Third grade students at Gordon continue to apply their comprehension strategies while reading a variety of fiction and nonfiction literature. The children learn to self-correct while reading with an emphasis on fluency, accuracy, and expression. The balanced literacy model is used to promote independent readers and writers. Students write stories, letters, simple explanations, and short reports across all content areas.

In third grade, the students use higher level thinking to connect math to the real world. Our focus will be on developing problem-solving strategies, logical reasoning, analyzing patterns, and communicating mathematically. Students will develop skills in graphing, fractions, measurement, probability, geometry, patterns, and multiplication and division.

The third grade science standards will place increasing emphasis on conducting investigations. Students will learn how to develop questions, formulate simple hypotheses, make predictions, gather data, make inferences, draw conclusions, and use the metric system with greater precision. Students will also study and explore simple/compound machines, energy, matter, behavior/physical adaptations of animals, food chains, ecosystems, phases of the moon, seasonal changes, water cycle, and soil.

In Social Studies, third graders develop a better understanding of the world around them, including an introduction to the contributions of Ancient Greece, Rome, and Mali. The students delve deep into the age of exploration through the study of Christopher Columbus, Juan Ponce de Leon, Jacques Cartier, and Christopher Newport. The children continue developing map skills and demonstrate an understanding of basic economic concepts. In civics, students recognize that Americans are diverse people who are united by common principles.