Summer Term 2023 

DT

This term DT will be closely linked to our topic about the Romans. The children will research Roman siege engines, especially looking at the Onager (a large catapult device used in battle). They will design and make a catapult device of their own, choosing suitable materials and testing their device, giving opportunities to revisit what they know about push and pull Forces. They will evaluate their ideas, saying what worked well and what they would do differently, if they made them again.

Art

As artists this term we will be linking our art to our Romans topic. The children will be enhancing their drawing skills and reminding themselves about the effects that different medium can produce. They will be drawing Boudicca from a historical description, drawing Roman busts and a Roman soldier. Their work will continue with finding out more about mosaics and then they will produce their own using printing techniques and ICT. They will also be looking at the work of Antoni Gaudi, in particular his mosaic work in Barcelona.

History

Our History topic this term is the Romans. The children shall start off by finding out who the Romans were, where they came from and will be exploring their reasons for invasion. They will be investigating different interpretations of Boudicca and learning about her rebellion. Future studies will include investigating: Roman food, clothes, roads, the Roman army, Roman towns, villas and entertainment. The children will also be taking part in a ‘Roman Day,’ where we shall take part in a variety of different activities further exploring life in Roman Britain and their legacy.

Geography

We shall be linking Geography to our Roman topic where the children will be making maps to show the expansion of the Roman Empire. They will also be using their map skills to identify Italy, Rome and other major Italian cities on the map, before exploring the features of Italy such as climate, population, landscape, mountains and rivers.

Science

This term in science we are going to a have a lot of fun as our topics are very practical. The children are going to be exploring the topics of forces and magnets as well as sound. They will start by comparing how things move on different surfaces, which we will do around the school and then how objects need contact between them. They will then focus on magnetism and that magnetic forces can act at a distance.  There will be many opportunities for the children to play with magnets and to see what materials are magnetic. After half term they will investigate sound and how sounds are made. They will recognize that sounds get fainter and that pitches of sound can change. They will continue to work on our enquiry types and working scientifically skills throughout the term.

Computing

In Computing we will continue to develop ways of staying safe online, considering all aspects of e-safety. The children will be becoming computing programmers as they will be introduced to a selection of motion, sound, and event blocks to create their own programs, featuring sequences. They will make a representation of a piano. After that they will explore the links between events and actions. The children will create their own sprites and learn how they move, culminating in designing and coding their own maze.

Literacy

This term, the children will continue to develop their comprehension skills, with a focus on inference in our guided reading sessions. As always, our lessons will also include specific work on grammar with a particular focus sentence structure. Children will to develop their reading, writing, phonics and grammar and spelling skills by using different texts to inspire them to write using different writing genres. The children will be continuing with our text ‘The Boy who Biked the World’ by Alastair Humphreys where we will be covering non-chronological reports and newspapers. We will be linking some of our work to our topic and we be looking at the Roman legend of Romulus and Remus. The children will also use a longer text ‘The Miraculous ‘Journey of Edward Tulane’ by Kate DiCamillo, to practise various writing skills such as descriptions and play scripts and make predictions and inferences about his adventures.

Maths

Children will begin the summer term revising the column method for addition and subtraction and practising improving presentation. They will aim to exchange and regroup accurately and check answers independently, using the inverse. They will continue to become fluent in their times tables facts to 12 x 12, revising multiplication facts and the related division facts. This will support them when learning the grid method to solve more complex multiplication sums. They will use times tables knowledge to help to understand what division is and when using the “bus stop method” for division. They will check their answers using the inverse operation and will be encouraged to be increasingly independent. Later in the term we will look at telling the time in analogue and digital, measures and also look at lines of symmetry and the properties of shape.

RE

The unit of work for the first half of the summer term is ‘What do Sikhs Believe?’ Children will look at the main aspects of Sikhism, exploring the meaning behind the Ik Ongar symbol and thinking about which symbols are important in their own lives and faiths. They will find out about Guru Nanak and think about what equality means. They will also find out about Sikh customs and traditions.             The second half of the summer term is all about what impact faith has on the community. Children will think about how different faiths are followed in a community and how seeing how people follow different faiths and customs can enrich a community and the lives of the people in it. They will talk about what makes a good leader and think about traditions and customs that they follow in their own lives.

PSHCE

Our topic for the first half term is ‘Diversity and Communities’ where the children will explore what makes up their identity and begin to understand aspects of other people’s identities. They will learn about different communities that exist in the UK and consider some of the different views, lifestyles and beliefs people have. They will understand about stereotyping and the importance of challenging it. They will learn about the needs of their local environment and how they can help to care for it. They will also learn about the needs of animals, and how to care for pets. After half term we will be looking at basic anatomy, including naming external body parts and the physical differences between males and females. Children will consider the capabilities of their bodies, in order to develop respect for their bodies, themselves and each other. They will also develop their understanding of personal hygiene and learn more about how to prevent the spread of illnesses.

Music- Boom!

Year 3 will be using “Boom whackers” to create sounds, perform songs and understand musical concepts. They will listen to different ensembles, and understand that different groups of instruments and people can make different sounds. They will also look at some famous musicians and how they play their instruments.

PE

We recognise the importance PE plays in the curriculum and we are committed to providing all children with opportunities to engage in Physical Education. Sessions aim to develop children's basic physical competencies, build confidence in their ability and build the foundations for a lifelong love of sport, physical activity and a healthy lifestyle. PE lessons encourage children to compete against themselves and others whilst being challenged to improve their physical, social, emotional and thinking skills. We are lucky enough to have specialised sports coaches to deliver some of our PE sessions, the children this term will be covering swimming, OAA, Rounders and Athletics.