Primary 3 – Curricular Overview
Welcome back to Primary 3’s Learning Blog. Here is an update of what the children in primary 3 will be working on and what our learning expectations will be until the summer holidays.
Numeracy
Recap – In class we have been learning about Place Value with up to 3 digit numbers. We have practised partitioning numbers into hundreds, tens and units and rounding numbers to the nearest 10 or 100. We have also talked about if a number is odd or even and how we can recognise this.
We have been learning how to add and subtract 2 digit numbers with borrowing and exchanging. We introduced different Number Talk strategies that we could use to help us to add and subtract. Pupils are becoming more confident using their ‘Thinking it Through’ jotters to help them to solve calculations.
In term 4 we are now working hard to learn our times tables. We are also going to look at how multiplication and division are inverse operations. This term we will have a big focus on learning how to multiply a number and then linking this with division. We will look at this when finding the fractions a half and a quarter.
In beyond number we will be learning about measurement. We will continue to build on our mental maths strategies and revisit skills we have previously learned.
Please make sure your child spends 20 minutes on Sumdog to improve their mental maths. We also encourage some games on topmarks and YouTube times table songs.
Literacy
Spelling –
This term pupils will continue to have a different phoneme focus each week. They will also learn common words that we use frequently in our writing (for example words like: friend, because, cousin etc.). They will learn different spelling words related to the phoneme focus and take part in activities in class to help reinforce these words. At home they are expected to practise these words for homework and take part in a spelling test on a Friday. Pupils are being introduced to using ELKONIN boxes, when spelling words with joined phonemes.
Reading –
Pupils are currently reading different books in class using the core resource Bug Club. They work in different reading groups and complete comprehension tasks related to the texts. They are encouraged to read, discuss and answer different types of questions. Pupils are expected to spend at least 20 minutes a week reading at home. Books are assigned to their Bug Club accounts along with comprehension questions. I can see lots of pupils are doing this, so keep up the good work!
Writing –
This term we will continue with our weekly writing lessons. Pupils continue to write personal recounts in their news jotter. Pupils will write stories using a range of different genres we have just finished learning about instructions and will now focus on imaginative writing. We will continue to build on our use of punctuation. Also considering connectives, openers and vocabulary to help expand our writing. Children will be encouraged to write neatly, with finger spaces, full stops and capital letters. They are encouraged to use strategies when writing such as sounding out their words, using their personal dictionary and school dictionary. Pupils are also encouraged to start to use commas, exclamation marks and question marks when possible.
ICT
Most pupils are now able to confidently log into the school computers. They are able to log into websites such as Glow, Sumdog and Bugclub. We will continue to build on these skills. Pupils are starting to learn how to create their own PowerPoints related to our class learning.
Interdisciplinary Learning
We are currently working on our class history topic ‘The Romans in Scotland’. We are looking at reasons that the Romans would want to invade Scotland and what life was like back then.
Religious Education
In R.E. we are learning about Mary, Mother of God. We are learning about some of the Joyful Mysteries and revising the prayer Hail Mary. We will then be working on God’s Loving Plan and looking at bible stories more closely such as the Good Samaritan.
Health and Wellbeing
Primary 3 loved taking part in Health week. A big thank you to Mrs McGowan and primary 5 for organising! In P.E. this term pupils have been taking part in basketball lessons. We will now be moving onto athletics. Our P.E. days are normally a Monday or Friday. However, these can change dependant on the weather outside.
In Health pupils will continue taking part in PATHS lessons, Pupils enjoy being Pupil of the Day and giving each other compliments. In Paths we continue to identify emotions, strategies we can use to solve problems and recognising how to a be a good friend and transferring this in the playground and in the classroom.
We look forward to a fun term 4 in primary 3 and are excited for fun school activities such as World of Work Day and another walk to the Dean Park with our friends!
