Term 3 – Week 2 (WB 12/1/26)

Happy New Year! It has been wonderful to welcome the children back to school and hear all about their festive celebrations and family time. They have settled back into routines brilliantly and have been eager to share their experiences with their friends.

In English, we have continued reading our class novel The Ice Palace, using it as a stimulus for our writing. The children have been learning how sentences are structured by identifying the main clause and understanding how a subordinate clause can be added to give extra information. They have then applied this knowledge when writing a diary entry, focusing on how to make their sentences more interesting and engaging for the reader. Alongside this, we have explored emotive language and discussed how careful word choices can influence how the reader feels and responds to the writing.

In Maths, the children have been developing their skills in multiplying 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers and have also begun learning how to divide 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers. Some of this learning has been quite challenging, so we have spent time helping the children build confidence and deepen their understanding. A key focus has been recognising patterns and links between multiplication and division, for example: 39 ÷ 3 = 13, 39 ÷ 13 = 3, 3 × 13 = 39 and 13 × 3 = 39. Exploring these number relationships has helped the children see how the operations are connected and supported them in solving problems more efficiently.

In Science, the children have been learning about contact forces, exploring how a force is created when 2 objects touch. They have practised identifying where the contact force is acting and describing the effect it has, such as making an object move, change direction, or slow down. To support this learning, we enjoyed a practical session where the children pushed and pulled balls and cars. This hands-on approach helped them clearly see how contact forces work in real-life situations and deepened their understanding through exploration and discussion.

On Tuesday, as part of our Religious Education learning, we visited Southborough Church. During our visit, the children had an informative talk about The Trinity, learning that God is represented in three forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The children were then given the opportunity to explore the church and ask thoughtful questions, which led to some very insightful discussions. They were curious, respectful, and engaged throughout the visit – a big well done to Leicestershire class for their excellent behaviour!

Please see below for the new home learning tasks for this term. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We hope you enjoy sharing and exploring these learning activities with your child at home.

Finally, please continue to support your child with regular reading at home and by updating their Boom Reader account whenever possible. Your support makes a real difference to their confidence and progress. Please also ensure your child brings their reading book into school every day.

Finally, we are continuing to learn our times tables with some fun songs! Practising for just 15 minutes a week on the recommended website will make a huge difference in building strong multiplication and division skills, which are essential throughout Key Stage 2 and beyond. We have been learning our eight timetables - here is our new song for you to practise at home - 

Eight Times Table Song (Cover of All About That Bass by Meghan Trainor)

3 Times Tables - Have Fun Learning!

4 Times table song (A Whole New World from Disney's Aladdin)

4 Times Table Song (APT be Rosé and Bruno Mars)

Counting By Sixes Song

7 Times Table Song | Skip Counting by 7 Song with Multiplication

Seven Times Table Song (Cups by Anna Kendrick Cover) with Classroom Instruments

The 12 Times Table Song | Skip Counting by 12 for Kids

Spellings

Our first spelling test of the term will be on Wednesday 28th January. The words listed below will not change until after that test.

Mrs Hughes' /Mr Grimes'/ Mrs Strudwick's groups

igh sound spelt y

shy

sky

dry

reply

cry

nearby

butterfly

multiply

Mrs Smith's group -

Words with the sh sound spelt ch -

Chalet

Chef

Chute

Machine

Parachute

Pistachio

Mrs Georgiades' Group

Words with the c sound spelt ch.

Chorus

Stomach

Echo

Chaos

School

Chemist

Anchor

Ache

Mrs Lambert's group 

ee sound

see

been

green

sleep

tree

cheese

free

be

Thank you for your continued support!

All of the children will have an investigative topic-linked learning task to complete, which is rotated over a three-week cycle. The children will focus on one of their three current foundation subjects each week.  
To support this, the children are split into 3 groups, which you can see below. 
This will be set on a Thursday and due by the following Tuesday. 
In class on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the children will then share the outcomes of their research, and the knowledge they have retrieved, within their own group. 

L3 Usual weekly timetable (please note that there may be changes to this at times).