Squirrel Class
Class teacher’s welcome
Welcome to Squirrel class! In Year 3, the children begin their journey through Key Stage 2. Throughout the year, we will help the children to grow and develop socially and academically, build their independence and continue to foster their love of learning.
CLASS TRIP VOLUNTEERS – we have class visits arranged on March 6th and April 22nd (see Dates for the Diary below). If you are able to volunteer to accompany us on either of these trips, please speak to the office team or to one of us directly!
Mrs Ed-dakhissi and Mr Pickering
Some of the latest photos from Squirrel class, including our latest Home Learning Projects linked to History (Iron Age and Bronze Age) and Science (human and animal skeletons).
In computing, the class have been busy creating short stop-motion animations – making their skeletons dance! Unfortunately, technical issues have prevented them being uploaded to the website – do get in touch if you want to pop in and see them!
Curriculum news
Well done to all the children for their fabulous singing and reading at the Carols by Candlelight service on Tuesday 17 December – see a couple of short videos here!
At a glance – Spring 1
- Maths: Multiplication and division; Measurement (length and perimeter); Fractions
- English: Dialogue focus using a short-film, Adrift (fiction); The Sound Collector (repetitive poetry)
- Science: Forces and magnets
- Geography: Why do we use land in different ways?
- Computing: Sequencing sounds
- PSHE: Keeping myself safe
- RE: What is spirituality and how do people experience this?
- Music: Tuned percussion
- Design Technology: Mechanisms and mechanical systems
Home Learning
All children are encouraged to complete a home learning project to build on their class Geography and/or Science learning.
Ideas include…
- Geography: Make a relief (contour) model of Ilkley – can you show the height difference between the river and the top of the moor?
- Geography: Create a model or map of a fictional village – can you use a grid and some OS symbols for referencing?
- Geography: Create a poster board using photos to show how your street/Ilkley has changed over time? Has the same bit of land been used for different things?
- Geography: Is there a ‘spare’ bit of land near your home? What could it be used for? Create a poster advert for what it could turn into!
- Science: Make your own game that uses magnets!
- Science: Conduct your own ‘forces’ experiment at home and record what you found out using photos and diagrams
These projects are designed to run alongside the learning for a half-term and should be handed in on or before Monday 10th February.
Spelling
At All Saints’ Primary School, we follow the Read, Write Inc. spelling scheme in Key Stage 2. In this Spring term, we will complete our recap units from Year 2, then move onto the full Year 3 units just before the February half-term.
| Week | Focus | Example Words |
| 6th January | Consolidation | |
| 13th January | Adding the suffix -less | careless, endless, fearless, harmless, helpless, hopeless, pointless, restless |
| 20th January | Adding the suffix -ment | amazement, attachment, enjoyment, judgement, movement, treatment |
| 27th January | Words ending in -tion | caption, fiction, motion, nation, option, potion, section, station, vacation |
| 3rd February | Adding the suffix -es | babies, bodies, carries, copies, cries, families, flies, hobbies, replies, tries |
| 10th February | Y2 Special Focus 6 (Contractions and apostrophes) and Y2 Special Focus 7 (Possessive apostrophes) | 6: I’d, I’ve, they’d, they’ve, we’d, we’ve, you’d, you’ve
7: (singular possession –> root word + ’s) |
| Half-term | – | – |
| 24th February | Adding the prefixes dis- and in- | disagree, disappear, dishonest, dislike, incomplete, incorrect, invisible |
| 3rd March | Adding im- to root words beginning m or p | immature, immoral, impatient, imperfect, impolite, impossible |
| 10th March | Y3 Special Focus 1 (Orange words – Y3/4 Nat. Curric word list) | answer, business, February, island, length, strength |
| 17th March | Adding the suffix -ous | dangerous, enormous, fabulous, generous, jealous, nervous, ridiculous |
| 24th March | Adding the suffix -ly | badly, carefully, completely, finally, gently, horribly, nicely, rudely, simply, suddenly |
| 31st March | Y3 Special focus 2 (Homophones) | bare/bear, brake/break, grate/great, meat/meet, weak/week, wear/where |
Archive: Autumn patterns and example words
In addition, children in Y3 and Y4 are beginning to learn a specific word list (as set out in the National Curriculum, English Appendix 1) that can be found in the centre of the school reading record or accessed here.
Dates for the diary
PE days: Wednesday (Mr Megson), Friday (Mr Pickering)
Spring 1: n/a
Spring 2: Forest School (3 sessions); Tuesday 4th March: Schools’ Linking Project – host Copthorne Primary School; Thursday 6th March: Visit to Abbey House Museum, Leeds (History: Victorian Britain)
Summer 1: Tuesday 22nd April (first day of term!): Visit to Harlow Carr (Science: Plants); Tuesday 20th May: Schools’ Linking Project – visit Copthorne Primary School
Summer 2: Squirrel Class Collective Worship (17 June)
Links to support learning
Reading
Please encourage your child to read daily for a minimum of 10 minutes. At least 3 reading sessions per week should be recorded in the school Reading Record. Children should all have a school reading book (that can be changed regularly) but should be encouraged to read other material as well.
Read more about English in Y3 in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study
Maths
Times Table Rock Stars (login on inside front cover of Reading Record) – Y3 introduces 3, 4 and 8 multiplication tables, as well as building on 2, 5 and 10 (from Y2)
Written methods for addition, subtraction and multiplication are taught as in the pictures below.
Read more about maths in Y3 in the National Curriculum Programmes of Study
Just for fun!