Third Grade

Religion
The curriculum covers the history of the Church, parts of the Mass, and how to be good Christians by following the examples of Jesus. We also study Bible stories using illustrated children’s Bibles.

Math
The math curriculum covers addition and subtraction of four-digit numbers, basic multiplication and division, fractions, time, measurement, graphing, and geometry. Third graders are expected to have multiplication facts memorized by the end of the school year. We use songs, IXL Math, and flash cards to help with memorization.

Language Arts

In third grade we transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Using authentic literature, Scholastic News and the Wonders basal reader, students practice applying essential reading skills and strategies to analyze and evaluate text. Students also spend 20 minutes per day independently reading text at their level.

In spelling and grammar, students build upon skills learned in previous grades by studying more complex spelling patterns, sentence structure, and parts of speech.

Writing
Third graders write every day. They learn how to paragraph, add dialogue to narrative pieces, and choose appropriate transitions in expository writing. Third graders write stories, poems, opinion pieces, persuasive pieces and informational articles. They also do short research projects using books and online resources.
Students also begin to learn cursive in third grade. 

Social Studies
The interactive social studies curriculum examines Michigan’s past and present. We start with geography and then learn about Michigan’s natural resources, history, economics and government.

Science
The physical science portion of the curriculum covers forces and motion as well as different forms of energy. In life science, third graders learn about ecosystems, plant and animal life cycles, and fossils. In earth science, the focus of study is weather and climate.