This week, Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed continuing our ‘Scrumdiddlyumptious’ topic! We have been learning about the United Kingdom, exploring a map of the UK and identifying the four countries that make it up. We then zoomed in on our local area and explored a map of the Wales, helping to develop a better understanding of where we live and the area around us, as well as helping us understand where the food we eat comes from.

In Literacy, the children have been busy creating their own poems about the grumpy Grandpa from our class text, ‘George’s Marvellous concoction’. They have been working hard to include the adjectives, powerful verbs and imaginative phrases that we have been exploring in our recent Literacy lessons.

To bring the story to life, the children also used the bottles they brought in from home to create their very own marvellous concoction! Using natural materials they collected from outside, they mixed and created their own imaginative concoctions. This was a fun and creative way for the children to visualise the story and bring elements of the book to life.

In Mathematics, we have been focusing on partitioning numbers up to 1,000 and using a range of visual resources to support our understanding, including number flip charts. We have also been exploring flexible partitioning, helping the children to understand that numbers can be partitioned in different ways while still representing the same total. The children have worked hard to explore different possibilities and explain how they know their answers are correct.

In phonics, children have been practising their sounds and applying their phonics knowledge when reading and writing.

We were also very fortunate to have a special visit from ‘BulliesOut’, who delivered some engaging and thoughtful activities with the children. The sessions helped the children to develop a clear understanding of what bullying is, how it can affect others, and what we can all do to prevent bullying and support one another. It was a lovely opportunity for the children to learn, discuss and reflect on the importance of being kind, respectful and inclusive.

2. Important information for next week

• PE Reminder: Children have PE every Tuesday, so please ensure they come to school wearing their full PE kit on this day.
• We would greatly appreciate any volunteers who are able to come in and read with our Year 3 children. This would provide valuable opportunities for the children to develop their reading skills, build confidence and continue to challenge themselves, while also helping our more confident readers to maintain and further develop their fluency.

3. How you can help at home

You can help your child at home by:

Mathematics: Practise partitioning numbers up to 1,000. For example, 347 = 300 + 40 + 7 or more flexibly  140 + 200 + 7

Reading: Please continue to read with your child every day, encouraging them to talk about the story, characters and new vocabulary they come across.

Our Topic – Scrumdiddlyumptious: As you travel around the Vale of Glamorgan, encourage your child to look out of the window and spot the different crops, fruits, vegetables and other plants growing in the fields or wild. Can they identify what is growing?

Resilience: Talk to your child about resilience and facing new challenges. Encourage them to understand that it is okay to feel upset, worried or frustrated when something is difficult, but that with time, patience and perseverance, they can overcome challenges and keep trying

This week, Year 3 have had a fun-filled and exciting week as we introduced our new topic, ‘Scrumdiddlyumptious’! We have been fully immersing ourselves in our new topic through lots of exciting food-related activities. The children enjoyed creating their own fairy bread, decorating delicious biscuits and, on Friday, enjoying their treats during a lovely afternoon picnic with their favourite soft teddies.  

This week, Year 3 have been settling into their new classroom, getting to know their new routines and becoming familiar with the expectations of Year 3. We have been really pleased with how well the children have settled in and how enthusiastically they have approached their learning.

In English, children have been learning about verbs and identifying words that describe actions. We have also started to read our new class reading book, George’s Marvellous Medicine by Roald Dahl.

In phonics, children have been practising their sounds and applying their phonics knowledge when reading and writing. In mathematics, we have been exploring numbers to 100, including reading, writing and ordering numbers.

2. Important information for next week

• Please practise missing numbers from 0–100 and 100–0.
• Year 3 children are expected to bring in a clean plastic bottle to create a marvellous creation as part of our literacy work.
• Please continue to encourage your child to read regularly at home.

3. How you can help at home

You could help your child by practising counting forwards and backwards to 100. Try starting from different numbers rather than always starting at 1, for example, 35, 36, 37... or 72, 71, 70...

Please also practise writing numbers to 100, helping your child to form their numbers correctly.

As we have started reading George’s Marvellous Medicine, you could talk to your child about the story and ask them what they think might happen next. Encourage them to explain their ideas and give reasons for their predictions.