Language Arts - 3rd Grade

This curriculum focuses on developing fundamental reading, writing, and language skills. Students learn to use proper punctuation, capitalization, and correct noun and verb forms (singular/plural). They also explore parts of speech, prefixes, suffixes, and homophones. Understanding different sentence types is another key component.

Reading

Third-grade reading emphasizes reading fluency and comprehension. Students learn to recognize and use complex word families to decode unfamiliar words. They also learn to generate and respond to essential questions, make predictions, and compare information from multiple sources. Students transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn," tackling longer chapter books and applying more complex reading strategies. They learn to use reading strategies like asking questions, making inferences, and summarizing. A focus is placed on developing deeper thinking and discussion about the texts they read. (Aug 13, 2020)

Writing

The writing curriculum covers various writing styles, including narrative, informative, opinion, and procedural writing. Students learn the writing process, which involves prewriting, drafting, peer and teacher conferences, editing, revising, and publishing. They are expected to move through these steps with increasing independence. Third graders begin writing with a clear purpose, maintaining focus on a topic and developing more complex ideas. Grammatically correct sentences and improved spelling are also emphasized. They start writing longer stories with paragraphs and pages, demonstrating an increased ability to spell correctly. Cursive writing may also be introduced.

Language Skills

Students develop a deeper understanding of grammar, including parts of speech, verb tenses, and sentence structure. Vocabulary development is also a key focus, with students learning new words and expanding their understanding of word meanings. They practice using proper punctuation, including commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points. Capitalization rules are reinforced, and students learn to capitalize proper nouns, the beginning of sentences, and titles. They also learn about homophones, prefixes, and suffixes, which helps them to decode and understand more complex words. Activities and lessons often involve reading diverse texts, engaging in discussions, and completing writing assignments.