The Year 3 Curriculum

English

Year 3 marks your child’s first year in Key Stage 2.

 Most children will have finished their phonics and will be focussing on learning specific spellings and spelling patterns. They will read a greater range of genres – both fiction and non-fiction. They will be learning more complicated grammar and punctuation and will be putting it all together as they write a range of text types.   

How to help at home

There are a variety of simple things you can do at home to support your child’s developing English skills.

1. Continue to make time to read to your child as often as you can, or listen to books read aloud. This will support their vocabulary and comprehension skills. Talk about any new vocabulary that you come across – and use it together later.

2. Encourage your child to read as much as possible – seeing words in print really helps children to absorb correct spelling and grammar and punctuation. Talk about the books your child reads. Have they liked them? What might happen next?

3. Listen to your child read as often as possible. Try to read their school reading book as well as other books they have chosen for themselves. Occasionally, without slowing the story too much, point out conjunctions or adverbs, and the punctuation for speech. When reading non-fiction, ask your child to point out headings, captions and key words.

4. Practise spellings. Play games with your child to help them learn their weekly spelling words.

5. Create writing opportunities, such as mini non-fiction books, chapter books or a graphic novel. Encourage your child to write the story of a favourite film or television series. Ask them to tell you stories they have made up or to retell favourite or well-known tales or personal anecdotes. Get them to write with pencil and paper or on the computer – playing around with fonts and pictures. Find unusual objects or facts that your child could use as a story starting point.

6. Encourage your child to talk to you. Gently correct any grammar mistakes, and help them to extend what they say with conjunctions such as because, after, where and to choose a or an correctly. Challenge them to use new vocabulary and to retell stories to you or tell you anecdotes about their life.

7. Keep talking to your child and use interesting vocabulary when doing so. Try to use precise nouns, descriptive adjectives and adverbs.

8. Keep practising handwriting – support your child as they start to join letters correctly.

Maths

Science

Religous Education

History

📜 History in Year 3

In Year 3, our history learning takes us on an exciting journey through prehistory in Britain and one of the world’s most fascinating ancient civilisations: Ancient Egypt.

We develop key historical skills by asking questions, using evidence, making comparisons, and building an understanding of how the past has shaped the world we live in today. Our enquiry-based approach encourages children to think like historians, exploring both the big picture and the everyday lives of people in the past.

Autumn Term – Stone Age to Iron Age

Enquiry Question: How did life change in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age?

Children will explore how early humans survived as hunter-gatherers before settling into farming communities, and how new materials and technologies transformed life over thousands of years. We investigate homes, tools, food, art, and ceremonies, as well as significant archaeological discoveries (such as Skara Brae and Stonehenge) to understand how life evolved.

National Curriculum Link:

• Changes in Britain from the Stone Age to the Iron Age.

Key Vocabulary:

• Hunter-gatherer, settlement, archaeology, Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age, artefact, Skara Brae, Stonehenge, ceremony, technology.

Key Knowledge:

• People lived in simple huts during the Stone Age.

• Stone, bronze, and iron were used to make tools and weapons.

• Farming changed the way people lived, leading to permanent settlements.

• Evidence (such as cave art, monuments, and artefacts) tells us about beliefs and daily life.

Spring/Summer Term – Ancient Egypt

Enquiry Question: What was life like in Ancient Egypt and how do we know?

Children will discover the achievements of one of the earliest civilisations. We explore the River Nile’s importance, Egyptian writing, farming, religion, and daily life, as well as famous pharaohs and the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. By examining artefacts, monuments, and written records, children will learn how historians piece together the past.

National Curriculum Link:

• The achievements of the earliest civilisations: an overview of where and when the first civilisations appeared, and a depth study of Ancient Egypt.

Key Vocabulary:

• Pharaoh, pyramid, mummification, hieroglyphics, tomb, artefact, civilisation, Nile, afterlife, archaeology, Tutankhamun.

Key Knowledge:

• The River Nile was essential for farming, transport, and survival.

• Pharaohs were powerful rulers, often buried in elaborate tombs.

• Ancient Egyptians believed in an afterlife and developed mummification.

• Archaeological discoveries, such as Tutankhamun’s tomb, help us understand Egyptian beliefs and daily life.

Geography

🌍 Geography in Year 3

In Year 3, our geography learning helps us to understand the world around us, from our local area to faraway places. We build on key geographical skills such as map reading, using atlases and globes, interpreting data, and carrying out fieldwork. We explore both human and physical geography, comparing different places and learning how people interact with their environment. 

The United Kingdom

 Enquiry Question: Where in the world is the United Kingdom and how is it made up?

Children will learn to locate the UK on a world map and explore how it is made up of countries, regions, cities, and counties. They will also investigate the UK’s key human and physical features, understanding how geography helps define different places.

 National Curriculum Link:

• Name and locate counties and cities of the UK.

• Name and locate geographical regions and their identifying human and physical characteristics.

 Key Vocabulary:

• Country, county, city, region, capital, landmark, human geography, physical geography, settlement.

 Key Knowledge:

• The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

• Each country has its own capital city.

• Regions and counties have unique features that make them distinct.

 Time Zones and the Earth’s Lines

 Enquiry Question: What are the invisible lines of the Earth?

Children will investigate latitude and longitude, as well as other significant geographical lines such as the Equator, Tropics, and Arctic and Antarctic Circles. They will also explore how the Earth’s rotation creates time zones and day and night.

 National Curriculum Link:

• Identify the position and significance of latitude, longitude, Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle, Prime/Greenwich Meridian, and time zones (including day and night).

 Key Vocabulary:

• Latitude, longitude, Equator, hemisphere, Tropics, Arctic Circle, Antarctic Circle, Prime Meridian, time zone, Greenwich.

 Key Knowledge:

• Latitude and longitude help us locate places accurately on Earth.

• The Equator divides the Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

• The Earth’s rotation causes day and night and different time zones.

 Biomes and Vegetation Belts

 Enquiry Question: What are the different biomes and what is the biome of the UK? How are they different to vegetation belts?

Children will study the world’s biomes and vegetation belts, comparing them to the UK’s biome. They will learn about climates, plants, and wildlife found in different regions of the world.

 National Curriculum Link:

• Describe and understand key aspects of physical geography, including climate zones, biomes, and vegetation belts.

 Key Vocabulary:

• Climate, biome, vegetation belt, rainforest, desert, tundra, savannah, temperate, habitat.

 Key Knowledge:

• Biomes are large areas defined by their climate, plants, and animals.

• The UK has a temperate deciduous forest biome.

• Vegetation belts are narrower zones influenced by climate and rainfall.

 Yorkshire and the Humber

 Enquiry Question: Sheffield or Scarborough: Which would you like to live in?

Children will carry out a regional study of Yorkshire and the Humber, comparing the human and physical geography of Sheffield and Scarborough. They will explore settlements, land use, and environmental issues, developing their fieldwork skills through local studies.

 National Curriculum Link:

• Understand geographical similarities and differences through the study of human and physical geography of a region of the UK.

• Describe and understand key aspects of human geography, including types of settlement.

 Key Vocabulary:

• Settlement, urban, rural, industry, coast, landscape, population, environment.

 Key Knowledge:

• Sheffield is a large inland city known for industry and surrounding hills.

• Scarborough is a coastal town with tourism, fishing, and seaside features.

• Human and physical features shape how people live and work in different areas.

Computing 

Art

Design Technology

Physical Education

Music