Class 3

Hello. My name is Mrs Kinsey and I teach Class 3 (Years 3 and 4) supported by Mrs Kyte, our Learning Support Assistant. 

This is my tenth year of teaching at Aldbury Primary School. I aim to foster independence in children as they move out of KS1, enabling them to be more resilient as they meet the new demands of KS2. 

I am passionate about teaching Maths and helping children to enjoy and understand this important and often challenging subject. I also love teaching music and in Class 3 we sing regularly and with enthusiasm! 

 I hope that this page will keep parents and carers up to date with all the exciting things that are happening in Class 3. I am keen for the children to continue to discover all of the wonderful things that make Class 3 so enjoyable. 

Outside of school, I enjoy taking part in musical theatre productions, singing in a choir, playing the flute, reading and visiting historic homes and palaces. 

If you have any questions or concerns, do feel free to see me after school or leave me a message on Class Dojo.

Autumn 2024 Subjects/Topics

English

One of the first books we will be exploring in Class 3 is Leon and the Place Between by Angela McAllister. The children will explore the author’s language and use it as the basis for their own descriptive writing.  They will explore the characters’ thoughts and emotions and take part in drama activities, leading to writing in role and the creation of dialogue. Using the structure of the original story, children will plan their own version of the story where their own character enters a magical world. This extraordinary book by significant author-illustrator duo Angela McAllister and Grahame Baker-Smith was shortlisted for the 2010 CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal.  The quality of the language alongside captivating illustrations, cut-out sections, fonts and fold-out pages will immerse children in a magical space to explore the power of imagination and curiosity.  Children will recognise the enchanting styles of the famous names through their other titles such as Winter’s Child and FArTHER.

Later in the term we will be looking at The Barnabus Project by the Fan Brothers. The learning begins with children visiting a pretend Perfect Pets shop (from the book) in the classroom. They will discuss what they look for in the ‘perfect pet’ and use scientific equipment (test tubes and measuring cylinders), coloured water and their imaginations to create their pet. Children will go on to study the gorgeous illustrations in the text and write expanded noun phrases and an advertisement for the Pet shop. While they follow the story of Barnabus and the other ‘failed projects,’ they will write letters of advice and help them create an escape plan. These skills will build towards children writing a brochure for a new pet shop where the pets can be free and choose their home. 

Other books that we are exploring include The Mermaid of Zennor and FArTHER.

Computing

We start the year with a topic called 'We are Programmers'. In this unit, students will create their own animations using Scratch. They will start by exploring Scratch’s tools and features. They’ll then identify the key elements of a successful animation and design their own storyboard. Students will plan and program characters and dialogue, animate their characters by programming movements, and add switching costumes and backdrops. Finally, they’ll incorporate sound into their animations and review, debug, and enhance their work. This project helps develop creativity, planning, and programming skills.

After half term the unit is called 'We are Bug fixers'. In this unit, students will focus on understanding and fixing common programming errors through logical thinking. They will learn to identify and correct various types of bugs, including off-by-one errors, performance issues, multithread problems, conceptual misunderstandings, arithmetic mistakes, and resource-related bugs. This unit helps develop problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of how to troubleshoot and refine their programming work.

Maths

In this unit, children in Year 3/4 will develop a deep understanding of place value. They will begin by working with hundreds, tens, and ones, and then progress to representing and partitioning numbers up to 1,000 and eventually 10,000. They'll learn to find 1, 10, 100, or 1,000 more or less than a given number. As they advance, they will practice using number lines up to 10,000, estimating, comparing, and ordering numbers. Children will also learn how to round numbers to the nearest 10, 100, and 1,000, and explore Roman numerals. This block builds a strong foundation for working with larger numbers.

By week 5 we move onto addition and subtraction. Students will start by adding and subtracting 1s, 10s, 100s, and 1,000s, including crossing place value boundaries. Students will progress to adding and subtracting up to two 4-digit numbers, both with and without exchanges, and will tackle numbers with different digit lengths. They will also explore complements to 100 and 1,000, estimate answers, and use inverse operations to check their work. The unit concludes with a focus on finding efficient methods for solving addition and subtraction problems.

After half term the focus shifts to multiplication and division. Students will start by using arrays to visualise concepts and practice sharing and grouping. The children will work through times tables, beginning with the 2, 5, and 10 times-tables, then progressing to the 4, 8, 3, 6, and 9 times-tables. They will explore how these tables connect and expand to include the 7, 11, and 12 times-tables. Finally, students will learn how to multiply by 1 and 0, and divide numbers by 1 and themselves. This unit strengthens their foundational multiplication and division skills.

The term ends with a unit on area. In this unit, students will learn about the concept of area. They will start by understanding what area is and how it can be measured. Next, they will practice counting squares to calculate the area of different shapes. Students will then create their own shapes and compare the areas of various shapes to deepen their understanding of how area is determined and compared. This unit builds a foundation for measuring and working with space in practical ways.

Music

We will start the term looking at the song 'I've been to Harlem'. This is a traditional pentatonic song about travelling around the world, full of creative possibilities. We will use it to invent cup rhythm games, explore pentatonic melodies from around the world, sing as a round, and compose ostinato accompaniments. It’s thought that the song originally came from Virginia on the east coast of the United States of America, where it was popularly performed as a drinking/cups game song at harvest suppers. 

Most children will be able to:

• Compose a pentatonic ostinato.
• Sing a call-and-response song in groups, holding long notes confidently.
• Play melodic and rhythmic accompaniments to a song.
• Listen and identify where notes in the melody of the song go down and up.

We then will move onto a 'Chilled-out clap rap'. This unit is built around a laid-back rap with accompanying clapping patterns and plenty of dynamic contrast. It offers opportunities for physical and creative activities that will help pupils develop their understanding of beat and rhythm.

Most children will be able to:

• Create clapping patterns using the durations crotchet, crotchet rest, pair of quavers.
• Transfer clapping patterns to tuned instruments and as a group create a layered piece of music.
• Rap accurately and rhythmically with dynamic contrasts.
• Perform crotchet and quaver actions (‘walk’ and ‘jogging’) on the beat and adapt these actions when the speed of the music changes.

Physical Education (PE)

Mrs Kinsey leads on a Wednesday and Friday. This half term is all about dance and netball.

After half term Game On Sports Coaches will be in on Fridays to work with Year 3 whilst Year 4 are at Forest School with Mrs Murphy. They will be exploring hockey. Mrs Kinsey will be teaching gymnastics on Wednesdays.

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE)

This half term our topic is called 'Being Me in My World'. In this unit, students will focus on social and emotional development with a focus on contributing positively to their school community. They will learn how their attitudes and actions impact the class team and practice making others feel welcome and valued. Students will understand their role within the school community and how they can contribute effectively, including taking on specific roles and responsibilities.

They will explore the concept of democracy through activities related to the School Council and creating a Learning Charter, recognising their role in these processes. The unit also covers the impact of rewards and consequences on behaviour, empathy towards others' feelings, and making decisions as a group. Finally, students will learn about the benefits of democracy and following the Learning Charter, helping others understand and adhere to it.

After half term the unit is 'Celebrating difference'. In this PSHE unit, students explore the theme of accepting and celebrating differences. They start by understanding how judgments based on appearance can be misleading and strive to accept people for who they are. 

The unit covers the influence of assumptions and judgments, encouraging students to question their own opinions about others. It also addresses understanding bullying, including recognising subtle forms and knowing how to respond if they witness or experience it.

Students will engage in problem-solving scenarios related to bullying, both in-person and online. They will focus on identifying and valuing their unique qualities, and learn to give and receive compliments. By the end of the unit, students will reflect on how first impressions can change through deeper understanding and will be better equipped to support and celebrate each other’s differences.

Religious Education

This term we will be looking at two units in RE. We start the year looking at the Christian religion and hoping to answer the question ' What is it like to follow God?'. We then move on, after half term, to look at the Jewish faith and hope to answer the question 'What symbols and stories help Jewish people remember their covenant with God?'

Science

This term we are learning about Forces and Magnets.