Third Grade Curriculum

In third grade, our students are guided through a big transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Our reading curriculum, Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts, is built on the science of reading and has been recognized as a program that excels in building knowledge. Our teaching emphasizes providing tools and reading strategies for both fiction and non-fiction materials to help students take on increasingly complex texts. Students will begin the school year learning about classic tales, animal classification, and the human body. Independent and small group guided reading lessons are provided, and our classroom libraries reflect and respect that diversity of abilities. Our reading specialist is also available to work with students who may benefit from additional support. In writing, students build on work done in earlier grades as they try their hands at narrative, expository, and argument writing. Students spend more time learning the research process and putting it into practice through writing.

In third grade, we divide the students into small math groups with additional teachers so that we can further differentiate our instruction. We are able to provide small-group learning and a great student-teacher ratio in order to ensure our students are always able to meet their fullest potential. Our math program in third grade emphasizes conceptual understanding in order to deepen students’ abilities to think mathematically, and focuses on personalized and adaptive learning, making math learner-centered and relevant. Our enVision Mathematics program has demonstrated significant increases in student achievement, particularly in the concepts of problem solving and computation, as well as improved their overall ability levels, above and beyond other math programs.

We integrate social studies content into our language arts curriculum. We believe that the content is important, and that it is equally or more important for our students to learn skills for approaching and comprehending textbooks and nonfiction writing. Students are provided with outside experiences to enhance their understanding of the content. Past trips for the third grade students include a trip to Johnston Farm as well as a courthouse tour. Our science program is hands-on, and comes from FOSS (Full Option Science System), a research-based science curriculum for grades K - 8 developed at the University of California, Berkeley. In third grade, the focus is on the smallest earth materials (pebbles, sand, silt), measurement tools used by scientists, and the structures of life. Our students enjoy the various hands-on lab activities and experiments that they get to explore. Students have the opportunity to visit the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden for America Recycles Day as well as iSPACE, an immersive STEM learning center. A habitat with Madagascar hissing cockroaches is stored in the science classroom. This allows students to have a visible, audible, and explorative look into the creatures. Fruit is brought into the classroom to examine the seeds, seed structure and the evolution of how the seed produces fruit. 

Third grade students attend art and gym twice weekly; they visit the library and music once time per week. Technology is used daily, and integrated into many subjects. Also, every grade level has a weekly STEAM class in our makerspace and STEAM lab, The Curiosity Center. Once a week, our school counselor leads a class session using the Sources of Strength curriculum. This curriculum is designed to increase well-being, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging.

Our third graders truly begin to take on leadership roles. Whether in daily morning tefillah (prayers) or within their elective courses, the third graders have the opportunity to synthesize their learning and set the tone for the younger students. In third grade, students deepen their modern Hebrew comprehension. As students’ conversational Hebrew skills expand, they focus their Judaic studies on exploring Jewish values, history, and practice. Through the lens of cycles, the students examine Jewish holidays and rhythms of the year. They explore concepts of being stewards of our natural world and how Jewish wisdom urges us to repair the world (tikkun olam). Third graders lead the entire school in an annual recycling project and educate the Rockwern community about ways individuals can make a difference.  A highlight of the year is the Havdallah program, where students invite their families to Rockwern to showcase their learning in a presentation they write themselves. Each trimester, students and their parents select an elective that allows them to further explore their interests. As third graders, the students develop their leadership and teamwork skills in these sessions with first and second graders. Some past electives have included Stories, Songs & Art of the Torah, JSTEAM, Junior Choir, and Hebrew Through Music & Dance. The third graders are joined by the first and second graders four mornings a week to welcome the day with morning prayers as they improve their skills and learn about the meaning behind the blessings. As a school that embraces pluralistic Judaism, these morning gatherings expose students to a variety of interpretations and styles of prayer.