Welcome to Foxes Class Page

Our PE day will be Tuesday.

Foxes class are swimming this term.

🌟Welcome Back to Term 4 🌟

Welcome back to Term 4! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable half-term.

The children have returned with a positive attitude and are ready to learn. It has been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and focus as we begin our new topics. I am looking forward to another busy and successful term filled with exciting learning opportunities.

It has been a busy week of assessments in Year 3, but the children have shown such a positive attitude. We have also been really focusing on showing our school values this week and what it means to be a calm learner. The class has worked hard to stay focused, try their best, and support each other, and we are very proud of how well everyone has approached their learning.

English

In English, we have been practising some of the features included in our model text newspaper report. This has included learning how to use direct speech for quotes and using conjunctions to join our ideas. The children have worked hard to include these features in their writing and are becoming more confident in using them correctly.

Well done, Foxes, for some brilliant English work this week! The class has worked really hard and shown great effort in their writing.

Art

In Art this term, we have been learning about the artwork of Henri Matisse.

He was a famous French artist who loved using bright colours and bold shapes. One of his special techniques was cut-out art, where he cut shapes from coloured paper and arranged them to make beautiful pictures.

Inspired by Henri Matisse, we created our own artwork using coloured paper. We carefully cut shapes such as leaves and patterns, then arranged them to make colourful collages.

We really enjoyed experimenting with shape, colour, and creativity, just like Matisse!

Colour Wheels

We have been learning about the colour wheel. The colour wheel helps us understand how colours work together.

We explored the difference between warm colours and cool colours.

• Warm colours include red, orange, and yellow. These colours remind us of things that are warm, like the sun or fire.

• Cool colours include blue, green, and purple. These colours remind us of things that feel cool, like water or ice.

We sorted colours into warm and cool groups. This helped us learn how artists choose colours to create different feelings in their artwork.

World Book Day

Year 3 had a fantastic time celebrating World Book Day. The children came to school in brilliant costumes, dressed as their favourite book characters.

Yesterday, we joined a live online event with author Kael Tudor, who wrote Ten Tiny Squirrels, a funny counting story that the children really enjoyed.

Today, we explored the work of illustrator Rob Biddulph and looked at how illustrations help bring stories to life. We also spent some lovely time reading with Year 6 and sharing our favourite books together.

It has been a wonderful celebration of reading.

Mental Health Day

Year 3 took part in activities to celebrate Mental Health Day. We spent time talking about our feelings and discussing ways to look after our mental health.

The children shared ideas about what helps them feel calm and happy, such as reading, spending time with friends, drawing and being active. We also completed some relaxing activities and reflected on the importance of being kind to ourselves and others.

It was a positive day that helped us understand how important it is to take care of our mental wellbeing.

Science: Animals Including Humans

Year 3 have started their new science topic, Animals Including Humans. We began by labelling the bones in the human body and learning the names of the main bones. The children explored how the skeleton helps us to move and protect our organs.

Our first swimming lesson was a great success! The children represented the school beautifully and made us very proud. Despite some initial nerves, they showed fantastic resilience and determination. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow throughout the session.

English

This week, we have been innovating our text by building on the model text and adding our own ideas. We focused on developing our writing by carefully choosing vocabulary and improving sentence structure. We included sentences of three and used personification, where human qualities are given to objects or things that are not human.

Maths

In Maths, we have been learning about measurement, focusing on centimetres, millimetres, and metres. We have been using rulers and practical activities to measure and compare different lengths, helping us understand when to use each unit accurately and improve our problem-solving skills.

Special Visitor

We were very lucky to welcome a Rabbi into school this week. The Rabbi shared stories and explained important aspects of Jewish life and traditions. The children asked thoughtful questions and really enjoyed learning from a visitor’s perspective.

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!