Third grade is a time when many children progress from learning
to read to reading to learn. Our goal is to foster the desire as
well as the skills and strategies that are necessary to create
life long readers. Children are grouped in a variety of ways to
best meet individual needs.
Essential components of the third grade
program are: direct reading instruction, SSR (Sustained Silent
Reading) teacher read aloud time, and vocabulary development.
SSR is a daily opportunity for children to read material of
their own choosing.
In third grade a literature based program
is used throughout the year. Many reading selections revolve
around a grade level theme such as: The Life Of A Colonial Child
or The William Penn Study. New vocabulary is stressed so that
youngsters may become acquainted with as many words as possible
during the course of study of a particular novel or theme.
Some of the books that will be read this year include:
- Jake Drake, Bully Buster
- A Lion to Guard Us
- A Day in he Life of a Colonial
Child
- The Printer’s Apprentice
- African Folk Tales
- Roald Dahl Books
- Chocolate Touch
- Biographies
Books which may be read include:
- Shoeshine Girl
- Sarah, Plain And Tall
- Maniac Magee
- Stone Fox
- Song of the Trees
- Little House In The Big Woods
- Charlotte’s Web
- The Trumpet Of The Swan
- Beverly Cleary Books
Other books may be added to this list as
the interests of the children develop throughout the year.
Writing consists of a combination of projects and topics chosen
by the student according to his/her own interests and topics
assigned by the teacher. Writing may be done in journals,
notebooks, or on the computer. Frequently, pictures and drawings
accompany the final draft of a writing piece. We teach writing
as a process which involves pre-writing, first draft,
conference, revision, editing, and final draft. Children are
encouraged to continually revise and improve their written work
so that it reflects their best effort.
All third graders write book reviews
which encourage children to think about the selections they
read. These reports offer an opportunity to plan and complete
long term assignments. Book reviews may be completed at
home, at school, or both. We encourage the children to complete
assignments according to their abilities and interests,
and maintain our high expectations with support and guidance
from their teachers and parents.
Book reviews are designed to develop
independent thinking, to utilize time wisely, and to foster
creativity and self motivation.
The spelling program utilizes the Steck-Vaugn Level 4 spelling
book. In addition, words related to our units of study are
added.
As part of the spelling program, children are given both pre and
post tests each week to assess what they have learned. All third
graders are taught to use a dictionary, a Spell-Ex, and a Quick
Word Reference Guide to help them locate words they want to use
in their writing.
In third grade the children are taught how to form the cursive
letters. Once the complete alphabet has been taught, the
children will use cursive writing exclusively for the remainder
of the year for their pencil and paper work.
