3rd Grade Second Trimester Curriculum

READING

Unit 3: Heroes

What makes a hero? What qualities do we see in heroes? In this unit, students address these questions and others by reading historical fiction. They read biographical texts and poetry to learn about heroes. After learning from their reading, they write their own historical fiction story.

Reading Focus

-Historical fiction to understand their elements

-Prefixes pre-, dis-, in-, im-, non-

-Suffixes -ful, -y, -ness

-Vowel teams oo, ew, ue, ui, eu

-Abbreviations and irregular plurals

-Reading skills: Analyzing plot, setting, and characters; Inferring theme; Analyzing text structure;

Explaining poetic elements

 

Writing Focus

-Historical fiction

-Subject-Verb agreement, simple verb tenses, irregular verbs and pronouns

-Writing skills: Developing plot, setting, and characters; developing a problem and a solution; developing a sequence of events; composing dialogue; describing events and details

 

Selections for Unit 3

-Below Deck: A Titanic Story

-Granddaddy’s Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box

-from Little House on the Prairie/ from By the Shores of Silver Lake

-Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya

-Poems About Heroes

 

Unit 4:  Events

How do communities change over time? How can one person improve a community? In this unit, students address these questions and others by reading biographies. They learn about narrative nonfiction and dramas. From these readings, they develop opinions and learn to write opinion essays.

Reading Focus

-Biographies about people who have changed their communities

-r-controlled vowels ir, er, ur, ear

-VCCCV syllable pattern

-Latin suffixes -able, -ible, -ation

-Homographs and Homophones

-Reading skills: Analyze text structure; Identifying main ideas and details; Explaining authors purpose and distinguishing viewpoints; Identifying elements of a drama

 

Writing Focus

-Opinion essays

-Possessive pronouns; contractions; prepositions; prepositional phrases; adjectives; articles; adverbs

-Writing skills: Developing a topic, point of view, and opinion; distinguishing between facts and opinions; developing reasons and supporting facts; developing a conclusion

 

Selections for Unit 4

-The House That Jane Built:A Story About Jane Addams

-from Frederick Douglass

-from Milton Hershey: Chocolate King, Town Builder

-Green City

-Grace and Grandma

 

MATHEMATICS

Statistics & Probability – (continue) graphs, median, mean

Multiplication facts – 0 – 12; Multiply by one digit

Measurement and time – length, weight, calendar, elapsed time

Geometry – lines, angles, congruent/similar figures, ordered pairs, symmetry, transformations, solid figures, perimeter, area, volume

Problem Solving – working backwards, make a table, interpret remainder, use a graph

Division – by one digit, 3 digit quotient, function machine

Fractions – equivalent, estimation, order, add, subtract, compare, unit cost

Divisibility – expressions and variables, order of operations, missing operations

SCIENCE

Second Trimester

Topic 3: Weather

Essential Question: What are ways to reduce the impacts of hazardous weather?

Lesson 1: Water and Weather

Lesson 2: Seasonal Weather Changes

Lesson 3: Weather Hazards

 

Topic 4: Climate

Essential Question: How can you explain what climate is like in different places?

Lesson 1: Climates

Lesson 2: Climate Change

Lesson 3: World Climates

SOCIAL STUDIES

Second Trimester

Chapter 3: Communities Build a Nation
Big Question: How does our past affect our present?

Lesson 1: America’s First Peoples
Lesson 2: Early Explorers
Lesson 3: Early Spanish Communities
Lesson 4: Early French Communities
Lesson 5: Early English Communities
Lesson 6: Creating a Nation

Chapter 4: Government, Landmarks, and Symbols
Big Question: Why do we have government?

Lesson 1: The American Government
Lesson 2: Branches of Government
Lesson 3: Levels of Government
Lesson 4: Landmarks, Symbols, and Documents

 

RELIGION

Faith Statements-

UNIT 2 (continues)

10. The Church prays

11. The Parish is our home

12.  God calls us to holiness

13. ADVENT

14. CHRISTMAS

UNIT 3: The Church leads us in Woprship

15. We celebrate the Sacraments

16. Celebrating Eucharist: THE MASS

17. We worship at Mass

18. Celebrating PENANCE &   RECONCILIATION

Saints-

Saint Frances of Rome

Saint Paul

Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

Saints Peter and Paul

Saint Brigid

 

Prayers-

The Creed

Rosary

Act of Contrition

Grace before/after meals

Morning Prayer