Introduction to Year Three (Age 7-8)

Year 3 is a very important stage in a child's development. It is the point where the child leaves the infant department and begins life in Key Stage Two as a junior school pupil. It is a time where increased independence and taking responsibility for their own learning is called for. Children are working with increasing confidence and should stay on task for longer periods of time, with a growing concentration span. Typically, they will display a thirst for knowledge and a love of learning. Year 3 is a time where numeracy and literacy continue to dominate the curriculum, as the crucial concepts and skills of these subject areas form the basis of all subsequent learning.

Most lessons start with a joint session on the carpet and then the children work in groups. Children have a designated seat where they work. These seats may rotate throughout the year. Learning may be conducted in mixed groups, pairs, individually and one to one with the teacher.

The children enjoy a complete learning curriculum. The following subjects are taught with the class teacher; Literacy, Numeracy, Science, Social Studies, Information and Communication Technology (computers), Physical Education, Art/Design and Technology and PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). However, there are times when a specialist teacher is involved in some of these lessons. The class follows a weekly timetable that has a regular time for each of these subjects. Specialist lessons include German and Music.

Children in Year 3 receive homework. They are issued classroom homework on a Monday and are asked to return it by Friday of the same week to be corrected. It is also expected that children will read every night. The German teachers usually distribute homework once a week.

Parent volunteers are welcome to assist in a variety of ways. They may assist with a small class group on a regular basis or help in activities such as cooking, art and field trips.

At IBIS we encourage and nurture life skills and socially accepted behaviour such as honesty, tolerance, and respect. With the teacher leading by example and prompting children to behave similarly, this 'lesson' pervades the classroom daily and weekly. There is also a special moral and ethical assembly for the children in Years 3 to 6 (Key Stage 2) as part of the PSHE development.

English

Here at IBIS we follow the English National Literacy Strategy, which addresses the stages of a child's language development in speaking, listening, reading and writing. An hour a day is devoted to The Literacy Hour. The structure of this hour is divided into specific times of sharing specific texts as a class, followed by individual or group work focusing on a specific skill and concluding with a review of what has been learned. Various resources are used in the advancement of a child's reading and writing skills. Some of these include the Oxford Reading Tree, Big Books, Rigby and the First Steps Programme.

Children are taught the Nelson handwriting font and are expected to use this in everyday writing. Children regularly take home a 'reader' and are encouraged to read to an adult every night and when they have finished, return the book and choose a new one. Children are encouraged to become good spellers; to identify 'spelling families' e.g. "mate, date" and also to be able to readily spell commonly used words, e.g. "the", "first".

Maths

IBIS follows the English National Numeracy Strategy in conjunction with The Collins Primary Maths Scheme. Five mathematical strands are covered: Numbers and the Number System, Calculations, Problem Solving, Handling Data and Measures, Shape and Space. One hour a day is devoted to numeracy. Children work through three successive workbooks with the end result being the attainment of all the targets outlined in the Numeracy Strategy. Similar to The Literacy Hour, The Numeracy Hour is divided into specific times that first address the whole class, then break into group or individual work, and conclude with the plenary session for a discussion of what has been achieved. Supplementary resources are also used.