Summer term 2

Reading

In Year 3, children will develop their reading skills through engaging and imaginative texts with The Boy Who Grew Dragons by Andy Shepherd and The Book of Mystical Beasts and Magical Creatures. They will explore how authors create excitement and wonder, making inferences about characters’ thoughts, choices and motives, including Tomas’s reactions to the unexpected appearance of dragons. Children will draw on their own experiences to deepen their understanding and will practise summarising key events and retelling stories in their own words to strengthen comprehension. Towards the latter part of the summer term, the children will consider how texts are structured and how that aids comprehension.

Writing

During each half-term, the children will produce one piece of fiction and one piece of non-fiction writing. Throughout these learning journeys, they will acquire new grammar skills, practise their application, and develop extended pieces of writing.

The first piece of writing the children will produce is a narrative ending.  This will be their own ending to The Boy Who Grew Dragons.  In their writing, they will demonstrate their ability to use subordinating conjunctions and apostrophes for possession and contraction. 

The second piece of writing children complete will be an information text about their own mythical beast, inspired by The Book of Mystical Beasts and Magical Creatures.  In this writing, children will use strong adjectives and verbs to create vivid description.

Maths

During this half-term, children will learn the partitioned method for multiplying a 2-digit number by a 1-digit number.  They will learn about mass and capacity; learning to read scales and calculate.

Science

This half-term, children will be learning about plants, deepening their understanding of how they grow, survive, and contribute to the environment. They will investigate the functions of different plant parts, learning how roots anchor plants and absorb water, how stems transport nutrients, and how leaves play a vital role in photosynthesis.

History

This term children will revisit their knowledge of the Titanic, building on what they learnt in Year 2. They will recognise Southampton at the time as a growing city and a city in mourning.

Geography

In Geography, the children are researching the human and physical features of London. Towards the latter part of the term, the children will consider aspects of Portsmouth’s physical and human features, and will use this knowledge of London and Portsmouth to compare the two and draw on similarities and differences.

Languages

This half-term, children will build on what they’ve already learnt by practising how to talk about pets, animals, colours, and family members in Spanish. They’ll be learning to speak in simple sentences, ask and answer questions, and describe things using correct grammar and vocabulary. We’ll revisit key topics like numbers, colours, and family, and explore how Spanish words change depending on whether they are masculine or feminine. Children will also enjoy songs and games to help with pronunciation and understanding, and will practise writing short phrases from memory.

Computing

This half-term, children will be creating their own interactive adventure using Scratch. They will build their coding skills by designing stories that link with their reading and writing lessons, reinforcing creativity and logical thinking. As they develop their projects, children will learn how to sequence events, use conditional statements, and debug simple errors in their code.

RSHE

This term, children will learn about caring friendships, how to stay safe online, and recognising healthy relationships. They will explore privacy, boundaries, and how to talk about their feelings. We’ll also cover the basics of puberty, menstrual health and simple first aid skills. The aim is to help children understand themselves, keep safe and respect others.

RE

This half-term in RE, the children will be learning about the Hindu festival of Raksha Bandhan, which celebrates the bond of protection and love between brothers and sisters. They will explore what protection means to them, how it is shown in their lives, and how it is valued in Hindu traditions. Through stories, discussion, drama, and craft activities like making rakhis (decorative wristbands), children will begin to understand how faith, family and belonging are connected. They'll also reflect on the importance of caring for one another and thinking about how we all help keep others safe.

Music

Children will apply all they have learnt about notation this year as they continue work on their own compositions; combining a tune, a drone and a rhythm.  They will perform these for the rest of the cohort once they have practised to create a polished performance.

PE

In Real PE, children will explore how their bodies change during exercise, learning about heart rate, breathing, and body temperature. They will practise balance and agility through activities like ball chasing and balancing on a line or beam, focusing on good posture and safe movements to prevent injury.

Additionally, children will prepare for Sports Day, practising events and working on improving their personal best.