THIRD GRADE CURRICULUM OVERVIEW

TEACHERS:

JULIE BERNHARDT

AND

CATHY SILBERHORN

SPELLING• Required spelling homework pages

and a spelling dictation/word list (study sheet for home) come home in your child’s Thursday folder. Spelling pages are to be completed, corrected at home, and returned in your child’s weekly folder no later than the following Tuesday. Thank you for studying with your child and helping him/her do the very best he/she can do.

• Spelling pretest is every Monday. (If your child gets 100% on Monday, he/she doesn’t have to take the final spelling test.)

• Final spelling test is on Thursday.

What are F.C.A.s?• FCAs stand for Focus Correction Areas

• A FCA list may look like the following:

FCAs• 1. All sentences must have capitals and

periods.

• 2. All word wall words must be spelled correctly.

• 3. The story must have a topic sentence.

• These are the only areas that will be corrected.

READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS

• The Houghton Mifflin reading anthology (text) is set up in themes. Each theme includes different genres (fantasy, non-fiction, fiction, mystery, etc.).

• We will be reading 2 trade books in class each month that are designed to go along with each theme in the reading series.

• Practice pages that go along with the text are designed to encourage creative thoughts/writing ---spelling will NOT ALWAYS be corrected with the exception of the “NO EXCUSE” and word wall words that have been introduced. We will be looking at creative ideas and the assigned FCAs.

MATHEMATICS• In math we are using a new math series

published by Scott Foresman. Attached you will find third grade’s math skills’ list which is aligned with state standards and benchmarks.

• Homework assignments are required to be done at home. The assignments serve three purposes: 1) to promote follow-up to a skill taught, 2) to provide enrichment for a skill taught, 3) to provide a means of involving parents in their child’s math education.

HOMEWORK REQUIREMENTS

• Homework is an important part of school because: 1) the assignments encourage students to take responsibility for completing and returning assignments, 2) the activities help reinforce newly learned skills and concepts, and 3) the assignments communicate to parents what is taking place in the classroom.

• Please check your child’s work carefully. If a mistake has been made, have him/her make the correction at home before handing the assignment in. Make sure that the paper has been signed by a parent and turned in on time.

• HOMEWORK REQUIREMENTS

• Weekly spelling and math homework, studying weekly spelling words, completing monthly reading calendars, and reading assigned books/book reports. (January through May)

• REMEMBER: YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S BEST REMEMBER: YOU ARE YOUR CHILD’S BEST TEACHER!TEACHER!

REQUIRED MONTHLY HOME READING CALENDARS AND

BOOK REPORTS• Each month a home reading calendar IS REQUIRED to

be completed at home with parental involvement. Students are asked to read a minimum of 15 days each month. Students failing to turn in their monthly calendars, research projects, or book reports will miss recesses and/or other fun activities and may result in RTC visits.

• We will be doing book reports in class for the months of September through December.

• Then during January and February, each student will be asked to complete a solar system research project. In March and April we will be focusing on the author Beverly Cleary. One of her chapter books will be sent home for a book report.

• Extra creative and/or written book reports are strongly encouraged but not required. Extra credit points will be given for individuals who take this challenge. (See attached creative book report list.)

Hands-on Stations

• For science and social studies, you and other volunteers would be responsible for teaching/carrying out a mini-lesson with a group of about 10 students, and we would also ask you to attend a short after-school meeting about one week before the stations are about to begin.

• Michigan Studies/Marvelous Me

• Rocks/Fossils (Sept.-Dec.)

• Solar System (Jan. through Mar.)

• Simple Machines (April and May.)

THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES AND SCIENCE

SEPTEMBER THROUGH DECEMBER

• Social Studies: Michigan Studies

• Science: Earth Beneath Your Feet

• Rocks, Minerals, and Fossils

• Visit Cemex (amateur paleontologists)

• Visit Brumm’s Studio

• Polish Petoskey Stones

• Introduction to plant parts and their functions

• Visit North Point Conservancy (Ready, Set, Rot!--Decomposition)

SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES CONTINUED

JANUARY-FEBRUARY-MARCH

Social Studies: Continue with Michigan Studies

• Science: A System in the Sky

• Our Solar System

• APRIL-MAY

• Social Studies: Continue with Michigan Studies

• Science: Pushes and Pulls

• Simple Machines

• Beaver Island Studies and Trip -- review plant parts and their functions

• ALL YEAR PROJECTS

• Marvelous Me (3rd grade scrapbook)

• Scholastic Magazine (informational reading)

• Cursive Handwriting

• School Social Skills

**Science/Social Studies Stations will begin late September or early October. Please see one of us if you can help.

WEEKLY FOLDERS• Please sign and date

your child’s weekly folder and return all homework by Tuesday of each week. Students are rewarded on Tuesdays for turning in all weekly work, including gold Thursday folders and blue homework folders.

REPORT CARDS

• Report cards are shared with parents 4 times a year.

Web site for: Bernhardt’s Bees

Silberhorn’s Slugbugs

• If you have internet access you may want to check out our web page. The address is:

• www.rayder.net

• click on Elementary School

• click on Third Grade

• click on Miss Bernhardt or

Mrs. Silberhorn

• We try to keep this updated monthly.

SPECIALS’ SCHEDULE(1:35-2:35)

SILBERHORN BERNHARDT

Monday--Computer Monday—Art

Tuesday--Gym Tuesday--Computer

Wednesday--Library Wednesday--Music

Thursday--Art Thursday--Library

Friday--Music Friday--Gym

Show and Tell:Current Events and Extra Credit

• Show and tell is a little different in third grade. Instead of bringing in items to share, your child is encouraged to read and summarize newspaper articles or books, research a topic that we are currently studying, or do any other type of extra credit that is of interest to him/her. Each child will be given an opportunity to share the extra credit with the class. Thank you for your cooperation.