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Year 3

 

Welcome to Foxes Class Page

Our PE days will be Tuesday and Wednesday.

Welcome Back to Term 3 

Welcome back! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you again for all the kind and thoughtful messages, cards, and gifts.

We are looking forward to an exciting term ahead as we start our exciting new topic all about Ancient Egypt, where we will learn about life in the past, pyramids, and pharaohs.

Week 2

Maths: Multiplication – The Grid Method

This week in Maths, we have been learning how to use the grid method to multiply numbers. The grid method helps us break numbers into smaller parts so we can multiply them more easily.

English: Portal Stories & Vocabulary

In English, we have been continuing to learn about our portal story. This week, we looked at the features and structure of portal stories and explored some of the vocabulary from our text.

Key Vocabulary:

  • Mysterious – something strange or unknown

  • Hieroglyphics – ancient Egyptian writing

  • Exception – something that does not follow the rule

  • Comprehend – to understand something

  • Attention – focusing on something carefully

We have been thinking about how portal stories start in a normal world, include a portal to another world, have problems or challenges, and sometimes end with the character returning home with new experiences. 

Computing

This week in Computing, we have been creating our own animations on the iPads. We have been learning how to make characters move, tell stories, and add music and make edits to improve our animations. The results were brilliant!

What a brilliant week back!

We have started learning our new model text with actions, a portal story about a boy who travels back in time to Ancient Egypt. Over the coming weeks, we will be exploring the setting, characters and exciting events before using the story to inspire our own writing.

Computing – Does an image move?

In Computing, we have been exploring whether images move by creating flip books and discovering how pictures can appear to move. This learning will then lead us on to looking at animation and how movement is created on screen.

Home Learning

Home learning is now online. Weekly activities will be set on ATOM, alongside Spelling Shed tasks. Please also ensure children continue with regular reading at home.

End of Term 

We had such a busy few weeks at the end of term. The children sang beautifully at the Christmas service and made us very proud. We also enjoyed Christmas Jumper Day, which was lots of fun and helped us get into the festive spirit. Thank you so much for your generous gifts, kind and thoughtful messages, and cards – they really are appreciated and mean so much. We hope you all have a wonderful and restful break and look forward to seeing the children back in January.

 

Pantomime Visit!


Year 3 had an amazing time at the pantomime this week. The children were laughing and joining in with all the panto fun. It was a brilliant morning out and Foxes class represented the school so well!

Artwork

⭐ Another Brilliant Week in Year 3!

We’ve had a fantastic week filled with learning and enthusiasm. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

✍️ English – Non-Chronological Reports

In English, we explored the features of non-chronological reports. The children identified headings, subheadings, factual language, paragraphs, and technical vocabulary.
They worked hard to understand how these reports are organised and why they don’t follow time order. Excellent effort, Year 3!

➗ Maths – Exploring Arrays

In Maths, we focused on arrays to help us understand multiplication. The highlight of the lesson was being able to draw arrays directly on the tables!

🔦 Science – Light and Dark

This week in Science, we learned all about light sources. We discussed how a light source is anything that produces its own light, like the sun, a torch, or a candle. One surprising fact we discovered: the Moon is not a light source — it only appears bright because it reflects the Sun’s light.

Remembrance Assembly


This week, we took part in a special Remembrance Assembly. We learnt about the meaning of the different coloured poppies and reflected on why each one is important. The children showed great respect and understanding as we thought about those who have served and continue to serve today.

Homework:

Homework has been set on Atom and Spelling Shed — please try to complete these each week. Regular practice really helps to build confidence and reinforce what we’re learning in class.

We can’t wait to see all the amazing progress everyone will make this term! 🌟

🌸Diwali


Last term, we learnt about Diwali, the Festival of Lights. We discovered how it is celebrated around the world and what it means to those who take part. The children enjoyed designing their own beautiful, colourful rangoli patterns. Rangoli patterns are special decorations made on the ground, usually near the entrance of homes, to welcome guests and bring good luck. 

Week 4 

➕ Maths, 

We have started a new unit on Addition and Subtraction. During this unit, the children will be using a variety of strategies such as number lines, partitioning, and column methods to help solve calculations. They will also be tackling word problems to apply their skills in real-life contexts, developing their understanding of inverse operations, and practising mental maths to improve both speed and accuracy. 

✏️ English

We have completed our Diary Entry unit by writing a Hot Write, where the children demonstrate their understanding of everything they have learnt. They applied key features such as writing in the first person, using past tense, and expressing thoughts and feelings clearly. We're so proud of their progress, well done Foxes!

Week 3

Languages Day 🌍

¡Hola! 

Year 3 had a fantastic time celebrating Languages Day, exploring both Spanish and Ukrainian! It was a fun-filled day of language and culture. 

What We Did:

  • We learnt how to say hello and introduce ourselves in Spanish and Ukrainian.

  • We practised simple greetings.

  • We listened to songs in both languages and had a go at singing along!

  • We made flags and learnt about life in Spain and Ukraine – from food and music to famous landmarks and traditions.

Week 2

✏️ English 

We have started Short Burst Writing, where we are exploring the key features of diary entries.
This week, we're practising how to:

  • ✍️ Use fronted adverbials to show when, where, or how something happened

  • 🔤 Choose strong verbs and adverbs to bring our writing to life

  • 💬 Include emotions to show how the writer is feeling

  • 🗓️ Write in the first person and past tense, just like a real diary

Maths 

This week, we were building on our understanding of Place Value.
Learning how to:

  • 🔢 Recognise the value of each digit in a 3-digit number (hundreds, tens, and ones)

  • 🧮 Use place value grids and base 10 to represent numbers

  • 🔄 Partition numbers in different ways (e.g. 345 = 300 + 40 + 5 or 200 + 140 + 5)

  • 🔍 Compare and order numbers using <, > and =

🪨 Science – Rocks and Their Properties

This week in Science, we had great fun comparing different types of rocks! 
We explored their properties using scientific vocabulary and hands-on investigations.

We looked at rocks to describe and compare:

  • 💧 Permeability – can water pass through it?

  • 💎 Crystalline structure – can we see shiny crystals?

  • 🪨 Durability – is the rock strong or does it crumble easily?

We described how each rock looked and felt, and we recorded our findings in a table.

Week 1

✏️ English

This week in English, we began learning how to write a diary entry. We explored our model text and learnt it using actions to help us remember key phrases and structure. 

We identified the key features of diary writing, including:

  • Writing in the first person

  • Using the past tense

  • Including time connectives (e.g. Later that day, Suddenly, In the evening)

  • Describing thoughts and feelings clearly and personally

We also used dictionaries to find the meaning of unfamiliar words, helping us to build our vocabulary and deepen comprehension.

📝 Next week, we will move into the innovation stage of our writing. Children will begin creating their own versions of the diary entry using short burst writing to practise specific features such as time connectives, emotive language, and sentence variety. This will help build confidence before writing a full diary independently later on.

💻 Computing Session – Coding

This week, we had a special coding session, and the children were brilliant! They showed great enthusiasm and problem-solving skills as they explored basic coding concepts through block-based programming.

During the session, we looked at:

  • Giving clear instructions (algorithms)

  • Creating simple sequences

  • Spotting and fixing errors (debugging)

The children really impressed us with their focus and teamwork. A great introduction to the world of coding!

🎉 Welcome Back, Year 3!

We hope you all had a wonderful and restful break! It's lovely to see everyone back, ready for an exciting new term filled with learning, creativity, and fun.

This term, we have lots of exciting topics to explore, new challenges to tackle, and memories to make together. The Foxes really have started the year with curiosity, kindness, and a positive attitude.

🧠 Building a Positive Learning Environment

As part of our first week back, we worked together to create our Year 3 Classroom Charter. The children had thoughtful discussions about what helps us learn best and how we can make our classroom a happy, respectful, and safe place for everyone.

Together, we agreed on the importance of showing:

  • Kindness to others

  • Listening carefully when someone is speaking

  • Trying our best, even when learning is tricky

  • Being responsible for our actions and belongings

These behaviours are now part of our Classroom Charter, proudly displayed on our wall as a daily reminder of the kind of learners — and people — we strive to be.

We're really proud of how maturely the children approached these discussions. It’s clear they’re ready to take on the responsibility of being in Year 3 and setting a great example for others.

🧰 Our All the Time Toolkit

This week, Year 3 created an “All the Time Toolkit” — a set of expectations we can refer to in every lesson to help us consistently produce our best work. We talked about what makes a great learner and what we should always aim to include in our work, no matter the subject.

Our toolkit includes:

  • ✍️ Neat handwriting and careful presentation

  • 💬 Exciting and ambitious vocabulary

  • 🎯 Concentration and focus

  • ✅ Pride in everything we do

The children showed brilliant insight when discussing why these things matter and how they can help us feel proud of our learning. The toolkit is now displayed in the classroom and will be used as a reminder of what excellent learning looks like — all the time!

📚 Year 3 Homework Expectations

To support learning at home, we kindly ask that children complete the following activities each week:

📖 Daily Reading

Children should read for at least 15–20 minutes every day. This can be independent reading or shared with an adult. Please remember to record this in your child’s reading record. Children can be creative with how they record their reading – including pictures, answering questions or book reviews within their journals. 

💻 Atom Learning Activities

Each week, we will set English or Maths tasks on Atom Learning. These are designed to consolidate classroom learning and build confidence. Atom uses an AI-powered adaptive learning algorithm to create personalised learning paths for children, adjusting the difficulty of questions in real-time to match their performance. Therefore, it is best that these activities are done independently. 

✏️ Spelling Shed

Spelling lists will be assigned weekly on Spelling Shed. Children should log in regularly to practise.

🎵 Times Tables Rockstars

To build speed and accuracy in multiplication, children should practise on TT Rockstars at least 3 times a week. Little and often is best!