3rd Grade at Abia Judd
Reading Our 3rd grade reading program consists of many components: We use a mixture
of Whole Group, Small Group, and On Our Own reading. We use Lit. Studies, Literature
Circles, Reading Street Basal, Scholastic News, Accelerated Reader, at home reading and
so forth . These components are all valuable tools to help us develop successful reading
strategies, improve vocabulary, comprehension, and speed, and to help kids make deeper
connections with the text.
Math In 3r d gr ade, Ar izona' s Career and College Readiness standar ds focus us on problem solving. This encour ages kids to think, not just memorize algorithms. Students learn that there are many ways to solve the same problem. We
use a lot of word problems to encourage and build students’ problem solving abilities. Students will also be working on
basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts throughout the school year.
Our 3rd Grade math units revolve around:
Numbers and Operations in Base Ten - place value, number relationships
Operations and Algebraic Thinking - multiplication & division, patterns, multi-step problems, problem solving
Number and Operation: Fractions
Measurement and Data - time, volume, mass, represent & interpret data, geometric measurement (area & perimeter)
Geometry - Reason with shapes and their attributes
Humanities
1. The focus in 3rd grade is on:
 Reasons for and the effects of exploration of North America
 The Big Idea of Freedom in our Nation - from the Civil War era to current day immigration issues.
The development of cultures and civilizations (including Greece and Rome) and their contributions to our nation.
2. We will also develop our geography skills.
 Use maps and globes to learn correct terms and vocabulary
Culminating Project - draw a map (with title, compass rose, map key with at least 5 symbols, and correct placement
of symbols on the map)
Science The focus in third grade is on:
 The Inquiry Process - The students will be using scientific processes: questioning, planning and conducting investigations, using appropriate tools and techniques to gather data, thinking critically and logically about relationships between evidence and explanations, and communicating results. Students may use this knowledge to develop and design
their own science projects for the school science fair.
 The History of Science and the role science plays in the development of various cultures. Learning how science
changes, based on investigations and contributions of others.
 Science in Personal and Social Perspectives - Developing solutions to problems and understanding relationships.
Culminating project: Invention Fair where students will develop a product, create a slogan, and present their
product to others.
 Life Science - Characteristics of organisms, plant & animal life cycles, relationships between organisms and their
environment, and plant & animal adaptations
 Physical Science - Energy: Sound and Light
Earth and Space Science - Earth's layers, rocks, fossils, and Earth materials
Writing
Students will learn a variety of ways to organize their writing. They will be introduced to different types of organization
tools (outlines, webbing, lists, 4-square, note cards…)
We will write often and use the five steps of the writing process (prewr iting, dr afting, revising, editing, and publishing). Editing and revision are important steps toward a final draft that
incorporates fresh language and complex sentences.
Paragraphs by year's end should be 5 to 8 sentences in length with a clear topic sentence in each
one. Capitalization and end punctuation should be second nature by 3rd Grade.
The Five Steps of writing will complement the Six Traits of wr iting. The tr aits include ideas,
organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation, capitalization).