THIRD GRADE CLASS
The Third Grade Program at The Woods strives to meet the individual needs of each child. We offer small class sizes which allows the teachers to work closely with all students.
Our Third-Grade curriculum includes the following elements:
- D'Nealian Handwriting
- Scott-Foresman Social Studies
- Comprehensive Music and Instrument Instruction
- Sadlier-Oxford Mathematics
- McGraw Hill Science
- Moral Intelligence and Character Building Skills
- Renaissance Accelerated Reading Quizzes
- Physical Education and Health Awareness
- Art
- Spanish Instruction
- Scholastic News Weekly Reader
THIRD GRADE CURRICULUM
READING
Most parents think of reading as something that percolates in kindergarten and first grade. But in Third Grade, it takes on added significance. That's because students move from learning to read, to using reading in every aspect of learning. Reading suddenly becomes integral to every subject in school, and will continue to be so through college and beyond. Teachers expect Third Graders to read lessons and chapters on their own and to be ready to discuss them in class. Fluency also continues to be important as your child needs to read most words without having to sound them out in order to understand or comprehend the text.
HAND WRITING
In Third Grade, writing becomes more complicated. Not only will children write book reports, but they will learn to do research papers. Third Graders are asked to respond in writing in almost every subject, even math, so they need to know how to write their thoughts and ideas. Third Graders will continue to focus on the parts of speech and how to use them to make their writing more elaborate and interesting. Plus, now that your child can finally print well, it's time to learn and perfect their cursive!
MATHEMATICS
Third Grade is a flagship year for math; it becomes the bridge from simple computation to more complex skills. Your child will learn the multiplication and division facts. These memorization facts play a crucial role in later learning--the concepts taught in fourth grade require a firm foundation in multiplication and division. Furthermore, the skills will be used moving forward from there--a child can't do algebra if he doesn't have a firm grasp on multiplication, for example. The math your child will learn this year can be divided into four broad categories: number operations, number sense and patterns, geometry and measurement, and probability and statistics.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In Third Grade, social studies is a more visible part of the school week. Students focus on communities within the United States and around the world. Map skills and geography will play a big role in this year. Economics and how money relates to our world will be introduced. Learning more about our president and his job will spark interest in how our government is designed.
SCIENCE
Third Grade science can be divided into two broad categories: science processes and science concepts. Some science processes include evidence, models, measurement, form and function, and explanation. Science concepts your child will learn this year include simple systems and subsystems; how sound is produced and how it travels; the characteristics, basic needs, and habitats of organisms; and forces that change the earth, such as earthquakes and glaciers. Communication of their investigation and interpretation will be used as they learn these processes and concepts.
MUSIC
Singing songs is only a part of our comprehensive program which includes learning to read notes and note values, rhythms, playing recorders, and work with the musical alphabet. Daily classroom instruction is supplemented twice a week with a class taught by a professional music teacher.
iPAD LABORATORY
The Woods will use iPads in all elementary classes to differentiate instruction according to individual needs and encourage critical thinking through multi-media applications and collaborative tools. We also use iPads for enrichment and skill practice.
An iPad laboratory and technology-based lesson will instill a love of study and exploration that will continue to grow throughout their elementary years.
SPANISH
Spanish is taught twice weekly to the Third Grade. A professional Spanish instructor teaches basic vocabulary through the use of songs, games, stories, and dramatic play. Third Graders are introduced to Spanish as a written as well as an oral language.