Our goal for children in third grade is to improve their work and study skills, which will enable them to continue on the road to becoming strong thinkers and learners, as well as responsible citizens.

 

LANGUAGE ARTS

 

Our goal in Language Arts is to foster a love for reading, increase facility with written expression, and strengthen your child's ability to communicate verbally. We individualize our program as much as possible to meet the needs of all our students. Language Arts are reinforced throughout our core curriculum studies.

Reading - We use the reading series Literacy by Design. Along with this anthology of stories that is shared as a whole class, we have many supportive materials such as leveled readers, where students can practice their reading skills at their just right level, and also learning centers and games to reinforce skills, etc. 

Language - Each child on the team is taught grammar skills using Literacy by Design lessons, editing, and presentations.  Much of this practice is completed during learning centers. 

Spelling - The third grade team is currently using the Literacy by Design spelling program which focuses on spelling words by identifying patterns in words. The goal of this program is to create lifelong spellers.

Handwriting - All third grade children receive instruction in cursive handwriting, with stress on readability. Students are given ample time to practice and are expected to work toward the development of cursive skills. Cursive instruction usually begins in January. 

Writer’s Workshop – In third grade students are asked to write a personal narrative, opinion piece and informative piece.  A variety if mini lessons and learning opportunities occur through the use of various mentor texts.

Literature - We read to the children and discuss the literary works recommended for developing appreciation and critical thinking at their level. Topics include: adventure, biographies, poetry, mystery, historical fiction and informational fiction.

Throughout the year each Language Arts class meets regularly with the Librarian to learn and reinforce specific literary skills.

 

MATHEMATICS

Third grade utilizes the Math in Focus program which has an emphasis on problem solving with a concrete to visual to abstract concept development.  All lessons are aligned to the Common Core standards.  In third grade, students will: Work with numbers up to 10,000 or 100,000, Represent and solve problems involving all four operations , Explore and develop an understanding of fractions as numbers including equivalence, Use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit operations, Add and subtract fractions, Identify and explain patterns in arithmetic, Measure and estimate using both metric and customary measures, Estimate and use mental math, Work with time, temperature and money, Find perimeter and area of given figures, Represent and interpret data, Identify and classify geometric shapes, Identify missing numbers or symbols in an equation.  When time permits, your children will have their math concepts reinforced through games and learning centers.  The computers and iPads are also used for reinforcement of skills.

 

SOCIAL STUDIES

 

The third grade social studies program explores the question, "Who Am I in my State?" beginning with a study of maps and globes. We then explore Native Americans. Students learn about the earliest inhabitants of North America and Pennsylvania, focusing on their customs and regional differences. Students study the history and geography of Pennsylvania. This includes learning about Chester County and local townships.

Our ongoing projects in the Social Studies units help the child's thinking and working skills. Current Events, Holidays, and Time News for Kids are also an important part of our program.

 

SCIENCE

 

The third grade science curriculum consists of units developed by Science and Technology for Children. Each third grade class is scheduled in the science room for two 45 minute periods per cycle and one in class Science extension per cycle. Many concepts are extended through integration with other curricular areas. Our units are as follows: Rocks and Minerals, Land & Water, Chemical Tests, Plant Growth and Development.

 

COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

 

We extend our students' experiences in all subject areas through the use of technology. Computers, laptops, iPads and various other pieces of technology are implemented throughout the curriculum. 

 

 

SOCIAL SKILLS

 

All students will participate in classroom meetings throughout the year to develop and encourage good social skills as well as problem solving skills. We will continue our Life Skills program this year. 

 

 PARTNERSHIPS

As part of the District's strategic plan, third grade classes will be participating in community partnerships. One partnership is with the Mill Grove Audubon Center. This year special emphasis will be curricular connections in science, social studies and art. The partnership will reinforce knowledge learned in various science, social studies and art units. A series of two field trips to the center will complement these lessons.  Another partnership, founded in 2015, is that with the Duportail House in Chesterbook.  This is an excellent way for students to see and experience the history that happened right in their backyard!  We look forward to a field trip there in the spring and learning about the Revolutionary War events that took place there. 

 

Third grade is a fabulous adventure filled with lots of exciting learning opportunities!