All Saints’ and St Richard’s Church of England Primary School
Topic Overview Year 3/4 Cycle A (2014-2015) Term 3
Groovy Greeks
THE BIG IDEA
The ideas and achievements of the Ancient Greeks
changed their world and still affect us today. Did you
know the Olympics started in Greece? Greeks introduced
the theatre – every town in Ancient Greece had at least
one theatre. A few things the Greeks invented included
the alarm clock, they were also the first to have a shower
system and there were many famous Greek
mathematicians. There are also many Greek myths and
legends; the Greeks believed that Gods and Goddesses
watched over them. The Gods were like humans, but
immortal (they lived forever) and much more powerful.
We will be reading some of these stories throughout this
term.
OUTDOOR LEARNING
In Outdoor Learning we will be
observing and identifying the birds
around our local area. We will be
researching what they eat and their
preferred habitats so that we can
make our outside area bird friendly.
We will then use this information to
design and bird nests or boxes.
We will continue to make changes to
our courtyard and keep up sketches
of the changes.
We will be doing some sculpture work
outside using natural resources.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
In RE we will be doing some work on
the
Epiphany
Story
including
researching and discussing key events
in the life of Jesus.
PERSONAL SOCIAL HEALTH &
ECONOMIC EDUCATION
In PSHEe we will follow the East Sussex
Scheme of Work for Year 3. This term
we will be focussing on:


Going for Goals
E-Safety
In History/Geography we will be:
 Locating Greece on a map.
 Looking at its climate and landscape.
 Placing Greek events on a timeline.
 Looking at the ancient states of Athens and Sparta
and how they were governed.
 Researching Greek Gods and Goddesses.
 Inferring information about Greek wars.
 Looking at Greek buildings and artefacts.
In Science we will be:
 Looking at species of birds in our local area.
 Researching birds’ habitats and what they need to
survive.
In D.T we will be:
 Making a fabric hanging bird.
In Computing we will be:
 Using Powerpoint to present their research findings
about eagles linked tour learning in literacy.
 Using Excel to input data into a graph.
In Art we will be continuing to develop our drawing skills.
 We will be making an updated sketch of our
outside area.
 We will observe pictures of eagles, looking at the
patterns created by feathers and creating our own
eagle pictures.
TRIPS AND EVENTS


A trip to Bedes – animal
management.
A Greek vs Myan Day.
CURRICULUM RISK ASSESSMENTS

Bedes visit
Gymnastics will be taught in P.E. using the Val Sabin
Scheme of Work. The children will be learning to:
 Travel fluently at different speeds and levels.
 Use apparatus effectively and safely.
 Explore different movements with control.
Music is being taught by a music specialist
 Pitch, Singing and Composing.
 Throughout Year 3 /4 the children will have the
opportunity to learn to play the recorder.
French is being taught following the West Sussex Mixed
Age scheme of work which runs over two years. This year
we are following Cycle A and this term the children will
be learning:
 To count from 13-20
 Transport types and travelling to France
 Colours
 Fete des Rois
ENGLISH:

In Literacy there will be the opportunity to
explore a range of stimulating texts and
planning will be supported by the ideas
produced in ’Book Power’, the text type
papers and the progression papers.

Texts include:
o Fly Eagle Fly!
o Hot Like Fire.
We will be exploring these stories through role
play and writing in role. We will discuss the
meaning of the stories and retell the stories
through storyboards. We will be writing some of
our own poetry around the themes of the book.
In grammar and spelling there will be a focus on
sentence structure and adding more detail to
sentences, suffixes and use of the possessive
apostrophe.
MATHS:
 The children will be learning their number bonds to 100.
 Rounding numbers to the nearest 10, 100 or 1000.
 Ordering numbers on a number line.
 Adding 2 and 3 digit numbers using number lines and column addition.
 Subtracting using number lines to count up from the smallest number to the largest number.
Some children will begin using the decomposition method.
 Measure accurately using cm and mm. Measure mass using kg and g.
 Interpreting graphs and pictograms and then recording information on their own graph.
 Once a week the children will be focussing on applying their mathematical learning to solve
problems.
CLASS ROUTINES:
HOMEWORK:

The children will have weekly homework tasks linked to learning in class. The homework
will be sent home on Friday and is due back in school on Wednesday.

Children are expected to be heard read at least three times a week. Please make sure
that you record each tie your child reads or is heard read in their homework diary. The
children can then collect stickers towards their reading certificate.

Spellings are sent home each week and need to be practised at home daily. Little and
often is the best way to learn spellings. Children will be tested on their spellings each
Tuesday.
P.E. LESSONS:

The children need to have their P.E. kit in school each day and it should be taken home
each Friday so that it is kept clean for lessons.

Jewellery must be removed so if your child has their ears pierced they will need a small
pot in their bag to put their earrings in to keep them safe.

Long hair should be tied back for school, but it must be tied back for P.E. lessons so a
spare hair band is a good idea.
COMMUNICATION:


Please encourage your children to speak to me if they should have any concerns, and
of course I will always be available at the end of school if you wish to speak to me
directly.
I will continue sending home ‘ASK me about …’ cards so that you are able to talk
about the children's learning at home. Please look out for these.