CURRICULUM
The California State Frameworks and the Diocese of Oakland guidelines
are followed in all curriculum and textbook decisions at Saint Patrick School.
Third
Grade--What It’s All About!
Welcome to third grade. Here is some information you need to know:
*
Homework:
First thing in the morning, after prayer in the hall, the children take
out their assignment planners and copy from the board that night’s homework
assignment. When they are done
copying, they leave it open on the corner of their desk for it to be stamped.
A stamped page means that I have checked to make sure that all the
homework was written down correctly. If
it is not stamped, it has not been checked by a teacher or aide.
While children are writing down the homework, I collect any notes for me or the office and last night’s homework. If homework was forgotten, I tell the children that they should bring it tomorrow. They will receive half credit for late homework. [1]ºA homework grade is given each week based on the percentage of homework that was turned in on time.
*Daily Oral Language (D.O.L.)
After writing down the homework, the children look to the white board.
The children are given two sentences that have various grammatical
mistakes (no capital letters, missing punctuation, etc.).
The children copy the sentences while at the same time adding or changing
to make corrections. They are given
a chance to discuss corrections with a neighbor before we correct it as a whole
class. Once a week a D.O.L. paper
is graded a second time (to double-check corrections) by myself or Gabby and
entered into the grade book.
I will be sending home a green English book that we do not use in school but that you can keep at home as a reference for any questions about grammar that you may personally have. The book is meant to be kept at home and should be returned to me in June.
*Reading
The Open Court Reading Program that 3rd Grade uses combines both Reading
and Writing. We read about one
story a week, and the stories are arranged in the reader according to different
themes. The first unit explores the
theme of Friendship, so you will notice the stories your child reads revolve
around friends and issues of friendship. Our
next theme is Imagination, then Money and Country Life.
The children read the story together with me as a class, then aloud to
you that night, then silently to themselves the next day.
Three readings of the same story will enforce comprehension, and after
the third silent reading they fill out the Comprehension Checkpoint, a
multiple-choice and essay question worksheet.
The Comprehension Checkpoint is graded, and in order to receive 100%, the
essay questions must be answered in complete sentences.
(At
St. Patrick’s answering sentences in a complete sentence is called Recycling.
For example:
Question: What is your name?
Fragment Answer: Sam.
Complete Sentence with Recycled Words: My name is Sam.
During the week the children also explore the theme we are studying through writing, drama, art, poetry, interviews, etc. We post questions and ideas about our theme on the Concept/Question Board. The time during which they work on these theme-related projects is called Independent Workshop.
*S.S.R.
(Sustained Silent Reading)
Hopefully your child has already explained to you that every day after
P.E. we do S.S.R. This period lasts about 15 to 20 minutes long, during which
the children read a book they brought from home, a book checked out from the
library, or a book chosen from our classroom library. They are encouraged to find a book that is both appropriate
and interesting to them. By the
middle of the year I expect all children to be reading Chapter books (not
Picture books) during S.S.R. time.
Your child should also have shown you the Reading Contract that I have given them. They promise to read from a Chapter book for 15 minutes every night, and to read aloud to an adult (or older sibling) for 5 minutes. Please ask your child questions about what he/she has read to check comprehension and assess whether the book your child is reading is interesting enough to stick with. The Reading Contract is due on Friday morning of each week and is part of the Homework grade. Your child should have four entries (one for Monday night, Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday night). Each entry must include a parent or guardian signature, or else your child will receive only half credit.
*Daily
Write
The Daily Write is simply a part of the children's homework that provides them with the opportunity to write on a daily basis. Fun and interesting writing prompts are given each day for homework, and unless the prompt asks for a list, I require that your child write at least one paragraph for each Daily Write. Please provide paper at home for your child to use for this assignment.
*Handwriting
The transition from manuscript (printing) to D’Nealian cursive handwriting will be completed near the end of December. By January the children will be expected to write everything in cursive.
*Spelling
A list of Spelling words will be sent home every week. Stapled to the list should be the Spelling Contract, which explains which Spelling activity your child should do and on which day. These activities are turned in daily and are part of the homework grade. Each day’s activity provides your child with a choice, except for Thursday. On Thursday evening, the night before the test, please give your child a Pre-Test and go over any words that he/she had trouble spelling. Tests are taken Friday morning and are graded.
*Math
After recess, the children will participate in the Mad Minute, an
opportunity to practice their basic addition and subtraction facts.
Eventually multiplication and division facts will be included in the Mad
Minute.
Among the areas of Math that the children will study this year are Place Value, Money, Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division, Statistics and Probability, Measurement and Time, Geometric Figures, 3 and 4 Digit Addition and Subtraction, and Fractions.
*Religion
We have a new Religion program, and the children and I will discuss concepts relating to the stories we read in our Religion book. Some are based on the Gospel and Old Testament, other involve children in modern day situations that portray the values that we are emphasizing. The overall theme of third grade is The Church, with chapters discussing creation, the holy trinity, and the marks of the church, the Beatitudes, the Sacraments, and much more. During special seasons (like Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter) we will concentrate on understanding what Catholics believe and do.
*Social
Studies
Land forms/Regions (Oceans, Rivers, Forests, Prairies, Mountains, Deserts), Native Americans (the Navajo, Kwakiutl, and Cheyenne), colonial times, pioneers, and the growth of towns and cities are all Social Studies concepts that will be discussed and investigated this year. The children answer questions at the end of each lesson (about two lessons per chapter) and are tested at the end of each chapter. The lesson questions and the tests are graded.
*Science
This year we have some exciting hands-on kits to explore our third grade themes. For studying the moon and stars, we have a kit from Lawrence Hall of Science GEMS program called Earth, Moon, and Stars. To explore solids, liquids and gas, we will be using a FOSS kit called Water. A FOSS kit called Structures of Life will help us study life cycles, and we will look at basic elements of the earth with a FOSS kit called Earth Materials.
*Technology
The computer is integrated into the classroom as a learning tool. The children use the classroom computers for word processing, databases, spreadsheets, research, multimedia, and the Internet. The children have time in St. Patrick’s Computer Laboratory once a week, on Friday mornings.
*Low
Grades
Last but not least, I wanted to let you know that any paper graded 70% or below will be stamped with a Parent Signature stamp. Please look over the paper, discuss with your child why he or she had trouble with the assignment, and return it, signed, to school the next day. Requiring your signature on low-grade papers is my way of communicating to you that your child is struggling on an assignment or in a certain subject. With your support at home, we can work together to help your child improve his/her performance.
Any
Questions???? Please call me
(510-799-2506, ext. 21) or e-mail me (Eva_McBrearty@csdo.org
[WELCOME] [ABOUT OUR SCHOOL] [WHAT'S NEW] [CLASSROOMS] [RESOURCES] [THANK YOU]
Copyright 2000 ~ 2005, Saint Patrick School, Rodeo, California
Web site designed and administered by webmaster@stpatschoolrodeo.org
8.30.00