Welcome to Grade Three!
Curriculum Handout
September 2015-16
Grade Three Teachers:
301 – Mr. Randy Smith
302- Ms. Belinda Loder
303 – Mme. Sarah Barry
304- Ms. Theressa Cadigan
305-Mme Tammy Manor
306 – Ms. Deanne Keating
Music - Ms. Connie Reid
Physical Education - Mr. Steve Harvey
Instructional Resource Teacher-Ms. Jackie Greenwood, Ms.
Cathy Codner
Learning Resource –Ms. Leigh Borden
Principal – Ms. Debbie Peddle
Assistant Principals – Ms. Bernadette Kolonel,
Mr. Rodney Mitchell
Holy Trinity Elementary, Torbay, NL
Grade 3
Welcome to your child's Grade Three year at Holy Trinity Elementary School! I
look forward to an exciting year of learning and working closely with you to
ensure that your child has a happy and successful year in our new school.
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General Information
Use of the Agenda
The agenda is a very useful tool to help your child keep organized. It is also an
important communication tool between school and home. Encourage your child
to bring the agenda to class each day and to return it home each evening.
Please check and initial the agenda daily. The front plastic pocket will be
used for notes so please check there every day. This is a great opportunity to
help encourage independent organizational skills.
Homework
Your child should be able to work with an increasing level of independence at the
routine homework but please check that s/he understands what to do and is
working well. As children read silently at home, please frequently ask your child
to tell about what s/he is reading, ask questions to ensure understanding and
periodically ask your child to read parts orally to you so that you can be sure they
are reading fluently. A consistent time and place, away from distractions such as
the T.V. can help make the homework time go smoothly.
Lunch/Recess
Most parents are now familiar with the School Lunch Program. A lunch menu
envelope is sent home every month with a due date posted on the front. Please
be very conscious of this date and send the envelope back in time as late
envelopes cannot be accepted at the school. Parents can also register their
children and order monthly meals online at the School Lunch Association’s
website: www.schoollunch.ca If your child is bringing a packed lunch or recess
please remember the school's policy banning peanuts and other nut products,
eggs, kiwi and fish due to allergies. Products that “may contain traces” of
these allergens are acceptable for snacks and lunches.
When the weather is inclement and children stay indoors for playtime, they often
want to bring in toys to play. Your child may bring something to play with, but it
must be something that can be put back in the locker after lunch. If you are
concerned about expensive items being taken, then you might want to have your
child choose something else to bring. Smaller, quiet or non-violent toys are good
choices. Please encourage your child to keep all electronic games at home.
Classroom Routines
The Grade Three curriculum abounds with opportunities for group work, use of
hands-on materials, outdoor work and other fun and active learning experiences.
We are working hard as a class to establish good routines to enable this to
happen. Skills such as using "indoor voices", cooperating and taking turns can
be reinforced at home. As well, there are times when focused listening and quiet
seatwork is important. Encouraging good listening behaviors (e.g., looking at the
speaker), attention to detail and taking care over how written work is presented
are also important skills to reinforce.
Curriculum Outline
The following is a brief overview of the curriculum and resources used in the
Grade Three program. The specific curriculum outcomes are set by the
provincial Department of Education. These and other information for each
subject area can be accessed online at:
http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/k12/curriculum/guides/index.html
Language Arts
The Language Arts curriculum is organized around six strands:
 Listening and Speaking
 Reading and Viewing
 Writing and Other ways of Representing.
Students will engage in numerous activities that will provide opportunities to
practice and develop these skills. These activities will include, but are not limited
to, reading stories, poems and articles, writing in a personal journal, composing,
writing creative stories, completing research projects, etc.
Writing/composing is a major focus in Grade Three and various author skills will
be taught and modeled. Answering questions fully and explaining their thinking
using new and interesting vocabulary is the expectation across the curriculum
(including in Math), as well as to expand the length of their writing. Students will
be introduced to paragraphing and will be encouraged to edit their work. Spelling
strategies will be taught, and word walls, charts and personal dictionaries will be
used. There will not be weekly spelling tests, however students will be expected
to show a strong commitment to using their own personal dictionaries and the
other aids around the classroom when writing and editing.
To meet the outcomes in Reading/Viewing, we will be using a variety of learning
resources including two reading anthologies: Keepsakes and Treasures and
Hand In Hand, various novels, information text, newspapers, charts, magazines,
videos and online material. Approaches will vary and include Guided Reading,
partnered reading, silent reading, literature circles, book talks, etc. Crosscurricular and seasonal themes will also help us meet our outcomes in a fun and
meaningful way.
At the Grade Three level, children will build on the reading strategies and skills
they learned in Grade 2, and they will be encouraged to develop "fluency". Daily
reading is an extremely important part of your child's literacy development. Along
with the many opportunities your child will have to read during the school day,
reading at home nightly will help your child increase his/her reading skills and
fluency. Even if nothing specific has been assigned for reading homework,
please ensure that your child reads every evening.
Art
The Grade Three Art curriculum has four main goals: development of visual
awareness, visual expression, development of appreciation for visual arts, and
increased self awareness. Art activities will also be woven throughout other
subject areas and seasonal themes will be integrated where possible.
Students will have the opportunity to communicate through and about art. Some
of the topics will include Elements of Design: line, shape, form, color, texture
and space; and Principles of Design: movement, repetition, balance, contrast,
emphasis and unity. Students will also be asked to respond to art created by
themselves and others, using vocabulary specific to art.
Health
This program focuses on the student’s emotional, physical, social and mental
health. It is designed to make children aware of good health habits and help
them understand their bodies. Many of the objectives of the program will be
integrated throughout other areas of study.
The Grade Three Health program consists of the following topics: active living,
consumer health, dental health, drug education, environmental health, injury
prevention and safety, mental health, nutrition, physical growth and development,
relationships, and self care, The topics will be covered through a variety of
activities, discussions, guest speakers, as well as involvement in community
awareness programs. Healthy living will also be integrated throughout other
subject areas and healthy living practices will be reinforced throughout the school
day. The monthly themes which you will find in your child's agenda will also be
tied in with the Health and Religion programs.
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Mathematics
The Grade 3 Mathematics curriculum promotes active exploration of a variety of
mathematical ideas in the context of meaningful learning experiences. Students
will explore patterns and relations through increasing and decreasing patterns.
They will learn to represent, describe, compare and order numbers to 1000.
Addition and subtraction to 1000 will be explored. There is a focus on mental
math strategies for 2-digit numbers and facts to 18. Multiplication to 5 x 5, as well
as the corresponding division facts, will be studied. They will also solve onestep addition and subtraction equations. Work with measurement, and 3D objects
and 2D shapes provide opportunities to develop students’ sense of shape and
space. Students will collect and organize first-hand data through surveys, and
they will communicate this data by constructing, labeling and interpreting bar
graphs.
The Mathematics curriculum emphasizes understanding through the use of
hands-on materials such as "Base Ten Blocks", and encourages the children to
express their mathematical knowledge through language (speaking and writing).
The approach involves much discussion and your child will sometimes write in a
Math Journal to describe how a problem was solved or to discuss a new concept.
Problem solving will be an ongoing part of the program. Strategies for solving
story problems and non-routine problems will be integrated throughout the
various stands.
Religion
The Grade Three Religion curriculum encourages students to "grow religiously,
spiritually and morally into informed, caring and contributing members of society"
(Primary Religious Education Interim Curriculum Guide, Department of
Education). The textbook includes stories about various important religious
figures, heroes and personalities from around the world such as Terry Fox,
Martin Luther King and Ruby Bridges. Seasonal themes will be integrated and
children's literature will be incorporated where appropriate. Discussion, artwork,
reflection and writing will be used to help your child meet the outcomes of the
program.
Social Studies
The outcomes for the Grade Three Social Studies program revolve around these
six conceptual strands:
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Citizenship, Power and Governance
Individuals, Societies, and Economic Decisions
People, Place and Environment
Culture and Diversity
Interdependence
Time, Continuity and Change
The focus is on our province, Newfoundland and Labrador, incorporating the
following three units :
- How can you describe the province of Newfoundland and Labrador?
- How do the people of Newfoundland and Labrador share their lives?
- How do citizens shape our province?
Science
The Grade Three Science program consists of four units, each with its own
softcover textbook:
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Down Under (looking at soil)
Invisible Power (an examination of gravity, magnetism and static electricity)
Build It Up (the study of how buildings and structures are designed and
constructed)
Watch It Grow (how seeds turn into plants).
This program takes a very hands-on, discovery approach to learning, and your
child will be involved in examining materials, outdoor work, building objects and
growing things. The science program aims to develop the student’s ability to
observe, ask questions and to find answers. The student is encouraged to think
creatively, innovatively and independently. There will be both small and large
group activities. Field trips will be planned to help enrich your child's experiences
in Science.
Assessment and Evaluation
Evaluation is a continuous and on-going process, taking in all aspects of growth.
At this level, a variety of sources are used to assess a student’s progress such
as:
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participation in group discussions
daily observations
oral presentations
completion of in-class assigned tasks
student/teacher conferences and interviews
anecdotal records (short descriptions of classroom observations)
work samples (daily in-class assignments)
rubrics
checklists and jot notes
occasional unit tests
in-class projects
behavior during both structured and unstructured times
ability to carry out responsibilities
ability to follow school rules and routines
overall effort and initiative
presentation of work in a neat and organized manner
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cooperation, respect and consideration of others
All daily work is considered extremely valuable, and very important for
assessment purposes. Children are encouraged to strive for their best at all
times.
I look forward to working with your child this year!