Third Grade

“Third grade is a year of transition for children. They are learning to work more independently as well as enjoying the social academics of cooperative groups. Third graders need decision making opportunities to support their growth in personal responsibility.” ~~ Sherry Nash, Russell Elementary School

Language Arts

Themes: Something Special, Team Work: People & Animals, Friendship, Tell Me A Story, Mystery & Drama

• Learning to read independently
• Preview text (title, headings, chapters, cover, summary, table of contents, table, charts) to set a purpose for reading, recognize author’s purpose and make predictions
• Use sight word vocabulary
• Use knowledge of phonics and word analysis to decode new words
• Use initial, medial and final sounds, and long and short vowel sounds, to decode words
• Develop knowledge of phonics (digraphs, blends, vowel combinations, etc.

• Use context cues to understand new vocabulary words in context areas
• Reread to self-correct miscues
• Retell and summarize ideas in nonfiction and fiction
• Clarify ideas and understandings through rereading and discussion
• Reading Critically
• Distinguish between facts and misleading information in media
• Make inferences and draw conclusions based on text
• Read and understand documents
• Identify and use a variety of media
• Analyzing & Interpreting Literature
• Recognize types of text (narrative, informational, poetry, etc.)
• Identify literary elements (events, characters, setting, problem, solution, theme)
• Identify literary devices (repetition, personification, rhyme, rhythm, etc.)
• Read and respond to fiction, nonfiction and poetry
• Identify variations in dialogue
• Identify structures in drama (dialogue, acts, scenes)
• Types and Quality of Writing
• Write with a clear focus, identifying topic, task and audience
• Write using content appropriate to topic
• Write showing main idea and supporting details
• Write with a sense of style (varies sentence length, good word choice)
• Revise and edit writing for conventions
• Use nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, conjunctions correctly
• Spell frequently used words correctly
• Use capital letters and punctuation marks correctly
• Learning to Learn
• Discuss and locate topics of interest for research
• Locate appropriate resources for a task
• Use traditional and electronic resources
• Describe appropriate listening, speaking and turn-taking behaviors
• Exhibit persistence in completing tasks
• Follow classroom rules
• Strive for accuracy

Social Studies

“Communities” Civics and Government, Economics, Geography and History are the focus in the third grade study of communities. Students learn about ways in which communities are similar and different. Native American and colonial Pennsylvanian communities, as well as the communities of Marple Township, Newtown Square and communities around the world provide students with examples of diverse communities.

Third grade students learn Social Studies through the following units:

• Geography
• Communities Around the World
• Native Americans
• The Founding of Our Nation
• Economics

Science

“Rocks and Minerals” In this unit, the students investigate rocks and minerals. Through their experiences, students are introduced to the following concepts:

• Rocks are aggregates of minerals, and they may also contain organic matter.
• Different rocks have different properties.
• The properties of rocks reflect the way they were formed and the minerals in them.
• Each mineral is composed of only one substance, and that substance is the same in all samples of the mineral.
• Minerals differ in color, texture, smell, luster, transparency, hardness, shape, and reaction to magnets.
• The properties and minerals determine how they are used.

“Sound” In this unit, students investigate the phenomenon of sound. Their experiences introduce them to the following concepts:

• Sounds are produced by vibrating objects and vibrating columns of air.
• Pitch and volume are two characteristics of sound.
• Pitch is determined by the frequency of the vibrations; volume is determined by the amplitude of the vibrations.
• Changing the length, tension, or thickness of a string affects the frequency of vibration and, therefore, the pitch of the sound produced.
• The human ear has a membrane that vibrates when sound reaches it; the ear and the brain translate these vibrations into the sensation of sound.
• Sound is produced by the human vocal cords as air moves through the tightened cords.

“Chemical Tests” In this unit, students investigate the properties of a variety of common household chemicals. From their experiences they are introduced to the following concepts:

• Common household chemicals have different physical and chemical properties.
• Chemicals undergo changes in form, color, or texture when they are mixed together, separated, or heated.
• Some chemicals can be identified by their interaction with water, vinegar, iodine, red cabbage juice, and heat.
• Different types of mixtures, such as solutions or suspensions, are created when solids are combined with water.
• Evaporation and filtration are methods for separating mixtures of solids and liquids.
• Some chemicals can be classified as acids, bases, or neutral substances by their reactions with red cabbage juice.

Mathematics

The focus of Level 3 Mathematics is the continued mastery of addition and subtraction facts and the mastery of multiplication and division concepts and facts. Other important topics studied are

• Place value
• Time
• Money
• Geometry
• Measurement
• Graphs
• Problem solving strategies