English
The Year 3 Learner
Approach
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.
The Primary National Curriculum statements will be taught through the modules below.
Y3 English Coverage
The year 3 English curriculum consists of the following modules.
Poetry
Playing with Language
Senses
Haikus
Tankas
Kennings
Limericks
Fiction
Traditional Tales/Alternative fairy tales
Adventure Stories
Play scripts
Non-Fiction
Recount
Instructions
Explanations
Report
Persuasion
Key poets/authors your children will encounter are:
Anne Fine
Aesop Fables
Aaron Becker
Michael Foreman
Satoshi Kitamura
Carson Ellis
Recommended reading list (a variety is best):
Traditional Tales/ Alternative Versions
Key texts:
The Stinky Cheese Man - Jon Scieszka
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs - Jon Scieszka
The Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf - Eugene Trivizas
Jim and the Beanstalk - Raymond Briggs
The Lost Happy Endings - Carol Ann Duffy
Adventure Stories
Key texts:
The Snow Dragon - Vivien French
Journey - Aaron Becker
Stone Age Boy - Satoshi Becker
Monster Stones: the story of the dinosaur fossil - Jacqui Bailey & Matthew Lilly
War and Peas - Michael Foreman
Curriculum Content
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 eg ‘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 eg 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 are able to provide you with a list of age appropriate texts to support the learning:
Writing
Writing is developed through teaching the following:
Spelling: Children should learn to spell new words correctly and have opportunities to practise spelling skills. They will begin to learn and use the words included in Appendix 1 of the National Curriculum for years 3 & 4. They will be taught spelling patterns and conventions, building on the spellings taught in Year 2.
Handwriting: This will continue to be taught, building on the joined writing started in Year 2 and with the aim of increasing consistency and fluency throughout their independent writing.
Composition (structure): This includes vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. To develop their composition skills, the children will be taught to
· Plan, draft, compose, edit and evaluate their 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 as part of their work across the curriculum. In year 3 this will include (cross curricular example, schools to insert their own)
· Check whether their work makes sense
Grammar will be taught throughout the writing process and teachers will follow the terms and concepts of Appendix 2 of the National Curriculum.
Should you wish for a more detailed explanation, please follow this link to the Primary National Curriculum document