What to expect in 3rd Grade this year…
A Curriculum Overview
Math Our school uses the enVision Math Common Core Program. This program has proven to be a fantastic tool in our district! Students should know their basic addition and subtraction facts well coming to 3rd grade! I can’t stress enough how important this is! Please practice daily for a few minutes. These facts need to be quick and automatic (within 3 seconds). There are several topics that focus on multiplication and division. The first topic will work on the basic concepts of multiple groups and equal divisions or groups and meanings of multiplication. Then we will really start to focus on the basic multiplication facts, so get ready to study those facts on a regular basis! I will send home a schedule of expected mastery. By January ALL multiplication facts should be automatic. We will practice in school often, but your child will be expected to practice DAILY at home to ensure mastery of all facts. Again, within the 3 second rule!
At the beginning of each Topic there will be a Family Letter sent home. Please read it over and keep it as a reference for you and your child. Students will have practice pages to complete on a nightly basis. The activities will help to review and reinforce newly learned skills and concepts.
3rd Grade Fact Masters Fact Masters are students who have mastered their math facts on a timed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division test. Each student takes a test at the end of each month and if 90% of their facts are correct, their picture is displayed on the MATH FACT MASTER WALL! The challenge is to see how many times each student can master the facts and have more pictures added to the MATH FACT MASTER WALL! We will also have weekly timed tests as well.
Social Studies Below are the Units of Study for this year.
Geography of New England
Early Settlements: Wampanoags and Pilgrims
Colonial Life in Massachusetts
History of Stoughton
Revolutionary War
Reading/Language Arts We explore multiple genres of reading in the third grade. We use leveled reading books, novels, Scholastic Weekly Readers, StoryWorks and more to meet each standard.
Students will be learning a variety of reading strategies throughout the year. Class read-alouds will help model these good reading strategies, and independent reading time will allow students to practice and apply such strategies. Students will also meet in smaller guided reading groups for differentiated instruction.
Below are some of the Reading Comprehension Strategies for this year.
Making Connections
Questioning
Visualizing
Inferring
Synthesizing
Determining Importance
Students will be asked to read outside of school on a regular basis. Students will participate in our class F.R.E.D. Reading Program. (Families Read Every Day)
In this program, students are expected to read each night, 4-5 times a week. Students choose their own reading material (books, magazines, newspapers) and keep a reading log. FRED Reading Logs are collected and checked at the end of each month.
Students will read daily in class for Independent Reading Time. They will be encouraged to read a variety of genres during this time.
Spelling/Word Study Each “week” your child will be given 10 spelling words to study at home based on the spelling pattern we are studying in class. The end of unit test will also include some words that your child will not be able to study that follow the same spelling pattern. Researchers have found that students often memorize words for a test and then promptly forget them the following week. This is because assigned spelling lists require students to study isolated words rather than studying the phonics, the sounds that letters make within the words. The 10 words on the test that your child is not able to study will help me determine how effectively your child is able to apply the spelling pattern to new words. There are also specific words in the English language that are commonly found in texts and are used regularly in students’ writing. We call these HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS. While students will have 10 assigned words that follow the spelling pattern that we are studying each week, they will also have 5 high frequency words that they will be expected to practice at home.
The students will have the Pretest on the Grade-Level List. If 0-1 are incorrect on the pre-test, your child will get the Challenge List for the week.
Your child will have a spelling test each Friday that contains 25 words. Twenty of the words will be pattern-based and, the remaining 5 will be high frequency words.
If your child scored 80 or below and wishes to take the challenge test, he/she may.
Writing The students will be writing a lot throughout the year. They will explore a variety of styles and genres. They will also have pen pals from the Hansen School that they will write to throughout the school year and get to meet in June.
Below are the Traits of Good Writing.
* Ideas
* Word Choice
* Organization
* Conventions
* Voice
* Presentation
* Sentence Fluency
A Curriculum Overview
Math Our school uses the enVision Math Common Core Program. This program has proven to be a fantastic tool in our district! Students should know their basic addition and subtraction facts well coming to 3rd grade! I can’t stress enough how important this is! Please practice daily for a few minutes. These facts need to be quick and automatic (within 3 seconds). There are several topics that focus on multiplication and division. The first topic will work on the basic concepts of multiple groups and equal divisions or groups and meanings of multiplication. Then we will really start to focus on the basic multiplication facts, so get ready to study those facts on a regular basis! I will send home a schedule of expected mastery. By January ALL multiplication facts should be automatic. We will practice in school often, but your child will be expected to practice DAILY at home to ensure mastery of all facts. Again, within the 3 second rule!
At the beginning of each Topic there will be a Family Letter sent home. Please read it over and keep it as a reference for you and your child. Students will have practice pages to complete on a nightly basis. The activities will help to review and reinforce newly learned skills and concepts.
3rd Grade Fact Masters Fact Masters are students who have mastered their math facts on a timed addition, subtraction, multiplication, and/or division test. Each student takes a test at the end of each month and if 90% of their facts are correct, their picture is displayed on the MATH FACT MASTER WALL! The challenge is to see how many times each student can master the facts and have more pictures added to the MATH FACT MASTER WALL! We will also have weekly timed tests as well.
Social Studies Below are the Units of Study for this year.
Geography of New England
Early Settlements: Wampanoags and Pilgrims
Colonial Life in Massachusetts
History of Stoughton
Revolutionary War
Reading/Language Arts We explore multiple genres of reading in the third grade. We use leveled reading books, novels, Scholastic Weekly Readers, StoryWorks and more to meet each standard.
Students will be learning a variety of reading strategies throughout the year. Class read-alouds will help model these good reading strategies, and independent reading time will allow students to practice and apply such strategies. Students will also meet in smaller guided reading groups for differentiated instruction.
Below are some of the Reading Comprehension Strategies for this year.
Making Connections
Questioning
Visualizing
Inferring
Synthesizing
Determining Importance
Students will be asked to read outside of school on a regular basis. Students will participate in our class F.R.E.D. Reading Program. (Families Read Every Day)
In this program, students are expected to read each night, 4-5 times a week. Students choose their own reading material (books, magazines, newspapers) and keep a reading log. FRED Reading Logs are collected and checked at the end of each month.
Students will read daily in class for Independent Reading Time. They will be encouraged to read a variety of genres during this time.
Spelling/Word Study Each “week” your child will be given 10 spelling words to study at home based on the spelling pattern we are studying in class. The end of unit test will also include some words that your child will not be able to study that follow the same spelling pattern. Researchers have found that students often memorize words for a test and then promptly forget them the following week. This is because assigned spelling lists require students to study isolated words rather than studying the phonics, the sounds that letters make within the words. The 10 words on the test that your child is not able to study will help me determine how effectively your child is able to apply the spelling pattern to new words. There are also specific words in the English language that are commonly found in texts and are used regularly in students’ writing. We call these HIGH FREQUENCY WORDS. While students will have 10 assigned words that follow the spelling pattern that we are studying each week, they will also have 5 high frequency words that they will be expected to practice at home.
The students will have the Pretest on the Grade-Level List. If 0-1 are incorrect on the pre-test, your child will get the Challenge List for the week.
Your child will have a spelling test each Friday that contains 25 words. Twenty of the words will be pattern-based and, the remaining 5 will be high frequency words.
If your child scored 80 or below and wishes to take the challenge test, he/she may.
Writing The students will be writing a lot throughout the year. They will explore a variety of styles and genres. They will also have pen pals from the Hansen School that they will write to throughout the school year and get to meet in June.
Below are the Traits of Good Writing.
* Ideas
* Word Choice
* Organization
* Conventions
* Voice
* Presentation
* Sentence Fluency