2023/24

Term 1 and 2

The Stone Age

In Term 1 and 2, our History topic is about the Stone Age. The children will explore the vast world of Prehistoric Britain and learn all about the first steps that our ancestors took. Through this topic, the children will gain an understanding of the Stone Age and how we know about the prehistoric past. At the end of the topic, the children will be displaying their Stone Age homework projects in our class museum. In Science, our topic is ‘Animals including Humans.’ Children will learn about carnivores, omnivores and herbivores. They will discover what different animals eat and construct food chains to show this. This will lead to investigations about deadly predators! In Art, children will experiment with water colours and learn about mixing colours.

Terms 3 and 4

Rocks, Relics and Rumbles

In Terms 3 and 4, the children will be engaging in our Geography topic entitled 'Rocks, Relics and Rumbles'. The children will be exploring violent volcanoes alongside different types of rocks; their properties and make up. Through this learning the children will gain an understanding of how volcanoes are formed and why they erupt. At the end of the topic the children will take part in a quiz that encompasses their knowledge and understanding. In Science this term, the children will be exploring Forces and Magnets, alongside their learning about rocks. They will discover and explore what physical elements affect forces such as pushing, pulling, gravity and friction. They will also look at and exploring magnets, using them to investigate what properties make up a magnetic material. In Art, we will be exploring the wonderful world of sketching ammonites and printing a motif inspired by our sketches.

Terms 5 and 6

Romans

In the Emperors and Empires project, your child will learn about the growth and decline of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. They will discover the absolute power of the Roman emperors and study the hierarchies of Roman society and the Roman army. They will study the first invasions of Britain in 55 and 54 BC and the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43. They will learn about Boudicca’s rebellion, Hadrian’s Wall and the Romanisation of Britain, including how Christianity came to Britain and investigate the legacy of Roman Britain in their local area

 

Year 3 Spelling Cards & Homework/Projects Information - PLEASE SEE SIDE TABS

Instead of a termly spelling test, your child will be tested weekly on a smaller list of spellings. 5 words will correlate to a spelling rule/pattern children have been learning in class.

 

Homework - PLEASE SEE SIDE TABS

Homework at Herne Bay Junior School

Opinion is often divided on homework. Our intention is that the homework we set is effective and, importantly, manageable for all. We are very aware of the increased expectations as the children move from the Infant School to the Junior School and beyond. Research from the Institute of Education carried out several years ago found that homework can often cause friction at home.

The analysis, which examined seventy-five years’ worth of studies into homework, concluded that schools needed to focus more on the purpose and quality of homework, and not the amount. With this in mind and with the introduction of the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) in Year 4, which will check whether the children can understand and recall all times tables up to 12 x 12, we want to make this a key focus.

This knowledge is key to securing success as they move through their Maths careers. Without a secure understanding of these facts, concepts that are developed in Years 5 and 6, will not embed fully and therefore cannot be built upon further when they reach secondary school. 

Therefore, practising the multiplication tables is a key part of the homework we set weekly. In addition, we consider it important that every child reads widely, can spell words from the statutory and high frequency word list with confidence and we greatly value the wonderful Home Learning Projects that parents complete with their children at home.

Every child will receive a sheet outlining the expectations for the current term in their particular Year Group.  Should you have any queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch with your child’s class teacher.

Thank you in advance for your support with this.

Please click here for some ideas and games to try.

 

Homework Expectations 2022 - 2023

Home Learning Project	There will be three Home Learning Projects set over the course of the academic year and the Projects will be based on the topic being studied over two terms. These will be shared at open mornings where parents and children can celebrate the work created at home.	Three times a year
Maths	Each week multiplication tables will be set for a weekly test.	Weekly
Spelling	At the beginning of each term children will be sent home with a card with 48 spellings to learn for the term.  At the end of the term there will be a spelling challenge to see how many words can be spelt correctly. (Children will be practicing them in school as well and using a range of strategies to help them learn them)	Every term
Reading	Children MUST read independently or with an adult.  The reading diary needs signing three times a week so we know children are reading.	Three times a week as a minimum
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS) – Years 5 & 6 only	Exercises in the GPS book will be sent home weekly in preparation for the KS2 GPS tests in Year 6.	Once a week on a Friday