There has been a fantastic start to Year 3, with children quickly settling into Key Stage 2 routines and embracing a wide range of exciting learning opportunities. Year 3 has a strong teaching team, bringing together Mrs Eley, our most experienced teacher, and Mr Booth, our teaching Headmaster.
Some of the key learning that has taken place in the first few weeks are:
Developing strong foundations in English
A key focus is strengthening English skills. Children are revisiting spelling rules, developing sentence construction and grammar, and learning to create strong, meaningful sentences and paragraphs. They are also developing their comprehension skills, learning to find relevant information, make predictions and understand what they read.
Discovering the Romans
History encourages curiosity and investigation as children learn how we discover information about the past, including the role of archaeologists. They are beginning their study of Roman history, which will come to life soon in a Roman-themed class assembly to the whole school.
The Year 3 Challenge Book
The children’s Challenge Book provides opportunities for independent research. Questions such as “How many bones do we have?” become starting points for research, with children presenting their findings creatively.
This develops valuable skills in researching, selecting information, organising ideas and presenting findings, preparing children for the ‘Wider World’ research projects in Year 4.
Preparing for Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, children have greater responsibilities and the work steps up a level. With Mrs Eley’s experience this is a smooth transition, which starts in the summer term of Year 2, when Mrs Eley visits them and they practise Year 3 activities/routines. They are also paired with Year 3 children, giving them the opportunity to hear about life in Year 3 first-hand.
At Forest, preparation for the next stage starts early, helping children make a confident transition into Key Stage 2. During the first few weeks of Year 3, they have already begun looking ahead, developing the skills they will need for Year 4 and beyond. A Forester never stops learning and aiming high!
