3rd Grade Curriculum
ELA
In 3rd grade, readers dive into the world of chapter books and rich characters! All year long, students work hard to study the characters in their favorite series and get to know them like they do their own friends and classmates! We believe in filling the shelves of our libraries with books that feature diverse characters and allow students to understand the perspectives of those from different backgrounds than their own. We strive to develop critical thinkers who are able to analyze both fiction and nonfiction books in order to determine their main ideas and central messages. Our students leave 3rd grade not only with strong reading comprehension skills but also with the ability to create their own theories and ideas about their reading that they can prove with supporting text evidence.
In writing, students learn how to write across a variety of genres. Students will begin by studying different authors and trying their craft moves in their own texts. They will collect ideas and learn that ideas are all around them. Students then move into opinion writing in our “Changing the World” unit. Students learn to introduce topics, support these by listing reasons, using transition words to connect the various parts of their pieces and to conclude. This unit moves writers from writing opinion speeches to forming cause groups to support various causes. Students use the information they have learned in their opinion writing pieces to begin their information writing unit. During this unit, students will learn to write introductions, organize information, and include text features that help their readers. Students will also be taught many different ways to elaborate on their topics through the use of facts, definitions, and other important details, but also through the use of descriptions and anecdotes. Third graders will use the knowledge and skills they learned to finish the year with units that include creating picture books that address a social issue and independent research projects about China, which they study in Social Studies as well.
Math
Third grade uses the Engage math curriculum, as well as supplemental materials and games from TERC and other teacher created resources. Third grade uses a hands-on approach to teaching math, with students having access to different manipulatives to engage with their work. There are also math based projects and games that are incorporated into each unit. Some of the big ideas taught in third grade include:
Social Studies
One highlight of our year is our studies of Africa and Asia. Our students learn how to interpret meaning from informational texts through reading about Africa and Asia's land, animals, people, diverse cultures, and rich and complex histories. We also become "cultural anthropologists" and engage in a study of one country from each continent, learning about what life is like in both Nigeria and China. We offer opportunities for our students to create their own projects that represent their exciting, new learning!
In 3rd grade, readers dive into the world of chapter books and rich characters! All year long, students work hard to study the characters in their favorite series and get to know them like they do their own friends and classmates! We believe in filling the shelves of our libraries with books that feature diverse characters and allow students to understand the perspectives of those from different backgrounds than their own. We strive to develop critical thinkers who are able to analyze both fiction and nonfiction books in order to determine their main ideas and central messages. Our students leave 3rd grade not only with strong reading comprehension skills but also with the ability to create their own theories and ideas about their reading that they can prove with supporting text evidence.
In writing, students learn how to write across a variety of genres. Students will begin by studying different authors and trying their craft moves in their own texts. They will collect ideas and learn that ideas are all around them. Students then move into opinion writing in our “Changing the World” unit. Students learn to introduce topics, support these by listing reasons, using transition words to connect the various parts of their pieces and to conclude. This unit moves writers from writing opinion speeches to forming cause groups to support various causes. Students use the information they have learned in their opinion writing pieces to begin their information writing unit. During this unit, students will learn to write introductions, organize information, and include text features that help their readers. Students will also be taught many different ways to elaborate on their topics through the use of facts, definitions, and other important details, but also through the use of descriptions and anecdotes. Third graders will use the knowledge and skills they learned to finish the year with units that include creating picture books that address a social issue and independent research projects about China, which they study in Social Studies as well.
Math
Third grade uses the Engage math curriculum, as well as supplemental materials and games from TERC and other teacher created resources. Third grade uses a hands-on approach to teaching math, with students having access to different manipulatives to engage with their work. There are also math based projects and games that are incorporated into each unit. Some of the big ideas taught in third grade include:
- Understanding multiplication as things that come in equal groups
- Associative and distributive property of multiplication
- Equivalence and equal groups
- Place value patterns that occur when multiplying by the base
- Unitizing
- Commutative property of x
- Fractions are units (unit fractions)
- Fractions can be represented on a number line
- Expressing whole numbers as fractions
- Finding combinations of fractions that are equivalent to 1.
- Divide a single whole or a quantity into equal parts and name those parts as fractions or mixed numbers.
- Understand the reasoning behind how we add fractions
- Understand the definition of area
- Relate area to multiplication and addition
- When we read or make graphs
- Perimeter
- Perimeter vs. Area
Social Studies
One highlight of our year is our studies of Africa and Asia. Our students learn how to interpret meaning from informational texts through reading about Africa and Asia's land, animals, people, diverse cultures, and rich and complex histories. We also become "cultural anthropologists" and engage in a study of one country from each continent, learning about what life is like in both Nigeria and China. We offer opportunities for our students to create their own projects that represent their exciting, new learning!
