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Lower School
Grade 3

Starting in third grade, students are developing critical thinking skills and participating in constructive conversations encouraging positive character traits. In math, students learn to effectively communicate solutions including the ability to discuss and analyze their work for correct logic and procedure. In science, students begin using lab notebooks and start measuring and recording their own data, which they use to form their own conclusions. In language arts, students are writing longer compositions, with a focus on spelling and vocabulary, sentence structure and grammar, and writing paragraphs. 

Grade 3 Curriculum:

Language Arts

The goal of a balanced literacy approach is to create skillful readers and writers. Classes use shared texts and independent reading to practice specific literacy skills and strategies, such as visualizing, summarizing, questioning and making predictions and inferences supported by evidence. Reading and writing are integrated; students analyze, discuss, and compose texts as both readers and writers. Students craft individual writing across a variety of genres, such as persuasive essays, fairy tales, poetry, personal narratives, and expository pieces. Students develop their critical thinking by discussing their thinking about their reading and participating in constructive conversations in Literacy Circle groups. They also learn to listen with purpose, share ideas, question one another and grow their thinking together. Incorporated into this approach is the understanding that writing must be clear for an audience; this includes attending to spelling, grammar, and penmanship.

Math

In Singapore Math, students deepen their understanding of the base ten number system in order to flexibly manipulate numbers and compute efficiently. Goals include learning to multiply and divide large numbers by a single digit, representing the relationships between operations and visually representing them with bar diagrams. Students explore different methods to effectively communicate solutions and engage in mathematical discussions by analyzing their work and the work of others.

History and Geography

Students begin the year inquiring into Who We Are during a culture study. Knowing who we are forms the lens from which students view other cultures and historical events. Students will compare the cultures of various Native Tribes of North America, learn the contributions and significance of Black History and Women’s History, and analyze the significance of Faith, Spirituality and Beliefs in current and Ancient Civilizations such as the Aztec, Inca and Maya. They build their background knowledge and make connections with history through discussions, mapping, reading multiple sources, and group and individual projects.

Art

Students observe how the basic elements of art, lines, color, light, shadow, texture, pattern, etc., work together to please viewers, to show emotion, to tell a story, or to give viewers a new way of looking at something. Students learn volume drawing, recognize and duplicate positive and negative space, practice still life drawings and paintings, and sculpt in both clay and paper maché.

Music

Students begin a broad introduction to the Baroque and Classical periods in music history, studying composers, styles, and forms of music, and listening to many musical examples. Students continue to improve their ability to read notes from the grand staff and apply rhythmic counting during theory class using various instruments, voice and body percussion, and then put these concepts to practical use during partner piano lessons. Choir class offers students the opportunity to analyze music pieces, practice sight-singing and aural skills, and learn how to read from choral scores. Students will prepare for twice yearly piano recitals, twice yearly choir/orchestra concerts.

Science

Students in third grade begin to formalize their use of the scientific method by keeping a lab notebook to record their work. They explore life cycles of flowering plants and insects by raising plants and using bees to cross-pollinate. They discover the properties of air and water under compression and learn the applications in everyday life. Students explore the weather by looking at the water cycle, and compare the climate of different places on earth.

Spanish

The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Third graders build vocabulary, work on sentence construction, and begin to work on conjugation. Emphasis is on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs, and role-playing. Topics include classroom objects, adjectives, the calendar, numbers, classes and activities, season and weather, likes and dislikes, states of mind and states of being, age, telling time, expressing opinions, and the family. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world, including units on Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, and Christmas celebrations.

Physical Education

The program emphasizes physical skills that can be applied in multiple sports situations. Through games and drills, students learn basic skill development, fine and gross motor movements, spatial awareness and basic strategy. Confidence and motivation to participate in organized and individual physical activities develops. Students learn leadership, teamwork and good sportsmanship while emphasizing lifelong fitness.

Our Curriculum in Action:
 
PYP Highlight

During the “Who We Are” unit, third grade students inquire into the nature of culture and how culture is expressed through music, art, foods, language, celebrations, traditions, and religion. They will investigate their own culture through self-study. Students gather stories, artifacts, and do interviews to prepare for and present at a culture fair. During the culture fair, they share their culture and learn about the similarities and differences of their culture and the cultures of others. Students showcase the IB Learner Profile trait of open-mindedness as they realize that many different cultures can create a school community.