Curriculum

Here is an overview of the third grade curriculum.  Areas of study are listed quarterly and include strategies and  essential questions for learning.  Teachers create assessments based on the essential questions or "learning targets" as
determined by the school district and the state of Illinois.

Quarter One

Reading
Making predictions                                                                  
Context clues
Narrative elements
Creating mental images
Author's purpose
Sequencing
Questioning
Fact vs. opinion
Compare and contrast
Fiction vs. non-fiction/real vs. make -believe

Writing
Writing complete sentences
Noun-verb agreement
Capitalization and punctuation
Types of sentences - statements, questions, commands, exclamations
Writing process - prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing
Paragraph writing - topic sentence, details, concluding sentence
Grammar
Common and proper nouns
Verbs
Adjectives
Synonyms
Antonyms
Homophones

Math
Count by 10's and 100's (U1)
Apply place value concepts in 4-digit numbers (U1)
Tell and show times to the nearest minute (U1)
Count combinations of bills and coins and write the total in dollars and sense notation (U1)
Find equivalent names for numbers (U1)
Use basic facts to solve fact extensions (U2)
Know basic addition and subtraction facts (U2)
Complete fact and number families (U2)
Solve addition and subtraction (U2)

Science
Bones and Muscles
How do the parts of the skeletal and muscular system function and work together?
How does nutrition and exercise affect the muscular and skeletal system?


Social Studies
Communities
Why do people live in different kinds of communities?
How are communities similar and different from one another?
How does geography affect community?
How do people work effectively with others within their community?
Maps and  Globes
Why do we use maps?
How are maps and globes different?
What are the tools used to help read maps and globes? (compass rose, map key, symbols)
How do we figure out distance from one place to another on a map? ( map scale)
What are the cardinal and intermediate directions?