Third Grade Curriculum

Throughout the year, students participate in physical education, music, library, computer class, Spanish, and art. Students also attend a variety of educational field trips.

Reading: Students use Houghton Mifflin Harcout’s Journeys series. The curriculum creates a literature-rich environment that instills a passion for lifelong reading and a love of literature and the written word. It has research-based instruction of: word knowledge, comprehension skills and strategies; informational texts and literary texts; inquiry skills and strategies; and writing and language arts skills and strategies. We use multimedia and technology in thoughtful and practical ways. The Accelerated Reader Program is also used. This computer-based program is a reading program that supports reading comprehension.

Spelling: Phonetic and structural analysis skills are applied to weekly word lists. Dictionary skills are incorporated, as well as an extensive use of words in written expression exercises and sentences.

English: Language Arts focuses on the development of writing skills, as well as the usage of grammar using Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s English. The curriculum includes sentence structure, composition of paragraphs, and composing letters.

Math: Students use Houghton Mifflin’s Math. The curriculum includes clocks, graphs, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, regrouping of three and four place numbers, estimating, word problems, thermometer, measurement, money, and geometry. We have access to an online book subscription and extra practice, allowing us to customize instruction to meet the needs of the students.

Social Studies: Students use Harcourt Social Studies’ Our Communities to study history, geography, literature, the arts, graphs, and charts. The goal is the development of children with the knowledge, skills, and civic values needed to become active participants in the world.

Science: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s Science Fusion is our science curriculum. Interactive digital lessons and virtual labs are used alongside textbook. The areas of study include Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science. Experiments and projects are incorporated into the topic where appropriate.

Handwriting: Cursive handwriting is taught using the D’Nealian method. After reviewing upper and lower case letters, students work toward mastery of cursive writing.