Year 3

English

In English lessons, children are taught speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through studying a variety of styles of writing (genres).  Teachers follow the Teaching Sequence for Writing, which means that children will firstly be taught to read and understand the text, then practise the skills of the style of writing (including grammar) and apply into their own writing.  If you scroll to the bottom of this page, you will find the English medium-term planning which details what your child will be taught and when.   

Speaking and Listening

Children will be taught to discuss their learning and to develop speaking skills. They will become more familiar with and confident in, using language in a variety of situations, for a range of audiences and purposes. They will, for example:

• Develop their understanding of a subject through discussions, learning to give their opinions and listen to other view points
• Speak clearly and in different ways for drama, formal presentations and debate.

Reading

This part of the curriculum is broken down into ‘word reading’ and ‘comprehension’.

At this stage, word reading skills (including phonics) will continue to be taught, but the main focus will be helping children to understand what they are reading (comprehension).  In comprehension children will be taught key skills to enable them to read, understand and enjoy a wide range of books. They will, for example:

• Listen frequently to stories, poems, non-fiction and other writing.
• Ask and answer a range of questions about a text
• Discuss ideas that are not obviously described in a text e.g. ‘Explain why the character behaved in this way.’
• Describe characters, summarise plots and predict what might happen next
• Explore themes and conventions in a range of books e.g. good versus evil
• Consider the effect of the author’s choice of language
• Offer opinions about  what they have read and justify their views

We highly recommend you join the local library in Waltham Cross where the librarians will be able to help you borrow age-appropriate books for your child to have at home.

Writing

In Year 3 children develop their writing through the following areas:

Spelling:

• Learn to spell new words correctly and have opportunities to practise spelling skills
• Learn and use words included in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum for Years 3 & 4
• Taught spelling patterns and conventions
• Build on spelling taught in Year 2

Handwriting:           

• Build on the joined writing started in Year 2
• Increase consistency and fluency throughout independent writing

Composition:

This includes vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.

• Plan, draft, compose, edit and evaluate writing
• Use an increasing range of sentence structures
• Write sentences that include when, where and why something happens
• Write for a range of purposes and audiences
• Check whether writing makes sense