Third Grade
Your Third Grade child will learn through independent work, partner practice, cooperative group activities, class discussions, and project presentations, while off-campus, hands-on learning experiences complement our curriculum.
The goals for your child include:
- Build a stronger connection to God.
- Continue developing a character that reflects God
- Experience the satisfaction of meeting academic challenges.
- Develop a hunger to learn
- Grow in friendship skills.
The classroom philosophy is to set firm limits in loving ways and to form positive relationships with the students while giving them the gift of owning and solving their problems.
Curriculum
- Worship and Bible: God is an important part of the whole curriculum, but of course, we especially focus on Him during our daily worship and Bible class. Your child will worship and learn about God through music, prayer, stories, and community service activities. The theme of 3rd grade Bible is the plan of salvation.
- Social Studies: Our theme is our local community. We learn about the geography and history of our Bay Area. We study characteristics of all communities, and then look at the special characteristics that make our area special and unique.
- Pathways for Reading and Language Arts: This balanced literacy program, developed for Seventh-day Adventist schools, is a huge part of our daily schedule. We use theme books for whole-class reading activities, leveled books for small-group instruction, and hundreds of books covering a variety of interests for independent reading. Assessment is used to guide each individual’s progress toward maximum growth in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The Pathways theme books come with related writing projects. For example, we use a biography of Abraham Lincoln to study reading strategies. Meanwhile, the students work through the writing process to write their own autobiographies to share. Our writing program is complimented by parts of “Step Up to Writing”. We study phonics and spelling rules, and we practice cursive writing skills. The students enjoy reading and writing workshop, and “Literacy Centers” time.
- Math: In 3rd grade, we use visual aids, hands- on manipulatives, and practice with pencil and paper to learn a new math concept each day. We also strengthen concepts learned in previous lessons. Daily practice with basic math facts is an important part of the program as is math homework.
- Science: We use books, visual aids, and investigation to learn about • food chains, biomes, and the basic needs of living things • diverse life in different biomes • energy forms, stored energy, motion and heat • the three forms of matter • atoms • how light works • the solar system • objects in space • the moon’s phases. Emphasis is placed on God’s design and pattern throughout His creation.