Year 3
Welcome to Year 3 at Paulton Junior School!
Term 2 Updates
Now the children have completed a full term at Paulton Junior School, we stride into Term 2 with a strong understanding of Junior school routines and expectations are are confidently ready to tackle all that Term 2 will bring especially in the run up to Christmas - always an exciting time in school.
NB: P.E. continues to be on Mondays (Dance - indoors) and Fridays (Tag Rugby - outdoors). Children will be expected to arrive at school in their P.E kits on these days. Please ensure children are dressed appropriately for the weather these days as we will try to go out in all weather. Likewise, Outdoor Learning will take place on Wednesdays, so please ensure 'Forest School' kit is in school then. Children will also need suitable clothing for wet playtimes, especially if they would like to use the field or playscape.
Reminder: We encourage healthy eating, so children can bring fruit for a playtime snack. Please remember that we are a nut-free school due to severe allergies among students and staff. Please ensure all children bring a named water bottle with them each day.
If you have let reading go over the half-term, please continue to encourage your child to return to daily, home-reading routines. If you managed to keep up with reading:
If you have any questions, for your child’s class teacher, please contact the school office and we will get back to you.
Year 3 Teachers:
Mrs. Mallon and Mrs. Walker (3MW) and Mr. Barge (3B)
Expectations and Routines
- P.E. days this term are: Monday – Dance (indoors) and Friday – Tag Rugby (outdoors). Please wear your full P.E. kit to school on Monday and Friday.
– On Monday, Homework & Spellings will be given to your child to stick in their Homework Book. Homework books, online apps and Reading Records need to be completed and brought into school on Friday for your teacher to check. In Year 3, the expectation is that homework works out to be about 20 minutes a day or approximately 1 and a half hours a week: this should be a combination of spelling practice, daily reading, use of online learning apps and set homework tasks (Maths/English/Foundation).
– Reading at home. In Year 3, this should happen every day. Reading 15-20 minutes a day can significantly impact a child’s development. It improves language skills, vocabulary, and comprehension. Regular reading fosters critical thinking, creativity, and empathy. It also strengthens the parent-child bond and instills a lifelong love for learning and books, paving the way for future academic success. This can be in a variety of forms, such as: children reading independently, sharing a chapter together and reading on Fonetti (if your teacher has given you access). Also, remember reading to your child and listening to audiobooks is extremely beneficial too!
Reading books and reading records will be issued for children to bring home in the first week. We will expect children to read as much as possible at home (daily) as part of their weekly homework tasks. Reading records should be commented in by an adult a minimum of 3 times a week. Reading Records and reading books should be transferred between home and school every day. Please ensure Accelerated Reader quizzes are completed within 48 hours of finishing the book. See below for the links to assist with reading using apps and AR Quizzes. We expect every child to complete a minimum of 3 quizzes every term.
Homework
Term 2
There will be homework set each week which will consist of either Maths/English consolidation, spelling and reading. Occasionally, we may set an extended project homework over 2 or 3 weeks based on a topic we are exploring.
Spelling
Weekly spelling homework should consist of the spelling activity as well as practicing the the spellings for the week.
Reading (daily)
Reading should happen every day. It can take a variety of forms, such as children reading independently and sharing a chapter together. Remember that listening to audiobooks can be very beneficial too.
Adults, please remember to listen to children read and sign their Reading Records a minimum of 3x per week.
Online Apps
These will be introduced over the course of the year.
When they are, children’s log-ins will be found on the inside cover of Reading Record. If you are having problems with these websites, please let us know as soon as possible.
For reference:
Medication
If your child requires medication to be kept in school (including inhalers), please ensure it is in their school bag that is kept at their desk throughout the day. If your child has additional medication, please ensure the office has been informed and parental consent has been given for us to administer it.
Uniform and Kit
Outdoor Learning – wellies/boots and waterproofs. Children should have these in school if they wish to use the playscape and field in the autumn and winter months. Our outdoor learning time is on Wednesdays so definitely make sure it is in for then.
Please note that the appropriate uniform and PE are also required. Children should not be wearing jewellery (unless it is one pair of stud earrings which must be removed for PE). All kit/clothing should be named. If you do not have the suitable kit, please let your teachers know. Please contact the office if you have any issues with the appropriate clothing.
Clubs and Music Lessons
Club opportunities will be presented to the children early this term and parents will be contacted regarding how to book their child a place at these fantastic opportunities.
To sign up for music lessons, please see the links below:
Rocksteady – https://www.rocksteadymusicschool.com/
Other Music Lessons – https://uksouthglos.speedadmin.dk/registration#/
Email: music@wema.org.uk
Communication
Homework queries can be communicated through the Homework Books or Reading Records. All other queries should go through the office (paulton_jun@bathnes.gov.uk) or give us a call on 01761 418137. Also, please continue to use the office phone line to report your child’s absence.
Open Door Friday
Every Friday after school, you are invited to come into the classroom to share and look at your child’s work. It's a great opportunity to see what they’ve been up to!
Curriculum Information for Term 2
ENGLISH
Year 3 will be reading ‘The Proudest Blue’ by Ibtihaj Muhammad, the Olympic medallist. It is an uplifting book telling the universal story of new experiences, the unbreakable bond shared by siblings and of being proud of who you are, showing resilience in spite of casual unkindness and intolerance.
We will concentrate on how to write well punctuated and effective speech to retell parts of the story, before showing empathy and writing a diary entry from the point of view of one of the characters.
MATHS
In Maths this term we will continue to consolidate our addition and subtraction methods.
Alongside this, we will shift our focus to multiplication and division. We will be looking at our methods closely and developing effective approaches to multiply and divide, including written methods. We will also remind ourselves of the 2, 5 and 10x tables and begin to explore the 3, 4 and 8x tables - look out for the introduction of Times Tables Rockstars this term too - a fun way of practising times tables recall.
Note to parents/ carers
It is crucial that all children become confident with their times tables as they will be sitting the Year 4 times table test in July 2027. More importantly, understanding multiplication (along with the fast recall of other number facts) really is the cornerstone to fluent mathematics.
Please ensure your child regularly goes on TT Rockstars at home as part of their weekly homework after it is introduced. Little and often (5 minutes a day) is an effective way of improving recall.
FOUNDATION
In Geography, we are studying climate. The children will be introduced to different ways of communicating geographical data, particularly through different styles of maps. They will learn to read weather and climate maps, and learn how weather and climate are generalised into world climate zones. The concept of biomes will be explored, each with distinctive climate, soil, flora, fauna and human activity.
Our Science topic is Forces and Magnets. The children explore forces as pushes and pulls and learn about the force of friction. Through investigation, the children will explore how magnets work and thing about how they are used in everyday life. We will plan and investigate friction on different surfaces and the strength of different magnet shapes.
In RE we continue to learn about Judaism and the differences and similarities between different groups within the Jewish faith. PHSE focuses on feelings, friendships and navigating the media.
In DT we will be researching, designing and making our own picture frames. An ideal gift for Christmas – get the picture?! Our Outdoor Learning sessions will always be linked to the 6Rs (Responsibility, Resilience, Resourcefulness, Reasoning, Reflection and Respect) in a fun and exciting way. It will take place in any weather all year round, so please make sure that you have wellies and waterproofs in school.
In Computing, we will be exploring sequences and making our own animations. We will continue to explore Christianity.
In Music, we will continue to learn about and play the Djembe drum from West Africa. By playing it, we will understand how the drum can be used to communicate, create music influence song and dance.
Many thanks for your continued support
Regards,
Mrs Mallon, Mrs Walker and Mr Barge
Useful Learning Links
READING @HOME
Oxford Owl for Home with lots of free resources for Primary age. It can provide your child with a schemed reading book. The free ebooks include : Biff and Chip, The Oxford Reading Tree Books, Project X, TreeTops.
https://www.oxfordowl.co.uk/for-home/
As a parent, you will need to sign up and log in with your email address to access lots of the e books. Most have an audio option, to read along or listen to the book being read and additional activities, including comprehension questions to help when you are sharing the books together. There is not a subscription, and you are not expected to buy any of the books.
Book recommendation
Write your name, book details and reason for your recommendation on the Padlet below:
Additional learning links:
– Topmarks English and Maths Games – https://www.topmarks.co.uk/ see below for help
See the picture below for help. Click learning games at the top of the website. Then select either Maths or English on the left-hand side. Check you’ve selected the right age! Finally, choose a category of game, browse the games and choose one to play.
Useful websites
These websites will help you for Writing:
www.topmarks.co.uk/english-games/7-11-years/punctuation
www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy2.htm
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/punctuation
For Reading:
www.funenglishgames.com/readinggames.html
www.readers.com/resources/education/kids-online-reading-games/
For Maths:
www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/times-tables
www.resources.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/maths/timestable/interactive.htm
Fun with times tables
Practice singing along to the songs below to help you learn you times tables.