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Welcome To Our New Website!
Birchwood Primary School

Maple 3 Autumn 2025-26

 
Welcome to Maple 3!
 
 
2025 - 2026
 
Miss Houghton - Class Teacher
Mrs Oldham, Miss Gregory, Mrs Sullivan - Teaching Assistants

Autumn 2

Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age

Year 3 have loved using the chrome books to explore touch typing. We have learnt how to use a keyboard correctly, knowing which fingers should be used for which keys. We have learnt the purpose of the shift key and practised using all of the keys on a keyboard on purple mash games.

After starting our new book "Terry Deary Stone Age Tales, The Great Storm', Year 3 created a Kenning poem all about one of the main characters, Storm.  We explored the structure of kenning poems, discussing noun-noun phrases and noun-verb phrases, before collecting appropriate words that we could use to describe Storm. 

Year 3 have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Stone Age, particularly finding out about Skara Brae! We have researched lots of information about the Stone Age settlement across different subjects, then displayed our learning in a non-chronological report, to teach others about this fascinating, pre-historic village! We hope you enjoy reading this small selection of work produced by the children!

Year 3 are enjoying their dodgeball lessons this half term. We have been learning the rules of the game, as well as practicing techniques for how to avoid being hit by the ball - dodging, ducking and jumping in different ways!

To introduce our topic, Year 3 took part in a Stone Age day, whizzing back through the Stone Age periods to practise some of the skills needed to survive.  We re-enacted being hunter-gatherers, learnt how they made tools using flints knapping and made small clay pots using pinch and thumb techniques similar to the time.

 
Autumn 1
 
Road Trip USA!

This half term, Year 3's DT project was to build their very own bridges! We learnt about different kinds of bridges (truss, beam, arch and suspension), after learning about San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. We then tested joining techniques and practised reinforcing materials to make them stronger. Before we began building our bridges, we designed them, labelling the materials we would use. Once our bridges were complete, we tested their practicality and strength by rolling a toy car across them. What fun we have had!

Congratulations to Maple's Dojo winners for Autumn 1!  A successful first half term in Year 3 for all of the children!  Well done everyone!

Year 3 have loved this half term's music focus. We have learnt and performed "I've been to Harlem", as well as using tuned and untuned instruments as an accompaniment. 

Year 3 are learning about American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. As part of our learning, and because Frank Lloyd Wright uses shapes in his work, we have drawn different 3 dimensional shapes, and learned to shade them to show shadow.
Year 3 are loving their OAA PE lessons! We are learning to map read, whilst being active! Hunting for objects around the playground and plotting them on maps, whilst developing our teamwork skills.
To immerse ourselves in our new class text 'Snow White in New York', Year 3 created freeze frames of different parts of the story. Some children recreated the stepmother giving Snow White a cocktail, containing a poisonous cherry whilst at a party! Other recreated Snow White singing with the 7 jazz players!
Year 3 began their science learning for this half term by recapping the parts of a plant. We explored our outdoor environment, looking for different types of plants and trees and named the different parts. We found apple trees, pear trees, a holly bush, dandelions, and much more!
Year 3 had their first French lesson this week! We started by finding France on a map of Europe, coloured in the French flag, and practised greetings like salut, bonjour and bonne après-midi! To show off our fantastic learning, we created colourful French-themed bunting.
To support their learning about America, Year 3 used the huge world map to locate continents, the equator and hemispheres. We then used the atlases back in the classroom to support us when locating North America, South America and the United Kingdom on a world map.
To kick off our exciting new topic on the USA, the children were welcomed back with a fun-filled Hook Day! Paddington had been on a summer road trip across America but forgot which states he visited — so with the help of riddles and mystery objects, the children became state detectives to retrace his journey. We got creative making our own USA flags, learning fascinating facts about the stars and stripes along the way. The adventure didn’t stop there — we crawled through the scorching desert, surfed the waves in Hawaii, weaved between towering New York skyscrapers, and leapt over snapping alligators in Florida! It was a fun-filled, all-American day to spark curiosity and set the stage for our new learning journey.