Grade Level Expectancies: 3rd Grade

 

Religion (200 weekly minutes)

  • Participates in weekly liturgy and service.
  • Recognizes that God’s Kingdom is God’s loving power at work in the world and that Jesus offers us life forever.
  • Explains that Mary is the mother of all people.
  • Understands that scriptures help us to learn about God and Jesus’ message.
  • Realizes that worship is a way of praising God, and the signs and symbols of the Sacraments express and enrich our faith.
  • Celebrates the liturgical year.
  • Learns that our decisions affect others and ourselves.
  • Recognizes life is nurtured in a loving family.
  • Respects the dignity and uniqueness of others.
  • Learns formal prayer, spontaneous prayer, shares petitions, talks to Jesus in his/her heart.

 

Language Arts (800 Weekly Minutes)

Word Analysis, Fluency, and Systematic Vocabulary Development

  • Develops knowledge of common spelling patterns, roots, affixes and prefixes.
  • Identifies antonyms, synonyms, homonyms, and multiple meaning words.
  • Clarifies new words, makes predictions, uses context clues, and summarizes reading passages.
  • Practices parts of speech such as verbs and adjectives.
  • Reads aloud with fluency, accuracy, and appropriate pacing and expression.

Reading Comprehension

  • Reads fiction and nonfiction materials independently with literal and inferential comprehension.
  • Rereads, self-corrects, and uses context clues to get meaning.
  • Answers questions that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of grade-level narrative and informational text.
  • Summarizes, determines main idea, identifies supporting details, follows directions, draws conclusions and identifies sequence of events.
  • Distinguishes among common forms of literature.
  • Explains reasons for character’s actions.

Study and Reference Skills

  • Researches topics using a variety of reference materials.
  • Gathers information from charts, graphs, maps, and timelines.
  • Uses titles, tables of contents, chapter headings, glossary, and index to locate information.
  • Follows multiple-step written directions in proper sequence.

 

 

Writing

  • Refines the legibility of writing.
  • Writes legible cursive.
  • Creates a paragraph with a minimum of 5 sentences, including a topic sentence and supporting details.
  • Revises drafts to improve coherence and progression of ideas.
  • Uses punctuation correctly.
  • Writes letters. Can identify the 5 basic parts to a letter.
  • Progresses through the stages of the writing process.

Listening and Speaking

  • Uses clear and specific vocabulary, speaking in manner that guides listener to understand important ideas by using proper phrasing, pitch and modulation.
  • Identifies main idea and supporting details of reports.
  • Plans, presents stories, poems, and plays.
  • Shares reports.
  • Engages in constructive exchange of ideas
  • Listens critically and responds appropriately to oral communication.

 

Mathematics (250 Weekly Minutes)

Number Sense

  • Identifies and uses numerals 1000-10,000 and place value through millions.
  • Practices rounding numbers to nearest ten, hundred, or thousand.
  • Finds the sums and differences of whole numbers between 0 and 10,000.
  • Demonstrates concepts of time and money.
  • Compares and orders money amounts written in decimal form.
  • Solves problems involving addition and subtraction of money amounts in decimal form.
  • Solves problems using bills and coins.
  • Knows and uses all multiplication and division facts through 12’s tables.
  • Demonstrates multiplication with regrouping.
  • Begins to memorize division facts.
  • Practices single digit division with remainders.
  • Orders fractions from least to greatest.
  • Demonstrates and explains the relationship between whole numbers, simple fractions, and decimals.

Algebra and Functions

  • Solves problems with numeric equations or inequalities.
  • Practices the concept of the unknown.
  • Recognizes and uses the commutative and associative properties of multiplication.
  • Extends and recognizes a pattern by using rules.

Measurement and Geometry

  • Chooses appropriate units and tools for estimating and measuring objects.
  • Describes, compares, and contrasts attributes of plane and solid geometric figures using then to define relationships and solve problems.
  • Understands symmetry, congruence, points, lines and segments.
  • Identifies right, acute, and obtuse angles in figures.
  • Identifies coordinate locations.

Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability

  • Identifies and continues geometric patterns.
  • Predicts and records possible outcomes.
  • Interprets data from charts, bar graphs, and pie graphs.

Mathematical Reasoning

  • Practices multiple problem-solving approaches by using strategies of drawing a picture, prediction, sequence, logic, and analysis to find solutions.

 

Science (65 Weekly Minutes)

Physical Science

  • Describes changes that occur when objects are heated, or when 2 or more substances are combined.
  • Demonstrates that energy can be stored and converted to motion and heat.
  • Understands that light has a source and travels in one direction

Life Science:

  • Recognizes that plants and animals grow, survive and reproduce.
  • Identify different environments (desert, forest, etc) and understand that they support different life forms.
  • Demonstrates knowledge that living things cause positive and negative changes in environments.
  • Know that when environments change, plant and animals adapt or become extinct.

Earth Science:

  • Understand that objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns.
  • Demonstrates that Earth and other planets orbit the sun and the moon orbits Earth.
  • Explore the position of the solar system through technology; rockets, satellites, space shuttles, and planet rovers.
  • Compares and contrasts how sunlight changes during the day/year and how that effects the seasons and phases of the moon.

 

 

Investigation and Experimentation

  • Conduct repeated observations to improve accuracy.
  • Differentiate evidence from opinion, and know that scientists rely on confirmed observations to create predictions.
  • Use numerical data to describe and compare.
  • Predict and compare outcomes of simple investigations.
  • Collect and analyze data to develop a logical conclusion.

 

Social Studies (60 Weekly Minutes)

  • Researches common foods, clothing, shelter, and traditions of the various American Indian tribes.
  • Emphasis on physical & cultural landscape of CA, including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of explorers and the impact they have had on forming the character of our present day society.
  • Interprets timelines, graphs, pictures, charts, and maps.
  • Explains how natural resources benefit a community.
  • Locates meridians, parallels, including Equator and Prime Meridian.
  • Demonstrates knowledge and use of map keys and symbols.
  • Draws and labels the compass rose using cardinal numbers and intermediate directions.
  • Read maps using map keys, map scales, landform maps, and road maps.
  • Learn about different types of communities and understand their relationships with each other.
  • Understand how American Indian tribes, specifically the Kumeyaay, shaped their regions.
  • Understand the dynamics of tribal life and how those dynamics are kept alive today.
  • Explain how businesses run including making budgets, managing employees, creating products, etc.

 

Technology (60 Weekly Minutes)

  • Demonstrates proper use of computer.
  • Recognizes and uses the correct computer terminology.
  • Learns how to find files and, save files to server.
  • Type paragraph correctly.
  • Open graphics program and be able to access graphic tools.
  • Conduct searches for information using keywords within a search engine.

 

Physical Education (100 Weekly Minutes)

  • Participates in agility games, exercise and calisthenics.
  • Develops ball skills, sportsmanship, coordination, and body skills.
  • Participates in basketball, baseball, soccer, and track.
  • Participates in the Presidential Physical Fitness Program.
  • Develops an understanding for physical health and nutrition.

 

Fine Arts (Integrated plus 80 Weekly Minutes)

  • Creates using line, color, and shape.
  • Experiments with tint and shade.
  • Participates in visual and tactile perception.
  • Demonstrates creative expression.
  • Appreciates visual arts heritage.
  • Analyzes and interprets works of art.
  • Experiments with a self-made color wheel.

 

Book List

Charlotte’s Web

Indian in the Cupboard

The One and Only Ivan

Because of Winn-Dixie

James and the Giant Peach