3rd Grade Curriculum at a Glance

MAIN LESSSON BLOCKS

Language Arts/History: Hebrew Stories/Creation stories

Math: Measurement: Time, Weight, Length, & Money

Science/Practical Activities: Farming, Shelters, Clothing

Class Play

3rd Grade Curriculum in Detail

LANGUAGE ARTS

• Reading: Reading Groups provide practice with reading aloud, comprehension, and writing

• Writing: Main lesson retellings, free renderings, descriptive paragraphs, “sequence renditions” (We did this, then….”), thank you notes, friendly letters, invitations, greeting cards, etc. Students proofread for punctuation/capitalization. First research report: My Shelter Project

• Vocab/Spelling: Weekly spelling lists and quizzes related to spelling rules, phonics rules, and conventions. Work with homonyms, synonyms, antonyms, syllabication, and alphabetizing

• Grammar: Introduction to naming, doing, and describing words and the four types of sentences

• Speech Work: Poetry and verse recitations and the Class Play build confidence in public speaking

• Handwriting: Continued practice with cursive and print, with attention to letter formation, spacing, consistency, and proper use of lower and uppercase letters

MATH

• Consolidation of addition and subtraction skills, with bigger numbers and/or long columns

• Introduction to different forms of measurement: time, weight, length, and money

• Memorization of multiplication tables: 2 x 4 = 8, etc. and learning double-digit multiplication

• Introduction to short division and division facts associated with multiplication facts

• Continued practice counting and writing numbers up into the thousands

• Continued work with number patterns, story problems, graphing & math games

• Practice with rounding and estimating

• Introduction to prime, composite, and square numbers

• Identification of operation needed to solve word problems

SCIENCE/PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES

• Farming and gardening: soils, composting, planting, harvesting

• Fiber arts: spinning, weaving, cloth dyeing

• Cooking & baking

FORM DRAWING

• Continued development of hand-eye coordination

• Advanced midline forms, symmetry, spatial relationships

• Handwriting practice

FOREIGN LANGUAGE: SPANISH & CHINESE

• Continued development of listening comprehension, vocabulary, and speaking ability through listening and following, question/answer activities, songs, poems, rhymes, movement exercises, and games

• New vocabulary includes higher numbers, calendar words, fruits and vegetables, etc.

• Speaking develops through repetition and recitations.

PAINTING

• Form out of colors

• Landscape development

MUSIC

• Rounds and partner songs, call and response

• Introduction of diatonic recorders mid-year

• Introduction to music notation and theory

GAMES

• Cooperative tag games using larger spaces

• Running games, ball games, stilts, tumbling

• Ball and Frisbee-handling skills

• Yoga

• Work on reacting quickly to changing situations, waiting for turns, safety

• Sportsmanship

HANDWORK

• Crocheting: chain, single, double, & triple crochet; straight crocheting; circular crocheting

• Projects: recorder case, potholder, mouse, penguin, apple, lion, and many more!

EURYTHMY

• Continued work staying centered within the group

• Continued work learning to be aware of self and the group at the same time

• Developing awareness that anything we do affects the group either positively or negatively

• More advanced work with copper rods and balls

• Learning to work with partners, moving to the beat and rhythm of the beautiful classical pieces

• Learning to align arm and feet movements and experience a sense of oneness through movement