Class 3

Our Learning Journey

Hello everyone!

I’m so excited to welcome you all to Class 3! We’re going to have a fantastic year together, filled with learning, laughter and lots of new adventures. 

In class, we’re very lucky to be supported by the amazing Miss Phillips and Mrs Bonsall, who will both be helping us throughout the week. On Wednesdays, the class will be taught by the lovely Mrs Bullett, while I carry out my SENDCo responsibilities across the school.

Our first day back will be all about settling in, playing games, getting to know each other, and building a happy classroom community. In our first week, we'll also begin a short History/Geography unit learning all about our school and its history!

Here’s a sneak peek at what we’ll be learning this half term:

 English – Gorilla by Anthony Browne
 Maths – Place Value
 Science – Forces: What can magnets do?
 R.E. – Diwali
 History – The Roman Empire
 Geography – What is Europe like? (with a focus on Italy)
 Art – Drawing, focusing on tone 
 Computing – Coding
 French – Greetings and numbers
 P.E. – Football and fitness

Save the date!

- Please join us for Class 3's Welcome Meeting on Tuesday 16th September at 2:45pm. I’ll be sharing lots of useful information about our routines and what to expect this year. It’s a great chance to ask questions and get to know more about life in Class 3! 

- Class 3 will be visiting Sheffield this half term to visit Sheffield Cathedral and to watch 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe' at the Lyceum Theatre. We have been enjoying reading the book and cannot wait to see the story in action!

Welcome to the Autumn 2 half term!

We hope you all had a restful break. We’re excited to begin a new half term filled with rich learning across the curriculum. Here’s a snapshot of what the children will be exploring over the coming weeks:

Maths
We will continue our work on addition and subtraction, with a focus on teaching and embedding formal written methods to build confidence and accuracy.

English
In writing, we’ll be studying The Winter’s Child, using it to develop descriptive language, explore dialogue, and understand how writers create changes in mood and atmosphere.
In reading, our class text will be The Train to Impossible Places, which will support our comprehension and discussion skills.

Science
Our topic is Electricity and Circuits, where children will investigate how electrical components work and how circuits are constructed.

Geography
We will continue learning about Italy and Europe, deepening our understanding of physical and human geography.

History
Our Roman Britain topic continues, with a particular focus on how the Romans changed life in Britain and the story of Boudica’s rebellion.

R.E.
This half term we will be learning about The Trinity and its significance within Christianity.

P.E.
Our focus will be on developing skills in Hockey.

Computing
Children will be working with spreadsheets and learning important lessons about online safety.

French
We will be learning verbs and practising how to talk about what we are able, and not able, to do.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic half term of learning and growth. Thank you, as always, for your continued support.

Happy New Year!
We hope you have all had a lovely festive break and are feeling refreshed ready for the new term ahead. 

Here are a few notices about the upcoming half term.

Please note that school will be closed on the first Monday back due to an INSET day.

P.E. will continue to take place on Mondays and Thursdays. Please ensure your child brings their P.E. kit on these days. With the colder weather, children may wear jogging bottoms and sweatshirts.

Homework will continue to be set as normal and is due in on Wednesdays. Children who handed in their homework books before the break were given new menus glued into their books. Children can find spare homework menus in the homework book box.

 Maths – We will be continuing with addition and subtraction before moving on to multiplication and division.
Year 3 will be learning the 8× table. 
Year 4 will be learning the 3× table. 

We invite parents to join us on 16th January to learn more about the Year 4 Multiplication Tables Check and how we teach multiplication tables in our school.

English – We will be reading Stone Age Boy.

 Science – We will be learning about dark, light and shadows.

 Geography – How do natural disasters affect humans? We will be learning about earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

History – The Industrial Revolution and our Steel City. We will explore how inventions changed the way we live and how cities expanded.

Art – We will be focusing on printing inspired by landmarks of Sheffield.

R.E. – What is it like to follow God?

Computing – Developing typing skills.

 French – Learning about the seasons.

Thank you for your continued support. We’re really looking forward to a fantastic half term ahead! 

Homework

Children will be given a homework book. Homework is sent out on a Thursday and is handed in by Wednesday to be marked for the day after.  Homework menus are set every half-term and children choose which homework task they wish to complete. Those with 15 or more points at the end of the half-term, will receive a certificate. Children can hand their homework in by placing it in the homework box in the classroom.  

Spelling Zappers

As well as their class spellings, children enjoy learning the spellings on their Spelling Zappers. These are documents which children pass and move onto the next level. These tie in with the spelling rules needed in the Juniors and in some cases, they may repeat and consolidate spelling work done in their spelling group. Each child is given their first Spelling Zapper when they start the Juniors in Year 3. Every time your child spells each word correctly, a small ‘z’ is put in a corner of the square. When your child has practised each word four times correctly, you can carry out a final test of those words where you write a big ‘z’ across the word to show they are confident. When your child has all large Z’s on their Spelling Zapper, it is ready to be tested and placed in the folder in class. Miss Phillips will check the folder each week to see which children need testing.

Reflex Maths

Children enjoy accessing our Reflex Maths programme. This allows children to gain key facts through a game format. It also means class teachers can track their progress and use this to target support in school. Try and get your Green Light each day!

Reading

Reading is considered as part of the children's homework and is one of the most important things they can be doing at home, even if they are a fluent reader. The children should be reading a minimum of 3 times a week and completing their reading diary after each read.  In their reading diaries it should be recorded the date, the page numbers, the book title and a brief comment of the book. We ask that even if parents haven't read with their child that they still actively monitor the diaries and can comment to the teachers if they wish. 

Children will always have two books from school. One is from their assessed book band which they should be reading and working through not only for fluency but for understanding. They may also have a library book of choice which they are picking for enjoyment. This may also be a book from home if they wish. This can be read for a bed time read or a quiet time read in school. When children read to an adult in school they will be asked to read with their Book Band Book so this should always return to school daily. 

Reading is monitored over the term and over the year and certificates are given out for Bronze readers, Silver and Gold based on how many reads they complete over the year. 

Bronze - 50 reads

Silver - 100 reads

Gold - 150 reads

Platinum - 200 reads

Additional reading homework maybe given out to link with a current class book or for reading for pleasure. 

Class Books 

Books we have read so far:

- Gorilla by Anthony Browne

- A World Full of Animal Stories 50 Folktales and Legends by Angela McAllister

- The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

- Winter's Child by Angela McAllister

- How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

PE

P.E. lessons will take place on Monday and Thursday afternoons. It is usually best if children bring their P.E. kit on a Monday and take it home on a Friday. Then, they are always prepared and have their kit if the P.E. sessions change. It would be helpful if long hair is already tied up or children have a bobble and earrings are taken out/plasters provided to cover them.  As we go into the colder months, children may wish to bring jogging bottoms and long sleeved tops if we have P.E. outside.