Below is a summary of the main topics covered in Year 3. Click here to visit our curriculum page, which gives more detail about each curriculum area. 

Summer Term

We start our Summer term by learning how to 'Think like a Historian', as we learn all about the Anglo-Saxons. This ties in nicely with our literacy work as we will be reading and studying different versions of Beowulf. The children will then be given the chance to write their own 3rd person narrative based on this text, incorporating all the grammar skills and sentences types we have learnt in class. Also, during the first half of this term, the children will continue to 'Think like a Person of Faith' as we look at answering our big question: "How can Brahman be everywhere and in everything?" - the children will carry out their own research into Hindu Gods and Goddesses and show respect and understanding when delving into other people's opinions and beliefs. In Science, we are learning about light, darkness and shadows. 'Thinking like a Computational Thinker', the children are completing their work using Microsoft Word to create their own slide version of the soup they made in DT last term. During our final term in Year 3, the children will be learning how to greet people in Spanish and be able to ask their name. We will link this with all the learning we have done so far to build up a short conversational piece entirely in Spanish. Towards the end of the year, the children will be 'Thinking like an artist' as we study the work of Andy Goldsworthy - going outside to construct our own 3D sculptures using the nature around us. 

Spring term

We start our Spring term by reading "Puffin Keeper" from the bestselling author Michael Morpurgo. It is a beautifully illustrated classic story about a lighthouse keeper, a daring rescue and puffins! In English, we shall we learning about climate change and the effects this has upon our environment through studying the book, "Greta and the Giants" by Zoe Tucker - which is based on the life of Greta Thunberg. This also links to the work we do in Geography where we will be looking at wind turbines and sustainable energy. Excitingly, our DT project for the first half term is to design and make a delicious soup using seasonal vegetables. This links in nicely with our art lessons where we will be studying the work of Dennis Wojtkiewicz. The children will learn about hyper-realism, producing a colourful masterpiece based on the vegetables used to make their soup. Furthermore, in PSHE and Science, the children will learn how to maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Also, during the Spring term the children will continue to learn Spanish - we will learn how to pronounce, read and write numbers up to 15 in Spanish. The children will be 'thinking like a scientist' this term, as our learning moves onto investigating ‘Humans and other Animals’. We will spend some time learning about  our skeleton and how it is used to protect, support and enable movement. Later in the term we shall turn our attention to ‘Forces and Magnets’, and complete some exciting experiments to learn about magnetic forces. In computing lessons, the children will be taught how to ‘Think like a Computational Thinker’, learning how to use the internet to search effectively and safely. Finally, during the Spring term, in RE lessons, we shall be learning about miracles and exploring whether Jesus could actually heal people. During the second half term, we turn our attention to Easter and ‘What is good about ‘Good Friday’?

Autumn Term

Our main focus for the Autumn term is settling the children into Eskdale and making them feel at home. We start our Year 3 learning journey by reading 'Mixed' by Aree Chung, which links to our art focus of mixing a variety of colours and knowing which primary colours make secondary colours. In this unit of work we will also look at the artist, Seurat and use our new knowledge of mixing colours to recreate one of his artworks. Also, during this term the children will begin to learn Spanish - we start by learning how to pronounce, read and write 12 different colours in Spanish. The children will be thinking like a geographer this term through exploring the local area, using maps to find routes and recognising the 4 points on a compass. Our learning then moves onto our science focus where we learn about fossil and rocks, we will spend some time observing fascinating fossils and learning about how they were formed. Later on in the term, the children will begin to learn how to place events in chronological order, a skill which we will build upon throughout the year and certainly helps us to 'Think like a historian'. Finally, during the Autumn term, we shall also be learning about Divali and how it brings a sense of belonging to Hindus, and of course we will finish the term with a spectacular Christmas production!