The Grade 3 language arts curriculum continues to encourage and support in each child a love of literature and varied modes of expression, both written and spoken. Its aims are to increase and strengthen the skills brought to the writing process, and to help students use their growing abilities in reading and writing to work successfully in other disciplines; including social studies, mathematics, and science. Throughout the year, growing fluency in reading enables students to accurately read directions and exercise newfound independence in the learning process. Some put it this way: In Grade 3, the emphasis shifts from learning to read to reading to learn!

The heart of the reading program is daily instruction in literacy: reading, phonics and grammar, discussing and writing about literature. The texts that students read, which are primarily novels and biographies, are chosen for their literary merit and for the diversity of their characters and settings. While there is an emphasis on more in-depth and sophisticated comprehension skills, children are also guided in the development and improvement of appropriate decoding skills and facility in oral reading. Time is also devoted to independent silent reading, to reading with peers in small groups, and to listening to books read aloud by the teacher. Accompanying all of these reading episodes are conversations about story, characters, and authors’ craft.

The Grade 3 writing curriculum includes both personal writing and assigned expository writing. Students write in all aspects of their third grade experience. For example, they write about their own experiences in personal narrative pieces, they engage in a journal writing project related to their social studies investigation of the Great Wave of Immigration, they write answers to comprehension questions, they write about their discoveries and understandings in math, they write persuasive essays on topics about which they feel passionately, and they react in writing to powerful scenes in literature. There is always a dual emphasis on writing clearly in the student's own voice, and on continuing to master the mechanics of writing. Spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure are taught and reinforced throughout the year. In addition, cursive handwriting is taught in Grade 3. Beginning mid-year, writing requires “all cursive – all the time”.

Additionally, third graders devote a number of class discussions to the concept of “Thinking globally and acting locally.” By empowering students to apply their knowledge of the governing principles of community rights and responsibilities, we encourage them to begin to independently use their strengths, talents, and interests to advocate for themselves and for others as well, thus creating a natural connection to our evolving social justice curriculum. Students at this age are more emotionally able to discuss terms such as advocate, ally, categorization, stereotype, ethnicity, and race at a deeper level, with more thought about their own responsibility as active members of a larger society.

Additionally, third graders devote a number of class discussions to the concept of “Thinking globally and acting locally.” By empowering students to apply their knowledge of the governing principles of community rights and responsibilities, we encourage them to begin to independently use their strengths, talents, and interests to advocate for themselves and for others as well, thus creating a natural connection to our evolving social justice curriculum. Students at this age are more emotionally able to discuss terms such as advocate, ally, categorization, stereotype, ethnicity, and race at a deeper level, with more thought about their own responsibility as active members of a larger society.

The integrated Third Grade Spanish program uses the immersion methodology as well as FLES (Foreign Language in the Elementary School) in which students develop new language skills in the context of authentic situations through the target language (Spanish). It is essential for us at Trinity, to offer multiple opportunities to interact and orally produce the second language; this is why we divide each Third Grade group in half.

 

The foundation of our curriculum is based on backwards design (Wiggins and McTighe) which focuses on standards, enduring understandings and performance assessments. We teach through thematic units inspired by the Third grade Social Studies curriculum and we focus on teaching phrases and sentences in relevant contexts. Instilling a love for Spanish and Hispanic socio-cultures is an important goal of our program. In Third Grade, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are the region of focus, and students explore the various symbols, food, music, traditions, influential activists and geography of this vibrant area.

 

Third Grade students develop a relationship with a native Spanish speaker from Latin America through a year long exchange of letters and video conferences. Our lessons incorporate games, songs and stories into fun learning experiences.

 

We look to develop in all our students empathy, self-respect and respect for others, active participation, effort, positive attitude and responsibility toward homework.