District Home Page                                                                    District Calendar

Grade 3

Curriculum Page

Each grade has curriculum that must be followed in all Massachusetts’ classrooms.  The Sutton District has aligned their curriculum to the Massachusetts Frameworks accordingly.  Here are examples of what Grade 3 students will be learning in their classrooms:

Science English/ Language Arts Writing Math Social Studies The Arts Physical Education

 

Science
Students will classify and sort by size, weight, shape, and color and give rationale for choices.
-Students will recreate a science experiment using the scientific method including reporting of data through oral presentations, graphs, and/or charts.
-Students will demonstrate the three states of matter and identify the different characteristic properties.
-Students will demonstrate the three states of matter and identify the different characteristic properties as they exist in the ocean and as they are used by plants.
-Students will describe through open-ended questions and drawings how an object’s motion can be changed through a push or pull.
-Students will begin to discuss how sound travels in the ocean and how ocean animals make sounds.
-Students will construct life cycle models that include the sun as a source of heat and energy; and develop an experiment that shows their understanding of the sun supplying heat and light to the Earth and its effects on living things.
-Students will begin to investigate stars and make constellations.
-Students will demonstrate through experiments and drawings an understanding of heat transfer and diffusion in ocean water.
-Students will demonstrate through experiments and drawings an understanding of heat transfer and diffusion in relation to salt and fresh water.
-Students will be able to classify a group of objects as either attracted or not attracted by a magnet. Students will begin to discuss the use of giant magnets to retrieve sunken ships from the ocean floor.
-Students will make a model habitat showing living and non-living parts of the habitat necessary for life and survival.
-Students will describe through writing, drawings, or oral presentation how sand is eroded by the wave action and how plants can cause erosion and/or cracking in rocks and soil.
-Students will illustrate repeating patterns in nature through data collection, graphing, and/or charting the tides, life cycles, and changes in plants.
-Students will demonstrate through drawings, writing, or drama the water cycle and wind effects on waves.
-Students will describe the journey of a raindrop from the sky to the ocean.
Students will identify structures of ocean animals that aid in their survival in a watery habitat. Students will identify parts of plants necessary for reproduction, growth and survival.
-Students will identify plants from animals, and separate different kinds of plants and animals in groups.
-Students will be able through observations of different plants and animals in a variety of habitats, to construct a habitat with all parts necessary for the survival of all living things.
-Students will demonstrate through illustration, drama, and/or writing the similarities and differences among animals of the ocean.
-Students will select from a group of plants and animals which resemble their parents at different points in their life cycle and which do not.
-Students will construct an ocean food web and describe the level and use of energy within the web.
-Students will answer open-ended questions indicating an understanding that plants make their own food that animals use for survival.
-Students will make rot bottles to show decomposition of a variety of substances both organic and non-organic and give a scientific explanation of the results.
-Students will construct food webs, life cycles, and design habitats that how organisms interact in the environment.
-Students will be able to describe the interaction in a sealed jar between the soil, moisture, a snail, and a green plant.
-Students will show through journal writing and drawings an understanding of the human impact on the ocean environment.

Top of Page

English/Language Arts

Language

Determines the meaning of vocabulary words using context clues/dictionary

Recognizes and identifies words as being made up of parts (roots, prefix, suffix)

Reading/Comprehension/Literature

Uses letter/sound knowledge to decode written English

Reads grade level text with fluency, accuracy, appropriate pacing, and expression

Locates and summarizes the main idea and supporting details in various texts

Identifies speaker in a text

Identifies story elements (plot, characters, setting, theme, dialogue)

Makes judgments about elements from text and supports with evidence from text (cause/effect, fact/opinion)

Identifies characteristics of various genres (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, drama) 

Composition

Uses organizational tools to formulate ideas

Uses main ideas and details to create paragraphs

Edits/revises drafts of writing

Composes pieces that clearly communicate ideas for different purposes with beginning, middle, and ending

Conventions

Developing cursive writing

Identifies and uses the 4 main parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb)

Punctuates accurately

Capitalizes accurately (beginning of sentence, proper nouns)

Identifies, uses, and correctly formats complete sentences

Applies letter/sound knowledge when spelling in everyday writing

 

Top

Writing
Students participate in a fall and spring writing assessment. Teachers work as a team to assess each students writing sample. Writing rubrics were designed with the standards developed through the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.
 
Writing Assessment - Rubric Grade 3-5
Topic 1 2 3 4 5
Topic / Idea Development
Overall effect Limited topic and idea development, Basic supporting details, Strong detail,
Minimal awareness of audience and task Some awareness of audience and task Clear awareness of audience and task
Organization
Focus, logically ordered, Little or no evidence of planning, Some evidence of planning, Consistently focused from beginning to end,
clarity in paragraphs Inadequate structure (beginning, middle, end) Some inconsistencies from beginning to end Strong evidence of planning,
Lack of appropriate paragraphing skills Basic use of appropriate paragraphing skills Repeated use of appropriate paragraphing skills
Details
Sentences support main idea, No topic sentence, Reasonable topic sentence, Strong topic sentence
relevant details, examples Irrelevant and/or repetitious details, Details are adequate to support main idea Supporting details are rich, interesting and relevant
develop the main points Too few details to support main idea
Language / Style
Correct language usage, uses a Simplistic vocabulary with inappropriate Acceptable vocabulary/attempts to incorporate Rich, effective vocabulary that enhances meaning
variety of vocabulary, uses a and/or incorrect word choices, descriptive language, Consistently incorporates descriptive
variety of sentence styles Little/no sentence variation Uses some sentence variation language and all types of sentence variations
Conventions
Sentence Structure
Correct sentence form Poorly implemented sentence structure Adequate usage of correct sentence structure Correct sentence structure consistently utilized
Grammar and Usage
Correct word usage, correct Incorrect word choices, Appropriate word choice, Strong command of word choice
rules of English grammar Little/no application of grammatical rules Some lapses in correct use of grammatical rules Grammar contributes to clarity and style
Mechanics
Spelling, Capitalization, and Limited or no evidence of correct mechanics Fundamental knowledge of appropriate Knowledge of mechanics and spelling in
Punctuation and spelling mechanics and spelling writing is consistently evident.
Revising/Proofreading
Little /no self correction; Moderate self-correction; Able to accurately self-correct; no evidence of change from draft to draft some changes made from draft to draft changes and additions made from draft to draft, improving content and clarity
 

Top

Math

Term 1 ~ September – December

Demonstrates knowledge of addition facts using addends 0-10

Demonstrates knowledge of related subtraction facts

Uses basic facts to solve related problems

Adds multi-digit numbers to thousands using algorithms

Subtracts multi-digit numbers to thousands using algorithms

Uses estimation to add/subtract

Counts in patterns (i.e. by 2s, 5s, 10s, 100s)

Identify and continues patterns in multiples of 10, 100, 1000 when given a starting point.

Uses symbols +,-,<,>,= to compare mathematical relationships using whole numbers

Measures to the nearest ½ inch and centimeter

Calculates area and perimeter of rectangles

Determines time to the nearest minute

Identifies coin equivalencies and makes money exchanges

Uses a thermometer and the Fahrenheit temperature scale

Reads tables, graphs, and maps

Uses data in problem solving

Collects, summarizes and interprets data

Term 2 ~ December – March

Demonstrates knowledge of addition facts using addends 0-10

Demonstrates knowledge of related subtraction facts

Uses basic facts to solve related problems

Names and writes whole numbers to hundred thousands

Orders and compares whole numbers to hundred thousands

Demonstrates knowledge of multiplication facts using factors 0-10

Demonstrates awareness of related division facts

Uses symbols x,-,<,>,= to compare mathematical relationships using whole numbers

Identifies and names two-dimensional shapes

Identifies and names three-dimensional shapes

Identifies symmetric figures and draws lines of symmetry of two-dimensional shapes

Identifies and draws intersecting, parallel, and perpendicular lines

Measures to the nearest ½ inch and centimeter

Calculates area and perimeter of rectangles

Identifies coin equivalencies and makes money exchanges

Reads tables, graphs, and maps

Uses data in problem solving

Collects, summarizes and interprets data 

Term 3 ~ March – June 

Demonstrates knowledge of addition facts using addends 0-10

Demonstrates knowledge of related subtraction facts

Uses basic facts to solve related problems

Demonstrates knowledge of multiplication facts using factors 0-10

Demonstrates awareness of related division facts

Demonstrates understanding of fractions as part of a whole (numerator and denominator)

Identify U.S. customary and metric units of weight

Estimates and compares weight

Computes elapsed time

Identifies coin equivalencies and makes money exchanges

Reads tables, graphs, and maps

Uses data in problem solving

Collects, summarizes and interprets data  

 

Top

Social Studies
Put historical events in order (early explorers through colonization of the United States)
-Understand the importance of individual action and character
-Grasp the importance of individual action and character
-Understand those actions have consequences
-Consider ideas and concerns of the past that may differ from the students' own
-Read different kinds of texts and differentiate among them
-See the diversity of backgrounds of American citizens: their likes, dislikes, skills, names and experiences; compare experiences
-See the contributions of all parts of the population
-Learn the value of working in groups and sharing responsibilities
Understand why people move from one place to another—the geographic theme called “movement”
-Learn the native and non-native species in Massachusetts and describe the natural resources in New England
-Understand how natural limits favor people working together
-Understand that there is more than one way to accomplish a goal
-Understand how both parties to a transaction may benefit (i.e. historical documents)
-Understand the concept of incentives
-Understand that some things can be bought and sold and others cannot; understand the difference between the price of something, its intrinsic worth, and its value to particular people
-Understand that price may be determined by bargaining
-Understand technological progress
-Understand population growth
-Explain why traders and explorers in the past were willing to travel great distances and overcome obstacles
-Understand the causes and effects of divisions of labor by sex, class, and skill
-See the school as a community in which all are equals
-Value good citizenship and apply the Golden Rule (i.e. Peacebuilders)
-Learn school and classroom rules and individual responsibility
-Learn good citizenship: sharing, taking turns, treating others as equals, fairness, self-control, patience, courage, and cooperation
-Learn efforts by individuals and groups to secure fair and equal treatment for everyone
-Identify patriotic symbols, pledges, songs, portions of speeches, poetry and documents
-Map skills: know and locate the cardinal directions, poles, equator, hemispheres, continents, oceans, major mountain ranges, and other major geographical features of the earth
-Know and locate principle features of New England’s physical geography
-Locate their community in relation to the geographical features of Massachusetts
-Locate the major cities in Massachusetts

Top

The Arts

Art

-Use a variety of ways to explore, learn, and communicate through the arts
-Develop a capacity for imaginative and reflective thinking through the exploration and experimentation of multi-mediums
-Learn about the elements and principles of design
-Use the materials in a safe manner
-Demonstrate their abilities to express themselves through the arts
-Create two-dimensional and three-dimensional works of art, understanding that art has personal meaning to the creator
-Interpret and judge works of art
-Learn to perceive and respond to works of art

General Music

-Demonstrate knowledge of steady and strong beats
-Demonstrate the rhythmic and melodic content of music
-Use syllable counting system to verbalize simple rhythms
-Respond to loud and soft, fast and slow examples of music
-Experience concepts of meter, pitch, rhythm and dynamics
-Use a specific system to read pitch notation

Top

Physical Education
Physical education addresses the physical and social development of the child.
-Cardiovascular health
-Muscular strength and endurance
-Flexibility, agility and speed
-Sportsmanship and self-esteem
-Personal safety in exercise, physical activity and games
-Team concept and your individual contribution to team
-Understanding concepts of game rules and beginning strategies
-Locomotion skills
-Elementary games
-Hand-eye and foot-eye coordination activities
-Lead-up games to team sports
-Incorporation of Peaceful Playgrounds into class and recess activities
-PeaceBuilders program

Top