This term our topic is “Emperors and Empires”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the history and structure of ancient Rome and the Roman Empire, including a detailed exploration of the Romanisation of Britain. To find out more, view our Emperors and Empires Knowledge Organiser.
Other helpful documents
Emperors and Empires Optional Home Learning Tasks
Emperors and Empires Vocabulary Mat
From a geographical perspective, we will use maps to investigate the locations of the first invasions in Britain, the Roman conquest, Boudicca’s rebellion, Hadrian’s wall and Roman forts.
From a historical perspective, we will learn about chronology; Everyday life in ancient Rome, the founding of Rome, power and rule, the Roman Empire. We will study significant emperors and their social hierarchy. Following on from this we will learn about the Roman army, the Roman invasion of Britain.
We will also be learning about further significant people including Boudicca and what everyday life in Roman Britain consisted of, also, finding out details of the Romanisation of Britain, how Roman withdrawal occurred and finally the Roman legacy.
Reading
Our Class Text and Comprehension
In term 5 and 6 our reading comprehension lessons will be based upon our class text, “The Goose Guards - Roman Tales”, which is a novel written by Terry Deary. In the story we will hear about when Fabia embarrasses Brutus in a lesson, he’s determined to have revenge on her. He’s distracted from his plans when the Gauls attack Rome. Many Romans are killed but others are safe in the temples, with a sheer cliff on one side and Roman soldiers defending them on the other. Brennus, the king of the Gauls, plans to attack the remaining Romans, while Brutus comes up with a plan to upset Fabia.
To find out more about this text, view our “The Goose Guards - Roman Tales Knowledge Organiser.”
For further information about the reading skills we will focus upon this term, please view “Pankhurst’s Sequential Reading Curriculum”
Independent Reading
In class, we will continue to use the Accelerated Reader program. For further information about this, please view a Parent's Guide to Accelerated Reader. (https://help.renlearn.co.uk/AR/ARParentGuide) If you need your child's AR password, please contact me (Mrs Reeves).
Writing
Over the course of the term, we will be writing a biography about a Roman emperor, also, we will write a letter of reply about life in Roman times.
Furthermore, we will write a Roman myth using settings, characters, plot and direct speech. Writing myths will help children to understand the purpose behind many of the famous myths that we know today. The children will create characters, setting and a plot that either explains a natural phenomenon or teaches a lesson
Before the Romans came to Britain, very few people could read or write. The Romans kept written records, which is how we know so much about them and their life in Britannia. Later in the term we will analyse the original written accounts in this journal and use them as evidence to compose a historical report, about life in Roman Britannia.
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
Punctuation
This term we will recap the use of exclamation marks and introduce commas to separate main clause from subordinate clause. Furthermore, we will focus on demarcating sentences with increased security, including capital letters, full stops, exclamation marks and question marks.
In addition to this we will use an apostrophe for omission and possession and continue to use apostrophes in a range of contexts.
Grammar
This term we will revisit standard English and consolidate conjunctions and also, revisit adverbials. Furthermore, we will be consolidating using consistent tenses.
Spellings
During our spelling lessons this term, we will introduce Revisit diagraphs and trigraphs, revisit compound words, words ending in “-tion”. We will introduce the prefix “auto”
“sub” and “super”. In addition, we will introduce “k” for the “k” sound, revisit “ph” and “wh” words, and words with the “k” sound spelt “ch”.
To view our weekly breakdown of our spellings, please view our Term 5 and Term 6 Homework Grid.
In addition to these weekly spelling rules, we will continue to learn and spell words from the Year 3 and 4 statutory spelling list. For an overview of these spellings, please view the Spelling word list for Year 3 and Year 4.
Following the White Rose Maths scheme, year 3 will cover six main blocks of learning over the course of the spring term: ratio; algebra; decimals; fractions; decimals and percentages; perimeter, area and volume; and statistics. The blocks of learning for ratio and algebra have been moved to earlier in the year to give more time to consolidate these new concepts. As part of the White Rose Maths scheme, each block is broken down into a series of small learning steps. Combined, these small learning steps then cover all the curriculum content your child needs to know in small related chunks.
| Maths area of learning | Block | Small Learning Steps |
| Number | Fractions | Add fractions; subtract fractions; partition the whole; unit fractions of a set of objects; non-unit fractions of a set of objects; reasoning with fractions of an amount. |
| Measurement | Money | Pounds and pence; convert pounds and pence; add money; subtract money; find change. |
| Measurement | Time | Roman numerals to 12; tell the time to 5 minutes; tell the time to the minute; read time on a digital clock; use am and pm; years, months and days; days and hours; hours and minutes – use start and end times. |
| Measurement | Mass, capacity and measurement | Use scales; measure mass in grams; measure mass in kilograms and grams; equivalent masses (kilograms and grams); compare mass; add and subtract mass; measure capacity and volume in millilitres; measure capacity and volume in litres and millilitres; equivalent capacities and volumes (litres and millilitres); compare capacity and volume; add and subtract capacity and volume. |
| Geometry | Shape | Turns and angles; right angles; compare angles; measure and draw accurately; horizontal and vertical; parallel and perpendicular; recognise and describe 2-D shapes; draw polygons; recognise and describe 3-D shapes; make 3-D shapes. |
| Statistics | Statistics | Interpret pictograms; draw pictograms; interpret bar charts; draw bar charts; collect and represent data; two-way tables. |
One of the most important things for your child to have mastered and maintain is their knowledge of times tables. For an overview of our weekly times tables focus, please view our Term 5 and Term 6 Homework Grid. To complement their work in lessons reinforcing their fluency, recall and commutativity of these timetables, your child will be set a weekly activity to complete as part of their homework on Sumdog.
This first focus of learning in Science this term is ‘Plant nutrition and reproduction’. This project teaches children about the requirements of plants for growth and survival. We will describe the parts of flowering plants and relate structure to function, including the roots and stem for transporting water, leaves for making food and the flower for reproduction.
To find out more, view our Plant nutrition and reproduction Knowledge Organiser
Plant nutrition and reproduction Lesson Overview
| Lesson | Learning focus |
| 1 | Focus on roots |
| 2 | Focus on stems |
| 3 | Investigating plant vessels – Breadth and depth |
| 4 | Focus on leaves |
| 5 | Flowering plant life cycle |
| 6 | Flower anatomy |
| 7 | Pollination |
| 8 | Seeds and seed dispersal |
Other helpful documents
Plant nutrition and reproduction Glossary
Plant nutrition and reproduction Vocabulary Mat
In addition to this project we will also cover the theme ‘Light and shadow’. This project teaches children about light and dark. We will investigate the phenomena of reflections and shadows, looking for patterns in collected data. Also, the risks associated with the sun are also explored.
To find out more, view our Light and shadow Knowledge Organiser
Light and shadow Lesson Overview
| Lesson | Learning focus |
| 1 | Exploring light |
| 2 | Identify and classify |
| 3 | Investigating reflective materials – Breadth and depth |
| 4 | Exploring shadows |
| 5 | Opaque, transparent and translucent |
| 6 | Observing changes in shadows |
Other helpful documents
Art: Mosaic Masters
Linked to our main topic, “Emperors and Empires”, our art topic for this term is “Mosaic Masters”. Throughout this topic, we will learn about the history of mosaics, before focusing on the colours, patterns and themes found in Roman mosaic. The children will learn techniques to help them design and make a mosaic border tile.
To find out more, view our Mosaic Masters Knowledge Organiser.
Art: Beautiful Botanicals
Following the Mosaic Masters lesson sequence, we move onto ‘Beautiful Botanicals’. This project teaches children about the genre of botanical art. We will create natural weavings, two-colour prints and beautiful and detailed botanical paintings of fruit.
To find out more, view our Beautiful Botanicals Knowledge Organiser.
Design and Technology: Greenhouse
Over the course of this project children will be taught about the purpose, structure and design features of greenhouses, and compare the work of two significant greenhouse designers. We will learn techniques to strengthen structures and use tools safely. We will then use our key learning to design and construct a mini greenhouse.
To find out more, view our Greenhouse Knowledge Organiser.
Following the Purple Mash scheme of learning, our two main computing topics, this term, will be email and branching data bases.
Simulations
In term 5, we will be focusing upon Simulations. We will learn about:
- To find out what a simulation is and understand the purpose of simulations.
- To explore a simulation, making choices and discussing their effects.
- To work through and evaluate a more complex simulation.
To find out more, view our Simulations Knowledge Organiser.
Graphing
Over the course of term 5, our work will also focus upon graphing. We will learn:
- How to make a graph using a given number of fields
- Add data to a graph
- Using 2Graph to Solve an Investigation; solving a maths investigation; present the results in a range of graphical formats; use the sorting option to make analysis of their data easier.
To find out more, view our Graphing Knowledge Organiser.
Presenting with Microsoft PowerPoint
Over the course of term 6, the children will focus on presenting with Microsoft PowerPoint. We will be:
- Making a Presentation from a Blank Page
- Adding media
- Adding animation
- Presenting with timings
- Creating our won presentations using all the skills we have learnt throughout this unit.
To find out more, view our Presenting with Microsoft PowerPoint Knowledge Organiser.
Presenting with Google Slides
At the end of term 6, our work will focus upon presenting with Google Slides. We will learn:
- To create a page in a presentation.
- To add media to a presentation
- To add shapes and lines to a presentation.
- To add animations into a presentation.
- To use the skills learnt in previous weeks to design and present an effective presentation.
To find out more, view our Presenting with Google slides Knowledge Organiser.
Our Religious Education lessons will continue to be based upon our “Love to Celebrate” projects. Basing the “Love to Celebrate” projects around festivals, gives a real-life context to the children’s learning and a structure to the projects. However, the celebration itself is only a small part of each “Love to Celebrate” project. Each set of projects covers all major aspects of each religion including worship, belief, leadership and belonging.
Please view our “World festivals and Celebrations Calendar”.
Term 5: Judaism – Shavuot
The word Shavuot means 'weeks' and the festival of Shavuot is celebrated 50 days (seven weeks) after Passover. Practising Jews celebrate the gift of the Torah and the Ten Commandments by visiting the synagogue, studying the Torah scrolls (sometimes all night) and possibly eating cheesecake. Shavuot is also a harvest festival that celebrates the end of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest in Israel.
For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Shavuot Glossary”.
Term 6 Hinduism – Ganesh Chaturthi
Hindus celebrate the birthday of Lord Ganesh during Ganesh Chaturthi. They pray to Ganesh to remove obstacles when starting something new and mention his name first when they perform puja to make sure nothing will get in the way of their worship and prayer.
Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations vary around the world and last between one and 10 days. Statues of Ganesh are made from clay and placed in homes, temples and even in the street! At the end of the festival, the statues are put into water and left to disintegrate. Sweets are also a big part of the festival. They remind worshippers of the good things in life and Ganesh's sweet tooth.
For the key words and vocabulary associated with this topic, please view our “Ganesh Chaturthi Glossary”.
Over the course of term 5 and 6, we will continue to follow our Jigsaw PSHE scheme of learning. Jigsaw, the mindful approach to PSHE is a progressive and spiral scheme of learning. In planning the lessons, Jigsaw PSHE ensures that learning from previous years is revisited and extended, adding new concepts, knowledge and skills, year on year as appropriate.
For more information regarding the knowledge and skills progression, please view the Jigsaw Knowledge Skills and Progression Document for ages 7-8.
Term 5: Relationships
In this Puzzle, we will identify the roles and responsibilities of each member of our family and can reflect on the expectations for males and females. We will also identify and put into practice some of the skills of friendship e.g. taking turns, being a good listener and how we can use some strategies for keeping ourselves safe online. Following on from this we will discuss how some of the actions and work of people around the world help and influence our lives. At the end of this unit children will understand how their needs and rights are shared by children around the world and that they can identify how everyone’s lives may be different. Furthermore, we will explore how to express our appreciation to our friends and family
Term 6: Changing me
In this Puzzle, we will develop our understanding that in animals and humans, lots of changes happen from birth to fully grown, and that usually it is the female who has the baby. We will discuss how babies grow and develop in the mother’s uterus and explore what a baby needs to live and grow. After that, we will discuss that boys’ and girls’ bodies need to change so that when they grow up their bodies can make babies. We will identify how boys’ and girls’ bodies change on the outside during this growing up process. Following on from this, we will identify how boys’ and girls’ bodies change on the inside during the growing up process and why these changes are necessary so that our bodies can make babies when they grow up. Furthermore, we will start to recognise stereotypical ideas we might have about parenting and family roles.
Finally, we will identify what the children are looking forward to when they move to their next class.
Striking and Fielding
Rounders: Pupils will learn how to score points by striking a ball into space and running around cones or bases. When fielding, they learn how to play in different fielding roles. They focus on developing their throwing, catching and batting skills. In all games activities, pupils have to think about how they use skills, strategies and tactics to outwit the opposition. Pupils are given opportunities to work in collaboration with others, play fairly demonstrating an understanding of the rules, as well as being respectful of the people they play with and against.
Athletics
During our Athletics unit, pupils will develop basic running, jumping and throwing techniques. They are set challenges for distance and time that involve using different styles and combinations of running, jumping and throwing. As in all athletic activities, pupils think about how to achieve their greatest possible speed, distance or accuracy and learn how to persevere to achieve their personal best. Pupils are also given opportunities to measure, time and record scores.
To find out more, view our GetSet4PE Knowledge Organisers
Term 5: Unit 5– How Does Music Make shape our way of life?
This Unit of Work celebrates a wide range of musical styles. The clearly sequenced lessons support the key areas of the English Model Music Curriculum; Listening, Singing, Playing Composing and Performing.
Term 6: Unit 6 – How Does Music Connect Us with The Environment?
During this unit, we will explore how Music links us to our environment.
Following the Charanga Musical School scheme of learning, these units are organised into 3 main parts:
- Listen and Appraise the songs.
- Musical Activities - learn and/or build on our knowledge and understanding about the interrelated dimensions of music.
- Perform the Song - perform and share our learning as we progress through the unit of work.
For more information, please view our Charanga musical school year 3 knowledge organisers
We are delighted to continue our French lessons with Mrs Cackett, our resident native French speaker.
Over the course of the summer term, we will be consolidating vocabulary and sentence structure linked to ourselves.
Term 3: All about me
During this unit we will take part in a story in French; recognise masculine and feminine nouns, understand and use numbers to 20 understand and use numbers to 20. We will then talk about the activities we are good or bad at, both in and out of school; respond with a short phrase, action, or oui /non to questions about activities and use praise words. By the end of the unit we will be able to join in with a simple song, and recognise our birthday month and also, create a party invitation.
Term 4: My Body
During this topic, we will understand and take part in some simple party games. Following on from that we will recap the parts of the body in French and take part in a song about the body in French. We will also revisit the colours in French and sing a simple song using colours. At the end of the term we will describe a monster using the appropriate language structures and using all the vocabulary we have learnt this term.