Welcome to Otter Class

Hello and welcome to the Otter Class web page.

Otters are a Year 3 class taught by Mr Colin Hirons
and supported by Mrs Jess Littlefield.

In Otter Class, we recognise every child is a wonderfully unique individual. We are proud and privileged to play a part in helping them to reach for the stars and achieve their dreams. Year 3 will provide new challenges as it marks the start of Key Stage 2 and we will build upon the foundations laid in previous years.

Through developing a ‘can –do’ attitude and a growth mindset, we explore children’s curious inquisitiveness that derives from an inclusive, safe and happy learning environment. Our aim is to develop children’s academic and personal skills so they can bloom into confident, resilient and independent learners.

Our Curriculum

Every morning the children participate in English and Maths learning sessions as well as having time to practise their spelling and handwriting skills.

Throughout the day the children are given opportunities to spend time reading for pleasure independently or with an adult. The adult may ask why they have chosen the book, ask questions based on their comprehension of the text, as well as listening to the child’s reading fluency.

In Year 3 we also use the Accelerated Reader programme which helps children select appropriately challenging books which, once completed, they can take a comprehension quiz on at school. These books are available for the children to take home and share with an adult.

Each learning session starts with a whole class input, children then either take part in a focus group, working with an adult, or work independently. Children are given regular oral and written feedback to scaffold and support their learning journey.

The children learn to spell through Decision Spelling. Decision spelling is designed to enable children to make sensible choices as to how to spell unfamiliar words. They develop the knowledge, skills and confidence to have a go at spelling any new words they want to use in their own writing.

We use Talk for Writing to teach the children how to write both fiction and non-fiction text. Talk for Writing uses quality texts to explore the language for children to imitate, innovate and independently create their own written pieces.

Maths is taught through the use of concrete resources, pictorial representations and abstract concepts. The children are encouraged to reason their thinking and use their acquired knowledge to problem solve, deepening their learning, embedding their knowledge and developing mastery skills.

As a Church of England school, time is taken every day to reflect on Christian values, how they have a positive impact on our lives and how they can be developed further. Within our classroom, we have a Reflection area the children can use to reflect on our school values, their positive contributions and how they are, as individuals, valued within our school.

In the afternoon, we make time for the wider curriculum as we appreciate the value of a broad and balanced curriculum. The children have time within these lessons to find out about our world and its history, be creative, explore and problem solve.

Every half-term, in its final week, we have Creative Curriculum week and the afternoons are focused on a DT or Art project. To date we have studied the watercolour paintings of Kate Cosgrove and designed and created a chair suitable for the 3 bears from Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Year 3 Expectations and Parent Partnership

In order to help your child reach their full potential please support them with these key areas at home: 

Reading - Children should read every night for at least 15 minutes to an adult. Any reading should be recorded in the reading log book.

Maths – Children are encouraged to access TTRockstars to gain fluency with multiplication and division, they will be provided with a username and password.

Wherever possible, please encourage your child to have a go at new concepts and challenges as this will develop their growth mindset.

We look forward to welcoming you into our class.