Third graders at Academy School are very busy. They begin their year building community, learning routines, establishing rights and responsibilities and getting to know one another. Third graders have third grade meetings every third Thursday of the month. They use these meetings to establish themselves as a third grade community. They share what content they are learning in each of their classrooms and celebrate each others' birthdays. They take time to recognize one another; they give each other “Pats on the Back” to appreciate the random acts of kindness that occur daily at Academy School.
Every year at Academy School students are becoming better readers and writers. Third grade is no different! Third graders are learning to comprehend, visualize, synthesize, infer and predict together. They make connections with their books. They discuss what they read with each other. They choose “just right” books and recommend books to one another. Third graders are writers. They write about what they read; they write to inform; they write about themselves; they write poetry; they write various procedures; they write in their “Writer's Notebooks” and they practice one-shot writing prompts. Third graders continue to learn editing skills. They edit and revise while practicing the craft of writing. They share what they write with one another, respecting and honoring each other as authors.
Students at Academy School are mathematicians! Third graders learn to multiply. They also establish strategies to add and subract into the thousands. They measure perimeter and calculate area. They discover polygons and three-dimensional shapes. They are problem solvers! They practice writing about their mathematical thinking and evaluate their abilities to show what they know.
Third grade students spend time learning about the human body; they learn about the respiratory and the circulatory systems. They learn about bones, muscles and blood. They discover how magnets, electric charges and conductors work. Third graders investigate their environment. They learn about the water cycle and weather patterns. They understand the scientific method and practice hypothesizing, predicting and proving. They take time to develop their scientific minds!
Third graders are social learners. They learn about themselves and their world. They study their community and culture. They compare and contrast it to other communities and cultures. They begin to understand how history affects them. They learn about the history of Brattleboro and compare it to their town today. They look at their life and decide how it is influenced by the past and other parts of the world. They learn about diversity. Third graders are discovering themselves and are learning to respect differences and similarities in their community and world around them.
Third grade is an amazing year. At Academy School third graders are nurtured and valued as individuals, community members and citizens of the world!
