Third Grade Curriculum

The heart and soul of our classroom instruction, the development of Essential Skills, allows the students to become well-rounded learners. From core values and behavior to work habits, technological prowess, and responsibility, proficiency in these areas enables Out-of-Door to grow the whole child into a model citizen and student ready to take on the challenges of everyday life inside and outside of the classroom.

Third grade readers are making the crucial transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Upon entering the classroom, you’ll find students reading with purpose as they work collaboratively to word solve, interpret new vocabulary, analyze character traits, determine main ideas, and compare/contrast texts. Students continue to refine and develop their comprehension skills as they encounter challenging reading materials 

 Our third graders immerse themselves in a wide range of literature through independent reading, and their reading becomes automatic. Students are learning to read with expression and appropriate timing and phrasing by paying attention to sentence structure and punctuation cues. By using benchmarking, teachers can pinpoint areas in which each student can improve as a reader and provide feedback, remediation, and extension as needed.

Third graders strengthen their understanding of place value up to 10,000 and develop fluency in addition and subtraction with multi-digit numbers. They achieve multiplication and division fluency within 100 and use properties to solve problems. Students explore fractions by representing, comparing, and identifying equivalent fractions using number lines and models. Measurement skills include solving real-world problems involving length, mass, volume, and elapsed time. They work with perimeter and area, analyze and interpret data using graphs, and classify two-dimensional shapes based on attributes.

Third grade is a pivotal year for literacy as students are now writing to advocate, make meaning of what they are reading, and combine resources to produce research ideas.  Students are supported in writing about topics that are personally meaningful and mirror real-world writing experiences. Lessons cover advanced writing and grammar techniques, and students more deeply develop their writing in a variety of genres. Third graders transition into the world of cursive as they mature their handwriting and craft.

The third grade Marine Science curriculum is divided into two distinct units of learning. The first unit focuses on Oceanography, where students explore currents, waves, water quality, salinity, buoyancy, etc. In the latter portion of the year, the students explore plankton, invertebrates, fish, and sharks. They also investigate problems our oceans face such as overfishing, invasive species, and pollution. All units of study utilize hands-on experiments and STEM activities to further student understanding. Beginning dissection skills are also introduced. Third graders are encouraged to think critically, collaborate, and communicate effectively. The students visit Mote Marine Laboratory where they compare the flora and fauna of two estuary sites. They also participate in the Sarasota Bay Explorers Boat Trip where they explore the inhabitants of our local waters.

The MITT (Meaningful, Innovative, and Transformative Transliteracy) curriculum is comprised of interwoven strands that explore transliteracy. Using a design thinking framework, students learn to access, use, produce, and share information. They develop as curious and independent learners who are aware of their rights and responsibilities as a digital citizen. In Fourth Grade, using the LAUNCH design thinking framework, students think critically, collaborate, and communicate while discovering how they influence a larger community of learners.

Third grade art students will be learning how to create three-dimensional space in their art through drawing and painting techniques, shading, and form. Students will implement these by creating landscapes, geometric forms, and abstract designs. Students will construct knowledge about form with ceramics and paper sculptures as well. Students will also learn how to use the iPad to create digital art. Students will learn new drawing techniques through guided drawing, but will be encouraged to incorporate their own ideas into their artwork.

Third grade Spanish students learn about the countries and people of Central America (focusing on Panama). They also acquire proficiency in listening and speaking. In addition, students learn more practical vocabulary and basic phrases. Listening skills are particularly important as they develop an ear for pronunciation and explore their own linguistic awareness. Many of the concepts learned at the pre-K - grade 2 level are reviewed and then built upon with the following concepts; Greetings, agreement of adjectives, food pyramid, classroom objects, school subjects, numbers to 100, action words, weather, telling time, the date, gender of nouns, extended family, and extended body parts.

Third grade music students learn to recognize the names of the notes in the treble clef. Their studies of the recorder, using German fingerings, help to reinforce note-reading. They also concentrate on two and three-part harmonies while learning special music for performances. Students also participate in a multitude of performances throughout the year.

Students are introduced to competitive sports such as volleyball, soccer, basketball, kickball, batball, football, floor hockey, lacrosse, and team handball. Small group games are played to maximize participation, and a variety of large group field games such as speedball, trackball, capture the flag, and ultimate ball develop teamwork. Good sportsmanship and fair play are emphasized at all times. The students also participate in collaborative games designed to fine-tune cooperation, critical thinking, and leadership skills.