January 2023

Dear Parents/guardians and children,

Welcome back Bramley class! I hope you had a lovely break and are now ready to do some fun learning.  

Maths:

This term, in maths, year 3 will be focusing on a few different topics. We will begin by delving deeper into multiplication and division. Then we will move onto length and perimeter. Next, Bramley class will be learning about fractions and finally the class will focus on mass and capacity.

English:

The children will begin the term by focusing on chronological reports and understanding how to write one independently. Next, we will be analysing poetry and will then use this to write our own poem. In the second half of the term, Bramley class will look at the different features of a newspaper report and use this knowledge to write their own report. Finally, the children will learn to write a diary entry. 

Science

In the Forces and Magnets project, your child will learn what forces are and what they do. They will learn about pushing and pulling forces and sort different actions into pushes and pulls. They will identify and explain contact forces. They will learn about and investigate frictional forces. They will use force meters to measure the forces needed to carry out everyday tasks and record their measurements. They will learn about magnetism (a non-contact force) and explore bar magnets. They will find out about magnetic attraction, repulsion and magnetic fields. They will test the magnetic properties of different objects. They will learn about the magnetism of the Earth and how this enables compasses to work. They will use this knowledge to make compasses. They will learn about the uses of friction and magnetism and carry out research. They will use different methods to investigate the strength of magnets.

Geography

In the Rocks, Relics and Rumbles project, your child will learn about the different layers of the Earth, including plate tectonics and their potential effects on the Earth's surface. They will investigate different types of rock to learn about their uses and properties. They will also investigate soil and fossils, including learning about the work of Mary Anning. They will have the opportunity to use maps to learn about the lines of latitude and longitude and a compass to learn about the cardinal and intercardinal points. They will also learn about volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and the long and short-term consequences that these can have.

RE

Our whole class focus for this term will be Christianity. We will be searching for the answer to the following question; Could Jesus really heal people? We are learning to retell Bible stories when miracles have happened and question whether Jesus really did perform miracles.

Art

This term we will be exploring two different art topics. The first one being Ammonite, where the children will be honing in on the following artistic techniques; sketching, printmaking and sculpture. The second topic is called People and places. This project teaches children about the genre of figure drawing. They study the figure drawings and urban landscapes of the artist LS Lowry and create artwork in his style to show scenes from their school.

PE

The children will begin the term by developing their skills in football where they will focus on controlling a ball, di­fferent ways of passing, dribbling and turning with the ball. They will learn to tackle while stationary and moving. Children will also continue to learn the rules of the game and play small-sided games. Then year 3 will move onto tag rugby. Children will be introduced to some fundamental rugby skills and learn diff­erent ways of throwing and catching. Finally, they will play some adapted invasion games which introduce them to some Tag Rugby skills. PE will be on a Tuesday and Friday. Children are expected to come into school wearing their PE kit on these days.

General Reminders

• Homework will be set on a Friday and is due in the following Wednesday.
• The children are expected to read every day for a minimum of 15 minutes. Please ensure this is recorded in their reading records as these will be collected every day.

If there is anything else I can help you with, feel free to email me on ssufi@pippins.slough.sch.uk or please come and speak to me and I will be happy to help.

The year 3 team is looking forward to an exciting new year!

Best wishes,

Miss Sufi