Third Grade General Studies


    "The best thing about third grade is learning new things in fun ways because you're not just reading and writing but doing them creatively."
Language Arts
This year we introduced a new literature series from Houghton-Mifflin. It offers diverse and exciting literature and a practice book with essential skills in spelling, grammar, comprehension and writing. In addition to the series, the children write a variety of original pieces (stories, poems etc.), as well as learn research skills. Monthly book reports highlight a particular genre (fiction, mystery, biography, historical fiction, and poetry). The children begin cursive writing and we use a workbook, entitled "Blast Off", which supports the skills tested on the fourth grade ELA test. The program is enriched through more challenging books for advanced readers.

Math
The Everyday Math program is a hands-on, exploratory method of helping children to become math thinkers. There are many games and strategies that teach skills and concepts, as well as paper/pencil activities. The children study addition/subtraction with renaming, multiplication and division algorithms and are tested on multiplication facts. The children build on their knowledge of geometry, measurement, time, money, and place value. A math enrichment program is provided for talented math students.

Science/Social Studies
The science program is largely developed through the use of science kits. The third grade topics are chemistry and plants. In addition, there are smaller units on vertebrates, the moon, the Earth's layers and weathering, and nutrition.

Social studies provides opportunities to study map skills and various communities in both the United States and foreign countries. Highlights are a major class Science Fair project and a trip to Schuyler Mansion. An integrated English/Hebrew program is presented for Father's Day.

    "The best thing about third grade is sharing because you get to learn things about other people that you would never have thought"