Third Grade

The third grade curriculum includes reading, writing, spelling, grammar lessons, writing complete sentences and paragraphs. We complete a cursive handwriting book.

We have 80 minutes of reading and writing each day. Two periods of spelling/phonics and two periods of grammar lessons each week. We use an anthology with selection tests and trade books. Graphic organizers are used to analyze and compare books.

Activities during the year include monthly book reports, an author study, and a biography project. Students also write and illustrate an original fairy tale which they read to the first grade. Students use Raz Kids and Big Universe.

In third grade students use the McGraw-Hill Math Series. In addition to daily class, there is a an extra math period called Math Magic. Important skills students learn in third grade include place value, addition with regrouping, subtraction with borrowing, multiplication, division, fractions, measurement, and geometry.

Math Magic is a class where we do not use our book. We plan fun math activities that reinforce the skills. We also have math club held after school for ten weeks to reinforce skills. Students also use IXL and other computer programs in class and as homework.

In Social Studies, students have access to both a textbook and an online digital copy.

Social studies topics include:

• Communities that Built a Nation: Native Americans, Explorers, and Spanish/French/English Early Communities
• Government: branches, landmarks, symbols, documents
• A Growing Nation: travel and making home in America
• Economics

Once a week, students study current events using News ELA, which provides online access to articles. Map skills are used throughout the year.

In Science, student have access to both a textbook and an online digital copy. Third grade science covers topics in Earth, physical, and life sciences.

Topics covered In our earth Science unit:

• Earth and Weather
• Earth and Our Universe

In our physical science unit, we cover matter.

A cross-curricular unit on sound with the social studies, science, music subjects results in a music maker project.

Students continue with oral vocabulary acquisition using games and songs and move gradually towards writing and spelling some vocabulary and simple formulaic sentences by the end of third grade.

Church community, prayer, and scripture are taught with a special emphasis on the Mass and how it incorporates all of these concepts within its framework.