Third Grade

TEACHERS

Mrs. Kuzel

GOALS & EXPECTATIONS

In third grade, organizational skills are important. We ask students to take greater ownership of their own learning. They should read and follow directions independently and be a self-advocate when they do not understand something by asking questions. Textbooks are no longer consumable and will be brought to and from school on occasion. Students are expected to write down homework nightly in their student planners. Students will (after teaching of this skill) be expected to answer all questions in compete sentences including a part of the question in the sentence. Neatness is also expected on all work. There are tests in all subject areas, allowing students to develop good study habits/skills.

RELIGION

Using a thematic approach, religion explores the mystery of God, Life, the Holy Spirit, and Church. The main tasks for religious education are moral formation, teaching to pray, community life, liturgy, and knowledge of faith. Music, web support, eBooks, and textbooks aide in engaging students to live out their faith by actions.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Through comprehension strategies, students transition from learning how to read, to reading to learn new information. Comprehension strategies include:  plan and monitor, ask questions, determine importance, make inferences, make connections, synthesize information and visualize the information read. Students read a wide variety of texts in school and at home, focusing on both fiction and nonfiction genres. All students participate in the online Reading Counts program. Writing and grammar skills are integrated in their teaching and learning. Writing of paragraphs with a topic sentence, supporting sentences and a concluding sentence is an important skill learned this year. It is important that students apply correct syntax and punctuation to their writing. Students will also participate in the Archdiocesan Young Authors competition, writing and publishing their own stories. Spelling words are presented in pattern form, supporting phonics and vocabulary skills. Students receive work lists each week based on which skill they are studying.

MATH

Math is taught in a hands-on, problem-solving way. Regular lessons based on Number Talks by Sherry Parrish strengthen students’ number sense and mental math abilities. Basic facts (through 18) in addition and subtraction are studied at the beginning of the year, and multiplication facts (through 12 x 12) are expected to be mastered by the end of the year. Students also learn skills such as identifying, adding and subtracting fractions and decimals, measurement in customary and metric systems, money and time concepts, place value, geometry, and algebraic patterns. Students utilize Moby Max, an online program, to reinforce and strengthen math skills.

SCIENCE

Science follows the Next Generation of Science Standards. Students use fun, collaborative grouping strategies and interactives to share their explanations of the exploration activities using our online STEMscopes program. Students are guided using the 5E model: explore, engage, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Social Studies is taught using our Houghton Mifflin Discover Series. Motivate students to explore their world. Built to inspire curiosity and cultivate analytical skills, HMH Kids Discover Social Studies offers hands-on lessons and activities, graphic magazines, and digital assets that fit into any classroom schedule. Pioneer days, mapping around the world, environmental resources, community citizens, and historical sources are a few of the topics covered.  HMH Kids Discover Social Studies showcases content that connects students to the world and prepares them to become contributing members of our society.

ART

Third graders are very interested in the purpose of art and why people make it. They begin to learn that art has categories, genres and functions. They learn to draw step by step and to actually look at what they want to draw to study the parts of a picture. They begin learning that the principles of design compose and arrange art so an artist can express his/her message. Everyone should have a sense of foreground, middle ground and background parts of a picture and whether a picture is a portrait, landscape, narrative or still life.

LIBRARY

Students build on skills from the previous years. They work with the Destiny program to find books in our library. They work on building reading comprehension skills, differentiating reading levels as appropriate for individual students’ needs.  Students use a thesaurus to locate synonyms for words and are introduced to the encyclopedia as a resource for future projects. Students listen to stories read aloud and ask and answer questions to practice comprehension skills.

MUSIC

In 3^rd grade students do a deep review of note names and rhythm to prepare them to learn an instrument in 4^th grade. Then they talk about what it means to be a composer and learn about composers from all of the music eras. They learn about solfege and how important that is to learning how to read music. They also participate in a Christmas program with 1^st and 2^nd grade.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

Third graders work more on refining sport skills for basketball, volleyball, flag football, floor hockey, and soccer. They also work on life time skills such as jump rope, components of fitness, speed stackers, etc. Students learn to take more leadership roles during class such as leading stretches and exercises. There are also holiday theme games during the holidays and emphasis put on sportsmanship, teamwork, and positive communication.  Each student is given points based on effort, participation, and sportsmanship.

SPANISH

The Spanish curriculum is taught in a cross-curricular way, supporting learning in other subjects through the Spanish language and culture. Literacy:  Numbers from 0 – 100, Syllables Sounds, Basic expressions, body parts, Age,  class objects, Days, months, Seasons, Articles, House words, Clothing, Classroom commands & objects. Religion: Hail Mary prayer Cultural: Holiday vocabulary such as Easter, Day of the Dead, Christmas & Cinco de Mayo.

TECHNOLOGY

Saving documents to their proper location, including flash drives, are a skill learned in third grade. Novice word processing skills, such as formatting and heading, are taught as well.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES

• GRANDPARENT LUNCH: Parents come and eat lunch with their child.
• RETREAT: On-campus retreat
• FIELD TRIPS: Parklands of Floyds Fork, Locust Creek, The Louisville Water Company, Falls of the Ohio
• BIKE RODEO: At the Bike Safety Rodeo, presented by Norton Health, a course is set up in Bethany Center and students ride bikes through a variety of obstacles, focusing on safety.
• YOUNG AUTHORS: Students follow the Writing Process to draft, revise, edit and publish their very own book, which will be entered into the Young Authors competition for the Archdiocese.
• AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS AVAILABLE: Robotics, Rosary Club, Art Club, Math Club, The Green Team, and Quick Recall Intramural are all available.