The goal of a balanced literacy approach is to create skillful readers and writers. Classes use shared texts and independent reading to practice specific literacy skills and strategies, such as visualizing, summarizing, questioning and making predictions and inferences supported by evidence. Reading and writing are integrated; students analyze, discuss, and compose texts as both readers and writers. Students craft individual writing across a variety of genres, such as persuasive essays, fairy tales, poetry, personal narratives, and expository pieces. Students develop their critical thinking by discussing their thinking about their reading and participating in constructive conversations in Literacy Circle groups. They also learn to listen with purpose, share ideas, question one another and grow their thinking together. Incorporated into this approach is the understanding that writing must be clear for an audience; this includes attending to spelling, grammar, and penmanship.

In Singapore Math, students deepen their understanding of the base ten number system in order to flexibly manipulate numbers and compute efficiently. Goals include learning to multiply and divide large numbers by a single digit, representing the relationships between operations and visually representing them with bar diagrams. Students explore different methods to effectively communicate solutions and engage in mathematical discussions by analyzing their work and the work of others.

Students begin the year inquiring into Who We Are during a culture study. Knowing who we are forms the lens from which students view other cultures and historical events. Students will compare the cultures of various Native Tribes of North America, learn the contributions and significance of Black History and Women’s History, and analyze the significance of Faith, Spirituality and Beliefs in current and Ancient Civilizations such as the Aztec, Inca and Maya. They build their background knowledge and make connections with history through discussions, mapping, reading multiple sources, and group and individual projects.

Students observe how the basic elements of art, lines, color, light, shadow, texture, pattern, etc., work together to please viewers, to show emotion, to tell a story, or to give viewers a new way of looking at something. Students learn volume drawing, recognize and duplicate positive and negative space, practice still life drawings and paintings, and sculpt in both clay and paper maché.

In third grade, students continue to build on their piano skills and musical knowledge with increased confidence. They focus on setting goals and honing their performance abilities as they prepare for a spring recital. Through creating rhythms and melodies in both treble and bass clef, students get to apply their notation skills creatively. The keyboard lab provides a dynamic environment for developing sight-reading, aural skills, and ensemble playing. In choir class, students engage in music analysis, solfege, and sight-singing, all while reading from choral scores. Their growth is showcased in two annual choir concerts. Additionally, they explore the Romantic Era of music history, studying notable composers, their works, and the evolution of the modern piano.

Students in third grade begin to formalize their use of the scientific method by keeping a lab notebook to record their work. They explore life cycles of flowering plants and insects by raising plants and using bees to cross-pollinate. They discover the properties of air and water under compression and learn the applications in everyday life. Students explore the weather by looking at the water cycle, and compare the climate of different places on earth.

The goal of the Spanish program is communicative competence in speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Third graders build vocabulary, work on sentence construction, and begin to work on conjugation. Emphasis is on building vocabulary using children’s poetry, songs, and role-playing. Topics include classroom objects, adjectives, the calendar, numbers, classes and activities, season and weather, likes and dislikes, states of mind and states of being, age, telling time, expressing opinions, and the family. Throughout the year, students are introduced to the various cultures and regions of the Spanish-speaking world, including units on Cinco de Mayo, Día de los Muertos, and Christmas celebrations.

The program emphasizes physical skills that can be applied in multiple sports situations. Through games and drills, students learn basic skill development, fine and gross motor movements, spatial awareness and basic strategy. Confidence and motivation to participate in organized and individual physical activities develops. Students learn leadership, teamwork and good sportsmanship while emphasizing lifelong fitness.