3rd Grade Curriculum and Policies
Pennoyer School ~ Mrs. Adkins’ Class
Welcome to third grade. It is a transitional year where independence
and organizational skills grow.
Third Grade Curriculum:
Reading: We use the McGraw-Hill state issued Basal readers, supplemented with
novels. Mondays and Fridays are whole group instruction and assessment. Tuesdays,
Wednesdays, and Thursdays are taught in four smaller reading groups. Parent
volunteers come in during those times to help me manage our literacy stations. The
reading series consists of six units with five stories per unit. Correlating spelling and
grammar lessons are given along with each reading story. Weekly tests are given
every Friday for reading and grammar, spelling tests are Thursday afternoons. Book-It
participation is mandatory, and is part of the overall reading grade.
Writing:
The students will participate in Writer’s Workshop and work independently or
collaboratively on a genre of their choice. The students will learn expository,
persuasive, and narrative forms of formal writing. They will write a five-paragraph
paper in each of these forms that is well organized, detailed, and grammatically
correct.
Cursive:
The students will learn the Zaner-Bloser style of cursive handwriting. For
the first half of the year, the students will be graded on their manuscript (printing).
Starting in January, everything will be written in cursive (excluding spelling words)
and the students will be graded on their cursive writing for the remainder of the year.
Math:
A wide variety of topics are covered in third grade. Main topics of importance
include double-digit addition and subtraction, multiplication and division, and
extended response answers. Also taught are place value, time, money, graphing,
geometry, fractions, and measurement. Extensive use of manipulatives is used, and
quizzes are given to assess recently learned lessons. Multiplication facts 0-12 are
expected to be memorized by the end of third grade. Centers are done every few days
to support and review lessons learned.
Science:
Topics covered include the solar system (water cycle, weather, planets) and
forces and energy (energy, heat, and forces and motion). A culminating bridge
building assignment will be given at the end of the forces and motion unit. Students
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will be expected to work with a partner outside of school to complete this project.
Science is taught every week on Monday and Thursday by Mrs. Adkins. Weekly
science experiments can be expected. The level of difficulty is very high and often
requires parental support at home in helping prepare for tests.
Social Studies:
Topics covered include our community, maps, graphing, laws,
services, voting, and rights and responsibilities. Social studies is taught every week on
Tuesdays and Fridays by Mrs. Dylag. This level of difficulty is also very high and
often requires parental support at home in helping prepare for tests.
Other:
Every Thursday morning, the students will receive a half hour of Italian
lessons. Ms. DaVita instructs the students. Every other Wednesday afternoon, the
students receive forty minutes of character education as presented by Ms. Stutzman,
school social worker. Our focus in third grade is on responsibility. Every day, the
students participate in 30 minutes of D.E.A.R. time (Drop Everything And Read) after
lunch, and they also listen to 15 minutes of read aloud time from Mrs. Adkins at the
end of the day. See attached class schedule for specials times.
Classroom Policies:
Discipline:
A positive approach to discipline is enforced as a class by setting goals to
fill the marble jar, as well as individually through high fives. More serious
misbehavior problems will result in the child having to move their smiley face from
the green light to yellow, to orange, then to red if necessary. If misbehavior continues,
appropriate consequences are given and a note will be sent home, informing the
parent of their child’s conduct. The parent is expected to sign and return the note the
next day, or can expect a phone call home. Any outrageous or consistent problems
spotted will be brought to the parent’s attention that day via a note home or phone
call.
Homework:
Nightly assignments are given, Monday through Friday. Homework
is to be turned in at the start of each day. Points are deducted from the assignment for
every day it is late. The students are expected to write their assignments down daily
in their assignment notebook. It is their responsibility to show this notebook to their
parents every evening and obtain a parent signature for that day. Mrs. Adkins will be
checking for that signature every morning. The assignment notebook is also a good
way for parents to communicate with the teacher. All graded work is kept at school
until Friday. Please look for these important papers every Friday and go through
them with your child. Here is an example of weekly assignments given (math pages
are not given on days we have centers or a test):
Monday: Read story aloud at home, math
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Tuesday: Spelling page, math page
Wednesday: Spelling sentences, prepare for spelling test, math page
Thursday: Grammar paper, study for reading and grammar tests, math
Friday: Math page
Suggested Home Activities:
The following are suggested nightly activities for
you to do with your child:
~ Practice flash cards – addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.
~ Read nightly – take turns reading out loud or silent read.
~ Practice weekly spelling words - test every Thursday!
* Even an extra 15 minutes a night can make all the difference.
Miscellaneous Information:
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State tests are given three times a year. The MAP tests will be given in the end
of September, in January, and again in May. ISAT testing will be given in the
beginning of March. More information will be given in upcoming Newsletters.
Birthdays are a big deal, and we like to be able to celebrate everyone’s.
Birthdays are celebrated either on the child’s actual birthday, or the last school
day before. Summer birthdays are celebrated in May or June. If you choose to
send in a treat to celebrate your child’s birthday, please send in enough treats
for everyone in the class. We currently have 19 students in our class. Please
send in accompanying paper products, cups, or utensils as needed.
For the most up-to-date information about what is taking place in your child’s
classroom, read the weekly Third Grade Newsletter that is sent home every
Friday via email unless a paper copy is requested. You can also access the
Newsletter at the Pennoyer web site.
There are three easy ways for you to contact me if you have any questions or
concerns: Send in a note with your child, call and leave a message with the
school office (456-9094), or send an email sadkins@pennoyerschool.org I try to
return all messages and emails at my earliest availability.
I look forward to working with you and your child!
Mrs. Sarah Adkins
Third Grade Teacher
Pennoyer Elementary School
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