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Ms. Howard's Third Grade Class	Miss Howard
William G. Vinal School	Grade 3 teacher
http://www.norwellschools.org
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Curriculum Overview for Term 1:

Our Reading theme this term is Creative Imaginations. We will also be starting our spelling program, multi-sensory grammar and Daily Oral Language. Students are asked to have a Writer’s Notebook here at school and to add interesting stories and events to it when they have extra time. We will be developing Guided Reading groups this term as well as assigning math tiling and SRA based on skill need. In math we will be reviewing concepts taught in second grade and begin to use this foundation to build on fact extensions, extended place value and elapsed time. We will also be learning the partial sums algorithm and the trade-first subtraction method. Fact memorization is essential in third grade. All students should be drilling facts for a minimum of fifteen minutes each night. Please see my links below for great sites, activities and games to help students accomplish this.
In social studies we are studying map skills and how to effectively read coordinates.
Our science theme this term is Matter and Its Properties. We have a new science program. There are many new components to the program including an on-line text, activities and games related to the unit and on-line assessment. The link below will take you to the site.
I will be sending home two monthly Scholastic book orders with students. They are for two different grade levels so offer a wider variety of options.

Term II

To honor our Veterans this term we will be writing letters to those who have served or who are currently serving our country. We will also be creating Inspiration idea webs and writing essays reflecting on what we are grateful for in our lives this Thanksgiving. In the month of December we will be doing a fictional shopping excursion with our “Ho-ho-holiday” shopping math activity. Our year will wrap up by writing real estate advertisements for the gingerbread houses we make.
Our reading program will be focusing around “Wonders of the Sea” moving into the second term and we are making smooth and steady progress in our Guided Reading groups.
In math we will be mastering multiplication facts 0-9 and applying multiplication concepts to everyday life. We will also be studying larger numbers and decimals. Toward the end of term II we will be starting geometry.
Map skills continue as we examine the thirteen original colonies and the northeast. We will be identifying key locations in Massachusetts and we will end with a look at the town of Norwell up close.
Science continues with matter and physical science.
As we welcome a new president to lead our country, we also welcome our two class representatives to our student council. They are actively leading the school in demonstrating and coordinating efforts to help those in need this season through the Norwell Food Pantry and the Toys for Tots Campaign. Your support in these efforts is greatly appreciated.
Finally, in keeping with our “Celebration of Nations” event this year, we will be celebrating the holiday season by having a “Jamaican Holiday” on Dec. 17 @ 2:15. Families are invited to come and enjoy the festivities!
Have a safe and happy holiday season!

Term III
               Now that we have mastered our multiplication facts, we will be applying them to everyday situations in word problems and fact extensions. We will also be multiplying by two digits and learning lattice multiplication. Fractions, equivalencies and mixed numbers will also be a focus this term.
The American Revolution is in the forefront of our Social Studies curriculum this term. We started out learning about the events leading up to the Revolution. Next we are creating Boston Massacre Newspapers and finally we will be learning about the Boston Tea Party and its significance in history.
March is going to be a very busy month. In keeping with our “going green” initiative we are having “Green Day” on March 17 and are attempting a waste-free day.
March 20 will be our “Celebration of Nations” event. Each class in the school has been studying about a country throughout the year and we will be showing our projects and demonstrating what we have learned as parents and students tour each room throughout the day. Our country is Jamaica and we have learned so much about this tiny island! Each student has become an expert in his/her interest area and has created a symbol/folder for it to hold their information. We have also made Swallow Tail Hummingbirds or “Doctor Birds” – the national bird of Jamaica and Jonkonnunu masks reminiscent of those worn in the Jonkonnunu parades in Jamaica. We will be writing about the heroes in our lives to commemorate Jamaican “Hero Day”.
We continue to concentrate on non-fiction reading and comprehension with a continued emphasis on grammar and parts of speech. Third grade students will be taking the ELA MCAS test at the very end of March. We have been working on test-taking strategies all year and are well-prepared for the challenge!
In science we will be learning about rocks and soil, the layers of the earth and changes in the Earth throughout this term.
                Term IV
We are learning many ways to solve two and three digit multiplication problems and are concentrating on solving multi-step word problems this term. We will also be exploring measurement, data, probability, statistics and graphing.
In Social Studies we will be learning all about our town of Norwell and its history. We will be visiting some historical landmarks later in the term.
Aside from our Norwell excursion we will be going into Boston to the Berklee Performance Center to see “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” on May 28.
On April 16 we will be celebrating “Wm. G. Vinal Day” honoring our school’s namesake.
Author Steven Krasner will be visiting and working on creative writing with students on Friday, April 17.
The month of May will be a very busy month for us. We have been preparing for math MCAS and will be taking the test on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 12th &13th.
In science we will be studying the planets during this final term and our culminating event will be a visit from the Museum of Science’s “Star Lab” on June 5.

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