3rd Grade Parent Guide

Through the study of English language arts, students will learn to read fluently and understand a broad range of written materials. They will be able to communicate well and listen carefully and effectively. They will develop a command of the language and demonstrate their knowledge through speaking and writing for a variety of audiences and purposes. 

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to:

Reading

• Read literary and informational texts accurately, and fluently with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression
• Engage in and sustain independent reading of texts from a variety of genres
• Read and comprehend grade appropriate complex literary and informational texts
• Compare, contrast, draw conclusions, and summarize from multiple texts

Writing

• Engage in narrative, expository, and persuasive writing using a variety of genres
• Write for a variety of purposes including narrative, informational, and argumentative
• Write to respond to literature and to express an opinion
• Continue to use the writing process: pre-writing, drafting, revising, proofreading, editing, and publishing
• Monitor for correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation

Listening and Speaking

• Demonstrate active listening and comprehension
• Engage in a range of discussions
• Come to discussions prepared having read or studied the required material in advance
• Give oral presentations to various audiences for different purposes
• Listen to acquire information by drawing on prior knowledge and experience, determine the sequence of events, and to identify the main idea and supporting details

• Cucumber Quest By Gigi D.G.
• The Last Kids On Earth By Max Brallier
• Princess Princess Ever After By Katie O’neill
• Phoebe And Her Unicorn By Dana Simpson
• Real Friends By Shannon Hale
• The Princess In Black By Shannon Hale
• Mermaid Tales By Debbie Dadey
• Saving The Team: The Kicks By Alex Morgan
• The Chicken Squad By Doreen Cronin
• No. 1 Car Spotter By Atinuke
• Zoey And Sassafras By Asia Citro
• Alvin Ho: Allergic To Girls, School, And Other Scary Things By Lenore Look
• Ellray Jakes Is Not A Chicken By Sally Warner
• Bookmarks Are People Too By Henry Winkler
• Calvin Coconut: Trouble Magnet By Graham Salisbury
• Nikki And Deja By Karen English
• Sweet Music In Harlem By Debbie Taylor
• Xochitl And The Flowers/Xóchitl, La Niña De Las Flores By Jorge Argueta
• Aani And The Tree Huggers By Jeannine Atkins
• As Fast As Words Could Fly By Pamela Tuck
• If Kids Ran The World By Leo And Diane Dillon
• Irene’s Wish By Jerdine Nolen
• Little Melba And Her Big Trombone By Katheryn Russell-Brown
• My Fangtastically Evil Vampire Pet By Mo O’hara And Marek Jagucki
• Baseball Genius By Tim Green And Derek Jeter
• Narwhal And Jelly Book By Ben Clanton

Social Studies is intended to promote civic competence through the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities. The primary purpose of Social Studies is to help young people to develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. Students will explore these six practices via the overarching theme of Communities Around the World – Learning About People and Places.

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to...

Gathering, Interpreting and Using Evidence

• Develop questions about a world community
• Recognize and use different forms of evidence to make meaning in social studies
• Create an understanding of cultural differences

Chronological Reasoning and Causation

• Explain how events around the world may relate to one another
• Identify causes and effects and how they affect cultures around the world
• Identify patterns of continuity and changes in world communities

Comparison and Contextualization

• Identify a world region by describing a characteristic that places within it have in common
• Identify multiple perspectives by comparing and contrasting points of view in differing world communities
• Recognize the relationship between geography and economics in world communities

Geographic Reasoning

• Ask geographic questions about where places are located
• Distinguish the difference between resources created by nature and humans
• Understand how nature and humans affect communities around the world

Economics and Economic Systems

• Study the use of resources by people and governments in various regions
• Study how diminishing supplies of resources and products will affect governmental decisions
• Identify the variety of resources available in world communities

Civic Participation 

• Demonstrate respect for the rights of others
• Show respect in issues involving difference and conflict
• Identify situations in which social actions are required and suggest actions

Mathematics is a language we use to identify, describe, and investigate the patterns and challenges of everyday living. It deals with numbers, quantities, shapes, and data, as well as numerical relationships and operations. Mathematics is a way of approaching new challenges through investigating, reasoning, visualizing, and problem solving with the goal of communicating the relationships observed and problems solved to others.

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to...

Operations and Algebraic Thinking 

• Solve real world problems involving multiplication and division
• Write multiplication and division sentences that express the total number of objects in equal groups (5 groups of 7 = 5 x 7)
• Understand properties of multiplication and division (Commutative, Associative, Identity)
• Fluently multiply and divide single digit numbers
• Solve problems using the four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
• Identify and continue patterns in addition and multiplication tables

Numbers and Operations in Base Ten

• Identify place value through thousands
• Use place value to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100
• Add and subtract within 1,000
• Multiply 1 - digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 (50 x 3 = 150)

Numbers and Operations in Fractions

• Understand that a fraction is a part of a whole 
• Write a fraction using a numerator and denominator
• Represent fractions on a number line
• Use symbols to identify and compare fractions
• Express whole numbers as fractions 

Measurement and Data

• Tell time to the nearest minute and measure elapsed time
• Measure and estimate liquid volume, mass, and length
• Recognize the area of a plane figure using unit squares
• Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition
• Solve real world problems involving perimeters of polygons 

Geometry

• Recognize and classify attributes of polygons
• Partition shapes into parts with equal areas

The goal of science education is to develop an understanding of the inquiry process as it is related to key concepts and principles of the life, physical, and the earth/space sciences. The curriculum addresses the integration of the sciences with technology and society as students learn to connect the importance of scientific knowledge to its application in everyday life.

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to...

The Nature of Science and Engineering

• Define a simple design problem that reflects a need or a want
• Create and compare several possible solutions to a problem
• Build and test a model. Students will make changes and improvements to the model as needed.

Earth and Space Science

• Describe weather conditions during a particular season
• Describe climates in different regions of the world
• Design solutions to weather-related hazards
• Determine connections between weather and water processes on Earth.  Students will connect the water cycle and weather patterns

Life Science

• Life Cycles and Traits:
  • Describe through models the diversity of animal and plant life cycles
  • Analyze data that show how plants and animals inherit traits from their parents and how traits are influenced by the environment
  • Explain how traits help animals and plants survive in their environment
• Ecosystems:
  • Create examples of how animals form groups that help members survive
  • Understand data from fossils to describe how organisms lived long ago
  • Provide examples of how organisms survive in a particular habitat
  • Understand how plants and animals adapt to their environmental changes

Physical Science

• Investigate the effects of forces on an object
• Observe and measure an object’s movements and look for patterns
• Ask questions related to the cause and effects of electric and magnetic forces
• Solve a problem by using magnets

Science:

• Interactive Simulations https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/category/new
• Interactive Simulations http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/media/1390665/
• Interactive Games http://education.abc.net.au/home#!/games/-/science/all/interactive
• Clearinghouse of Websites http://interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html
• Animal Games https://switchzoo.com/
• Videos http://studyjams.scholastic.com/studyjams/jams/science/index.htm

Math:

• Videos https://www.khanacademy.org/
• Math Fact Fluency https://xtramath.org/#/home/index
• Math Fact Fluency https://www.factmonster.com/math/flashcards
• Problem Solving Games https://www.mathplayground.com/

Special Education Programs

A unique education program means specially designed individualized or group instruction to address student’s academic goals in reading, writing, and math.  The Committee on Special Education will determine appropriate program recommendations based on the continuum of services and students’ progress. 

Related Services

Related services are supportive services required to assist a student with a disability and include speech-language pathology, hearing services, vision services, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling services, and parent counseling and training.  A student’s need, identified through an evaluation, will provide the basis for written annual goals and appropriate provision of services. 

Resource Room & Consultant Teacher

Resource Room is a special education program where students require specialized supplementary instruction in a small group setting outside the classroom for a portion of the school day.  Resource Room is capped at five students per group.  Consultant Teacher, another special education program, is for students who require additional specially designed individualized or group instruction within regular education classes.  

Integrated Co-Teaching, or “Inclusion”

Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) is a special education program where students required specially designed instruction in an individualized or small group setting for multiple subjects within regular education classes.  A general education teacher and a special education teacher jointly provide instruction to a class that includes both students with and students without disabilities to meet the diverse learning needs of all students in a class.  ICT is capped at 12 students with a disability.

Special Class

Special Class is a special education program where students with disabilities have been grouped together with similar individual needs and academic goals for the purpose of being provided specially designed instruction in a small-sized class without general education students.  Students in a special class are exposed to the general education curriculum and are on a Regents pathway to graduation.  

Supplementary Aids and Services

Supplementary aids and services are other supports (i.e., additional personnel, assistive technology, instructional modifications) that are provided in regular education classes, Specials, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings to enable students with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance with the least restrictive environment. 

English as a New Language (ENL) programs provide instruction in English with home language support, emphasizing English language acquisition. Students in ENL programs can come from many different language backgrounds, and English may be the only common language among the students. As per CR Part 154, there are two types of ENL components:

Stand-Alone ENL: Students receive English language development instruction taught by a New York State certified ESOL teacher. Students acquire the English language needed for success in core content areas (English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and/or Mathematics). Stand-Alone ENL is a separate time devoted to English language acquisition and English language development. The required amount of stand-alone ENL instruction depends on the English proficiency level of each student.

Integrated ENL: Students receive core content area (English Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and/or Mathematics) and English language development instruction including home language supports and appropriate ELL scaffolds. Integrated ENL along with the subject area are taught by a New York State certified ESOL teacher and a New York State certified Common Branch (K-6) teacher or a teacher that is dually certified. The length of instruction depends upon the student’s proficiency level. The English Language Proficiency levels are: Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, Expanding and Commanding. For a child to exit the ENL program he/she must score an English proficiency level of Commanding on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) or a level of Expanding and a 3 or 4 on the English Language Arts (ELA) assessment.

The Dual Language Program (DL) represents an innovative approach to education whereby students learn all curricular areas in TWO languages. The Patchogue-Medford School District DL Program serves both the English dominant and Spanish dominant student.

Goals of our program:

• Promote educational excellence for all students
• Foster the development of bilingual, bicultural, and biliterate individuals
• Promote multicultural awareness
• Provide high-quality instruction in TWO languages that supports students in demonstrating mastery in all the core subjects
• Provide an academically challenging curriculum
• Encourage all parents to become active partners in their child’s education

Our Bilingual Programs serve youngsters in kindergarten through fifth grade at:

• Bay Elementary (K-5 DL)
• Canaan Elementary (K-4 DL)
• Eagle Elementary (K-5 DL)
• Medford Elementary (K-5 DL & 4/5 Newcomer Program-Transitional Bilingual)

Side-by-Side Dual Language (DL) is comprised of English and Spanish dominant children, each receiving instruction both in their Native and New Languages. English instruction is provided by an English-speaking classroom teacher and Spanish instruction by a bilingual teacher.

Newcomer Program (TBE) provides English Language Learners with high-quality instruction in both their native and new language simultaneously while promoting cultural awareness and support until students are ready to be mainstreamed into English-only classes.

Information literacy is a skill necessary for today’s world of rapidly increasing information. Students will have to assimilate more information than has appeared in the last 150 years.

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to:

Information Literacy

• Continue to search the library computer catalog to identify and locate materials for individual interests and research needs
• Continue to use a simple research process and learn how to evaluate a variety of resources
• Continue to explore various literary genres within fiction and nonfiction.
• Explore chapter books by noted authors
• Introduce elements of a story: characters, plot, and setting
• Introduce print and online reference sources: dictionary, encyclopedia

Technology: Computers

• Introduce the effects of cyber-bullying
• Review hardware components appropriate for specific tasks (mouse, keyboard, printer, and monitor)
• Introduce how to use basic operation commands (opening and closing programs, save, log-on)
• Prepare documents that include a variety of media
• Review students Office 365 account 
• Introduce proper input techniques
• Determine correct keywords to use when conducting Internet Research
• Work collaboratively with a team using information technology resources
• Adhere to safety and security policies
• Identify personal information that should not be shared
• Explain the risks and dangers of sharing personal information

Physical Education Programs offer students the opportunity to enhance their minds and bodies.

As a result of their schooling, students will be able to:

Physical Skills

• Fundamental movement skills- locomotor, non-locomotor manipulatives, body management, movement concepts, developmental games, and skill techniques.

Knowledge

• Personal fitness/healthy lifestyles/lifelong fitness, health and skill-related fitness, wellness and fitness principles, and personal fitness goals.

Physical Activity

• Safety, invasion games, locomotor activities, skill building, guided discovery games, skill techniques, individual/dual/team sports, and specialized activities.

Intrinsic Value

• Character building, self-expression, motivation, participation, persistence, personal goals, group dynamics, cooperation, confidence building, personal responsibility, and accepting feedback.

Our art and music programs help our students build perseverance and achievement, teach responsibility, expose students to history and culture, help improve coordination, reading, math and social skills, as well as nurture self-expression and creativity.  The arts connect us to the world and open our eyes to new ways of seeing.

Music Appreciation

• Students will learn about history and genre throughout their experiences, building knowledge of key musical terms, analyzing melody and harmony, rhythm, and form.  Students will learn to read, write, and compose music as well.

Movement

• Reinforcing body awareness with various movement activities

Improvisation

• Exploring creativity through movement, rhythm, and pitch

Performance

• Giving opportunities for students to learn to sing, as well as use the recorder, ukulele, and world drumming, as a foundation to performing within an ensemble

The elementary art curriculum focuses on integrating aesthetics, studio art, collaboration, connections to literature, and art history in an engaging, creative, and imaginative environment emphasizing the Elements of Art and Principles of Design.

Art skills/fine motor skills are taught as scaffolded skills based on the appropriate development of the young artist, and accommodations are made for students to reach their individual goals.    

• Exploring Materials:  Students will continue to learn how to use different tools to create texture, pattern, positive and negative space, and placement in works of Art.  They will learn to refine their cutting skills and other painting techniques, focusing on light and dark values and using brushes and sponges.  We will also continue to create 3-D forms, collages, and printmaking using paper, fabric, and other materials 
• Use of Principles of Design and Elements of Art:  Students will identify light and dark values of a color, foreground, middle ground, and background in a composition, positive and negative space, and texture as it appears in nature.  Students will also understand that an Artwork is unified when colors, shapes, and lines are repeated throughout the composition
• Cultural Connections:  Students will continue to explore the world examples that coincide with the principles and elements studied to create their works of art.  Students will develop an awareness of the expression of different cultures.
• Cross-Curriculum Connections:  Students will continue integrating literature, mathematics, history, and science into various art lessons 
• Reflections:  Students will continue to identify what they have created and will be familiar with a variety of art forms and can describe them using the vocabulary of visual arts media.  They will continue to use visual arts as a means for creative self-expression and interpersonal communication