Y3/4 2019 - 2020

Tombs and Treasures

Year 3 and 4 Autumn Term Information 

Welcome back!  Our topic this term is ‘Tombs and Treasures’ – a study of ancient civilisations and in particular the Ancient Egyptians. We will be asking why ancient civilisations needed to be close to rivers, how they lived, what they invented, what they believed in and where they fit into a timeline of the ancient world.

Staff 

Mrs Mace is our Phase Leader and Class 5 teacher.  Mrs Day teaches Class 4 and Mr Heaton teaches Class 6. 

English and Maths groupings 

Children in Year 3 and 4 are put in to sets, based on their age/ability levels.  There will be 4 groups for maths, taught by Mrs Mace, Mrs Day, Mr Heaton and Mrs Wilson and 3 groups for English.  

Spellings/Phonics 

Children will still have spelling lessons within their English groups, and National Curriculum spelling lists will now be given out at the start of the year for the children to learn for the half-termly spelling test. Children will be expected to learn one column of spellings per half term and will require help and support at home to ensure the children achieve well. We realise that some of these spellings may appear quite demanding, but every child in the country has to be proficient in the spelling of the relevant age-related words. (See attached list) 

In addition, the children will practise spelling in their own class every morning and have access to Spelling Shed.

PE Timetables 

Outdoor PE is timetabled for Thursday afternoon for all classes in Year 3 and 4 this term.  at this time of the year the weather is very changeable so always send your child in with the appropriate PE uniform (please refer to the school PE uniform policy on our website for guidance).  May we remind you that all uniform should be labelled to avoid any confusion and missing kit.  This is especially important for our new Year 3's who are getting used to being more responsible for their belongings.

Swimming takes place this term.  In some classes we still desperately need parent support to supervise swimming – we are always really grateful for any support given.  If you can spare an hour at the end of the day please let your child’s teacher know. We need at least 2 volunteers per class each week to enable the children to swim.   The swimming timetable is:

Class 4 (Miss Hall) Wednesday afternoon – 2-3pm/2-3pm alternating

Class 5 (Mrs Mace) Wednesday afternoon - 1-2pm/2-3pm alternating

Class 6 (Mr Heaton) Tuesday afternoon - 2-3pm

Reading 

All children are expected to read for up to 30 minutes three times per week as part of their homework and have their reading diary signed by an adult. These will be checked by their teacher during daily Guided Reading lessons.  Children are responsible for telling their teacher when they need to change their book, to promote independent learning; it is no longer done on a set day for them, as it may take one child a number of weeks to read their book. All pupils in Year 2/3/4, when reaching a suitable standard, will have access to Accelerated Reader, where children read their choice of book and complete a comprehension quiz online at the end. These results are tracked by teachers and the children achieve points for good test results. 

Homework 

Each week on a Monday your children will receive: 

• Spelling Shed assignments for regular practise linked to our learning in school and games for fun.

• MyMaths homework relating to the current concept they are learning.

This is all to be completed by the following Monday, in addition to reading 3 times.  Please support us in making reading a part of your child’s daily routine and signing their reading record books.

• Topic-related homework will be given once per term at the teachers discression.  This will normally be a small project which could include independent research and an outcome.

If you have any further questions or queries about life in Year 3 and 4, please arrange to see your child’s class teacher or Mrs Mace after school.   

Thank you for your continuing support, 

Miss Hall (Class 4), Mrs Mace (Class 5), Mr Heaton (Class 6) 

NB:  Mrs Mace is currently very unwell and we wish her a speedy recovery so that she can get back to doing what she loves - teaching your children.  In the meantime, please see Mr Heaton or Mrs Day if you have any messages or concerns.

The Year 3/4 Team.