Standards and Resources
Quarter 1
In Quarter 1 Third graders will focus on building the foundational skills to help them engage in deeper learning experiences through reading and writing. In Science students will begin the year by exploring balanced and unbalanced forces and in Social Studies they will explore the idea of developing a classroom culture and begin work towards understanding a global view through cultural diffusion. In quarter one, math focuses on adding/subtracting fluently within 1000, along with recognizing that multiplication and division can be represented as a pattern of repeated addition. Students will also measure time to the nearest minute.
Quarter 2
Quarter two reading focus shifts to analyzing text for theme, character traits, point of view, along with identifying text structure and determining how word choice impacts meaning. In writing, students will learn to write opinion paragraphs in order to support claims made in social studies and science, as well as conduct short research projects. In Science, students will explore the impact of ecosystems on organisms. In Social Studies, students will research and explore the impact of culture on people, noting cultural similarities and differences.
Quarter 3
In the 3rd quarter, third graders will develop their understanding of fractions and metric measurement. In Reading they will extend their understanding of theme to compare themes, settings, and plots across texts. They will write informative texts that potentially relate to the Science and Social Studies topics this quarter: weather/climate and global problem-solving.
Quarter 4
In the 4th quarter, there is a heavy emphasis on measurement/data and geometry in math. The focus in Language Arts is narrative writing and mastery of reading standards that have been reinforced throughout the year. The Social Studies bundle brings out questions of leadership and decision-making. In Science, students will study life cycles and inherited traits, drawing upon skills developed in the ecosystems and interdependence unit in quarter 2.
