3rd Grade

Third grade is a wonderful year where students grow academically, socially, physically, and spiritually. It is a time of new discoveries where students explore Bible, math, grammar, science, history, reading, spelling, and creative writing. What fun they have as they build upon the past preparing them for new and exciting things in the future. Not only do students enjoy a variety of subjects, but they also enjoy art, music, physical education, Spanish, and computer. In these classes, they learn and perfect many different skills. This is a fun and enjoyable time away from the normal routines of the classroom. Chapel is also a special time each week. Students enjoy worshipping God through songs, prayer time, and the study of His Word. This time allows them to focus on God and thank Him for His many blessings. Through these third grade experiences, students will make lasting memories that can be cherished for a lifetime!

Bible

The third grade Bible program takes the students on a journey through the life of Christ, the book of Acts, and missions. While studying the life of Christ, the students will read and become familiar with the Gospels. They will learn and make daily applications from Jesus’ parables,  miracles, messages, and life. As the students read throughout the book of Acts, the students will see the beginning and the growth of Christianity’s early church. The importance of being a daily witness in their own lives is stressed as they learn about the missionary journeys of Paul and other famous missionaries in history. They will  also become acquainted with various Christian heroes of the faith who lived throughout history. The students memorize weekly Bible verses, which is an important part of the Bible program.

Social Studies

The third grade curriculum focuses on twenty-one great Americans. From Christopher Columbus, Mile Standish, George Washington, and Clara Barton, to the famous evangelist, Billy Sunday, the students will learn about history from a Biblical perspective. The textbook emphasizes godly character, patriotism, respect, and a  variety of contributions that these Americans have made to United States history. Each student will compose a project, which focuses on one of the twenty-one famous Americans.

Mathematics

The goal of the mathematics program is to help students build a solid foundation. Students begin by reviewing simple addition, subtraction, and multiplication problems. By completing these simple problems, the students are able to move on and solve more complex problems. Students are introduced to the concepts of long division,  fractions, geometric shapes, measurement problems, story problems, averaging, and algebra equations. In our measurement study, they learn the English and metric  measures where they are taught how to convert measures. Story problems enable them to use their critical thinking skills and logical reasoning skills to solve for the answer. Students develop a conceptual understanding and skill  proficiency in participating in all these various concepts.

Science

The students explore God’s creation as they peek into the world of our nervous system and its five senses. The students discover the way plants were designed as well as see the uniqueness of the five mammal groups. The  students also journey to the desert, ocean, pond, forest, and farmer’s field in order to discover the marvelous  balance in nature that God designed for a purpose. At the close of the book, students study the four types of  precipitation that display God’s amazing power.

Language Arts

The third grade language arts curriculum focuses on the following areas: reading, grammar and writing skills, and spelling and vocabulary building. The reading curriculum uses A Beka readers and novels to continue the development of oral reading. Students practice and review decoding of words, listening skills, critical thinking skills, and analyzing skills through different types of literature. Students also conduct research of specific novels using oral and written book reports. The Shurley Grammar curriculum teaches the foundation of grammar in an exciting, new way. Students use rhymes and specific  questions to identify all of the words in a sentence as well as the sentence structure. Students learn that each part of the sentence works together to express a complete thought. Students learn how to develop, improve, and edit  their creative writing. Students then learn how to convey their ideas through writing letters and through various types of creative writing. The spelling curriculum is phonetic based utilizing the special sounds as well as learning to spell content words that coincide with other subjects.  Games, contests, and review exercises are used daily to create a fun approach to spelling. Dictionary skills, writing skills, and word usage skills are used each week to review concepts that are taught in grammar and reading. Vocabulary words and definitions are introduced each week to expand a child’s vocabulary.

Penmanship

The goal of the penmanship program is for the students to develop outstanding cursive handwriting. The students begin by reviewing the cursive formation of all the letters in the alphabet. Through the penmanship study, the students are involved in discovering Bible truths, a historical study of the 50 states and Canada’s provinces, and several character qualities. Working faithfully every day in these cursive writing exercises, the students learn to have success in developing outstanding handwriting.