The transition from 2nd to 3rd grade, when it comes to grades, can be very dramatic. Remember, we are now reading to learn versus learning to read. That being said, for 1st quarter, students did not receive a grade below 60 on any assignments. We used the first  quarter as a "transitional" time to get use to grade expectations. Now as quarter two has begun, students will receive the score they have earned. If they received a "zero," that is the grade that will be in the grade book.

We do not offer "redo" assignments. If a zero occurs, that is the quality of work the student has shown, and that is the grade they will receive. As a grade level, we offer many opportunities for success. If a student does not receive mastery on a task (80% or higher), we have enough assignments to balance out and find a true representation of a student's understanding of concepts. If a student misses a coursework assignment, we often do not have them make it up, due to time constraints, meaning a missed assignment does not count negatively towards a student's grade.

When reviewing the grade book, please note, assessment scores are weighted more heavily than coursework. If you notice a discrepancy in a grade, that is due to assessments being weighted at 60% and coursework weighted at 40%. Anytime you have questions about grades, feel free to reach out to any 3rd grade teacher via Remind (the Remind code is @3rdgsa) for clarification.

Upcoming Field Trips:

January 14 and 15th: Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area (formerly known as the Quartermaster Depot)

January 21: City of Yuma - Orienteering on Campus

March 6, 2026: Phoenix Zoo

We are always looking for additional funds for our third grade activities.  A tax credit donation can be completed. We also will take any monetary donation to "Gator PTO." In the memo, indicate this donation is for third grade field trips. 

Exciting Opportunities: NEW!

• Mooo's Creamery Reading Challenge: 🐄 The reading program will be available for students Kindergarten-8th grade until December 31,2025. Students are required to complete, get a teacher's signature, and turn in at the front counter at Mooo’s Creamery for their free scoop. A paper copy of the reading challenge has been sent home but may also be found here.

• Molly's Mini's (Read to the Final Four): Molly’s Minis is a special section at Arizona State University Women’s Basketball home games, led by Coach Molly Miller, Head Coach of the ASU Women’s Basketball Team! 🎉

  • Students and their parents can claim up to 4 tickets to 1 of 7 games between November and February!

  • Kids sit up front, with parents seated right behind them.

  • It’s a high-energy, fun section celebrating reading and Sun Devil spirit!

  • Click here for more information!

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Monday, November 24 - Friday, November 29: No School - Thanksgiving Break

• Tuesday, December 2: MAP ELA Assessment - This is a mid-year benchmark assessment to show student growth and is not for a grade.

• Thursday, December 4: MAP Math Assessment - This is a mid-year benchmark assessment to show student growth and is not for a grade.

•  Friday, December 12: December Birthday and Winter Celebration - Sign Up Here

• Friday, December 12: Report Cards Go Home - Please review your child's report card, sign the back of the envelope, and return to school after Winter Break.

• Monday, December 15 - Friday, January 2: No School - Winter Break

• Monday, January 5: School Resumes

Reading:

In this module, students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media that present them with information about the concept of teamwork. A genre focus on realistic fiction provides students with opportunities to identify literary elements, author’s craft, and theme in order to better understand unfamiliar texts. Students will also encounter narrative nonfiction and video to build knowledge across genres. As students build their vocabulary and synthesize topic knowledge, they will learn more about the way that sports can bring people together to work as a team.

• Optional At-Home Practice

• Reading Assessment (no spelling): Wednesday, December 10

  • Reading Informational Text (3.RI.1): Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text 

Writing:

Students will be working on a narrative essay about the travels of a raindrop through the water cycle.

Math: 

Unit 4 - Relating Multiplication to Division

Represent and solve “how many groups?” and “how many in each group?” problems. Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. Use properties of operations to develop fluency with one-digit multiplication facts and their related division facts. Use properties of operations and place value understanding to develop strategies to multiply within `100` and to multiply one-digit numbers by multiples of `10`. Use properties of operations, place value understanding, and the relationship between multiplication and division to divide within `100`.

• End-of-Unit 4 Assessment: tentatively scheduled for Friday, January 23, 2026

• Caregiver Support for Unit 4 can be found here!

• Family and Caregiver Website for all units can be found here!

Science: 

Forces, Patterns in Force - Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

Magnetic Forces. Electromagnets - Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.

Electric Forces 3-PS2.B -Types of Interactions: Electric, and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the objects be in contact. The sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the properties of the objects and their distances apart and, for forces between two magnets, on their orientation related to each other.

Social Studies: 

The purpose of this unit is to introduce students the the Five Themes of Geography, including location, place, human-environment interaction, movement, and region. Throughout these weekly issues, students will learn more about the physical and human characteristics of geography and how they inform the people and the resulting cultures of various regions of the world and the United States.

• Culture, Arizona Culture, Arizona Geography, Adapting to and Modifying Arizona

• Clever: Once students log in to Clever, they will not need to use any additional passwords. If your child is not at grade level in Lexia or ST Math, at-home practice is crucial.

• Seesaw: Students will need to sign in to Google on the Google homepage using their school email address (111#@student.craneschools.org) and their capital letter password. Once in Seesaw, click "I'm a Student" and "Sign in with Google."