Third Grade

Mrs. Caroline Dew
Years Teaching: 5 At SJB: 5
Education: B.A. in Elementary Ed., Ohio Univ. MA in Curriculum and Instruction, Concordia Univ.
Favorite thing about teaching:
I truly enjoy the close-knit community that we have at St. John Berchmans. I love teaching smaller classes of students who are respectful of me and each other.

 

 
Classroom Site

Program Description

Third grade is a transitional year between early childhood and intermediate education. Students begin to develop the skills necessary to think and work independently.

Main Themes/Skills

Religion
The Religion program focuses on faith, prayer, liturgical life, moral growth, and social responsibility. Religious concepts are reinforced during the school day and at weekly Masses.

Language Arts
Language Arts combines Reading and English instruction. Third graders are exposed to a variety of texts and genres that assist in the continued development of listening, speaking, phonics, grammar, and spelling skills. The program also focuses on word identification and vocabulary skills, reader response, and the writing process. Third graders also practice and begin to use cursive handwriting on classroom assignments.

Mathematics
The Saxon math program works on student mastery of basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. The curriculum also concentrates on the development of number sense and the understanding of fraction and decimals, basic finances, geometry and spatial relationships, measurement, statistics, probability, and algebraic functions.

Social Studies
In Social Studies, students focus on basic civics and the many functions of government. Third graders study geography and the 50 states. A supplemental magazine called The Weekly Reader stimulates discussion about current events.

Science
In Science, students investigate electrical systems, objects in the sky, life cycles, and the human body.

Art
Third graders are exposed to art through a variety of mediums including paint, collage, and clay.

Instructional Methodologies
Students benefit from whole group, small group, and individualized instruction. The curriculum encourages exploration and promotes discovery learning and the development of independent reasoning skills.