Third Grade Curriculum

RELIGION  (Harcourt Religion Publishers)  “Call to Faith”
Text uses a three step Catechetical process:  

• Invite -- Invites the learner through engaging reflections that draw on the experience of the learner.
• Explore -- Explores the living Traditions of our Catholic faith as it is expressed in scripture and doctrine.  Through the use of stories, literary forms, and questions students enter more deeply into the content & connect faith with their lives.
• Celebrate -- Students celebrate what they believe through prayer celebrations (praise, meditations, litanies, etc).

“GOOD NEWS” is a Gospel Weekly which coordinates with each week’s Sunday Gospel

READING:  (McGraw-Hill)
Our Reading Series has two texts (one for each semester).  Both books are literature based.  The series stresses comprehension, phonics (which involves the phonemes, or sounds that letters make – and the symbol, or letters, that represent those sounds).  To meet individual needs McGraw-Hill provides a rich collection of leveled books for easy, independent, and challenging reading.

SPELLING:  (McDougal, Littel Company)
Each lesson presents a word list that demonstrates one spelling pattern or generalization. 

• Examples:  Unit 1 – silent e words; Unit 2 – oa words. Students should practice at home before the final test.  Use p. 7 for “How to Spell a Word”.

“SCHOLASTIC NEWS” 
Students will use “Scholastic News” for Current Events. It is a rich source of current issues, and is very enriching for Social Studies and Science.
                                                
ENGLISH:  (Macmillan/McGraw Hill)
Tries to create effective communicators through a balance of grammar and writing important to personal expression. (Also, research shows that writing improves reading comprehension.)
Grammar includes:

• Types of sentences
• Nouns (common, proper, possessive)
• Pronouns
• Verbs
• Adjectives
• Adverbs 

Writing includes:

• Narrative
• Explanatory
• Persuasive
• Comparison
• Expository
• Fiction

MATH:  (McGraw-Hill)
Our Math text supports and embraces the belief that all students should learn important mathematical concepts and processes with understanding. The objective of each lesson is clearly stated. Instruction boxes and assignments help students gain mastery of concepts and skills. 

Curriculum includes: 

• Place Value
• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• Measurement
• Geometry
• Decimals
• Fractions

The use of flash cards for mastery and accuracy is strongly suggested to be done for practice at home.

HANDWRITING:  (Zaner-Bloser Traditional)
Our emphasis in Third Grade is Cursive Writing. Cursive Writing was introduced and taught in Grade 2.  Many of our students know how to form their letters; some have difficulty joining a particular letter to other letters to form words; and, some need more practice due to fine motor control problems.

The period in Handwriting will emphasize the correct strokes in writing the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet, and connecting these letters to other letters to form words.  Assignments are to be done in Cursive Writing whenever possible.

SOCIAL STUDIES:  (Scott, Foresman Co.  Series 20
The Social Studies text in Third Grade is “Communities”. Every chapter in the book provides rich, comprehensive content that captures the students’ imagination and, hopefully, makes them more eager to learn. It also provides explicit reading and writing instruction that builds understanding and prepares the students for testing. The series emphasizes geography, thinking, charts and graphs, research, and map and globe skills

The content of the Third Grade text includes units on:

• Our Community
• People in Our Communities
• Where Are Communities
• History of Communities
• Communities at Work
• Governments

FIRE SAFETY:
Continuation of the “Learn Not to Burn” Program is a monthly presentation especially for Third Graders, sponsored by the Downers Grove Fire Department.

Curriculum includes:

• Fire Safety,
• Exit Drills in the Home,
• Fire Hazards,
• Burn Prevention,
• Electrical Safety,
• Demonstration of Equipment of Firefighters/Paramedics.

SCIENCE:  (Scott Foresman)
Our Science text is aligned with national and state standards. It uses an inquiry approach to explore Science concepts through “hands-on” and “minds-on” activities. Many involve close observation.  

Curriculum includes:
Life Science: Plants, animals, and their environments.

Physical Science: Matter, forces, simple machines, energy, and sound.

Earth Science: Properties of Earth materials; effects of volcanoes, Earthquakes, wind and water; clouds and storm

The Solar System

The Human Body: Systems of the body and personal health.

Science is always a challenging subject.  Students will need help rereading and reviewing material and studying for tests.

Future Science Project: Planet research paper and visual aid.