Year 3 Term 1

In Term 1, Year 3 students dive Back in Time with a rich, cross-curricular focus on Ancient Egypt. In maths, they build confidence with place value up to 1,000, addition and subtraction across hundreds, and foundational multiplication and division, including the 3, 4, and 8 times-tables. Science explores forces, magnets, and light through hands-on investigations that encourage curiosity and discovery. In English, students enjoy vibrant and imaginative texts like Revolting Rhymes and Babble!, which inspire narrative writing, poetry, and performance. Writing lessons develop paragraphing, prepositional phrases, and dialogue using speech punctuation, while poetry units introduce similes, alliteration, and performance techniques.

Beyond core subjects, students explore Ancient Egyptian civilisation—examining daily life, religion, and key historical events—while learning to use a range of evidence to ask and answer historical questions. In art and design, they work with clay, experiment with colour layering, and sketch using graded pencils. Computing introduces programming with Dash and Dot and multimedia presentation skills. PSHE covers respectful relationships, family diversity, and online safety. Students build confidence and communication through language learning in Malay, Mandarin, French, or EAL. PE lessons develop physical literacy across a variety of games and sports, while music links storytelling with rhythm, structure, and performance, including Viking-themed songs and the lively Dragon Ships composition.

Maths 🧮

Place value

• Represent numbers to 100

• Partition numbers to 100

• Number line to 100

• Hundreds

• Represent numbers to 1,000

• Partition numbers to 1,000

• Flexible partitioning of numbers to 1,000

• Hundreds, tens and ones

• Find 1, 10 or 100 more or less

• Number line to 1,000

• Estimate on a number line to 1,000

• Compare numbers to 1,000

• Order numbers to 1,000

• Count in 50s

Addition and subtraction

• Apply number bonds within 10

• Add and subtract 1s

• Add and subtract 10s

• Add and subtract 100s

• Spot the pattern

• Add 1s across a 10

• Add 10s across a 100

• Subtract 1s across a 10

• Subtract 10s across 100

• Make connections

• Add two numbers (no exchange)

• Subtract two numbers (no exchange)

• Add two numbers (across a 10)

• Add two numbers (across a 100)

• Subtract two numbers (across a 10)

• Subtract two numbers (across a 100)

• Add 2-digit and 3-digit numbers

• Subtract a 2-digit number from a 3-digit number

• Complements to 100

• Estimate answers

• Inverse operations

• Make decisions

Multiplication and division

• Multiplication - equal groups

• Use arrays

• Multiples of 2

• Multiples of 5 and 10

• Sharing and grouping

• Multiply by 3

• Divide by 3

• The 3 times-table

• Multiply by 4

• Divide by 4

• The 4 times-table

• Multiply by 8

• Divide by 8

• The 8 times-table

• The 2, 4 and 8 times-tables

Barvember

Towards the end of Term 1, all students are invited to take part in Barvember Maths challenges. Find out more here.

Science 🧬

Forces (Physics)

• Explore forces

• Friction

• Plan - friction experiment

• Investigate - friction experiment

Magnets (Physics)

• Magnets

• Magnetic and non-magnetic materials

• Investigate metals

• North and South Poles - attract and repel

Light (Physics)

• Light sources

• The Sun

• How we see

• Shadows

• Opaque, translucent or transparent?

• Plan - shadow experiment

• Investigate - shadow experiment

• Evaluate - shadow experiment

Reading 📖

Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake

This is an hilarious collection of some well-loved fairy tales, cleverly reinvented by Roald Dahl.

When the giant 'smells an Englishman' in Jack and the Beanstalk, the hapless youth gets in trouble from his mum for not washing more often.

The heroine of Little Red Riding Hood pulls out a pistol and shoots the wolf dead before using his fur to make herself a coat. Then she skips off to rescue a poor little pig in The Three Little Pigs.

A not-so-vulnerable Cinderella demands to go to the 'disco' at the Palace and ends up running around at midnight in her underwear!

All these terrific stories are written in verse and are gorgeously decorated by Quentin Blake's glorious illustrations.

Reading age: 7+

Author: Caroline Adderson Illustrator: ROman Muadov

A village is torn apart by its residents' inability to communicate, until a little girl shares the gift of punctuation in this humorous illustrated parable.

Chaos reigns in the village of Babble! All day, the residents fight, yell and argue, and no one is heard or understood . . . until a mysterious little girl arrives and gives the locals something very a period. But what is this thing that looks like a freckle or a spot? The villagers don't even know how to ask. However, as the girl begins to share more gifts — a question mark, quotation marks — the residents slowly learn how to communicate. But when more fights arise and disaster strikes, can punctuation truly save the day?

Reading age: 7+

Nothing ever happens to Ralph. So every day when it’s time to write stories, Ralph thinks really hard. He stares at his paper. He stares at the ceiling. But he has no stories! With the help of his classmates, Ralph realises that a great story can be about something very little…and that maybe he really does have some stories to tell. Debut author/illustrator Abby Hanlon’s endearing text and charming watercolour and coloured pencil illustrations prove that writing can be fun!

Reading age: 7+

Writing ✍️

Narrative

• Developing narrative with focus on paragraphing

• 5 clear sections

• Conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to sequence events or to mark changes in setting

• Dialogue including direct speech

• Past perfect tense

• Prepositional phrases for settings

• Simple noun phrases

• Verbs and adverbs chosen for effect, cohesion created and repetition avoided through the use of nouns and pronouns

• Punctuate with speech marks

• Commas after an adverb starter

• Use nouns and pronouns to avoid repetition

• Use past and present tense including progressive

• Use fronted adverbial phrases to say how, where or when

Poetry

• Kennings

• Question and answer poems

• Performance Poetry (Michael Rosen)

• Commas in lists

• Questions marks for questions

• Exclamation marks for commands and exclamations

• Use rhyme

• Can write a simile

• Use correct form of a or an

• Can write alliteration

• Use alliteration

• Use simile with -like

• Use a dictionary

• Use a thesaurus

Across the curriculum 🌏

Overview: Ancient Egyptians (History)

• Timeline

• Education

• Working life

• Leisure time and entertainment

• Food and drink

• Mummification

• Death and religion

• Significant events and wars

Curriculum Objectives & Expectations

• I can begin to use a range of evidence to ask and answer questions about the past

• I can begin to understand life in Ancient Egypt compared to modern times

• I can begin to describe the characteristic features of the past, including ideas, beliefs and attitudes of men/women/children

• I can begin to understand the social, ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of past societies

• I can begin to explore the reasons for some of the events and changes in history

• Begin to use a range of evidence to ask and answer questions about the past

• Use a range of primary and secondary sources to find out about the past

• Describe connections and contrasts between aspects of history, people, events, and artefacts studied

• Regularly address and sometimes devise own questions to find answers about the past

Key Vocabulary

• Building, city, nation, country, religion, ruler, king, emperor, pharaoh, technology, trade, transport, travel, war, battle, conflict, invasion, army, civilisation, conquest, culture, economy, money, tax, barter, empire, enslavement, entertainment, farming, occupation, territory, power, settlement.

Art, Design & Technology 🎨 👷

• Explore ways to manipulate clay

• Explore the work of a range of artists

• Experiment with acrylic and glass paint and layering different materials on translucent objects to create secondary colours

• Demonstrate different grades of pencils to draw shapes

Computing

• Programming with Dash and Dot

• Create a presentation in PowerPoint/Keynote

PSHE 😀 🫶

Personal, Social, Health and Economic education

Families and Friendships

• To recognise and respect that there are different types of families, including single parents, same-sex parents, step-parents, blended families, foster and adoptive parents

• That being part of a family provides support, stability and love

• About the positive aspects of being part of a family, such as spending time together and caring for each other

• About the different ways that people can care for each other e.g. giving encouragement or support in times of difficulty

• To identify if/when something in a family might make someone upset or worried

• What to do and whom to tell if family relationships are making them feel unhappy or unsafe

Safe Relationships

• What is appropriate to share with friends, classmates, family and wider social groups including online

• About what privacy and personal boundaries are, including online

• Basic strategies to help keep themselves safe online e.g. passwords, using trusted sites and adult supervision

• That bullying and hurtful behaviour is unacceptable in any situation

• About the effects and consequences of bullying for the people involved

• About bullying online, and the similarities and differences to face-to-face bullying

• What to do and whom to tell if they see or experience bullying or hurtful behaviour

Respecting Ourselves and Others

• To recognise respectful behaviours e.g. helping or including others, being responsible

• How to model respectful behaviour in different situations e.g. at home, at school, online

• The importance of self-respect and their right to be treated respectfully by others

• What it means to treat others, and be treated, politely

• The ways in which people show respect and courtesy in different cultures and in wider society

Languages 💬

All students have access to one of the following languages:

• Malay (local) 🇧🇳

• Malay (for non-native learners) 🇧🇳

• Mandarin 🇨🇳

• French 🇫🇷

• English as and additional language (EAL) 🌏

Language Concepts refers to the application of language concepts.

• Expressing the language in oral and/or written communication

• Creating projects to showcase language learning

• Showing sound grammar understanding through written work

• Applying a range of language skills to perform role play

• Interpreting authentic materials

Language Acquisition refers to assimilating and retention of language learning.

• Understanding the grammatical structure

• Knowing and using correct syntax

• Being able to self-assess and peer check

• Building vocabulary in the target language

• Recognising and/or decoding a wide array of materials

PE & Sport 🏐 🏊 🥅 ⚾️ 👟

All students have a comprehensive PE and Sport programme. Lessons are scheduled on rotation to ensure all students progress in the following areas:

• Physical literacy

• Tee Ball

• Swimming

• Indoor Games

• Outdoor Games

• Athletics

• Striking and Fielding

• Football

• Tag Rugby

• Basketball

• Netball

• Invasion Games

• Health and Wellbeing

• Net Games

• Fundamental movement skills

✋ Hands refers to physical ability and performance.

• Having appropriate fitness levels to complete the lesson

• Showing sound technique when learning skills/actions

• Applying a range of skills

• Performing under pressure i.e. applying skills to the game

👤 Head refers to knowledge and understanding of the topic.

• Understanding the rules and regulations

• Being able to feedback to peers

• Solving problems

• Understanding relevant tactics

♥️ Heart refers to the effort put into each and every PE lesson.

• Taking and active part in the whole lesson

• Always bringing PE/swimming kit

• Showing sportsmanship and respect

• Showing resilience and confidence

Music 🎶

Performing, Composing & Listening: Creating & structuring rhythms to tell a story

• Pulse & Rhythm revision + Name Song: Jump In, Jump Out

• Songs & rhymes

• Tempo, dynamics, pitch, texture & structure (form)

• Rhythm (Kodaly: ta, titi, tikatika, sh)

• Reading & playing a rhythm following a phrase from a story: George and the Dragon

• Hearing, clapping and then writing rhythms based on phrases from a story:

• The Princess and the dragon

• Using rhythm to demonstrate structure

• Creating a structure using rhythmic patterns; composing

• Performing a group composition

• Developing Singing Technique (Theme: Vikings)

• Vocal and Body Warm-Ups + Using Viking-themed phrases to learn new rhythms, develop understanding of stave notation and learn to recognise note names by sight and sound

• Amazing Egyptian Song

• Singing Viking-themed vocal warm-ups and learning the 'Dragon Ships' song through call and response

• Developing singing technique and adding actions to the 'Dragon Ships' song to help remember the lyrics and keep in time

• Experimenting with the order of known rhythms, children create their own Viking song, adding instrumental effects + Dragon Ships performance

♻️ Eco, Environment & Sustainability Curriculum

Our eco, environment and sustainability curriculum weaves seamlessly through all other areas of learning, enriching every subject.

Explore more...

👉 Year 3 Term 2

👉 Year 3 Term 3