Third Grade School Program

A comprehensive, literature-based reading series is used that is one year above grade level. The textbook series offers selections written by award winning authors allowing students to apply their skills and strategies to rich, authentic texts.  The series provides for the systematic development of vocabulary, comprehension, decoding, critical thinking, and knowledge of the elements of good literature.  The reading program also includes enrichment activities such as novel studies, poetry, and a structured motivational program for encouraging and monitoring extracurricular reading.  Students complete monthly book reports and projects on a variety of genres.

Language is both a separate and an integrated subject. Students study spelling, grammar and usage, composition, revising, and editing. Listening, speaking, and the mechanics of writing are emphasized.

Third graders continue to work in the four basic operations with advanced focus in multiplication and division. Students learn geometry, fractions, graphing, forms of measurement, and problem-solving skills.

Social Studies emphasizes the geography and history of communities of the world, including a comprehensive Las Vegas history unit. Students are introduced to economics and local, state, and federal government.  Map skills and geography skills are taught with a weekly geography focus.  Some of the units in both science and social studies are coordinated with field trips, including a mock trial at the courthouse.  Current events, global awareness, and citizenship are taught with Scholastic News weekly readers.

Science units include forces and motion, electricity and magnetism, weather and climate, life cycles and traits, adaptations, and fossils.  Students engage in the engineering design process with hands-on labs and explorations and participate in interactive lessons in the school garden.

The art curriculum integrates the four disciplines of art education: art history and culture, aesthetic perception, creative expression, and art criticism. Each lesson exposes students to works of fine art, history and culture, creative art production activities, and critical thinking. Artists from a range of cultures and historical art movements are introduced with picture books. These skills are built upon annually with a greater degree of difficulty as students advance through the upper grades.

In music, students will continue to focus on singing in tune, dancing, and playing percussion instruments to the beat. The soprano recorder is introduced. Note values and musical terminology are emphasized.

The physical education program includes physical fitness, large and small muscle motor coordination, relay skills, teamwork, and instruction in team and individual sports. Health units are taught throughout the year. Cooperation, skill building, teamwork, participation, and sportsmanship are emphasized.

In the elementary computer course, students will become familiar with basic knowledge of how computers work, hardware, software, terminology, and related technology efficiency. Emphasis will be on developing keyboarding skills and creating Microsoft Office Suite projects. Students will utilize the Scratch platform to learn basic coding skills necessary for computer programming. Age-appropriate discussions of online safety and proper computer etiquette will be covered.

Elementary Spanish focuses on a variety of themes which will be reintroduced and expanded upon in successive years. These themes build vocabulary, sentence sequencers, communicative competence, and comprehension, and include: greetings, family, animals, numbers (0-70), community, school life, hobbies, clothing, zoo animals, food, body parts, seasons, weather, calendar, and colors. Cultural lessons are taught through stories, games, songs, and videos.

The library curriculum is based on information access and problem-solving skills. Students learn how to locate and access information from databases to apply to classroom research projects. Literature appreciation is also emphasized through class discussions. Students can choose from over 28,000 titles on our library shelves and in our e-book collection from the digital Sora library.