Language Arts
In the Third Grade language arts program, an anthology is used along with trade books.Various genres of literature such as realistic fiction, biographies, fantasies, and non-fiction are read.Primary focus is on strengthening comprehension on factual, inferential and critical levels.Instruction aims to improve word attack and vocabulary skills, as well as expression and fluency in oral reading.
The spelling curriculum incorporates the use of phonics and structural analysis as tools to strengthen reading and writing.Dictionary use continues in practice and application across the curriculum.Cursive penmanship instruction reviews the formation of lower case letters and presents upper case letters.During the second half of the year, all written work is to be in cursive handwriting (or word processed).
The goal of the Third Grade writing program is to strengthen each student’s ability to demonstrate clear, fluent, creative expression in writing as well as in speaking.Writing Workshop emphasizes the organization of written work by listing ideas, creating a rough draft, revising and peer editing, and publishing.
Mathematics
The students continue to extend their understanding of mathematical concepts and skills in many areas:numeration and place value, number sense and estimation, operational sense and relationships, plane and 3-D geometry, patterns, functions, sequencing, money, time, measurement, and working with data.Decimals and ratios are introduced.Elementary statistics, probability, fractional relationships, and the development of multiplication and division algorithms are handled in greater depth.Mathematical language and notation become increasingly sophisticated, as do problem solving models and strategies.Students use a variety of manipulative materials, tools, and games to support concept formation and to practice skills.
Music
Students review and expand melodic and rhythmic skills through clapping and singing exercises, playing instruments, movement, dance, creative and listening activities, and general music appreciation. Music reading and writing continues with more difficult rhythmic and melodic patterns.Composing music is encouraged.Use of musical notation and dictation are enhanced through playing recorders.The girls learn to sing with proper technique in two-, three-, and four-parts through rounds and partner songs in a choral group.Special units include American folk music and Instruments of the Orchestra. Students are given growing opportunities to play a leadership role and express individuality.
Foreign Languages
The world of the French, Spanish, and ancient Roman peoples is introduced, in turn, to each third grade section for a trimester.Latin lessons include famous sayings and ancient ruins. During French and Spanish lessons, the students learn basic vocabulary and are introduced to the Spanish and French pronunciation and intonation. They are also introduced to the French and Spanish cultures using songs and games to offer reinforcement.
Physical Education
The girls are introduced to the rules and positions of team games.The girls are moved from lead up games to sports.Rules and strategies are incorporated in the instruction.Teamwork and fair play are encouraged.It is the hope of the PE program to use competition to increase the girls’ desire for skill proficiency and cooperation in team play.Teamwork and healthy competition are continually encouraged.Activities in the earlier grades form the foundation to mastering the movement concepts and motor skills necessary to participate in a team sport.
Physical Fitness testing is administered two times a year in three specific areas.Cardio respiratory, muscular strength and flexibility are the areas of focus.The results are used to help the girls increase their fitness levels. The girls are assigned to a Blue or Gray team for the rest of their time at Baldwin.Throughout the year the girls compete in Blue and Gray games, and in the spring, compete in a swimming meet and Field Day.Points are added for each win at grade levels and end of the year, the Blue-Gray trophy is awarded.
Science
Grade III students have opportunities to plan and carry out experiments using the scientific method. Plant life cycles, encompassing the concepts of plant germination, plants’ responses to light, and decomposition are part of this grade’s natural science study. Students discover how simple machines like pulleys, wheels, or ramps are part of their day-to-day lives. Light, shadows, and color are investigated. Microscope skills, introduced in grade II, are consolidated. Basic chemistry principles are introduced, as is the concept of energy transfer in living things.
Social Studies
Students explore four major units of study in Third Grade. These are: map skills, U.S.A States, Early European Explorers, and Colonial America. Map skills are the foundation for all subsequent units of study, culminating with a special map project. For the U.S.A States unit, each student explores the fifty states, their geography and locations. Orienteering is a fundamental unit during the fall. Using maps, compasses and their own logical reasoning, third grade girls work in small groups each with an adult leader to navigate a course of through woods and meadows unfamiliar to them.Building confidence and competence, they come away from the experience with a huge sense of accomplishment.After becoming familiar with U.S.A. geography, the final two units explore how our land was discovered by European explorers, and subsequently inhabited by colonists. The girls learn how people lived, worked, and played during Colonial times. In addition, the idea of a democratic form of government and how it began in the U.S.A. is investigated.A highlight of the year is Colonial Day, during which the Third Grade students dress in Colonial costumes and participate in authentic Colonial games, crafts, and activities, including candle dipping and cooking.
Art
In Third Grade the students are introduced to specific periods of art in history. They begin to develop a higher level of knowledge about, and responsibility for, a variety of tools, materials and techniques that build on their abilities to be inventive and resourceful.While expanding their knowledge to appreciate different forms of art, they continue to strengthen their cooperative learning skills while having the opportunity to draw and paint on a large scale to create scenery for their class play.