WRITING:

To build confidence in writing, we will start by practising sentence writing using the support of colourful semantics with a focus on the correct use of capital letters, finger spaces and full stops. Children will learn to identify nouns, proper nouns and adjectives to add variety and detail to their work. Linking to our topic, we will then work on creating fact files about Scottish cities, making notes of key information and adding labels to our maps and drawings.

SPELLING & PHONICS:

We will revise some of the trickier phonics sounds and digraphs from last year to encourage accurate spelling of common words. We shall then use the Nelson spelling scheme to further develop spelling skills. Children will be encouraged to use these sounds to improve their reading and writing. We will begin to practice editing our work and checking our spelling in our own and peers work.

READING:

Children will continue to learn sight words by practising their word walls. By reading stories aloud in their reading groups, they will practise responding to punctuation to make their reading sound natural. They will be encouraged to add expression to bring their stories to life. We will have regular visits to the school library so that pupils can learn to recognise books that they can enjoy reading. Our first class novel of the year will be Daisy and the Trouble with Shopping by Kes Gray.

LISTENING & TALKING:

Children will continue to develop their skills when listening for information to add to their fact files. They will share their ideas and present their fact files to each other. Initially they will practise sharing what they have written to the class, then move on to developing their peer assessment skills with a partner.

NUMERACY:

Children will be counting, ordering, reading and writing numbers made up of two or three digits, developing their understanding of place value, including increasing and decreasing by tens and ones. Children will then work on the role of zero to represent numbers to 1000 using a range of concrete materials and resources.

Building on skills practised in Primary 2, children will also revise and develop their addition and subtraction strategies. We will work on improving mental maths skills by creating and solving word problems using written number sentences.

MATHEMATICS:

We will link the development of maths skills to our topic on ‘Where We Live’.

Shape, Symmetry and Angles:

We will investigate the properties of shapes to create a range of 2D and 3D buildings, identifying the shapes of faces, nets and cross sections of 3D objects. Children will learn to find lines of symmetry in patterns, pictures and 2D shapes and begin to explore angles in comparison to right angles. Through map work and orienteering during PE, we will learn to use the compass points North, South, East and West.

Money:

Children will learn to record amounts in £ and p and practise making up a total price using different combinations of coins and notes to £20. We will discuss how goods can be paid for using cards and digital technology. We shall set up a class shop for pupils to deepen and put in practice their learning.

Outdoor PE

We will have weekly sessions on the MUGA to play a variety of team games. This will encourage children to develop their teamwork skills, including cooperation, communication, active listening, kindness and empathy. We will discuss the importance of maintaining physical fitness as part of a healthy lifestyle.

Indoor PE

Dance will be the focus in Terms 1 and 2. In our weekly gym hall sessions we will practise a variety of body actions as we rehearse our group dances, paying careful attention to the phrasing of the music. Children will work together to create, rehearse and perform short dance sequences, initially to popular music, and then to traditional Ceilidh music.

Health

In P3 we will be focusing on resilience, supporting each other to develop a growth mindset as we settle into our learning. We shall explore a variety of different emotions and look at strategies we can use to help us manage them allowing us to also be compassionate and show empathy to others. We will continue to learn about children’s rights as part of our Rights Respecting School accreditation.

Where We Live

Dunfermline

In Term 1 our topic will be ‘Where We Live’. We will investigate our immediate environment, working with maps and learning all about our local community. We will research the City of Dunfermline and its geographical place within Scotland. We will discuss the city’s historical importance and identify some characters who have played key roles in the history of our city.

Scotland

In Term 2 we will widen our topic and learn more about Scotland as a whole, discovering facts and figures about the 8 major cities. Children will learn to understand the key features of the landscape of the country and develop their understanding of how the unique geography of Scotland has contributed to how people live and work in different parts of the country.