Third-grade students will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction literature and will apply reading comprehension strategies in all subject areas. Students will continue to learn new vocabulary words and read text with fluency, accuracy, and expression. In addition, students will plan, draft, revise, and edit stories. All aspects of literacy will be taught through a balanced literacy framework for instruction, enabling all students to become independent and strategic readers, writers, thinkers, and communicators.

Third-grade mathematics includes learning experiences with whole numbers through thousands, fractions, the concepts of multiplication and division, measurement, geometry, and graphing. Activities which promote the development of problem-solving strategies, logical reasoning, and pattern analysis are important components of the program. Communicating mathematically and connecting mathematics to the real world are emphasized. The Virginia Standards of Learning provide the foundation for third grade mathematics.

Third-grade science covers such topics as Simple Machines, Sources of Energy, and Matter. The students will spend time learning about animals and their many adaptations. We will also learn how our behavior impacts our communities with units about conservation and Soil. We’ll look at patterns in nature, such as the water cycle. Children will explore the Scientific Process with hands-on experiments.

Third-grade social studies focuses largely on expanding the student’s knowledge about ancient cultures through the study of Mali, Greece, and Rome. We learn about the age of exploration with famous explorers such as Christopher Columbus, Jacques Cartier, Juan Ponce de Leon, and Christopher Newport. Students will learn about making good choices in Economics as well as how to use money wisely. Our Civics unit will allow the children to understand the important impact that such Famous Americans as Thomas Jefferson and Ceasar Chavez have had on our country.