YEAR 3

Welcome back Year 3! We hope you all had a restful winter break!

Year 3 have embarked on an exciting mathematical journey into the world of fractions! We started by exploring what fractions are, using lots of colourful shapes and objects to help us visualise parts of a whole. Imagine cutting a delicious cake into equal slices – each slice represents a fraction of the whole cake! We then learned how to find a fraction of a number, like finding half of 10 sweets (spoiler alert: it's 5!). But the fun didn't stop there! We also discovered how to figure out what's left after taking away a fraction. If we have 8 marbles and give away a quarter, how many are left? We used our problem-solving skills to crack the code! Our fraction adventure is far from over. Get ready, because we're about to take on adding and subtracting fractions! We'll learn how to combine different parts of a whole and find the difference between them. It's going to be a thrilling challenge, and we can't wait to see what fraction-tastic discoveries we make along the way!

Year 3 have plunged headfirst into a hilarious historical adventure with our new class novel, "There's a Pharaoh in Our Bath!" by Jeremy Strong. This quirky tale follows the Jones family as their lives are turned upside down by the arrival of a grumpy 4,000-year-old pharaoh! To kick things off, we dove straight into Chapter 1 with some dramatic role-play. We brought the characters to life, acting out their reactions to finding an ancient pharaoh in their museum! It was a fantastic way to get to know the personalities of Professor Jelly, Professor Grimstone, and the rather demanding Pharaoh himself. Next, we turned our attention to the mysterious Professor Grimstone, an Egyptologist who seems to know a lot about ancient curses. We put our descriptive writing skills to the test, painting vivid pictures of the Professor with our words. We imagined his appearance, his quirky habits, and even the sound of his voice! We're eager to see what exciting escapades await the Jones family and their unexpected house guest as we delve deeper into this time-travelling tale. Stay tuned for more updates on our "Pharaoh" adventure!

Year 3 have made a fantastic start to our new topic, Ancient Egyptians! We kicked things off by diving deep into the past, discovering just how long ago this incredible civilisation thrived. Imagine a time over 3000 years ago – that's when the Ancient Egyptians were building their mighty pyramids! We explored the fascinating land of Egypt, learning about the River Nile snaking through the desert and how important it was to the Egyptians' way of life. Of course, no study of Ancient Egypt would be complete without encountering their fascinating gods and goddesses. We've met some powerful deities like Ra, the sun god, with his falcon head and fiery sun disk, and the mighty Horus, often depicted as a falcon or a man with a falcon head. We were amazed by the stories of Anubis, the jackal-headed god who helped with mummification, and the fierce Sekhmet, the goddess with the head of a lioness. Year 3 showed great excitement throughout the Egyptian Day whilst taking part in an action packed day! Stay tuned for more updates on our exciting journey through this ancient civilisation!

Year 3 have embarked on a fascinating geological journey, delving deep into the world of rocks and soil! Our young explorers have been busy investigating the amazing variety of properties that make each rock and soil sample unique. We started by exploring the concept of density, discovering that some rocks feel much heavier than others even if they are the same size. Through hands-on experiments, we learned how to compare the weight of different rocks and even predict whether they would float or sink. Next, we turned our attention to permeability, which is all about how easily water can pass through a material. Finally, we investigated porosity, which is a measure of the empty spaces within a material. Using different types of rocks, we conducted experiments to see how much water each rock could absorb. The children were surprised to find that some rocks, despite appearing solid, could actually hold a surprising amount of water within their tiny pores! We linked this learning to real-world examples, like how porous rocks can help to filter water and provide habitats for small creatures. Stay tuned for more updates on our rocky adventures as Year 3 continues to unearth the secrets of the Earth!

Children are expected to complete the following: 

• At least 5 reads in their reading diary each week 

• Century is here! A piece of maths and English homework will be set every Thursday with a due date of the following Monday. The homework will appear at the bottom under 'assignments'. The pathway at the top is suggested additional work that can be worked through as and when but is not an expectation to be completed. 

• Times table rock stars does not have to be completed daily, but it is encouraged to practise as much as possible.

Children are not expected to do Century and Times Table Rockstars every evening at home, but little and often is ideal! Thank you for your support :)

Please note, the inside of the reading diaries have changed. There are dates on each page and a 'homework' section on the left hand side but please ignore these. Please see the image below of how to insert the reads into the new reading diaries.