GRADE THREE GENERAL STUDIES

Overview

Third grade students are encouraged to expand their love for the printed word. As such, they are exposed to a variety of reading materials and asked to write in a variety of styles. They develop skills in estimating, measuring, and predicting data. The material that the students learn in school is reviewed and enriched through long-term projects and independent assignments, as well as through homework.

Language Arts

Distinguishing between such genres as historical fiction, fantasy, poetry, and non-fiction, students develop a love for many types of literature. They learn to identify parts of stories to enforce contextual skills and reading comprehension. Studying word roots and working with dictionaries help improve vocabulary and spelling. Through prewriting conferences students gain a facility and comfort with using figurative and descriptive language in their writing. Mini-lessons on sentence and paragraph structure make up part of learning the writing process. Students learn to research various sources and how to organize and report the information. They work on their penmanship, learning cursive handwriting. Through oral reports students strengthen their oral communication skills.

Mathematics

Working with manipulatives, such as blocks and counters, students learn to read and write numbers through hundred thousands and begin comparing fractions and using factors to multiply. Students learn how to properly use the multiplication table through problems, games, and flashcards. They learn basic division and how it relates to the operations of multiplication and subtraction. They begin the study of fractions and decimals using clocks, money, and grids. A probability unit teaches students how to calculate likelihood of events, how to record data, and how to predict fair and unfair games.

Science

Students study nature and natural forces and their effects on plants, animals, and humans. Using hand lenses, microscopes, computer software, and through other hands-on experiments, students compare the growth stages of insect and chicken eggs, learn about the food chain, and identify those animals that are dangerous to humans and those that are helpful. The study of the effect of humans on the natural world teaches the students about endangered animals and natural resources. Through experiments, students study the weather, the water cycle, and seed plants, and refine their recording and comparing skills.

Social Studies

Students study India in depth as a sample world community, developing such skills as map and globe reading and building their geography vocabulary. Students begin to develop a familiarity with world geography, and learn to relate climate and other physical conditions to the development of human culture. Through projects, class bulletin boards, museum trips, and role-playing, students begin to understand worlds that are radically different from their own. Students also learn basic historic chronology by placing events on timelines, and study the newspaper and current events to learn that history is still going on around them today.

Art

Students learn metal foil tooling and emboss and create texture. They make papier-mâché masks for Purim, and design self-portraits out of fabric. A study of Georges Seurat and Pointillism allows students to create their own small paintings.

Music

Students enjoy a two-semester program involving singing, programs, and music appreciation. They meet weekly in a music room equipped with musical instruments and stereo equipment, where they learn the basic musical tools of melody, tempo, dynamic, and singing on key. Students begin applying the skills learned in first and second grades by learning to play the recorder. They further study orchestral instruments and texture and deepen their ability in canons. Students sing songs in English and Hebrew and prepare for the Third Grade Poetry Reading, which is performed in March, in conjunction with their language arts studies. Students enjoy Friday afternoon Shabbat assemblies and special programs, including concerts. They perform in Zimriah, a yearly musical program linked with a particular chag or calendar event.

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