Third Grade

Third grade uses the Responsive Classroom model which focuses on social and emotional learning and growth for student academic learning and discipline. Student input and choice is put first during our learning experiences. The goal is to create a safe, fun, and engaging environment where students learn to collaborate with their peers as teammates. 3rd graders have 1:1 Google Chromebooks. This technology is used daily to access a wide variety of texts, practice typing skills, and learn computer coding among other online learning programs.  

 

Learning in 3rd Grade

In 3rd Grade, we grow as readers by developing reading stamina, practicing choosing just right books, reading with increasing accuracy and fluency, asking and answering questions, making predictions, and summarizing texts. We study the characters in our texts, text structure, and theme through many different genres of texts. We develop a deeper understanding of folktales and biographies through book clubs while learning how to engage appropriately and productively in group discussions about our reading.

In Grade 3, math instructional time is focused on four critical areas:

  1. developing understanding of multiplication and division and strategies for multiplication and division within 100;
  2. developing understanding of fractions, especially unit fractions (fractions with numerator 1);
  3. developing understanding of the structure of rectangular arrays and of area;
  4. describing and analyzing two-dimensional shapes. 
3rd grade begins the year by reviewing what a scientist is and does. We use various resources and units from the Montshire Museum of Science. We focus on weather, force and motion, plant and animal adaptations and life cycles, and heredity.
Our elementary schools are engaged in a multi-year process to create an aligned literacy curriculum and shared best practices for instruction at grades pre K - 5th.  This work is well underway and is producing collaboration within the two elementary schools.  We are looking forward to sharing more details soon. 

Contact Mrs. Whitaker