Year 3 Drama Workshop Fun!
Year 3 had a very exciting morning yesterday as we welcomed some high school students for a wonderful drama workshop!
The children watched the high school students bravely perform in front of an audience, showing confidence, creativity and courage. They then had the opportunity to get involved themselves, taking part in a variety of fun and interactive drama games.
There were lots of smiles, laughter and enthusiasm as the children explored drama, expressed themselves and built their confidence. It was lovely to see everyone getting involved and having such a fantastic time!
A huge thank you to the high school students for inspiring our Year 3 learners and making the morning so memorable.
Spellings to be tested Friday 16th October
This week’s spelling rule is:
Drop the y for an i
When a word ends in y, we often change the y to an i before adding a suffix.
Remember:
y → i before adding the suffix
Examples:
carry → carried
worry → worried
copy → copied
Can you spot where the y has changed to an i?
Spellings to practice that use this rule:
- happily
- happier
- happiest
- easily
- easier
- carried
- worried
- copied
- tried
- cried
Help at home: Encourage your child to say each word aloud, identify the root word and explain how the spelling changed when the suffix was added. Challenge them to think of other words that follow the same spelling rule.
Living and Learning: Understanding protected characteristics
This week, Year 3 explored the statement: “I understand some characteristics are protected by law.”
We learned about identity, protected characteristics and why it is important to show respect towards ourselves and others. The children discovered that there are nine protected characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010.
We discussed the meaning of discrimination, which is when someone is treated unfairly because of their identity. The children thought about why discrimination is wrong and why it is important that everyone is treated with kindness, fairness and respect.
We also discussed how we can be positive peer educators and demonstrate respect towards people whose identities, experiences or characteristics may be different from our own.
As a class, we created our own commitment to respecting everyone’s unique identities:
“Treat everyone and everything the same way we would like to be treated.”
The children also completed personal reflections about how they can show respect towards others and what they should do if they see or hear someone being treated unfairly.
Help at home: Ask your child to explain what they learned about protected characteristics and discrimination. Talk about why it is important to treat everyone with kindness, fairness and respect and encourage your child to think about how they can help others feel included, valued and welcomed.
This week our Living and Learning statement was: I know rights come with responsibilities.
As a class, we discussed what rights and responsibilities are and thought about the different rights we have as individuals. The children came up with lots of great ideas, including the right to be loved, to feel safe, to have a voice, to be listened to and to learn.
We then talked about how rights come with responsibilities and matched different responsibilities to the rights we have. The children enjoyed discussing different scenarios with their talk partners and sharing their ideas.
We also reminded ourselves that being responsible is one of our 8Rs for Learning and thought about how we can show responsibility in school and at home.
Help at home: Ask your child to tell you about one right they have and the responsibility that comes with it. Can they give you an example?
RE: What can we learn from the story of Noah?
This week in RE, we’ve been exploring the Bible story of Noah’s Ark and thinking carefully about what Christians can learn from Noah’s relationship with God.
We discussed when it might’ve been easy or difficult for Noah to follow God. The children shared what surprised them about the story and thought about how Noah might’ve felt at different points. We also used hot seating to step into Noah’s shoes and explore his thoughts and experiences.
The children made some fantastic connections to our Christian values, spotting examples of these through Noah’s actions. We finished by thinking about how the story of Noah might help Christians when they’re finding it difficult to follow God.
Help at home: Ask your child which Christian values they noticed in the story of Noah. Can they think of a time when they’ve shown one of these values themselves? How could they show one of these values this week?
Key information for Year 3
- Teaching Assistants: Mr Smith or Mrs Darracott (at different times throughout the day).
- PE days: Monday and Friday. Please ensure earrings are removed before school. Children need to be able to remove and replace these independently. If they’re unable to do this, please ensure they don’t wear earrings on PE days.
- Snack: Children are welcome to bring a small, healthy snack in their bag if they’d like one at breaktime.
- Reading Records: Please ensure Reading Records are signed by an adult each week and returned by Thursday. They help us celebrate the children’s progress during Book Club every Friday.
- Reading (Little Wandle/Collins Hub): New logins can be found at the back of the Reading Records. I’ll be setting the same texts we’re practising in our reading lessons for children to revisit at home. This week has been set.
- Spelling: Spellings will be sent home each Friday.
- Homework: Homework will be sent home every Friday and we’ll recap the children’s learning from the week. Activities will include Reading, Maths, Living and Learning and Spelling, providing opportunities to practise key skills and continue conversations about learning at home.
If you’ve any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me. I’m always happy to help!
A great start to the Autumn term!
We’ve had a fantastic start to Year 3. The children have settled brilliantly into their new routines.
- In Maths, we’ve been learning how to add three numbers together and discussing the most efficient ways to solve calculations.
- In Reading, we’ve enjoyed exploring Pandora’s Box, using retrieval, inference and choice skills to deepen our understanding of the text.
- In Science, we’ve started our new topic, Skeletons. The children have been learning about different bones in the human body and their functions through songs and interactive games.
- In our Topic lessons, we’ve begun learning about Ancient Greece, using atlases and identifying physical and human features.
- We also enjoyed our PE lessons as part of our Outdoor Adventurous Activities unit. The children worked together to solve challenges, showing excellent teamwork, communication and problem-solving skills.
Help at home: Ask your child to tell you about our new topics this term. Can they explain what happened in Pandora’s Box, name a bone in the human body, or tell you something they have learned about Ancient Greece?
Living and Learning: I follow the school rules
What a brilliant first week we’ve had in Year 3!
I’m Miss Hopper and I’m so excited to be starting this year with our wonderful Year 3 children. It’s been lovely getting to know them already. I’m really looking forward to seeing them grow in confidence, independence and resilience throughout the year. There’s lots to look forward to as we begin our journey through Key Stage 2!
This week, we’ve been getting used to new routines, talking about the exciting changes that come with being in Key Stage 2, and working together to make our classroom a happy and healthy place to achieve and believe.
Our Living and Learning statement this week is I follow the school rules. We’ve explored our three school rules:
- We’re ready
- We’re respectful
- We’re safe
We’ve thought about what these rules look like, sound like and feel like in different parts of our school day, from lining up and moving around school safely to listening carefully, being kind and working hard in lessons. The children have shared some fantastic ideas and shown a great understanding of how our rules help everyone to feel happy, safe and ready to learn.
I’ve been so proud of the positive start the children have made to Year 3. Well done, Year 3 – you’ve made a fantastic start!
Help at home: Talk to your child about our three school rules. Can they explain what being ready, respectful and safe looks like at home or when you’re out and about? Can they think of an example of each?
The Magic Box
This week in Writing, we have been exploring the poem The Magic Box by Kit Wright. The poem uses imagination to describe all the wonderful and unusual things that could be kept inside a magical box.
Over the next few lessons, Year 3 will be writing their own versions of the poem, using their creativity to think of special objects, memories, sounds, smells and dreams they would like to keep in their own magic box.
To help prepare, why not have a chat at home? Ask your child:
- What would you put in your magic box?
- Would it hold real things, imaginary things or special memories?
- What sounds, smells or feelings might be inside?
Encouraging your child to think creatively and jot down a few ideas will help them feel confident and inspired when they begin writing their own poem in class. We can’t wait to read all of their imaginative ideas!
Enjoying Reading Outdoors During the UK Heatwave
This week, our class made the most of the warm weather by taking our reading lesson outside to a cool, shaded area. The children enjoyed relaxing with their books in the fresh air while staying comfortable away from the hot sun.
We also discussed the importance of sun safety during the UK heatwave. The children remembered to wear sun hats, apply sunscreen, drink plenty of water and stay in shaded areas whenever possible.
A highlight of the session was when several children volunteered to read aloud to the class. They spoke clearly and confidently, and everyone enjoyed listening to the different stories being shared. It was wonderful to see the children developing their reading skills while enjoying the outdoors safely.
Well done to everyone for being enthusiastic readers and for following our sun safety rules so responsibly!
