This term in RE the children will be learning about Creation and what Christians learn from the Creation story in Autumn 1 followed by Light as a symbol of celebration in Autumn 2.

Creation:

In our Creation topic the children will be learning:

• To place the concepts of God and Creation on a timeline of the Bible’s ‘Big Story’.
• To make clear links between Genesis 1 and what Christians believe about God and Creation.
• To describe what Christians do because they believe God is Creator. (For example, follow God, wonder at how amazing God’s creation is; care for the earth in some specific ways.
• To ask questions and suggest answers about what might be important in the creation story for Christians living today, and for people who are not Christians.
• To offer suggestions about what the story of Adam and Eve might show about human nature and how to act.
• To describe how and why Christians might pray to God, say sorry and ask for forgiveness.
• To make links between what stories in the Bible say about human beings and pupils’ own ideas about how people should behave.

                                                        Light

In our Light topic the children will be learning:

• To understand that light is a symbol of many celebrations.
• To explain why light is significant in the festival of Diwali.
• To retell the story of Rama and Sita.
• To explain why Hindus light lamps.
• To explain the story of Chanukah.
• To explain why light is significant in the festival of Chanukah.
• To explain why light is significant at Advent.
• To identify what each advent candle represents.
• To understand and explain why Christians call Jesus the light of the world.
• To identify and explain the similarities and differences between festivals of light.

This term we will to work on building up the children's vocabulary which can always be further extended by the children reading a wide range of texts. Specifically, we will we focusing on three texts this term: Stone Age Boy by Satoshi Kitamura and Stone Girl Bone Girl by Laurence Anholt in Autumn 1 followed by Ice Palace by Robert Swindells in Autumn 2. These texts provide a fabulous link between our topics in Science, Humanities and DT and function to support and reinforce the children's learning.

Grammar

During our English lessons, we dedicate time to reinforce the children's SPAG, this term we will be teaching and reinforcing the following:

• Expanded noun phrases
• Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions
• Inverted commas
• Direct speech
• Adverbials of manner and time
• Fronted adverbials
• Prepositions
• Subordinate clauses
• First person pronouns
• Figurative language: similes, metaphors, personification, onomatopoeia and alliteration.

Spelling

This term we will be introducing the children to the year 3/4 spelling list, each week they will be taught a new spelling pattern and tested on 10 words following the spelling pattern every Tuesday. Please can I ask that the children are learning their spellings each week, but if your child is struggling with their spellings please let me know. Each child has a copy of their spellings and these are also available on our class page in case the list is misplaced. I will also attach practice strategies to support the children in learning their spellings on our class page each week.

• words where the digraph 'ou' makes an 'ow' sound
• words where the digraph 'ou' makes an 'u' sound
• words where 'y' makes an 'i' sound
• words ending in 'sure'
• words ending in 'ture'
• words containing the 're' prefix
• words containing the 'dis' prefix
• words containing the 'mis' prefix
• words containing the 'ing, ,er, en and ed' suffixes
• words containing the 'ai' digraph

This term in Maths the children will be learning:

• To recognise the place value of each digit in a three-digit number (hundreds, tens and ones) 
• To identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations
• To compare and order numbers up to 1000
• To read and write numbers up to 1000 in numerals and in words
• To find 10 or 100 more or less than a given number
• To solve number problems and practical problems.
• To measure, compare, add and subtract: lengths (m/cm/mm); mass (kg/g); volume/capacity (l/ml).
• To estimate the answer to a calculation and use inverse operations to check answers.
• To add and subtract numbers mentally including a three-digit number and ones, tens and hundreds. 
• To solve problems, including missing number problems, using number facts, place value, and more complex addition and subtraction. 
• To add and subtract numbers with up to three digits, using formal written methods of columnar addition and subtraction.
•  To add and subtract amounts of money to give change, using both £ and p in practical contexts.
• To interpret and present data using bar charts, pictograms and tables.
• To recognise that angles are a property of shape or a description of a turn.
• To identify right angles, recognise that two right angles make a half-turn, three make three quarters of a turn and four a complete turn; identify whether angles are greater than or less than a right angle.
• To  draw 2-D shapes and make 3-D shapes using modelling materials.
• To identify horizontal and vertical lines and pairs of perpendicular and parallel lines.

In Science this term the children will be learning about rocks, soils and fossils in Autumn 1 followed by animals, movement and nutrition in Autumn 2.

Rocks, soils and fossils

In our rocks, soils and fossils topic the children will be learning:

• To define the term rock.
• To Describe the appearance of different rocks, identifying both crystals and grains.
• To group rocks by their absorbency, hardness and reaction to acid rain (vinegar).
• To list the different factors that break down rocks.
• To describe fossil formation and identify fossils in rocks.
• To describe the work of a palaeontologist.
• To name, describe and compare some different categories of soil.
• To list some of the benefits of earthworms to the soil.
• To identify and describe the comparative size and weight of the layers in a sedimentation jar.

Animals, movement and nutrition

In our animals, movement and nutrition topic the children will be learning:

• To recall the three key functions of the skeleton (movement, support and protection).
• To describe a vertebrate, invertebrate, endoskeleton and exoskeleton.
• To identify and name the skull, spine, ribs and pelvis on a diagram.
• To recall that muscles cause movements in the body, some of which we control by choice and that they cause a movement by shortening and pulling on a bone.
• To recall that animals, including humans, need to eat food to survive.
• To describe some examples of how energy is used by the body and make comparisons about the energy demands between people.
• To list some of the seven nutrient groups, name foods that are good sources of them and describe what they are needed for in the body.
• To compare two different meals and explain which is more balanced by naming the nutrient groups and commenting on the relevant proportions.