Grade 3 Curriculum

Religion

In Grade 3, the textbook mainly focuses on the concept that we are the Church. It is not a building, but rather it is comprised of a community of believers who follow Christ as their leader.

The children will learn about events in the Church, such as Pentecost, Advent, Lent, and Easter. The book focuses on the seven Sacraments and teaches that we are called to discipleship and to spread God's kingdom of love in the world by our daily prayers and actions.

The students learn about the Saints and attend liturgies throughout the school year.

Science

This year, third grade will focus on the following Science concepts as defined by the National Science Education Standards and Scott Foresman Science:

• How plants live and grow;
• How animals grow and change;
• Living things and their environments;
• Changing environments;
• Matter and how it changes
• Forces, machines, and work;
• Energy in your world;
• Sound;
• Changes in the Earth's surface;
• Materials of the Earth;
• The sun, planets, and moon;
• Clouds and storms;
• The body's systems;
• Staying healthy.

Social Studies

This year, third grade will focus on the following Social Studies concepts as defined by the National Council for the Social Studies Standards and Macmillan/McGraw Hill’s Our Communities:

• People Build Communities
  • Life in Communities
  • Communities and Geography
• Communities Have History
  • Early Communities in America
  • People on the Move
  • New Ideas Change Communities
• Communities at Work
  • Living and Working
  • Working in Communities
• Communities Have Governments
  • How Government Works
  • Citizens in Action
• Many Cultures, One Country
  • People and Culture
  • Communities and Culture

Language Arts

Our Language Arts book is divided into six themes:  School Days, Together We Can, As We Grow, Tales to Tell, A Place for All, and Discoveries.  Throughout these themes, we will be covering a variety of concepts including:

• Inflectional endings, with and without spelling changes:  plurals, verb tenses, possessives, comparatives-superlatives;
• Contractions, abbreviations, and compound words;
• Prefixes, suffixes, derivations, and root words;
• Lesson vocabulary;
• Read aloud accurately and with appropriate intonation and expression;
• Read aloud narrative and expository text with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression;
• Read aloud prose and poetry with rhythm and pace, appropriate intonation, and vocal patterns;
• Antonyms;
• Synonyms;
• Homographs;
• Homophones;
• Context/context clues;
• Dictionary, glossary, thesaurus;
• Word structure clues to determine meaning:
• Inflected nouns and verbs, comparatives-superlatives, possessives, compound words, prefixes, suffixes, root words;
• Author’s purpose;
• Cause-effect;
• Compare-contrast;
• Details;
• Directions:  one-, two-, multi-step;
• Fact-fiction;
• Interpret information from graphic aids;
• Book parts;
• Text features;
• Alphabetical order;
• Main idea and supporting details;
• Make inferences;
• Make predictions/predict outcomes;
• Retell stories and ideas;
• Sequence;
• Summarize;

Mathematics

We will be focusing on the following skills as defined by the NCTM and our Houghton Mifflin Math book:

• Place Value
• Compare, Order, and Round Whole Numbers
• Money
• Add Whole Numbers
• Subtract Whole Numbers
• Graph and Analyze Data
• Probability
• Multiplication Concepts
• Multiplication Facts and Patterns
• Division Concepts
• Division Facts and Patterns
• Time and Temperature
• Customary Measurement
• Metric Measurement
• Plane and Solid Figures
• Congruence, Symmetry, and Transformations
• Perimeter, Area, and Volume
• Fraction Concepts
• Work With Fractions
• Decimals
• Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers
• Divide by 1-Digit Numbers

Spanish

Children in grade three are introduced to beginning conversation quickly, including greetings and words of social politeness and manners. They are helped to recognize Spanish words that they already know from television (Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street), from reading stories, and from names of places (Amarillo, San Diego, Colorado ) and many others.

Through songs, games, repetition, rhythmic sounds and motions, solving puzzles and drawing pictures students learn : los numeros, los colores, la familia, los dias de la semana, los meses y partes del cuerpo.

Students learn over many weeks the Our Father ( Padre Nuestro ) and pray this prayer at the beginning of each class.

Technology

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. The Massachusetts Department of Education Recommended Instructional Technology Standards can be found here. The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum. Students in Grade 3 through 5 use desktop computers in their classroom and have weekly technology classes using the wireless computer lab. Weekly Computer Activites:

• Typing drills
• Outlining with Inspiration
• Make cards using Print Shop including change of font and font color
• Internet research using teacher approved websites that support the curriculum
• Introduction to search engines
• Word processing using Word, use copy and paste commands to add graphics to their document
• Following directions activities using Paint.
• Save work to own folder on the server.
• Open file and continue to work on document.