Parent Resources

Parent Resources

DEVELOPMENT OF A THIRD GRADE CHILD

Age characteristics are rough guidelines to help us know what may be expected from children of a certain age, and what behaviors are typical.  Each child is unique and will progress at his/her own rate. 

The “typical” third grader . . .

• Likes to work cooperatively
• Is friendly, cooperative, and likes praise
• Prefers same gender activities
• Is very trusting; can be variable in mood
• Likes to explain ideas with a rapidly expanding vocabulary
• Is increasingly self-motivated; can resent interruptions
• Is essentially truthful and honest; can accept blame
• Is open to new ideas and likes a challenge
• Enjoys "hands-on" learning
• Has enormous curiosity and. . . .
• IS READING TO LEARN INSTEAD OF LEARNING TO READ

HOME-SCHOOL COMMUNICATIONS

Your child’s school and teacher value working together in partnership.  Parents can foster communication with the school by. . .

• Attending parent meetings, conferences, and Open House/Back-to-School nights
• Contacting the child’s teacher with any comments or questions
• Reviewing/monitoring schoolwork and homework
• Responding promptly to any notes sent home
• Writing comments on progress reports and report cards
• Checking district and school websites for important information

HOMEWORK/STUDY SKILLS

Learning is best for third grade children when it is product-based and organized.  Home activities that support these learners include. . .

• Review the day's activities, showing interest in your child’s progress and expecting the best
• Monitor TV viewing and offer fun alternatives
• Maintain a routine for homework and provide adequate supplies
• Make sure your child has adequate rest and eats a good breakfast
• Encourage your child to assume responsibility

COMMUNICATION ARTS CURRICULUM

 Third Grade

Essential content and skills in listening and speaking:

• Follow multi-step directions given orally
• Actively listen and recall characters, details, and main idea; retell events in the correct sequence
• Summarize information heard
• Recognize speaker’s purpose
• Demonstrate four behaviors of a good speaker:  speak clearly with appropriate volume, use eye contact and facial expression, stand with proper posture, and be familiar with the topic

Parents can help by:

• Giving meaningful, multi-step directions for your child to follow
• Talking with and listening to your child
• Engaging in conversation with your child about books, school, and other topics

Essential content and skills in reading:

• Review rules for decoding words
• Expand vocabulary; read grade-level sight words
• Use context clues to determine word and sentence meaning
• Use word structure to determine meaning (prefixes, suffixes, and base/root words)
• Read punctuation for expression and meaning
• Apply reading strategies appropriate for purpose and content
• Apply comprehension strategies before, during and after reading (predict, visualize, name main idea/details/plot, draw conclusions, summarize)
• Distinguish between fantasy/reality, fact/opinion
• Determine author’s purpose and mood
• Identify and interpret figurative language
• Read and compare/contrast selections from a variety of genres and cultures
• Locate information using parts of a book (contents, index, glossary); use reference books (dictionary, encyclopedia, thesaurus)
• Interpret charts, tables, and graphic organizers
• Read self-selected materials independently

Parents can help by:

• Encouraging your child to read a variety of reading materials
• Being a role model for reading
• Reading to and with your child
• Taking your child to the library

Essential content and skills in writing:

• Follow the writing process to choose topic, draft, proofread, revise, and publish writing
• Develop paragraphs including topic sentence, supporting sentences, closing sentence
• Use compare and contrast in writing
• Produce various writing forms (personal narrative, informative writing, summary, poetry, friendly letter, directions, stories)
• Correctly identify different sentence types
• Identify and use parts of speech
• Capitalize words correctly
• Use correct punctuation (commas, apostrophes)
• Review and use correct manuscript writing
• Develop correct letter, number, and word formation, proportion, spacing in cursive writing

Parents can help by:

• Encouraging your child to write notes, letters, stories and poetry
• Providing a place and materials for your child to write
• Encouraging your child to practice newly acquired cursive writing skills

MATHEMATICS CURRICULUM – Third Grade

• Solve, explain, and justify problems applying addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and place value
• Order and compare numbers
• Identify, describe, and extend patterns
• Recognize fractions as equal parts of sets, wholes, and numbers on a number line
• Estimate reasonableness of answers
• Develop and apply strategies to determine metric and standard units for length, perimeter, area, weight, and temperature
• Apply principles of time and money to real world situations
• Create a variety of tables, graphs, and charts to represent data
• Identify, sort, and describe attributes and parts of 2D and 3D shapes

Parents can help by:

• Working with your child to memorize addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts
• Using measurement tools found in the home
• Pointing out patterns in real life, asking what comes next in a pattern
• Estimating cost of items, length of time, and weight of things
• Keeping a positive attitude toward math
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SOCIAL STUDIES CURRICULUM – Third Grade

• Recognize and name the seven continents and four oceans
• Identify and explain features and relationships among regions
• Label important Missouri features and border states
• Identify three branches of government and meaning of national symbols
• Know rights and responsibilities of citizens in a democratic society
• Relate examples of cooperation, compromise, and responsible behavior
• Identify types of transportation
• Identify key elements of an economic system

Parents can help by:

• Visiting museums and historical places
• Sharing newspaper and magazine articles and interpreting graphs and tables in these resources
• Encouraging discussions of current affairs
• Encouraging children to use maps on vacations and in discussions to understand distances, directions, and time
• Review textbooks, encouraging use of margin notes, boldface type, pictures, charts and graphs

SCIENCE CURRICULUM – Third Grade

• Classify soil, rocks, and minerals by their properties
• Explain water cycle, precipitation, and clouds
• Identify forms of energy and describe how energy changes form
• Observe/describe natural objects and their position in the sky
• Observe/identify properties and changes in states of matter
• Classify examples of living/nonliving items
• Identify sequence of growth in living things
• Understand germination sequences of seeds
• Model a simple food chain 

Parents can help by:

• Visiting Soulard Market, Science Center, Magic House, Powder Valley Nature Center, Lone Elk Park, St. Louis Zoo, Missouri Botanical Gardens
• Listening to and discussing daily weather forecast
• Planting a small garden
• Reading the newspaper for related science topics
• Watching science programs on TV

ART CURRICULUM – Third Grade

Art classes are scheduled weekly for all elementary students.  Students learn basic design elements and an awareness of colors, shapes, forms, and textures.  An appreciation of art works from around the world is introduced.  Individual artistic creativity is encouraged.

Parents can help by:

• Encouraging your child’s creativity at home with crayons, markers, and clay
• Displaying your child’s art work at home
• Having your child dress appropriately for art classes which may include using paints, glue, and clay

MUSIC CURRICULUM – Third Grade

Music classes are scheduled weekly for all elementary students.  Students become acquainted with a variety of music and learn how to make music alone and with others.  Music vocabulary and notation of music are learned in elementary music.  By listening/responding to music, students develop positive musical experiences.

Parents can help by:

• Listening to a variety of music with your child
• Encouraging your child to share songs learned  

PHYSICAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM – Third Grade

Elementary students meet weekly for physical education classes.  Physical fitness and healthy lifestyles are introduced with development and refinement of basic movement concepts and skills. Children learn to cooperate with peers in group activities. Lifetime fitness is the program’s focus.

Parents can help by:

• Encouraging participation in individual/team sports
• Doing family activities that encourage physical fitness, such as walking in the neighborhood
• Having your child wear athletic shoes and appropriate clothing on physical education days

LIBRARY/MEDIA CURRICULUM – Third Grade

Elementary students have weekly classes in the library/media center.  Students are introduced to library skills and a wide variety of resources to stimulate an interest in reading and gathering information and ideas.  The library/media center is an integral part of the student's education in partnership with home, school, and community. 

Parents can help by:

• Reading library books with your child
• Selecting with your child a special place to keep library books at home
• Encouraging responsibility to return library books on the day of scheduled library class
• Reinforcing subjects taught in school by reading books about those concepts