Welcome to Maple!

Welcome to Maple Class! We are looking forward to an exciting term as your child settles into KS2.

Please enjoy our class page, the place to find useful dates, links for homework and to see what we are learning about this term.  You can also find photos of what we have been getting up to in class.

If you have any queries or would like to contact a member of the Year 3 team, please do not hesitate to book an appointment with the school office. 

All the best,  

 Miss Longden, Miss Flavell and Mr Walker

Weekly reminders:

PE - Every Thursday.

Book change - Every Monday.

Please can all children bring there library and home reading books in school, every Monday. The children will then have two new books to take home. 

Useful Websites and Resources

The children have had a fantastic first term and have settled very well in Year 3. They have done lots of learning! Examples of some of the learning they have done in this half term is the importance of been safe online in IT.  They have been exploring different ways to stay safe online, how to protect their personal information, and make smart choices when using the internet. In Science, the class have learnt about the properties of rocks. The children enjoyed exploring different types of rocks in class with their partners. The class have also developed their orienteering skills and are more confident in understandings the concept of maps. We will be continuing this after half term. The children had an amazing opportunity to hear from nurses who work in the NHS about balanced diets. The children had lots of fun identifying different types of food and placing into the correct basket which was labelled with different food groups. The class learnt lots of new knowledge about a balanced diet for their age group. 

Year 3 kindly donated food items from home to our local food bank.  As a class we spoke about the importance of donating to people who are less fortunate and how making a difference can make a positive impact.

During Black History Month, the Year 3 children learnt about the important contributions of Black inspirational throughout history. They explored the lives of inspirational figures such as Rosa Parks, Mary Seacole, and Martin Luther King Jr., and discussed how their courage and actions helped bring about change. The children also learnt about African culture, orienteering,  music, and celebrating diversity and understanding the importance of equality and respect for everyone. 

Autumn Term 2

Exploring our local area has provided a hands-on approach to understanding key geographical concepts. By observing physical features such as hills, and land use patterns, we have been able to connect classroom learning to real-world examples. This experience has helped us study human and physical geography, including how people interact with their environment and the impact of urban development. 

Maple have been busy designing and building their own castles as part of their DT project. The process began with researching different types of castles and their features, such as towers, battlements, and drawbridges. Pupils then created detailed design plans before selecting suitable materials to construct their models. Working collaboratively, they measured, cut, and assembled the pieces, adding creative details to make each castle unique. This project helped develop problem-solving skills and an understanding of structure and stability.

Math's

In Spring Term 1, the children have learned a wide range of new mathematical knowledge and have continued to work exceptionally well. Our focus this term has been on multiplication and division. The class has developed strong confidence in the commutative law and have successfully demonstrated their understanding both on their whiteboards and in their Math's books. We then progressed to multiplication using the column method, breaking this down into smaller, manageable steps. It has been wonderful to see the clear progress the children have made as they have grown more secure and fluent with this new method.

In Spring Term 1, the children have significantly deepened their knowledge and understanding of Prehistoric Britain. It has been wonderful to see the progress they have made, particularly in developing their reasoning skills when responding to class questions. Our discussions have been especially engaging, with children sharing thoughtful opinions and confidently supporting their ideas with evidence they have learned about.

In English this Spring Term 1, the children have written an informative fact file about mould and cast fossils, drawing on their understanding from our History lessons. The level of detail they included was excellent; for example, they explained where mould and cast fossils can be found, what each type of fossil is, and provided clear examples. I have been extremely impressed with the quality of their work and am looking forward to our next writing unit, which will focus on creating a persuasive letter. Before beginning this, the class explored an example letter and identified its key features. The children confidently shared their ideas and explained why each feature is important for the letter’s overall purpose.

On the last day of school before half‑term, the children took part in an orienteering session, applying their Maths knowledge to the challenges they encountered along the course. As they navigated the different stations, they used map‑reading skills, number recognition, and problem‑solving to record accurate answers linked to their findings. The activity encouraged teamwork, communication, and active listening, with groups working collaboratively to make decisions and check each other’s ideas. It was wonderful to see the children so engaged, supporting one another and using their mathematical understanding in a practical, outdoor context.

This week, the children planted onion bulbs as part of their ongoing science learning. Their key focus was to ensure each bulb was spaced out evenly to allow enough room for successful growth. We also discussed other important conditions the bulbs need, such as sunlight, water, and healthy soil. Over the next four weeks, we will be observing the onions carefully, monitoring any changes and discussing what helps them grow well.

The children have now begun learning about the United Kingdom and Europe, exploring a range of geographical features and key facts. They have been finding out about major cities, comparing different climates, and discussing how population varies across regions. The class has also looked at different currencies used within Europe and how these differ from the UK. The children are really enjoying discovering how diverse Europe is and how each country has its own unique characteristics.