Religion
Third graders grow closer to our Lord and understand his deep love for us as they locate and read scripture from the Bible. Students begin to understand more about Jesus and our Blessed Mother through praying the mysteries of the rosary. The seven sacraments, saints, the liturgical year and the Ten Commandments are some of the highlights of the curriculum. St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Lily of the Mohawks) is our classroom patron saint.
Language Arts & Reading
Third graders are now reading to learn. The students read from the Treasures reading series where skills are practiced to help students develop a strong comprehension. Students enhance their writing skills as they utilize the rules of grammar to write opinion, narrative and persuasive pieces. Orton-Gillingham principles are used when teaching students how to decode, spell and understand multisyllabic words. Vocabulary skills are strengthened as students learn words based on their root, prefix or suffix meaning. The students create interactive vocabulary notebooks.
Mathematics
Computation skills are extremely important to our third-grade curriculum. Students must master all four operations in third grade (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). The mastery of these computation skills helps students to solve problems mentally. Concepts skills include place value to the millions, measurement, fractions, geometry, probability, elapsed time, counting money and making change. Students receive a Computation grade and a Concept grade.
Science
Students engage in many hands-on experiences as they study the “Next Generation Science” standards in the following units: the scientific method, science tools, weather/climate, fossils, force and motion, energy, simple machines, vertebrates/invertebrates, the solar system, adaptations, food chains/webs, and magnets. The students love going to the science lab on a regular basis to conduct experiments and to work collaboratively on S.T.R.E.A.M. activities.
Social Studies
The study of the United States is the main focus of the third-grade curriculum. Students explore each region of the United States learning about the Native Americans who lived in the region, the productive resources of each region and the historical places and buildings. Students must be able to locate each state on a map and identify its’ capital. Students also study map skills, the government, geography and economic principles.
Technology
Students visit the computer lab at least once a week to practice skills in all content areas.
