The third grade math program provides students with a broad background in mathematics. It embeds Connecticut Core Standards in a curriculum that is designed to foster mathematical thinking and understanding of mathematical concepts by relating them to real world experiences. Teachers will use a variety of strategies and approaches for classroom instruction. Our curricular resource is McGraw-Hill’s My Math. Students will also have online access to the resource materials from home.
Program highlights include:
A problem solving approach
Partner and small group activities to promote cooperative learning
Concept and skill development through hands-on learning
Opportunities to discuss and communicate mathematically
Math Standards
The third grade math program covers the following content:
Operations and Algebraic Thinking: represent and solve problems involving multiplication and division, understand the properties of multiplication and the relationship between multiplication and division, multiply and divide within 100, solve problems involving the four operations, and identify and explain patterns in
arithmetic
Number and Operations in Base Ten: use place value understanding and properties of operations to perform multi-digit arithmetic, develop an understanding of fractions as numbers
Measurement and Data: solve problems involving measurement and estimation of intervals of time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects; represent and interpret data; understand concepts of area and relate area to multiplication and to addition; recognize perimeter as an attribute of plane figures and distinguish between linear and area measures
Geometry: reason with shapes and their attributes
Mathematical Practices: make sense of problems and persevere in solving them, reason abstractly and quantitatively, construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others, model with mathematics, use appropriate tools, attend to precision, look for and make use of structure, look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning
For more information about each of the math units, please read the Family Letters posted on the Third Grade website.
Fact Fluency
“Knowing” the basic number facts is as important to learning mathematics as “knowing” words by sight is to reading.
In math class, memorization of basic number facts is referred to as fact fluency. By the end of third grade children should master multiplication and division facts within 100 and know from memory all of the products of two one-digit numbers. Children should be able to recall these facts quickly.
Children will learn and practice all of the basic number facts in many different ways without having to complete an overwhelming number of drill pages. They will play mathematical games and work with fact triangles.
It is imperative that these basic number facts be practiced at home in addition to at school. Basic number facts will be assessed through timed tests and a grade will be noted in the report card.
Fluency assessments will be given twice a semester beginning in the second trimester for grade three (third grade begins assessing when multiplication and division are introduced in the curriculum during the second trimester). The first assessment is given mid-trimester prior to the progress report being sent home and the second assessment is given at the end of the trimester. Practice opportunities are provided throughout the trimester to increase student performance. The report card reflects the highest grade the student earned for the trimester. Following are the specific fluency assessment reporting standards for third grade:
Third Grade
Will correctly complete 55-60 multiplication/division problems in 3.5 minutes
55-60: Met Expectation
25-54: Progressing Towards Expectation
0-24: Needs Improvement
Homework
Your child will bring home math homework Monday through Thursday. Encourage your child to “teach” you the math skills and concepts he or she is learning. If your child appears to be confused with the homework, please write a note and return it to your child’s teacher. In addition, students will also have access to the IXL website for additional practice.