Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Year 3

Mr G Parker
Class Teacher

Mrs S. Stoneham
PPA Cover
Mrs F Power
Teaching Assistant
Mr N Patterson
Teaching Assistant

In Year 3 we are as much committed to our learning and academic success as we are to the well being and achievements of our friends and peers. Our academic work is intertwined with ongoing PSHE activities that not only challenge and extend our ways of thinking about the world, but also foster a sense of community and respect for others.

All our work aims to incorporate a balance of clear but challenging academic goals with a celebration of personal and peer achievement. 

 In Year 3 we are always positive, building on our success in order to stretch ourselves further. 

Year 3 Curriculum Overview
Spring Term 2024

Curriculum Intent

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a unique and special place where our faith is at the heart of all we do. Our children     learn to live the Gospel values of love, forgiveness and peace.  Within our federation of Aspire London we use the National Curriculum and believe that our children deserve for it to be tailored to their needs.  With this in mind we have prioritised the things we want our children to enjoy, experience and remember during their time with us. 

Our curriculum at Aspire London has a set of ‘drivers’ developed from the deep knowledge of the pupils and their families within our School community.

The drivers which shape our curriculum ensure we give our pupils aspirational opportunities throughout their primary school years.  We provide our children with the wealth of knowledge required to be informed and thoughtful members of our community and wider world.  The breadth of our curriculum encourages pupils to be ambitious, develop an inquiring mind and a life-long love of learning.

Curriculum Drivers

Significant People:
Aspire London will:

Develop pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the world and people, past and present, who shape it
Provide identifiable role models to raise ambition and aspiration

Community:
Aspire London will:

Immerse the children in the historically rich and diverse nature of London
Give pupils an understanding of the positive impact of migration and a cultural appreciation of our community

Equality & Justice:
Aspire London will:

Empower pupils to be advocates who address issues of prejudice and discrimination
Ensure pupils value fairness and resolve differences through positive discussion
Environmental Responsibility:
Aspire London will:

Educate children of the need to protect God’s planet from environmental damage
Create eco- friendly citizens who are aware of the impact of their individual actions and those of the wider world.    

Spring Term 2024

English

This Spring term our main texts will be Belonging and The Lost Happy Endings. We will read a variety of fiction an non-fiction texts, exploring different themes and issues. We will develop our knowledge of spelling and grammar, with targeted activities that focus on, for example, punctuation, pronouns, conjunctions, prepositions, adverbials, and subordinate clauses. We will target the effective use of commas, colons, and speech. We will focus on developing our knowledge of synonyms (e.g. for ’said’) so that our writing becomes more interesting. We will plan for longer pieces of fiction and non-fiction writing using writing frames, story arcs and a variety of methods that will enable us to immerse ourselves fully in each story and build our storytelling confidence. Writing will be planned around sequential paragraphs, and we will understand that each paragraph has a specific purpose. Handwriting will continue to develop, with a number of children now writing a clear and cursive script in pen. Spelling and phonics will continue to become more challenging.

Maths
Spring term will begin by extending our knowledge of multiplication and division, and will see the children transferring these skills in order to solve word problems. We will begin to work on measurement, using money again, and then by exploring the perimeter and lengths of 2D shapes. We will use and compare meters, cm, and mm, recognising the relation of scale between them and knowing why different scales are suitable for different measurements. We will collect data and loot at statistics, gathering information and representing it in a variety of ways, such as in bar graphs. We will also begin our work on fractions, and focusing on how they are represented and how they relate to a whole. Our work on fractions will relate to shape as well as to groups of objects. We will compare and sequence fractions, and find equivalent fractions. 

RE

We will be learning about the sacrament of Reconciliation. We will be considering what it means to make wrong choices and how these might affect ourselves and others. We will learn about God’s love for us and His forgiveness when we do wrong and the story of the Lost Sheep.
In our work on Celebrating the Mass we will learn about the importance of the readings and reflect on how we listen to God’s word. We will learn about the Last Supper and how this is replicated in the Mass and we will study each part of the Mass to gain a fuller understanding in preparation for our first Holy Communion.

Science
We will study the topic of Animals Including Humans in which we will learn about the nutrition required for health and survival. We will learn about different food groups and how they affect the human body. We will also look at the function and purpose of a skeleton and name bones and muscles found in the human body.
In our study of Plants and Flowers we will explore the requirements of plants for life and growth and how they vary in different plants. We will investigate the part that flowers play in the life cycle of flowering plants including seed formation and dispersal.

History/Geography
We will be studying the United Kingdom and looking at major cities and counties. We will study the journey of the River Thames from its source to the river we see in the heart of the capital. We will use ordinance survey maps and recognise symbols used on them. We will explore the climate in the UK and look at human, natural and managed environments.

Computing
We will be learning to touch type and also looking at email. We will learn to use email safely and responsibly.

PE

Gymnastics – children will use apparatus to vault and will link combinations of actions with increasing confidence.
Dance – children will learn the importance of strength and flexibility for physical activity.
Games – children will learn the rules of and skills required for hockey and tennis.

Art
Our learning will focus on sculpture where we will use clay and other malleable materials. We will cut, shape and add materials to make sculptures learning the skills required for best results. We will look at the work of some famous sculptures such as Alberto Giacometti, Picasso, Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and Michelangelo.

DT
We will plan and design a glove puppet and a marionette with moving parts. We will base the designs of our puppets on our work in English, and use these puppets to help retell a story. Each puppet will require different materials and different building techniques. We will design a puppet, then evaluate our designs, looking for ways to improve it. We will build our puppets in different stages.

Music
In our weekly music lessons, we will learn about the difference between pitched and non-pitched percussion. We will use pitched instruments to create simple melodies. We will learn how music is used to describe things and feelings.

PSHE/RSE
In our Keeping Myself Safe topic we will look at different situations and understand dangers and risks. We will develop a greater understanding of bullying and look at cyber bullying. We will learn about how to take care of our physical and mental health and know what will help and what will harm us.
When studying the topic of Rights and Responsibilities we will look at volunteering and what it is. We will learn the terms income, saving and spending and begin to understand that people earn income through jobs.

Spring Term Knowledge Organisers


Useful links:

For speech and language resources and advice and tips for parents working at home with children who have SLCN visit:

https://speechandlanguage.info/parents

BBC Bitesize and Purple Mash are excellent resources for you to use. Click on the icon, have a look and see what you can learn!

KS1
KS2