One of the primary aims of the reading curriculum is to build an understanding that 3rd graders read for meaning. With a focus on reading skills such as inferring, questioning, and summarizing, students learn to be more reflective readers. Third-grade classes apply these skills while exploring genres, including realistic fiction, folktales, legends, fairy tales, and mysteries. Through reading nonfiction texts, students learn how to use books and digital media as research tools. They develop an understanding that these resources can make them experts in a topic area. Third-grade students also write about their reading and learn to find textual evidence to explain their ideas.

Students in 3rd grade learn to identify as writers, producing several published works in different writing genres. Throughout the year, there is an emphasis on the purpose of writing. Third graders develop an understanding that writing is a powerful tool that can be used to share a personal experience, inform an audience on a topic, engage an audience’s imagination, or persuade someone to make a positive change. In every unit of study in the 3rd-grade curriculum, students take an idea through the writing process, from drafting to revising, editing and, finally, publishing. Mini-lessons on a variety of writing techniques aid 3rd graders with adding dialogue to draw in the audience; using transition words to advance a story; developing and expanding complete sentences; and using “show, don't tell” language that creates mood and engages the reader. Students also learn to use support materials, such as rubrics, anchor charts, and sight-word lists to take a piece of work through the writing process with greater independence.

Third-grade students practice solving multidigit and multistep word problems by applying various strategies, such as creating visual representations, using known facts, and employing the standard algorithms for addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Long division and dividing with remainders are introduced. During the geometry unit, students calculate area and perimeter, identify the characteristics of regular polygons, and study the attributes of specific triangles. In the fraction unit, students recognize fractions as parts/wholes, place fractions on a number line, and add fractions with common denominators. They learn how to communicate mathematical reasoning to support their solutions, review their work for miscalculations, and begin to understand the possible real-world applications that exist all around us. Concepts are introduced and practiced through a variety of strategies and games, with an emphasis on understanding operations and how/when they are applied.

The science and social studies curricula in 3rd grade focus on the Hudson River and the native plant and animal species that live in and along it, as well as the Lenape, the indigenous people of this area on whose ancestral land we learn each day. Over the course of the year, 3rdgrade students experience a variety of field trips and special guest visits to study ecology, geography, and traditional practices of the Lenape. Students learn the scientific method and how to apply it to experiments that explore the compost cycle, as well as water properties and their significance in understanding the state of the river’s ecosystem. Students work together to determine what conditions fish and other animals need to thrive and examine the health of the river itself, as well as the impact humans have had on our local environment over time. Through nonfiction reading, written responses, and hands-on activities, such as creating models that reflect Lenape ingenuity and designing green roof prototypes, 3rd graders understand the importance of caring for shared spaces/resources responsibly and how they can make a difference as scientists, activists, and more globally minded citizens.

Grade 3 students study the American past—focusing on early New York cultures, beginning with the indigenous Lenape peoples. The curriculum emphasizes knowledge and understanding the concept of causality, geography, and daily tribal life. The class studies the Lenape and their relationship with the Hudson River, answering these questions: Where did the Lenape live, and what did they eat? What were their values? What kinds of shelters did the Lenape build? How did the Lenape view nature, and what role did it play in their everyday lives? Students also learn about the resourcefulness of the Lenape people by exploring the tools they created using only natural materials. The year concludes with a Lenape fair conducted by 3rd graders for the school community.

Third grade begins with a review of vocabulary and phrases that reinforce the students’ overall foundation in the language. Students use the textbook Submarino 2, integrating language with every unit and various activities from the accompanying workbook. Within each unit, words and expressions are divided into vocabulary items and functional expressions, usually in the form of questions and answers. Continued emphasis is on listening comprehension and spoken language/ oral communication, with a structured emphasis on simple reading and writing. This semester’s units focus on greetings, farewells, introductions, classroom objects, colors, days of the week, numbers, transportation, as well as some cultural holidays and special events. We start with some basic grammar, such as the difference between gender and number, and an introduction to some verbs such as “tener” (to have) and “estoy” (to be). The students do a thematic study of the Day of the Dead (el Día de los Muertos), which includes many hands-on activities, such as creating small books, using the newly acquired vocabulary to explain this celebration.

The 3rd-grade PE curriculum prepares students for an in-depth approach to team sports, extending their knowledge and understanding of previously learned movement concepts and physical skills. Students engage in modified versions of team sports, including soccer, newcomb/volleyball, lacrosse, gymnastics/tumbling, badminton, Ping-Pong/paddle skills, basketball, handball, floor hockey, kickball, wiffle ball, and track and field. Participating in these games generates enthusiasm and encourages sportsmanship, strategy, teamwork, and an understanding of rules.

Our 3rd-grade music goals include singing and playing instruments with expression and musical phrasing. Melodic musical notation and beginning recorder are at the core of 3rd-grade music learning, with students learning to play several songs and tonal patterns in the keys of G major, E minor, and C pentatonic. As part of the music theory curriculum, the students learn the difference between melodies and basslines of songs. They also learn about ostinati (repeating musical patterns) and how to compose their own.

In 3rd grade, we introduce materials that add to what the students have previously experienced. The materials explored take students to the next level of skills and lead them to further possibilities within their own work. Students meet twice per week for 45-minute classes. Lessons include drawing with a variety of materials, collage, painting (tempera, watercolor, acrylic), and sculpting with a variety of materials.

As students enter the 3rd grade, they begin Trevor’s one-to-one laptop program with their own Chromebook. Computer Science becomes a core part of the students’ education as they discover all of the ways they can use this technology for research and creation. Starting with practice of the most important programs and functions, students participate in fun and engaging activities that inspire thinking creatively about problem solving and engineering. Programs such as CodeMonkey allow students to practice familiar drag and drop coding, while also allowing for the introduction of type code. Tinkercad 3D modeling, Piskel 2-D animation, and many interdisciplinary hands-on projects continue to develop the students' planning and design skills while reinforcing computational thinking.