Curriculum Overview

Religion

In Grade 3, the textbook mainly focuses on the concept that we are the Church. It is not a building, but rather it is comprised of a community of believers who follow Christ as their leader.

The children will learn about events in the Church, such as Pentecost, Advent, Lent, and Easter. The book focuses on the seven Sacraments and teaches that we are called to discipleship and to spread God's kingdom of love in the world by our daily prayers and actions.

The students learn about the Saints and attend liturgies throughout the school year.

Science

Our Science program, "Elevate Science," incorporates the Next Generation Science Standards to help students engage the mind with phenomena, explore concepts and ideas, explain and elaborate understanding, and elaborate and evaluate arguments of topics within the realms of physical science, earth science, and life science.  The following objectives will be explored:

• Relate the causes and effects of electric forces between objects.
• Describe factors that affect magnetic forces between objects.
• Describe some factors that affect climate.
• Describe ways in which climates can change.
• Explain how the global climate is changing.
• Describe climates in different parts of the world.
• Describe how all life cycles follow the same pattern.
• Explain that living things inherit many characteristics from their parents.
• Provide evidence showing that traits vary in a group of similar organisms.
• Explain that the environment can influence the characteristics of living things.

Social Studies

Third Graders will explore the civics, economics, geography, and history.  We will focus on the following objectives:

• Citizenship:  responsibilities, rights, and freedoms
• How celebrations of national holidays contribute to a sense of common history and patriotism
• The function of laws
• How different cultures live, celebrate, and interact with one another in different ways
• How government promotes the common good and protects the individual rights and freedoms
• The principle of supply and demand
• Economic patterns and systems, free enterprise, and entrepreneurship
• Describing locations
• How humans interact with their environments
• Identify resources and apply Catholic social teaching to practices of conservation
• Using a variety of geographic tools
• Explain how living in a particular envrionment and/or community affects behavior and experiences
• The significance of historical figures and events on the growth and development of the U.S.
• How people, places, and ideas change over time
• The shaping of communities, states, and nations

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation
• Rights and Responsibilities
• Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
• Dignity of Work and Rights of Workers
• Solidarity
• Care for God's Creation

Language Arts

Our Language Arts book is divided into six themes:  School Days, Together We Can, As We Grow, Tales to Tell, A Place for All, and Discoveries.  Throughout these themes, we will be covering a variety of concepts including:

• Inflectional endings, with and without spelling changes:  plurals, verb tenses, possessives, comparatives-superlatives;

• Contractions, abbreviations, and compound words;

• Prefixes, suffixes, derivations, and root words;

• Lesson vocabulary;

• Read aloud accurately and with appropriate intonation and expression;

• Read aloud narrative and expository text with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression;

• Read aloud prose and poetry with rhythm and pace, appropriate intonation, and vocal patterns;

• Antonyms;

• Synonyms;

• Homographs;

• Homophones;

• Context/context clues;

• Dictionary, glossary, thesaurus;

• Word structure clues to determine meaning:

• Inflected nouns and verbs, comparatives-superlatives, possessives, compound words, prefixes, suffixes, root words;

• Author’s purpose;

• Cause-effect;

• Compare-contrast;

• Details;

• Directions:  one-, two-, multi-step;

• Fact-fiction;

• Interpret information from graphic aids;

• Book parts;

• Text features;

• Alphabetical order;

• Main idea and supporting details;

• Make inferences;

• Make predictions/predict outcomes;

• Retell stories and ideas;

• Sequence;

• Summarize;

Mathematics

We will be focusing on the following skills as defined by the NCTM and our Houghton Mifflin Math book:

• Place Value

• Compare, Order, and Round Whole Numbers

• Money

• Add Whole Numbers

• Subtract Whole Numbers

• Graph and Analyze Data

• Probability

• Multiplication Concepts

• Multiplication Facts and Patterns

• Division Concepts

• Division Facts and Patterns

• Time and Temperature

• Customary Measurement

• Metric Measurement

• Plane and Solid Figures

• Congruence, Symmetry, and Transformations

• Perimeter, Area, and Volume

• Fraction Concepts

• Work With Fractions

• Decimals

• Multiply by 1-Digit Numbers

• Divide by 1-Digit Numbers  

Spanish

This year the children will expand their vocabularies and build upon what has been introduced to them in the past. Topics are varied and include numbers,colors,days of the week,months of the year,parts of the body,clothing,fruits and vegetables,classroom objects and animals. In addition to vocabulary, the students are also introduced informally to basic grammatical concepts including definite and indefinite articles,adjective agreement and pluralization rules.

Very little written work is completed in class; therefore students are given work to complete at home to reinforce the vocabulary they are learning in the classroom.  

Technology

Essential Question: How is technology affecting the learning process?

Technology is integrated across the curriculum in Grades PreK-8. The following is a sampling of technology use and is subject to change based on new applications and curriculum. Students in Grade  have weekly technology classes using laptop computers. Weekly Computer Activities:

• Internet safety

• Typing drills

• Outlining with Inspiration

• Make cards using Publisher including change of font and font color

• Internet research using teacher approved websites that support the curriculum

• Introduction to search engines

• Word processing using Word, use copy and paste commands to add graphics to their document

• Following directions activities using Paint.

• Save work to own folder on the server.

• Open file and continue to work on document.