Mrs. Steffes                                        Mrs. Brew

     Third grade is a year of significant growth and development. Students become more independent workers especially in study and organizational skills and responsibility. The math program is based upon Saxon Math which has a spiraling concept. The students review prior skills and develop proficiency in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of whole numbers. They will also develop an understanding of fractions and geometry. Emphasis is placed upon computation and reasoning skills. Our Language Arts program utilizes several different curricula. The Bob Jones reading curriculum is the primary source for third grade reading. Students in third grade have learned to become proficient readers so more emphasis is placed upon comprehension in terms of literal and inferential skills. Several novels will be utilized to enhance our reading curriculum.
     The Accelerated Reader program is used to encourage independent reading. For grammar, the A Beka Language book is our primary tool. Students will use the forms of nouns, verbs (action & non-action), and adjectives correctly, recognize and use complete sentences, and capitalize and punctuate correctly. Third graders apply the writing process to many assignments throughout the year. The four-square process is used to teach prewriting, sentence writing, and paragraph formation. Students will enjoy different forms of writing such as poetry, narrative, descriptive, and friendly letters. Vocabulary and spelling will be reinforced, and students will learn to master cursive writing. The ACSI Science curriculum is used and includes many hands-on experiments. U.S History is taught using A Beka and consists of mini-biographies of important Americans as we learn the history of our country. In addition, map skills are taught throughout the year. Field trips to the zoo and a Revolutionary War era house are help to reinforce our science and history lessons.
     In our Bible class, we learn about the life of Jesus and the building of the early church. Through the teachings of Christ, students learn and understand how they are to grow as Christians, and our daily praise and worship allow them to express their love for the Lord. Our elementary students have the opportunity and are encouraged to support foreign missionaries with offerings in our weekly Elementary Church services. Also, service projects such as Operation Christmas Child and our senior class mission trip allow our students to see first hand their giving in action. Third grade students attend resource classes which include music, art, library, computer lab, and physical education. In music, third graders are given the opportunity to learn to play an instrument as weekly lessons are given using the flutophone.
     Extra activities such as seasonal celebrations are enjoyed in third grade. Our most enjoyable celebrations are our Thanksgiving feast and our girls’ tea party and boy’s football party during the Christmas season. Overall, third grade is an exciting and productive year.