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Grade 3

Third Grade ELA

The Wit & Wisdom curriculum for Grade 3 is an English Language Arts program designed to enhance literacy through a rigorous and engaging study of texts. Here are the key components, module themes, and features of the curriculum, as well as its alignment with New York State standards:

Key Components

  1. High-Quality Texts: The curriculum emphasizes reading diverse, authentic, and high-quality texts, including literary, informational, and fine-art materials. These texts are central to all learning activities, fostering deep comprehension and vocabulary development.

  2. Knowledge Building: Each module focuses on a key topic to build students’ background knowledge and deepen understanding over time. This repeated exposure to essential themes prepares students for advanced literacy skills.

  3. Integrated Approach: The curriculum integrates reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar, and vocabulary into cohesive lessons. This approach aligns with Common Core and New York State Standards, encouraging the application of skills across disciplines.

  4. Rigor and Joy in Learning: By using rich texts, students are challenged while engaging in meaningful discussions, written responses, and creative projects.

Grade 3 Module Themes

  1. The Sea: Explores themes of nature and human interaction with the ocean, including scientific and cultural perspectives.

  2. Outer Space: Delves into astronomy and the wonders of the universe, fostering curiosity about science and exploration.

  3. A New Home: Focuses on themes of migration and settlement, examining personal and societal challenges and achievements.

  4. Artists Make Art: Celebrates the creative process by studying the lives and works of artists across various fields, encouraging students to reflect on the question, “What is an artist?”

Additional Features

  • Family Engagement: Resources like suggested books, questions for home discussions, and art activities help families support student learning.

  • Differentiation: Activities cater to diverse learners, including those who may benefit from drawing, collaborative learning, or using alternative texts.

  • Integration of Fine Arts: Students analyze paintings, poems, and other artistic works, linking them to central themes and skills.

Alignment to NYS Standards

The curriculum aligns with New York State standards by focusing on:

  • Evidence-based reading and writing practices.

  • Development of critical thinking and analytical skills.

  • Structured learning that builds vocabulary and background knowledge systematically.

  • Meeting rigorous literacy goals through text-based discussions and written responses.

This curriculum provides a comprehensive framework for developing students' literacy skills while encouraging their love for learning.

The Fundations phonics program, designed by Wilson Language Training, is a comprehensive literacy curriculum that supports students in developing foundational skills in reading, spelling, and writing. Although the program is typically used in grades K-2, its principles extend into grade 3, particularly in reinforcing phonemic awareness, decoding, encoding, and word analysis skills. Below is a robust description of the key components of the Fundations program for grade 3, with a focus on how it aligns with New York State (NYS) English Language Arts (ELA) standards:

Key Components of the Fundations Program for Grade 3

  1. Phonological Awareness:

    • Fundations continues to reinforce phonemic awareness by helping students recognize and manipulate sounds in spoken words. This includes activities for blending, segmenting, and identifying syllables, sounds, and parts of words.

    • In grade 3, students deepen their understanding of complex phonological patterns, which helps them decode multisyllabic words more easily.
       

  2. Phonics Instruction:

    • The program emphasizes phonics by teaching letter-sound relationships and patterns. Grade 3 students are expected to recognize the sounds associated with various letter combinations and apply this knowledge to decode and spell words.

    • In this stage, Fundations shifts to focusing on more advanced spelling patterns, such as vowel teams, diphthongs, and consonant blends.

    • Students are taught about the importance of syllable division patterns, which aid in decoding longer and more complex words.
       

  3. Syllabication and Word Structure:

    • Students are introduced to rules for syllable types and syllabication. This allows them to break down longer words into manageable parts for reading and spelling.

    • Specific patterns such as closed syllables, open syllables, vowel-consonant-e syllables, and r-controlled syllables are explicitly taught.
       

  4. Vocabulary Development:

    • Fundations integrates vocabulary instruction by teaching students strategies for understanding unfamiliar words. This includes focusing on root words, prefixes, suffixes, and using context clues to determine word meanings.

    • By learning common morphemes, students can decode and understand more complex vocabulary, enhancing reading comprehension.
       

  5. Fluency:

    • Fluency is a major component of the Fundations program. By practicing decoding skills and reviewing high-frequency words, students improve their reading speed and accuracy. This, in turn, enhances overall reading comprehension.

    • Oral reading practice with varied texts helps students build confidence and fluency, a key aspect of the NYS ELA standards.
       

  6. Spelling and Writing:

    • The program provides explicit instruction in spelling rules and strategies, which helps students write correctly and understand the structure of words.

    • Activities like dictation exercises, word sorts, and spelling tests reinforce spelling patterns and encourage students to apply phonics skills in their writing.
       

  7. Word Study and Morphology:

    • In grade 3, Fundations incorporates a focus on morphological awareness, teaching students how prefixes, suffixes, and root words form the foundation of more complex words. This helps students develop stronger decoding and word analysis skills, which are essential for both reading and writing.

Alignment with New York State (NYS) ELA Standards

Fundations aligns closely with the NYS ELA standards, particularly the following key strands:

  1. Reading: Foundational Skills (Standard RF):

    • The program directly supports students in achieving the foundational skills outlined in NYS ELA standards for grades K-5. For example, Fundations focuses on the development of phonics and word recognition, which is a critical component of the RF.3 standard for grade 3 (e.g., decoding multisyllabic words, recognizing irregularly spelled words).
       

  2. Reading: Informational Text and Literature (Standard RL and RI):

    • While Fundations itself is a phonics program, it contributes to students' broader literacy development by fostering the decoding skills necessary for reading both narrative (RL) and informational texts (RI). By building fluency, comprehension of complex words, and vocabulary, Fundations strengthens students' ability to tackle grade-appropriate reading material.
       

  3. Writing (Standard W):

    • The Fundations program supports students' writing development by teaching spelling, word structure, and morphology. Students apply these skills to write with correct spelling and improve their ability to communicate through written language.

    • Activities such as dictation and spelling practice directly contribute to the W.3.2 standard in which students are expected to write informative/explanatory texts, narrate events, and use appropriate conventions.
       

  4. Language (Standard L):

    • The program also aligns with the NYS ELA Language standards, which emphasize correct use of grammar, spelling, and word choice. The explicit focus on spelling rules, morphemes, and vocabulary expansion supports students' language skills in speaking and writing.
       

  5. Speaking and Listening (Standard SL):

    • While Fundations primarily focuses on reading and writing, its phonemic awareness and fluency components also indirectly enhance students' speaking and listening skills. As students practice their decoding skills, they are better able to articulate words and engage in discussions, which aligns with the SL.3.6 standard.

In summary, the Fundations phonics program for grade 3 provides a robust foundation in the essential skills of reading, spelling, and writing, while aligning closely with the New York State ELA standards. It emphasizes phonological awareness, advanced phonics instruction, word structure, vocabulary, and fluency, all of which are critical for achieving proficiency in reading and writing at the third-grade level.

Mathematics

Pequenakonck Elementary School has adopted the hands-on and minds-on K-5 Math Curriculum, enVisionmath2.0, as the instructional resource to use within our math workshop model. Students explore grade level concepts with engaging materials, manipulatives, videos, online access and interdisciplinary activities that support student learning. The program is organized to promote focus and coherence each day. Assessments provide meaningful feedback to support student learning. The comprehensive program focuses on Common Core Clusters, develops understanding, and most importantly, connects mathematical content and processes. Learning is also supported through small groups and collaborative activities.  

The Common Core Learning Standards focus on eight Mathematical Practices. These practices are the habits of mind, dispositions and processes that help students understand mathematics. 

  • Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them 
  • Reason abstractly and quantitatively
  • Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
  • Model with mathematics
  • Use appropriate tools strategically
  • Attend to precision
  • Look for and make use of structure
  • Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

Third Grade Math Topics 

  • Topic 1: Understanding Multiplication and Division of Whole Numbers 
  • Topic 2: Multiplication Facts: 0, 1, 2, 5, 9 & 10
  • Topic 3: Apply Properties: Multiplication Facts: 3, 4, 6, 7 & 8
  • Topic 4: Use Multiplication to Divide: Division Facts
  • Topic 5: Fluently Multiply and Divide Within 100
  • Topic 6: Connect Area to Multiplication and Addition
  • Topic 7: Represent and Interpret Data
  • Topic 8: Use Strategies and Properties to Add and Subtract 
  • Topic 9: Fluently Add and Subtract Within 1,000
  • Topic 10: Multiply by Multiples of 10 
  • Topic 11: Use Operations with Whole Numbers to Solve Problems 
  • Topic 12: Understand Fractions as Numbers 
  • Topic 13: Fraction Equivalence and Comparison 
  • Topic 14: Solve Time, Capacity, and Mass Problems 
  • Topic 15: Attributes of Two-Dimensional Shapes
  • Topic 16: Solve Perimeter Problems 

Social Studies

The third grade Integrated Social Studies English Language Arts curriculum was created by a consortium of districts from Westchester and Putnam County to help students become familiar with communities around the world. After studying communities around the world, third graders will understand:

  • World communities have similarities and differences
  • World communities are affected by geography
  • World communities have social, economic, political, and cultural systems
  • World communities change and develop

Unit 1: Geography and Mapping
Students will be familiarized with various land and water forms and discuss how geographic factors influence where people settle and their lifestyle. Some factors are more suitable for settlement while others act as a deterrents. Students will also examine a variety of maps to discover their features and what can be learned from each type. They will review the differences between maps and globes, and discuss terms such as directionality, scale, and map key, as well as be able to locate the continents and oceans.

Units 2-5: Communities Around the World - USA, China, Brazil and Kenya
The four regions of focus in third grade are: The United States, China, Brazil and Kenya. Throughout the year, students will compare and contrast the communities in these places, specifically in the areas of:

  • Geography - where are these places located on a map and what types of landforms can be found there.
  • Government - what rules, laws, and forms of government exist in each of the four areas.
  • Economy - what types of imports/exports, needs/wants, goods and services, natural resources are found in each of the four regions.
  • Culture - What holidays are celebrated? What are the lifestyles like in these places? What languages are spoken,and what is the education system like in these four places?
  • Climate - students will learn how the environment influences culture and lifestyles in these four places. 

Science

Students will explore the world of science through observation, hands-on experiences and various informational text. Students will record data in a science notebook as they use critical and creative thinking skills.

Life Cycle of a Frog:

  • Describe the major changes in the life cycle of a frog 

Biome - Rain Forest:

  • Describe how plants and animals adapt to the environment
  • Compare and contrast the layers of the rainforest
  • Identify and evaluate ways in which human activities have changed  rainforests and the effects of those changes
  • Describe the relationship among air, water and land on Earth - The Water Cycle

Earth in Space:

  • Understand that the Earth and other planets revolve around the sun in an orbit
  • Develop an understanding that they are responsible to be custodians of the Earth

Health

Our health program, The Great Body Shop, promotes behaviors for better health.  Students study topics at every level.  All students study growth and development, nutrition, safety, illness prevention, substance abuse prevention, personal safety, family life, and community health.

Topics that are also integrated include the following:

  • Safe Away, Safe at Home
  • The Better to See You
  • Let’s Eat
  • Community Health
  • I Like Your Attitude
  • Your Family, My Family
  • Saying No to Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs
  • THings You Might Catch
  • When Bodies Have Problems
  • Finding Out About Bones