Third grade is a year of new beginnings. Students experience increased responsibility in different forms: they have planners in which they must write assignments, perform jobs for chapel service each morning; they stay for a longer day; they use computers to complete assignments; and they go on their first overnight experiential trip. In social studies, students begin to study history from the earliest migration to North American through colonial times. Highlights of the year are two important experiential activities – the overnight trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg and Colonial Day. Students end the year with a thorough study of one of the U.S. states, then celebrate the completion of this assignment by enjoying foods from different states during States Tasting Day. In math, they continue with computation skills, model building, and more complex problem-solving. The primary focus is on the new topic areas of multiplication, division, and fractions. Reading class focuses on teaching students to read more literature and non-fiction more closely and to respond to their reading in discussion and writing. In Writing Workshop, students continue to use the writing process to author a variety of both narrative and expository texts. Music and visual art in third grade are connected with the social studies curriculum. Science continues to build in its complexity as students study, among other subjects, physics and the atmosphere.

In third grade math, students develop a deeper understanding of topics they have studied previously such as multi-digit addition and subtraction, data graphing, and 2-D geometry. They begin their study of multiplication, division and fractions. Students use manipulatives and solve real world problems in their study of math. A primary focus is solving more complex, open-ended problems that requires higher-order thinking skills. As students’ fluency in these concepts build, they apply them by working through and solving open-ended questions. Those problems sometimes have non-numerical answers, allowing students to connect numbers to words.

Ranging from reading to writing, the Language Arts curriculum is an integral piece of Norwood's academic program. Third graders explore a variety of genres including historical fiction, mysteries, nonfiction, and the hero’s journey. Students read and compare several books within a genre, looking for patterns and deeper meanings. Our hope is that each reader finds a book or series that is hard to put down. A major goal for third grade readers is to make observations about a character or story and back them up with text evidence. Students read independently, with partners, and in book clubs, often using sticky notes to mark important passages to share during discussions. In addition to jotting notes as they read, students also write responses in their readers’ notebooks. In addition, third graders write personal narratives, expository writing, persuasive writing, fiction, and poetry. In Writing Workshop, students gather ideas, write first drafts, revise, edit, and finally publish several pieces throughout the year. Third graders study grammar and punctuation as part of the writing process. Reading books with the eyes of a writer enhances the students reading comprehension and writing skills.

In the Lower School, the art curriculum enables students to gain confidence, knowledge, experience, and appreciation for a wide variety of art ideas and materials. Throughout their experiences in art class, students are introduced to a sequential program which emphasizes process while exposing them to the elements of art. Media covered include drawing, painting, ceramics, collage, sculpture, and printmaking. As students develop as artists, teachers emphasize the development of personal expression, imagination, curiosity, and careful observation. Students apply these concepts and techniques while making connections, problem solving, and developing self-confidence and their personal artistic voice.

The dual goals for all students in lower school music classes are the development of both music literacy skill as well as creative artistic expression. Students discover, explore, demonstrate comprehension of, and finally create something new using concepts related to the elements of music: rhythm, melody, harmony, form, expression. They do this through a variety of activities, many of which also serve to develop their creative expression. In third grade, students, studying various aspects of American history, develop a program involving song, dance, and creative drama around American folk songs from various regions and periods.

In the Lower School, students are introduced to basic loco-motor skills and activities that develop hand-eye and hand-foot coordination, spatial awareness, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Each year builds on the skills, games, and experiences from the previous year. Going beyond the games and activities, teachers process the experiences with students individually and in groups, asking questions like, “Can a self-win also be a team win?” and “What does it mean to be a good sport?” In the lower grades, students learn the mental and physical foundations that will help them succeed in later experiences on and off the field of play.

In third grade, students begin to create larger and more complicated experiments. As they study force and motion, students create a roller coaster to test Newton’s laws. Observing differences among the experiments, students draw conclusions about the impact of different elements of the coaster on the motion of the car. When students study planetary science, the unit culminates in their designing and creating their own space rover; students apply the knowledge they have about other planets climate, topography, and atmosphere to construct a machine that can collect information to send back to Earth.

Third graders continue to be engaged in meaningful and playful communicative activities. Through partnered activities, students build their oral and aural skills by applying their understandings of vocabulary and grammar to conducting conversations around certain topics. Focusing on understanding the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries, particularly those of Central America and Mexico, students learn the alphabet and practice spelling in Spanish. They increase their ability to count in Spanish and learn how to talk about the weather, their clothing, and foods. While studying these topics, the class is taught in the target language, helping students further develop their language skills.

Third graders’ “discovery learning” in social studies is guided by the questions of what motivated people from around the globe to populate North America and what were the perspectives of the people who came. Another important focus question is how geography affects the way in which people live. Students begin the year with a study of geography and then progress into understanding how and why the earliest people came to settle in North America. Next, they research early Native American tribes from the five regions of the United States, write a report and create a model of a Native American village. Students then work with a partner to research an explorer who impacted early European settlement of North America. A study of Jamestown, the first permanent European settlement in North America, begins of the study of Colonial America. Through simulations, drama reenactments, study of primary source documents, and experiential activities, including Colonial Day at Norwood and an overnight trip to Jamestown and Williamsburg, students immerse themselves in the colonial time period. Students end the year with a study of one of the 50 states, examining geography, natural resources, jobs/products, landmarks/natural attraction and historical figures. They use their research to teach others about their states through variety of presentation methods. This study culminates in States Tasting Day where all third graders sample food from across the United States.