Year 3

We hope that you had a wonderful summer. We are really looking forward to working with you and your child this year.

Reading

Our goal is to create confident, fluent, independent readers. We prioritise reading at Nelson School and have carefully chosen the texts your child will study this term.

Our first class reader will be ‘You’re a bad man Mr Gum’ by Andy Stanton, followed by ‘The Boy Who Grew Dragons’ by Andy Shepherd. In English, we will be starting with a grammar focus looking at common and proper nouns followed by collective and partitive nouns. In our first English unit, we will apply our grammar skills to a non-chronological report on prehistoric creatures. Our first text in our Guided Reading sessions will be a non-fiction text, ‘You can get active.’                                        

Over the next few weeks, children will be given a reading book at their appropriate level. They can then take this book home and return it to school when they have finished it. We will also visit the school library on Tuesdays where children can select a book of interest to them. We recommend that children read for at least 10-15 minutes each night and you and your child can record what they have read in their reading records. Discussing your child’s reading with them is important and comprehension continues to be a focus in Year 3.

Curriculum Highlights

This half term we will be exploring the question; ‘What advancements were made in the Stone Age to Iron Age which made life better?’ In Autumn 2, we will delve into the topic of Weather Around the World and question; ‘How climate is changing and what can we do about it?’ These topics will form an important aspect of our English, maths and science this term. As part of this topic, we will be investigating rocks and soils and magnets in science. 

You can find out more information about our autumn term learning by looking at the curriculum overview.

Updates and reminders

Morning routine – School gates open at 8.35am and children can come straight into the classroom Registers will be taken at 8.40am.

Snacks – Children may choose to bring their own fruit/vegetable snack which can be eaten during morning break. Please remember we are a healthy and a nut free school.

Medication - Please ensure that your child’s teacher has any relevant medication, and that this medication is up-to-date.

P.E - Our P.E. days will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Children should come to school wearing their P.E. kits and trainers on these days and will remain in these all day. A reminder that if children are wearing earrings these should only be studs and not hoops. Stud earrings will be covered with tape during PE lessons for safety. Long hair must be tied up at all times including during PE. In case children need to change out of their PE shoes due to wet weather, we would like them to bring a spare pair of shoes (these do not need to be school shoes) and socks in a labelled bag. These may be kept at school or brought in on PE days only. 

Home Learning

We ask that children spend around 15 minutes reading each day. Spelling homework will be sent home on a Wednesday and we ask for it to be returned on a Monday. We will continue to have access to Times Tables Rockstars and ask that children complete 5 minutes of TTRS every day. All these login details can be found in your child’s Reading Record. Alongside these activities, children will receive a home learning grid at the start of each half term which includes a range of activities to complete. Although the activities are optional, we do encourage the children to complete as many as they can. The home learning grid can be found in their homework books.

OPAL

Please ensure children have a pair of wellies and a raincoat in school as the

children will be outside in all weathers during their playtimes.

Class Representatives

If you would like to be a class rep, your class teacher will be very pleased to hear from you.  Each class normally has two or three class reps that will take the lead in organising school events. 

Key Dates

Butser Ancient Farm                                                                             10^th September 8.30am                                       

We hope your child will find their time in Year 3 both exciting and rewarding. If you have any questions about your child do not hesitate to contact us.

Kind regards,

Miss Bhawon and Miss McGinley