Week 8

This week has been a busy and exciting end to the half term! In RE, we explored the story of Noah’s Ark. In Writing, we proudly finished our sets of instructions, making sure they were clear, detailed, and easy to follow. It’s been a packed week full of creativity, reflection, and hard work—a wonderful way to finish the half term!

Week 7

This week, we completed the draft versions of our different sets of instructions, focusing on clarity, structure, and purpose in our writing. In Maths, we've been exploring place value and developing our skills in rounding numbers to the nearest 10 and 100. Our new Science topic, Food and Nutrition, has sparked great curiosity as we begin to learn about the different food groups and the importance of a balanced diet. In PSHE, we had a special SCARF workshop where a visiting speaker led a fantastic session on the theme of being unique. The children thoroughly enjoyed the interactive activities.

Week 6

We have now come to the end of our exciting topic on the Stone Age, where we explored what life was like thousands of years ago. In music, we’ve started a new unit and are enjoying learning the song Let Your Spirit Fly. In writing, we have begun innovating our boxing-up plan for How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth, using our imaginations to create new versions of the instructions. In maths, we are continuing to develop our understanding of rounding numbers, and in science, we’ve been learning about how joints and muscles work together to help our bodies move.

Week 5

This week in school, we began our Place Value unit in Maths, laying the foundation for understanding larger numbers. In English, we explored the book How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth and examined its use of instructions. In Science, we wrapped up our learning about skeletons and started exploring how joints help our bodies move. In History, we looked at trading and how goods were exchanged in the past. Over in DT, we’ve started making our cushions by carefully cutting out different fabrics, ready to applique our designs onto them.

Week 4

This week in Year 3, we have continued building our maths skills by exploring money—practising how to count coins and solve problems involving pounds and pence. In Writing, we wrapped up our exciting portal stories and are now starting a new unit on instructional writing, learning how to give clear, step-by-step directions. Our history learning is still focused on prehistoric times, and this week we compared how people in the Stone Age and Bronze Age found their food, noticing the big changes that came with new tools and farming.

Week 3

This week, we've had an exciting journey through a variety of subjects! In Science, we explored different animal skeletons and learned how animals are grouped based on their characteristics. In our Topic lessons, we became history detectives, solving the mystery of the Bronze Age man and uncovering clues about life in the past. In Maths, we continued developing our number sense by practising the "Make Ten" strategy to help with addition. Meanwhile, in Writing, we've started drafting our very own portal stories, using our imaginations to build exciting new worlds.

Week 2

This week has been full of exciting learning across all subjects! In Maths, we’ve been exploring numbers using Dienes blocks and a range of models to help deepen our understanding. In Topic, we’ve begun to uncover the fascinating history of Skara Brae, while in Science, we’ve been learning about the functions of the human skeleton. Our writing journey continues with imaginative portal stories, and in Reading, we’ve just started a new book, The One and Only Ivan, which has already sparked some great discussions.

Autumn 1 (2025) Week 1

We have had a busy and exciting first week back in Year 3! In Maths, we've been working hard on deriving number facts and building our confidence with numbers. Our new topic this term is the Stone Age, and we have already started exploring what life was like thousands of years ago. In Science, we have begun learning about the skeleton and how they help humans move. We have also started a new focus in Writing on portal stories, beginning with the fantastic book 'Stone Age Boy', which has helped us imagine what it might be like to travel back in time. It's been a great start to the term!

 

 

Summer 2 Week 4 Exploring magnets in Science

Summer 2 Week 3 Making arrays in Maths

Summer 2 Week 2 Tints and Shades in Art

Summer 2 Week 1 Writing Paddington adventure stories

We are excited to introduce Orchard Primary's new-look website. We apologise for the gap in photographs of our learning.

Exploring light and shadows

Researching facts about Italy!

Exploring Italian food

Explosive volcanic art hook lesson!

Commando Joe

Spring 2 - exploring soil

Spring 1 Week 1

This week we had Egyptian Day. This included a variety of activities including making clay figures like the Egyptians, dressing like them and playing games. It was a good start to our topic. We have started Flat Stanley, The Great Egyptian Robbery in our reading which links with this terms topic.

Autumn 2 - Week 4 

This week we have explored how rivers form the land in Topic and completed our display posters. The children have completed their information leaflets on the Danube river and wowed us with their excellent handwriting and use of fronted adverbials! In Reading, we have also practised performing poetry.

Autumn 2 - Week 3

This week, we developed our confidence solving word problems in Maths, made great progress with innovating our own information leaflets on the Amazon River and even had time to explore the snow! We especially enjoyed learning to create our own stop motion animations in Computing.

Autumn 2 - Week 1

In our first week back, we have started to identify and observe differences in rocks in Science, recapped our knowledge of adding and subtracting fractions in Maths, and we made the walls to our Neolithic Homes in DT. We have also explored 'Information Texts' about rivers in Literacy which will help us prepare for our Geography lessons in Topic.

Autumn 1 - Week 7

What an exciting week! We made clay mammoths to inspire our instruction writing and had a school trip to Bishop's Wood for a Stone Age experience.

 

During out trip we went back in time and enjoyed throwing spears at wooden animals, gathering, making a house out of willow, making fire, making shelters and more! 

Bishop's Wood Trip: Stone Age Experience!

Making Clay Mammoths!

Autumn 1 - Week 6

This week we learnt about the Neolithic Stone Age. We explored how the life of early humans changed as they learnt to farm animals, grow crops and weave. We acted out the difference between nomadic hunter gatherers and neolithic farmers.  

Autumn 1 - Week 3

We were excited this week to explore and ask questions about Stone Age artefacts from the museum! The children asked interesting questions such as:

How did Stone Age people make clothes?

How did they make these tools?

Which flint piece was used on a spear?

 

We also used the artefacts as evidence to help us answer questions. For example, we learnt that Stone Age people made clothes using a needle made from bone to sew animal hide together.

Autumn 1 - Week 2

This week Year 3 used their Design and Technology skills to create their own version of a neolithic Stone Age home! This activity was completed with very little support to see what creative ideas our students could come up with. We are proudly displaying our neolithic homes in our classroom! We have also started to learn our story 'Stone Age Boy' through performing! A stone age girl even visited our classroom!

D+T - Neolithic Stone Age Homes

Stone Age Boy Drama!

Autumn 1 - Week 1

We have had an exciting start to our term learning all about the Stone Age! Year 3 have explored just how long 900,000 years ago was by walking the timeline as a class... we walked a very long way! We read our text for our Talk for Writing topic 'Stone Age Boy' and discussed what it would be like to travel back to the Stone Age. Then, we explored painting like a cave person, as we made Stone Age paint using soil, berries and oil and painted in our very own class cave.

Stone Age Cave Painting