List of 9 items.

• Art

  As their skills sharpen, Third Grade artists will learn how to draw complex objects from life, adding the illusion of three dimensions to their work through layering, tinting, and shading, among other optical illusions. Students will master techniques of color blending, applying their knowledge to communicate their mood through art. Students will also produce woven vessels and clay objects.

• Humanities

  Through the integrated thematic lens of systems, Third Graders explore the many perspectives of narratives through articles, essays, and research. Students have opportunities to present ideas orally, in writing, and through multimedia while engaging in peer and instructor conferences throughout. Through purposeful, guided inquiry in their language arts studies, students gain a deeper understanding of the power of literature.

   

  In alignment with their classroom work, library time is spent strengthening research skills in both print and digital realms. Students will learn to connect plots and themes to individual experiences and communities to explore relevance and personal interests.

   

  Perhaps nowhere is the concept of systems so salient as it is in Third Grade social studies, which is dedicated to the study of the history of our own state. Students will examine California’s varied resources and communities, and study and debate different forms of government while understanding the foundations and structures of the federal and state governments. Beyond California, students study how the ancient Egyptian and Chinese civilizations developed and endured through a collection of interdependent systems (language, religion, trade, and government). Their studies culminate in a jam-packed field trip to Sacramento, where they see some of these essential systems in person.

• Innovation and Technology

  In Third Grade, students explore more advanced tools and applications, often interweaving multiple tools into a single project or goal. Whether making use of programming languages, large scale collaborative projects, or basic 3D imaging, students use a variety of platforms and applications, choosing effective tools that allow their innovation and creativity to shine. Students are introduced to prototyping and testing as they begin more hands-on work with manual tools, design and computational applications, and materials.

• Mathematics

  Students focus on advancing fluency of multiplication and division, understanding fraction equivalence and operations, and furthering classifications of geometric figures by properties.

  Regular assessments ensure that differentiated, small-group instruction is calibrated appropriately as students move through the curriculum.

• Music

  Students in Third Grade will add the ukulele to their repertoire, which at this point will include xylophones and percussion instruments. They play together as a group, experiencing the joys and creative risk-taking of improvisation. As rhythmic abilities and vocal range expand, students learn basic sight-singing as they continue to experience and perform a repertoire of songs from diverse cultures. 

• Physical Education

  Students in Third Grade participate in FitnessGram skills practice throughout the year to improve fitness skills. They’ll also expand their dynamic flexibility by creating movement routines. In preparation for Athletics, which start in Fourth Grade, they will work in groups and teams to understand team dynamics, collaboration, and basic offensive and defensive strategies in various games.

• Science

  Students in Third Grade study topics in integrated physical, life, Earth and Space sciences.  They’ll learn about the foundation of energy, waves (including light and sound), structure function and information processing, earth systems, and the processes that shape the Earth (including the history of the planet and plate tectonics). Additionally, as in all the other Lower School science courses, the students explore ideas optimizing design solutions to scientific problems.

• Theatre

  Students in Third Grade theatre continue to build upon their performance skills through play-acting with imaginary objects and self-created worlds. Improvisation is enacted through the use of various sounds, words, and phrases. Through this type of “play,” students learn that the so-called impossible is indeed possible, and their creativity and imagination are limitless. In preparation for Fourth Grade production units, students begin to develop the vocabulary of the theatre.

• World Languages

  Now in their third year of specialization in either Mandarin or Spanish, students continue to work towards written and spoken proficiency in their language of choice. Comparative cultural studies are emphasized in both subjects, and there is an increase in cross-curricular projects, integrating their knowledge of Mandarin and Chinese into their larger body of work as learners.