Curriculum Coverage Year 3 – 2022-23

Each project covers all the work for half a term in history, geography, science, art and design, design technology and computing. It also has links to PE and PSHE.
Each year the teachers choose 6 projects including those listed here. They choose projects that will ensure full National Curriculum coverage and also suit the interests of the children within that year group.
Each project is based around acquisition of knowledge, development of skills and the addition of cultural capital to a child’s experience of school.

The Year 3 curriculum is enhanced by the following events –

• A 3 day residential visit to Carlton Outdoor Adventure Centre
• A Christmas show
• Participation in sporting competitions
• An enterprise project that runs throughout the year where children create goods to sell and plan events to raise money.
• Visits and visitors linked to our project work
• Outdoor learning in the Forest School
• Homework tasks that are creative and linked to the project

Flow 

Get your wellies on and let’s wade right in!

This half term, we’ll visit a local river to find out what lives there, where the river is going and how fast it’s travelling. At the river, we’ll collect water and soil samples and catch river creatures. We’ll examine the samples at school to investigate how clean the water is. Using our creativity, we’ll write journals as river travellers and journey on an imaginary boat to rivers around the world. We’ll make working models of water wheels, investigate the water cycle and use natural materials to make models that demonstrate river formation. Our descriptive river poetry will capture the movement of water, and we’ll mix watercolours to create beautiful paintings in art. Our map reading and research skills will help us to find out about world famous rivers. In PE, we’ll play team games to ‘cross the river’ in the hall without falling in!

At the end of the project, we’ll create a newsflash to explain what we’ve learnt, build a bridge and sculpt messy mud rivers outdoors.

Help your child prepare for their project
Rivers are interesting places that are full of life. Why not visit a local river or stream together to spot river plants and creatures? You could also use online maps to zoom in on famous rivers around the world. Alternatively, take soil samples from your garden and look closely at their colour, texture and content.

Gods and Mortals 

Let’s discover a fantastical world of mythical creatures and heroes!

This half term, we’ll learn about Apollo and the other gods who reign from Mount Olympus and create a 3-D head of our favourite god or goddess. We’ll explore the land of Greece, where the sun scorches the wings of Icarus and Helen of Troy inspires the launch of a thousand ships. In PE, we’ll take part in athletics and practise synchronised battle movements just like the ancient Greeks. Using historical source materials, we’ll research daily life in ancient Greece. We’ll write diaries as Daedalus or Icarus and learn about epic battles. In D&T, we’ll design wings, just like Daedalus, and make Trojan horses. We’ll read Theseus and the Minotaur and create amazing labyrinths, using positional language to guide others around the maze. On maps of Greece, we’ll plot the journeys made by ancient Greek characters.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll create our own gods and look forward to presenting these to you on a special manuscript.

Help your child prepare for their project
Greece is a fascinating country that has a long and colourful history. Why not sample some delicious Greek food such as baklava or tzatziki? You could also research ancient Greek pots and sketch the intricate images painted on them. Alternatively, have fun taking part in a back garden Olympics, seeing who can run the fastest or throw a ball the furthest!

Mighty Metals 

Mighty metals are everywhere! From earrings to rockets, metals have shaped the world we live in today.

This half term, we’re going to become fantastic physicists, exploring the world of forces, metals and materials. At a playground, we’ll explore the forces that help us to slide and swing. Then, we’ll bring toys from home to investigate how they work. We’ll look closely at levers and explore how they help us to lift heavy objects. In maths, we’ll have fun investigating where we need to sit to make a seesaw balance. To learn more about forces, we’ll make spinners, play with parachutes and make magnetic games. We’ll also investigate iron, think about why some metals rust and discover the properties of different metals. Using pots, pans and other metal objects, we’ll compose a metal musical extravaganza and use our artistic skills to create embossed patterns and pictures.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll invite you to see what we’ve learned. We’ll also answer tricky quiz questions and make fantastic metal jewellery.

Help your child prepare for their project
Metals and magnets are everywhere! Why not do a hunt around the house to see how metal is used? You could also make fridge magnets using a flat magnet, glue and modelling clay or recycled materials. Alternatively, you could build models using blocks or recycled materials and investigate the force needed to knock them over!

Predator! 

It’s time to take a walk on the wild side!

This half term, we’ll invite some amazing animals into our classroom to discover how they move, what they feel like and what they eat. We’ll also program a toy to move across a grid – will it be caught by a predator? We’ll learn about the different parts of a plant and how some plants are predators! From our investigations about the human skeleton, we’ll find out how muscle make the bones move. We’ll investigate food chains and learn about how animals find their food. Using the internet, we’ll research the majestic peregrine falcon and discover where crocodiles live. After our research, we’ll create an exciting aquatic animation.

At the end of the ILP, we’ll show you a range of animal fact presentations, make animal collages and learn about the interesting (and disgusting) world of parasites!

Help your child prepare for their project
Predators can be found in deserts, jungles, oceans or even in your own back garden! Why not go for a walk and see which animals and plants you can identify? You could also visit a zoo, thinking about which animals are predators and which animals might be their prey. Alternatively, put bird food in the garden to see if you can attract any visitors!

Tremors / Rumbles, Rocks and Relics

In the Rocks, Relics and Rumbles project, your child will learn about the different layers of the Earth, including plate tectonics and their potential effects on the Earth’s surface. They will investigate different types of rock to learn about their uses and properties. They will also investigate soil and fossils, including learning about the work of Mary Anning. They will have the opportunity to use maps to learn about the lines of latitude and longitude and a compass to learn about the cardinal and intercardinal points. They will also learn about volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and the long and short-term consequences that these can have.

Through the Ages

In the Through the Ages project, your child will learn about three different periods of British prehistory: the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. They will discover terminology relating to time and sequence dates to make a timeline. They explore the changes to people, homes and lifestyle throughout the different periods and investigate examples of prehistoric settlements, monuments, burials and artefacts in detail. They will also study how technology improved over time, including how the discovery of different metals changed the way that people lived.

Computing

Long Term Overview

Year 3 Computing Overview

Sex and Relationships Education

Medway Year 3

PSHE Long Term Planning

Writing Progression

Year 3 Writing Overview and Progression

RE Curriculum

RE Curriculum Coverage Year 3