Otter Class
This page We hope you all had a restful half term and are ready to dive into our final term of Year 3. We have lots of fun and exciting activities planned and can’t wait to enjoy our final term together in Year 3
This page will be updated throughout the year with information about our topics and the learning that we will be focusing on. Please check out our school Twitter page to see regular photos of our incredible learning.
Our Learning Environment
Learning in Term 6
English
This term, we will be exploring ‘The Great Kapok Tree’ and learning about the effects of deforestation on Amazonian wildlife. During this topic, the children will create free verse poems and a non-chronological text about an imaginary rainforest creature and they will then participate in a debate about deforestation.
To support this, each week, the class will have separate grammar and spelling sessions, in which they will explore new aspects of grammar and KS2 spelling patterns. Each week, the children will also be given spellings to learn and given links to Spelling Shed, so that they can practise these words in preparation for a weekly spelling test.
As well-developed reading skills are vital to enable children to access all areas of the primary curriculum, this term, we will be reading two children’s books. Each week, the children will read, discuss and answer VIPER questions about a chapter of the story.
Your child will continue to bring home a reading folder, which will contain a reading record and a fiction/non-fiction book. We ask that they read for 20 mins each day and we would be grateful if the record could be signed to show that this has taken place. In this way, we hope to enthuse the children and make them realise that books can open up a world of endless possibilities.
Maths
In Maths, this term, we will finish our final Power Maths workbook of Year 3. We are going to continue to explore time. We will then investigate angles and properties of shape and will finish the year by looking at statistics.
As the children are nearing Year 4, it is even more important now that they develop a secure understanding of their times tables. The children should now have a secure understanding of their 2, 5,10, 3, 4 and 8 times tables. Every child has access to Times Table Rockstars, which is a fantastic resource that we urge your child to make the most of. The children have their own logins inside their reading diaries.
You can access TT Rockstars via this link: https://ttrockstars.com/
Wider Learning
This year we will continue to use the ‘Cornerstones curriculum’ to support our wider learning.
Our main topic across this term is called ‘Emperors and Empires’. It is a history-based unit, where we will continue to look at the growth and decline of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. We are going to explore the power of the Roman Emperors and look at the hierarchies of Roman society and their army. .
Science
At the start of our term, we will be completing our topic on plant nutrition and growth by exploring the role of pollinators on the life cycle of plants. We will then move onto our final Science topic of the year ‘Light and Shadow’ in which the children will learn about light and dark and investigate the phenomena of reflections and shadows, looking for patterns in collected data. The risks associated with the Sun will also be explored.
Foundation Subjects
Art
Making links with our study of life in Ancient Rome, in this topic, the children will learn about the history of mosaics, before focusing on the colours, patterns and themes found in Roman mosaics. The children will learn techniques to help them design and make a mosaic border tile.
Design Technology
This term we will continue to explore ‘Greenhouses’. This project teaches children about the purpose, structure and design features of greenhouses, and compares the work of two significant greenhouse designers. They will learn techniques to strengthen structures and use tools safely. They will use their learning to design and construct their own mini greenhouse.
Computing
We will continue to follow the ‘Teach Computing’ Curriculum and we will be looking at programming. We will be learning how to make a maze.
R.E
Our topic is going to be ‘Why do people pray?’. We will be learning about and exploring different religious and spiritual ways of praying. We will also explore some key beliefs about prayer, so that pupils can develop thoughtful ideas and viewpoints of their own about prayer.
PSHE
We are going to focus on ‘Healthy Bodies and Healthy Minds’, where we will look at how to stay healthy physically and mentally.
P.E.
We are going to be focusing on basketball this term. Our P.E. day is Tuesday, so please make sure they come into school wearing their full P.E. kit on this day.
Home Learning
Homework will be set on a Tuesday and is to be completed by the following Monday. This will be set on Google Classroom.
Each Tuesday, the children will be set their weekly spellings on Spelling Shed, before being tested on the following Monday.
As part of their home learning, we encourage children to read every day to support their reading fluency and vocabulary.
Contact us
We are always available on the playground after school if you need to talk! Alternatively, if it is not urgent, you can email the families' email. This email is checked regularly and will be forwarded on to the class team. You can find the email here: families@bethersden.kent.sch.uk
We are looking forward to the exciting term ahead of us!
Otter Class Team