www.ucps.k12.nc.us
Third Grade Goals and Objectives
Instruction 400 North Main Street, Monroe, NC 28112-4876 Phone (704) 289.1234 Fax (704) 289.1234 www.ucps.k12.nc.us
Dr. Ed Davis – Superintendent L. Dean Arp, Jr. – Chairman John Collins - Vice Chairman John Crowder Laura Minsk Kimberly Morrison-Hansley Carolyn J. Lowder John Parker David Scholl Richard Weiner
Dear Parents and Union County Public School Families: We look forward to being a part of your child's educational success. We also want to remind you that, your child's academic progress is dependent upon parents, teachers, school staff, and most importantly, your child, all working together. This booklet serves as a roadmap for you by outlining the pertinent goals and objectives that tell you what your child should know and be able to do at his/her grade level. Curriculum will focus on the goals and objectives as stated in the North Carolina Standard Course of Study (K-12). Daily instruction, homework, assigned reading projects and writing should reflect the student’s progress toward the achievement of stated goals and objectives. Work samples provide you and your child with “evidence” of progress toward the predetermined goals. End-of-grade testing at designated grade levels will also verify student achievement. Additional information concerning the curriculum and special programs provided at your child’s school is available from the school staff. If you have questions regarding your child’s education, contact your child’s teacher. If the issue/question is not resolved at that level, please contact the school principal. Thank you for your support in helping fulfill the UCPS mission of Preparing All Students to Succeed.
Mary Ellis Deputy Superintendent of Instructional Programs
Tom Bulla Director for Elementary Education
Growing Possibilities… In compliance with federal law, UCPS administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.
Reading Third graders read many types of texts -- literary, informational and practical. They distinguish between fact and opinion. These students interpret poetry and infer main ideas in a variety of prose. Students in this grade use multiple reading strategies to construct meaning from text. They choose to read silently for extended periods of time for pleasure and information.
Reading Comprehension:
• Reads literary, informational and practical texts • Recognizes stanza and rhyme • Interprets poetry • Infers main idea of moral in fairy tales, tall tales, fables, legends and myths • Compares traits of characters • Compares/contrasts characters, events and/or stories • Compares/contrasts poems and other literary selections • Distinguishes between fact/opinion • Recognizes similes and metaphors • Summarizes/records information and details • Understands cause/effect relationships and details • Interprets maps, charts and diagrams • Compares/contrasts information visually
Characteristics of a Reader:
• Reads a variety of topics • Reads for a variety of purposes • Has a personal reaction to poetry, informational and narrative text • Reads for extended periods of time
Reading Strategies:
• Has mastery of phonics knowledge • Predicts words by using letter clusters, vowel patterns and endings • Knows when text makes no sense and takes action to correct, such as rereading • Uses a variety of word attack skills • Rereads for meaning and to check predictions • Uses analogy to identify words almost the same • Finds small familiar words inside larger unknown words • Keeps a list of unknown words to study later • Puts text in own words • Supports ideas by reference to evidence presented in text • Uses headings, bold print and italics • Focuses on detail to locate specific information and to clarify meaning • Checks for understanding by paraphrasing information from text
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Writing
Third graders write for a variety of purposes. They can support their ideas with references to their reading. They use a variety of prewriting activities, revise their writing by adding details and recognize incorrect spelling.
Composing Process:
• Spells correctly most of the time • Uses punctuation correctly • Self-assesses own writing • Uses paragraphs to organize on one topic • Uses prewriting activities independently (brainstorming, webbing or listing ideas) • Revises by adding and/or deleting for elaboration/ clarification • Edits for incorrect spelling, mechanics and grammar • Experiments with word order in sentences • Uses order and time in writing • Critiques a variety of reading selections in reading log/journals • Maintains a writing portfolio • Uses vocabulary, ideas, themes and language structure from books in own writing
Characteristics of a Writer: • Uses original word choices • Uses excitement, humor and suspense in word choices • Creates characters and events from personal environment • Responds to literature, informational and practical texts and writes to support ideas with reference to evidence presented in text • Writes for pleasure • Writes for extended periods of time • Describes feelings and experiences in narrative writing • Records in learning log • Demonstrates voice, sense of audience and purpose
Composing Products:
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• Includes characters, setting, problem and solution in story writing • Identifies main idea, lesson or moral in writing • Writes a variety of literary information and practical texts (fairy tales, poetry, recipes, news articles, interviews, etc.) • Writes to support ideas in text
Social Studies Third graders increase their understanding about community life in a variety of contexts. Comparisons are made as children compare their familiar communities with other cultures and times. An awareness of relationships among ways of living, the physical environment and human traditions is developed. Students study the basic relationships among communities -- how they are combined to form larger political units and how they may be linked by cultural heritage and geographic or economic ties. Students begin to understand about citizenship in other cultures, such as Africa, Asia, Europe
and Latin America. In each unit of study, at least one other culture is examined for purposes of finding similarities and differences in ways of living.
As students examine community life in the past, children are made aware of different cultural,
political and economic factors.
Focus:
Citizenship: People Making a Difference
Government and Active Citizenship Recognize diverse leaders, past and present, which demonstrate responsible citizenship
Global Connections Analyze various roles of children and adults in communities around the world
Technological Influences Identify the impact of technological change on communities around the world
Geographic Relations Explain the relationship between people and geography in real life situations
Historical Perspectives Analyze similarities and differences among communities in different times and in different places
Individual Development and Identity Identify ways the individual can initiate change in families, neighborhoods and communities
Culture and Diversity Analyze similarities and differences among families and communities past and present
Economics and Development Define scarcity, productions, distribution and consumption of goods and services
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Science Goal:
All Union County students will (1) develop an understanding of the nature of science through hands-on experiences; (2) develop and use science process skills; (3) develop and use science manipulative skills; (4) develop a positive attitude toward science and its application to society; and (5) use scientific investigation to learn science concepts.
Fo c u s :
Identifying systems and patterns in systems.
Process Skills: • • • • • • • • • • •
Observe Classify Use numbers Communicate Measure, Infer, Predict Use space-time relations Formulate hypotheses Interpret data Define operations Experiment Control variables Formulate models
Attitudes Toward Science
• Learning and experiencing science • Natural resources • Scientific inquiry
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Manipulative Skills • • • • •
Safety Choose, construct and assemble equipment Care for equipment and materials Handle and care for living organisms Use materials and equipment
Science Concepts • • • •
Plant growth and adaptation Soil properties Earth/Moon/Sun systems Human skeletal and muscle systems
Mathematics The mathematics curriculum is organized into the following five strands: (1) Number and Operations; (2) Algebra; (3) Geometry; (4) Measurment; and (5) Statistics and Probability. Problem-solving strategies are embedded into each of the five strands.
Focus:
Expectations are that third-grade students are very actively engaged in doing mathematics. They can describe their ideas and thinking both orally and in writing. Proficient third graders relate manipulatives with ideas. They explain and record the mathematical concepts using precise vocabulary and symbols.
The Math Essential Standards for all (grade level) students are as follows: • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Understand the numerical value of whole numbers 0 to 10,000 Use strategies to solve multi-digit addition and subtraction problems Understand multiplication and division and their relationship using facts 0-10 Understand the meaning of fractions Understand the associative, commutative and the identity properties of multiplication Use the concept of equality with unknown quantities Analyze numeric and non-numeric patterns Classify figures according to their properties Represent points, paths, lines and geometric figures on a rectangular coordinate grid Measure length, weight, capacity and temperature using metric units. Understand how to determine area Use clocks to tell time to the nearest five minutes Interpret tables and bar graphs Explain the results of simple probability experiments
*Meaning and Purpose
Problem-Solving Process Concepts Strategies and Skills
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400 North Church Street Monroe, NC 28112 Phone 704.296.0835 Fax 704.283.8419 www.ucps.k12.nc.us Materials provided by: Elementary Education Department Layout and Design provided by: UCPS Communications Office
In compliance with federal law, UCPS administers all educational programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.