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    Third Grade Highlights

     Welcome to third grade at Buckingham Elementary School! The third grade team of teachers works together to provide engaging and enriching learning activities for all of our students. The following is a list of some of the exciting learning adventures for third grade.

     Reading:

    Our reading program consists of whole class novels, independent reading and the Lead 21 program.

     

    The whole class chapter books read aloud are Because of Winn Dixie, Charlotte’s Web, The One and Only Ivan and the Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

    The Lead 21 Reading Units: 
     
    Changes: How do the changes around us make us who we are?

    Science at Play: How does science help us to have fun?

    Heroes: What qualities does a hero have?

     Extreme Environments: What does it take to survive in the wild?

    The Lead 21 program is the core literacy program and provides a wonderful selection of fiction and nonfiction stories for the children to enjoy.

     

    Independent reading habits are nurtured, developed, and analyzed throughout the school year. Children are expected to have a just right chapter with them, to read with stamina, and to reflect upon the books they are reading independently.

     

    Writing:

             The Writer’s Notebook is used to collect personal thoughts, ideas, and stories. Students draw upon the “seeds” in their Writer’s Notebook to develop into stories with the writing process.

             Writing complete and sophisticated sentences and developing paragraphs with a main idea and supporting details are important writing skills.

             The children will develop personal narratives, friendly letters, fictional narratives, and research based writing pieces as well.

             The Poem of the Week provides our students with “poetry power”, greatly assisting in their growth as readers and as writers.

             Cursive writing, the Zaner-Bloser method, is carefully taught for the first time. Children learn to shape, size, slant, and join each letter correctly.

     

    Math:

    A major focus for third grade is math is the development of “Fact Power”, quick and automatic recall of the basic facts. We will transition from focusing on addition and subtraction facts to multiplication and division facts in November. Our motto is “Practice makes Improvement”

    Another major focus for third grade math is the development of “Problem Solving Power”. Instruction will highlight a variety of problem solving strategies and the process of communicating solutions verbally and through writing.

    The Everyday Math Units include addition & subtraction, multiplication & division, measurement, geometry, place value, geometry, fractions, and data analysis.

     

    Social Studies:

    The third grade social studies units include:

    Geography- What is the geography of our community and beyond?

    Immigration- How & why do people become part of our country?

    Making a Difference- How have heroes improved communities?

     Economics- How does our economy work?

     

    Science:

    Our Science Companion curriculum provides a standards-based, inquiry science program, a wonderful balance between science content and science process. The third grade science units include:

    Life cycles: The children will closely observe and study the remarkable growth and changes in baby chicks and live butterflies.

    Motion: Through activities that engage both bodies and mind, third graders will move their bodies, build ramps, create collisions, and collect data to learn about motion.

    Solar System: The children will investigate the sun, phases of the moon, reasons for the seasons, and the planets in the solar system.