St. Paul on the Lake Catholic School
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan
Third Grade
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Meet the Teachers
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abinglestpaulonthelake.orgThird Grade
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Third Grade is a foundational year for many students -- multiplication tables, cursive handwriting, and a new independence. The curriculum gives students a solid foundation of skills to help them master each subject. Students are encouraged to be independent and take responsibility for their learning. -
Religion
- Third Graders learn about the Catholic Church from its beginnings and what it means to be a member.
- They study the four marks of the Church: that it is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
- Students learn the individual parts of the Mass, and celebrate a Teaching Mass.
Language Arts
- Good literature, silent reading, and group discussion are used to build a love of reading.
- Students express ideas and thoughts to others through speaking, writing, and drawings.
- They learn cursive handwriting, and begin to use it for all assignments.
- Students spell frequently encountered multi-syllabic words, contractions, and compound words.
- For less frequently encountered words, they use structural cues, dictionaries, and spell checkers.
- Students use subjects and verbs in correct agreement, verb tenses, nouns, possessives, and quotations marks & capitalization in dialogue.
Math
- Students use mental math, estimation, computation and calculators to add/subtract whole numbers.
- They identify fact families, solve inequalities, use inverse operations to check, and apply operational and relational symbols.
- To interpret data, students use bar graphs, line graphs, and tables.
- Students use manipulatives and drawings to understand fractions.
- They learn geometric terms such as parallel, perpendicular, circumference, area, and perimeter.
- Students learn place value up to 1,000 and expanded notation up to 10,000.
- They use patterns to make predictions, identify numbers on a number line, and round.
- Students add/subtract with regrouping, memorize multiplication facts, and divide without remainders.
Science
- The program emphasizes the use of data as evidence to separate fact from opinion.
- Students learn the effect of humans on nature and how people contribute to the advancement of science.
- They explore light: how it travels, how shadows are made, its behavior through water, and how objects reflect, absorb, or refract light.
- Students explore sound as a result of vibrations and how pitches are produced.
- They learn the structures in plants and animals that help them to survive in their environments.
- They consider the dependence of living things on aspects of their behavior within their environment.
- Students learn causes of change on the earth’s surface, renewable/non-renewable resources, and how humans affect the environment.
Social Studies
- Third Graders learn social studies through the context of “Michigan Studies.”
- In history, students learn the early periods of Michigan history from exploration through statehood.
- Students learn about the beliefs of American Indians and how they interacted with earlier settlers.
- In geography, students explore maps of Michigan and how Michigan can be separated into regions. Students locate different natural resources in Michigan.
- In civics, students learn their role as citizens. They distinguish the roles of state and local governments.
- In economics, students explore how Michigan’s natural resources affect our economy.
Specials and Extracurricular Activities
- Third Graders attend weekly specials classes in art, library, music, Spanish, gym, and technology.
- St. Paul offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities for Third Graders, including chess, scouts, musical theatre, and intermural basketball.
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Next Steps:
Please contact St. Paul Principal Tina Forsythe if you have any questions.
Schedule a tour and a shadow day for your child.