MATH

 In third grade, we cover a lot of "mathematical ground."  The best way to be successful in third grade is to practice your facts!  Third graders need to know their addition, subtraction,  multiplication and division facts.  They also need to know the order of operations, PEMDAS.

The best thing a student can do to succeed in third grade is to know how to "skip count" all the numbers through 12.  We will practice this in class.

Here is a link to our Go Math Program:
Go Math!
Students will also be given a login and password to Moby Max.  Students will practice their facts using this website.

What students must be able to do:
Add and subtract within 1000
Use place value to round numbers
Multiply and divide within 100
Apply properties of multiplication
Solve one-step and two-step word problems involving all 4 operations
understand parts of a whole and compare them
tell and write time
estimate and measure liquids and mass using standard units
represent and interpret data
use and apply area and perimeter
identify 2-D and 3-D figures 

Below you will find helpful links for math practice:
Multiplication games - Fun
Math Practice Website - all kinds of math
Lizard Point Multiplication Practice 
Baseball Multiplication
Drag and Drop Math
Space Themed Multiplication Practice
Fun Brain
Math is Fun
Graphing website

ELA and Writing

We do a lot of reading and writing about reading in third grade.  We read everything!  We read trade books, chapter books, picture books, websites, student work, the list is endless.  Writers write and readers read, that's how you become fluent in reading and writing.  Most of our ELA instruction is done with Readers Workshop and Writers Workshop by Lucy Caulkins where I will use differentiated Guided Reading groups to teach your children to love and appreciate reading and writing.

Below you will find links that might be helpful (but everyone should just read lots of books):

PBS Kids
Reading Games
Huge Language Arts Resource Page
Myths Around the World
Book Adventure!

Social Studies

Our Social Studies curriculum is directly tied to our ELA units.  We study different cultures around the world, using the ELA modules as a guide for instruction.  We study communities of Egypt, Japan, and Australia.  We also look at why water is important to cultures and learn mapping skills.

Maps and Globes Unit

Content Area:
This is an introduction to maps and their importance to exploration. This unit will teach students characteristics of maps and how to read them. Students will explore the evolution of maps and the differences in representations of the earth and specific locations all over the world. Students will construct a map of their neighborhood or their school (differentiated) as a final project.

Japan Unit

What students must be able to do:
Students will be able to locate Japan on a map or globe. 

Students will identify Japan as a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Students will be able to identify and locate the capital (Tokyo) and Create a physical map of Japan .
Students will compare the national holidays of Japan with the U.S.
Students will Recognize the flag of Japan.
Students will discuss and read about Japan’s geography, natural resources, climate, and the population’s adaptations to those.
Students will Identify the branches of government and compare the government of Japan with the government of the U.S. 
Students will recognize Japan's influence on world economy through its exports and compare the exports and imports of Japan with those of the U.S.
Students will discuss how Japan's geography impacts its economy.
Students will Write a Haiku poem, create a painting to accompany it on computers/paper.
Final Japan Project- create a brochure about Japan

 

Egypt Unit:

What students must be able to do:
Students will discuss and read about Egypt’s geography, natural resources, climate, and the population’s adaptations to those.
Students will be able to locate and identify: the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile River, the Sahara Desert, the Western and Eastern Deserts, the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal. They will be able to discuss the significance of them.
Students will recognize Egypt’s influence on the world economy through its exports.
Students will compare the exports and imports of Egypt’s with those of the U.S. and Japan.
Students will discuss how Egypt’s geography impacts its economy.
Compare the natural resources, agricultural goods, and major industries of Egypt with those of the U.S. and Japan
Discuss the similarities between Egypt, the U.S., and Japan
Students will discuss the role of religion in the Egyptian culture.
Identify the branches of government

 

Wax Museum Biography Packet

Science

 Our Science curriculum also goes along with the NYS ELA modules.  We get our background knowledge from the modules, and then I supplement with science experiments.  We also get the science kits from BOCES.  I believe students need to "do it" to learn it, so I try to make science as hands-on as possible.  

NGSS Link
 

 In the third grade performance expectations, students are expected to demonstrate grade-appropriate proficiency in asking questions and defining problems; developing and using models, planning and carrying out investigations, analyzing and interpreting data, constructing explanations and designing solutions, engaging in argument from evidence, and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. Students are expected to use these practices to demonstrate understanding of the core ideas. 

Weather Unit

The performance expectations in third grade help students formulate answers to questions such as: “What is typical weather in different parts of the world and during different times of the year?  Students will track weather in Japan, Egypt, and Australia. This will tie into our Social Studies Unit. How can the impact of weather-related hazards be reduced? Students will examine a weather hazard for a final project.

Links for Weather Poster Project:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/weather.html
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/
http://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/
http://www.weatherforkids.org/
 

Inheritance and Variance Unit

Core Ideas: Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. (3-LS3-1)  Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment. (3- LS3-2)

How do organisms vary in their traits? How are plants, animals, and environments of the past similar or different from current plants, animals, and environments? What happens to organisms when their environment changes?

 Students are expected to develop an understanding of the similarities and differences of organisms’ life cycles. An understanding that organisms have different inherited traits, and that the environment can also affect the traits that an organism develops, is acquired by students at this level. 

Magnets Unit

Students will: Plan and conduct an investigation into magnets and how they work.

Cereal Lab Experiment Assignment
Magnets Final 

Structures Unit

Students will: Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. 

Below are links I have found helpful to reinforce the concepts taught in science:
Kids Health - Food Plate Model
Weather Wiz Kids
Kids National Geographic
Discovery Kids
ebook: Everything You Need to Know about Frogs and Other Slippery Creatures
Information on the Glass Frog
Information on the Amazon Horned Frog
Biology for Kids
"Study Jams" information on the Solar System
How to make musical instruments - website
How to make musical instruments - pdf

Religion

Our religion series this year will be Be My Disciples; I am really looking forward to using this series.  In third grade we work on new prayers such as Apostles Creed and all year long we practice and learn about the rosary.  We spend a lot of time in Church learning about all the different mysteries.   Students also participate in a Church Mass.

Click on the link below to learn more about our religion series:
Be My Disciples

Writing Assignment in December links:
Christmas Around the World
Another Christmas Around the World
 

Health