Click on the links below for a more in depth explanation of our units of study in each curriculum area....
OverviewIn third grade, students continue to develop strategies to effectively use language. Through the presentation of reports and journal writing, they learn to write and speak for a specific purpose. Students learn to become strategic readers by identifying the elements of a story. They read expository material for specific information. Study skills include note taking, the use of reference materials, interpreting graphs and diagrams, and test-taking skills.
Vocabulary development continues to include the refinement of phonetic and decoding skills. Word analysis strategies include: homonyms, antonyms, synonyms, analogies, multiple meaning and compound words. Students expand their vocabulary by learning strategies for identifying unfamiliar words. Reading comprehension skills taught include: understanding fiction and nonfiction reading selections, identifying main ideas, sequencing events, recalling details, making predictions, drawing inferences, and understanding cause-and-effect relationships. Third graders continue to learn and practice the steps of the writing process. Peer conferencing is introduced as another revision technique. Proper grammar, spelling, and the mechanics of writing are taught to enable students to proofread and communicate more effectively. Students will write in a variety of genres including; personal narratives, information books, research reports, fables and poetry. They will have opportunities to publish their work in a variety of formats throughout the year. Reading Strategy Handouts to support your growing reader!
Key Components of Math ProgramBuilding Concepts: In Math Expressions, building deep conceptual understanding is achieved by exploring concepts deeply. Our goal is to help students understand why we do math a certain way, not just how. To many parents, this is the biggest frustration. It seems like we are making things more complicated than necessary by asking students to draw solutions or try different methods. However, this program is carefully sequenced to build understanding first, and common procedures like carrying last. Trust me, if you can have patience with the approach, you will see amazing results!
Quick Practice: We all know that mastering basic math facts is important. It makes problem-solving easier when children don't have to spend their mental energy trying to figure out simple sums. For this reason, quick practice is built into the program through daily warm-ups, "Remembering" pages, and Fluency Checks. Math Talk: Discussion is the centerpiece of our math classroom. Students are given the time and opportunity to talk about how they think they should approach a problem, what confuses them, patterns that they notice, and reasons they think an answer is correct or incorrect. Young children especially need this kind of social interaction to really develop understanding - no matter what the topic! We have partner, small group, and whole group discussions on a regular basis. This gives every child a chance to develop speaking and listening skills as well as math skills! Classroom Community: Building a community of thinkers is the topmost priority of my classroom as a whole, and math class is no different! Students learn to take risks without worrying about mistakes, articulate their ideas well to help another child, and treat all learners and their ideas with respect. This is our classroom after all, and they see that they are important in making it a safe, accepting place where everyone can learn and do their best! Unit Concepts- Year at a Glance
Third graders focus on fact families in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. They continue developing strategies for multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. Learning multiplication facts through the 10s is a goal this year. Other third-grade skills include understanding large numbers in addition to working with small numbers using equivalent fractions and decimals (to the thousandths). They continue the study of geometry, negative numbers, calculator skills, telling time, and geometry. Practical application of measurement skills includes linear, weight, and capacity with customary and metric units. Students perform probability experiments that provide information for analyzing data and predicting outcomes. Third graders will have Home Links homework on a regular basis. Unit 1: Multiplication and Division 0-5, 9, 10 Unit 2: Multiplication and Division 6, 7, 8 , 10 Unit 3: Measurement, Time and Graphs Unit 4: Multi-digit Addition and Subtraction Unit 5: Write Equations to Solve Word Problems Unit 6: Polygons, Perimeter, and Area Unite 7: Explore Fractions |
Keep Components of the ProgramSocial Studies Alive! is more than just a curriculum. It is a teaching approach based on the philosophy that children learn best when concepts are brought to life! With this as a foundation, the activities we do incorporate role play, games, simulations, creative projects, group problem-solving, and reading. Social Studies is an exciting subject in our room, and one that students love and I love teaching!
Big Ideas of Unit ProgramThe third grade social studies curriculum focuses on regions. Students begin by examining regional communities in Michigan and then go on to explore the five regions of the United States.
Key Components of the ProgramOur FOSS science curriculum is focused on developing understanding through hands-on, experiential learning. Students build intuitive knowledge through exploration, observation, and playful, open-ended activities. We solidify our learning through reading and discussing. Scientific thinking involves asking questions, looking for evidence, recording observations, and making predictions. These process skills are at the heart of every science investigation we do in second grade. Scientists, like children, are driven by their curiosity. Second graders love discovering things about the world. My science instruction seeks to harness that natural curiosity and mold it into deep understanding by listening closely to my students' ideas and developing those ideas into scientific concepts and thinking.
Content Covered in Units of StudyMeasurement- Measurement, the process of quantifying observations, is one of the cornerstones of science. Measurement compares nature—the unknown—to a standard unit—the known. Through such comparison, the organization of the world becomes more comprehensive. The Measurement Module consists of four investigations, each designed to emphasize a particular type of metric measurement—length, mass, temperature, and volume.
- Click for explanation and materials. Water- Water is the most important substance on Earth. Water dominates the surface of our planet, changes the face of the land, and defines life. These powerful, pervasive ideas are introduced here. The Water Module consists of four investigations in which students explore properties of water, changes in water, interactions between water and other earth materials, and how humans use water.
-Click for explanation and materials Structures of Life- The Structures of Life Module consists of four sequential investigations dealing with observable characteristics of organisms. Students observe, compare, categorize, and care for a selection of organisms, and in so doing they learn to identify properties of plants and animals and to sort and group organisms on the basis of observable properties. Students investigate structures of the organisms and learn how some of the structures function in growth and survival.
-Click for explanation and materials Sun Moon and Earth/Light and Heat Unit- Sun, Moon and Earth/ Light and Heat- The Earth, Moon, and Sun Module is designed to introduce students to objects we see in the sky. Students compare and contrast the characteristics of the Earth, Moon, and Sun as they investigate the relative motion of each. Students study how light travels and conductors of heat.
-Click for explanation and materials Computer LabWe will visit the computer lab once a week where students will be engaged in a variety of activities to support what we are learning in the core content areas. Students will have opportunities to visit websites with games to reinforce key curricular concepts in a fun way, blog on our class website, learn the basics of email, type published writing and much more.
IPadsThanks to the strategic planning and budgeting of the Troy School District each student will have their own iPad to enhance and support their learning. We are a one-to-one iPad classroom. What an amazing opportunity we have with our students! Not only do I want technology to be fun and engaging for students but I also want to expose them to resources that can transform their learning by showing them tools that allow them to do things they might never have imagined. We will use our iPads on a daily basis to showcase our learning and learn what it means to be a digital citizen in an online collaborative classroom.
-Please click here for a list of approved favorite class apps to download for your child on their iPad. |