Year 3
🌿 Welcome to Poppy the Popokotea Class!
Welcome to Poppy the Popokotea Class! We are a friendly, hardworking class who enjoy learning together, trying new things and challenging ourselves every day.
Our class teacher is Miss Harris.
Our support staff are Mrs Newing and Ms Westbrooke.
We are looking forward to a fantastic year of learning, growing in confidence and making lots of wonderful memories together!
📚 Our Learning
In Year 3, our mornings focus on the key skills we need every day:
- Maths
- Reading
- English
- Spellings
- Handwriting
In the afternoons, we enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects, including:
• RE • Maths Mastery • Science • History • Geography • PSHE • Art • DT • Computing • French • PE • RSEWe aim to make our learning exciting, practical and memorable, while encouraging children to become increasingly independent learners.
📝 Our Home Learning
Home Learning is designed to help children practise important skills and research further into topics that we are learning about in class.
📅 Our Home Learning Schedule
Home Learning is set on a Friday and due back two weeks later on a Wednesday.
Each Home Learning project will give children an opportunity to find out more about a topic we have been learning about in school. Projects will change throughout the year to link with our learning.
What's Included?
Home Learning will include:
📖 Daily Reading – children should aim to read regularly at home and record this in their reading record.
📝 Weekly Spellings – new spellings are sent home each Friday to practise throughout the week.
🔎 Research Projects – children will be given a topic from our current learning to research and present in their own way.
✖️ Times Tables – times table practice will begin in Term 2 and will become a regular part of Home Learning.
🏠 Supporting at Home
A quiet, regular time for Home Learning works best. Please encourage and guide your child, but try to let them complete the work themselves wherever possible. This will help them to develop independence, confidence and pride in their learning.
📝 Spellings
We have a weekly spelling test every Friday.
We focus on common spelling patterns, spelling rules and tricky words. New spelling lists will be sent home each Friday for children to practise during the week.
💡 Tips for Spelling at Home
Try short, regular practice sessions of around 5–10 minutes:
- 👀 Look, Cover, Write, Check
- ✏️ Write the word in a sentence
- 🃏 Make your own spelling flashcards
- 🔤 Look for the spelling pattern within the word
- 🎮 Use a spelling game or app
Little and often is much more effective than one long spelling session!
✖️ Times Tables
Times table practice will begin in Term 2.
By the end of Year 3, children should aim to confidently recall their:
2, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 times tables.
We will regularly practise these in school and encourage children to practise at home too.
💡 Tips for Times Tables at Home
- ⭐ Use Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS)
- 🎵 Sing times table songs
- 🃏 Use flashcards
- 🔢 Ask quick-fire questions
- ⏱️ Keep practice short – around 5–10 minutes a day
Regular practice will help children to build their speed, fluency and confidence.
🌳 Forest School
We are lucky to have opportunities to take part in Forest School during the year.
Please make sure your child comes prepared with suitable clothing and footwear for being outdoors. Forest School will take place whatever the weather where appropriate, so children need to be ready to get muddy!
📅 Forest School dates and reminders will be shared on Class Dojo, so please keep an eye on messages and make sure your child has the correct clothing when needed.
🚌 Trips & Special Experiences
We have lots of exciting experiences planned throughout the year to bring our learning to life!
Some of the trips and events we are hoping to enjoy include:
🏛️ Kensington Palace – linking with our History learning.
⛪ Beginning-of-Year Trust Mass – joining other children and staff from across the Trust for a special celebration.
🏰 Dover Castle / Dover Museum – supporting our History learning and giving children the opportunity to explore the past beyond the classroom.
🍦 Solley's Farm – a fun end-of-year experience and an opportunity to enjoy learning outside the classroom.
Further information, dates and letters will be shared with families through Class Dojo and the school office throughout the year.
💚 Our Class Ethos
In Poppy the Popokotea Class, we are guided by the Preferential Option for the Poor, reminding us to always think about and put the needs of those who are most vulnerable first.
We aim to:
🌟 Work to the best of our abilities
💚 Be kind, caring and respectful
🤝 Help and support one another
💪 Show resilience when things are difficult
😊 Approach learning with positivity
🏆 Take pride in everything we do
We live out our Catholic values through kindness, resilience, respect and care for others in everything we do.
Long Term Plan 26-27