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GILMOUR ACADEMY LOWER SCHOOL C U R R I C U L U M S P E C T RU M THIRD GRADE
Educating the Mind and Heart Gilmour Academy 34001 Cedar Road Gates Mills, Ohio 44040 (440) 473-8160 PHONE (440) 473-8157 FAX
Brother Robert Lavelle, C.S.C. Headmaster Dr. Monica M. Veto Director of Lower School and Montessori Preschool Program
MATH Third graders develop the skills to graph, collect, represent, describe, and interpret data. They learn to integrate graphing into science, and use various types of graphs to analyze, classify, sort, and collect data. Throughout the graphing unit, the students continuously review subtraction facts and the concept of subtraction and regrouping. They study money, identify and compare fractional parts of a whole, and review strategies to solve word problems. Following the graphing unit, students begin a new adventure in number sense and geometry identifying place value and comparing, ordering, and rounding numbers into the hundred millions. With the time unit, students become familiar with the movement of the clock through hands-on activities. Being able to tell time serves as a foundation as the class ventures into elapsed time. With continual practice, projects, and games, the students begin to grasp the concept of elapsed time then word problems will be added to the equation. For the remainder of the year, multiplication and division will be the central focus. Through music and other pneumonic devices, students will commit to memory and develop a conceptual understanding of their multiplication and division math facts. Once a solid foundation has been established, they will begin two-digit by two-digit multiplication and division with a single divisor.
SCIENCE Third graders become immersed in a world of exploration as they investigate weather, space, animal adaptation, nutrition and health, and simple machines. Hands-on science experiments allow them to apply the scientific method in a meaningful way. Third graders explore the weather using critical thinking skills and apply attention to details inquiring into weather maps and properties and patterns of weather, air, and air pressure. They generate graphs from the weather data they collect; construct weather instruments; and assemble models of the layers
Megan Marrie Director of Lower School Admissions (440) 473-8165
of the atmosphere, the water cycle, and different types of clouds. From here, they are transported in the realm of scientific research and are presented with a Web quest for their chosen topic of research. Building upon their growing technology skills, they explore the Internet to locate answers to questions and discover facts about the solar system. With animal adaptation, students interpret food chains and webs, differentiate between instinctual versus learned behavior, categorize symbiotic relationships between animals, and develop an in-depth understanding of the components for life and the life cycle. Through projects, activities, and experiments, students familiarize themselves with an animal species and examine ways species adapt to survive. Last, they study the relationship between force, motion, mass, gravity, and work and explore the impact of simple machines on civilization.
LANGUAGE ARTS Students continue to integrate the Six Trait + 1 writing program in greater depth. The program encourages growth in using ideas, organization, word choice, sentence fluency, voice, conventions plus presentation to develop their writing skills. Evidence of this development can be observed as students create simple narrative, descriptive, and expository writing pieces. Students practice the correct use of parts of speech such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Exploring different genres of literature, they derive word meanings from context clues; identify relationships between words, likenesses, and differences; predict the probable outcome of a selection; and draw conclusions from given information. They also begin to develop greater critical thinking and organizational skills as they identify main ideas and supporting details from factual information and distinguish fact from opinion. The importance of using secondary sources becomes clearer as they expand their vocabulary and determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.
THIRD GRADE -COLOR
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LOWER SCHOOL CURRICULUM SPECTRUM • THIRD GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES Students are introduced to mapping concepts such as cardinal directions, intermediate directions, latitude, longitude, continents, and oceans. They use these skills to identify the characteristics of various communities; locate continents, countries, states, and cities on maps; and use map keys and symbols. Taking advantage of community resources, they experience the rich history of the City of Cleveland and the wealth of contributions past citizens have made. This will lead to further research on the first settlers, the Ohio Canal, and the purpose of a city government. The study of Ohio’s history is an important key to understanding not only the past, but the progress that has been made over hundreds of years. Students will engage in a wide range of activities that enhance their understanding of how Ohio progressed from a territory to statehood. Students use visual aids to examine the contents of Native American burial mounds along with dramatic artifacts that provide insight into their culture, education, family life, and methods of survival. Studying the major responsibilities of each of the three branches of government in Ohio proves to be an authentic way to demonstrate how the institution of government functions and serves the people in a fair, democratic, and balanced process.
MUSIC In the third grade, students are introduced to the soprano recorder and learn to read notation on the treble clef. They demonstrate their knowledge of fingerings and play with correct pitch, accurate rhythm, good tone, and proper technique. Students learn to compose simple melodies to perform on the soprano recorder using quarter, eighth, half, dotted half, and whole notes and rests in 2/4 and 4/4 meter. Their music education is enriched through partnership with The Cleveland Orchestra. An orchestra member performs twice for the class at Gilmour and the class also attends an orchestra performance at Severance Hall. While singing, students work to improve tone quality and expression. They sing and play soprano recorders at their Christmas concert, and their spring concert integrates speaking parts and songs with choreography. This provides an opportunity to act in a specific role, adapt voice inflections to characterize the part, practice projecting their voices, and to wait while others speak demonstrating respect and cooperation.
ART The third grade is devoted primarily to the consideration of work in three dimensions, both real and illusory. This is achieved through the exploration of space as it applies to both graphics and sculpture. In support of this understanding, students examine the use of atmospheric and linear perspective in drawing and the use of shading to create the appearance of volumes in their graphic work. They draw extensively from observation and imagination to witness the play of light across a surface, the effect of distance upon perception, and the expressive potential offered by all. Students then transfer this understanding
of illusory space into the design and construction of threedimensional work, creating substance from idea.
RELIGION Third graders examine the person of Jesus as presented in the “New Testament” and consider the question “Who do you say I am?” They explore the development of the Catholic Church as a response to Jesus’ message of hope and how to continue this mission as faithful members of the Church in the 21st century. Throughout the year, students experience the meaning and importance of the different Liturgical seasons through daily prayer, reflection, and celebrations of the Liturgy and religious traditions of their classmates’ faiths.
SPANISH The mastery of punctuation is the beginning level of expectation. From this point, students learn to write and read what they have learned. The model is phoneme, grammar, and syntax based. By hearing and speaking, students participate in songs and games which constantly reinforce targeted vocabulary. They master content vocabulary, numbers, colors, and animals. This vocabulary will be reinforced later in other ways through the different grade levels. One central theme involves making the connections to another country through culture. Third graders perform a bilingual Christmas concert based on the tradition of Las Posadas of Mexico. Comparisons and contrasts of lifestyles are introduced through visual and technological means.
PHYSICAL EDUCATION In grades 3 and 4, students participate in four 30-minute periods plus two 25-minute recess exercise periods per week where they engage in team games and physical activities, and in one 90-minute physical education class weekly. Phys Ed rotates among sports, strength and conditioning exercises, swimming, and ice skating each for one quarter during the school year. Students develop skills in volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, lacrosse, T-ball, and baseball. In their strength and conditioning program, students work at stations using equipment such as run out bands, rock and flex, and others. These activities improve agility, speed, endurance, balance, hand-eye coordination, and upper and lower body strength. Their progress is documented and analyzed. In ice skating, students focus on the development of basic skating technique and are expected to complete skills such as the heel-to-toe push, forward to backward turns and the reverse, gliding, a two-foot spin, backward stroking, and backward snowplow stop. They are taught to develop proper technique that will, hopefully, lead to a lifetime interest in skating. At the end of the skating unit, students complete a short program that encourages creativity, self-expression, and skill performance. In swimming, students work toward feeling safe and comfortable in the water and building endurance. They transform flutter kicking and floating into both the freestyle and backstroke and work on stroke development and treading water.