathletics tasks will be set from Friday to Friday.  

• Tasks will always follow the learning that week.  

Children’s logins are stuck into their Reading journal.  

Reminder to ensure:

• Children 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 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.