Third grade is an exciting new chapter for our students, and I am so thankful to be sharing this journey with them! This is an important transitional year for them. They will grow into responsible, creative and critical thinkers by taking responsibility for their actions, working hard, and learning how to become good citizens in their community. I look forward to a fun and engaging third-grade year!

What Students Learn in Third Grade

In third grade, students use the Journeys series for reading comprehension and vocabulary. Each week, the class reads a story. They analyze the text and discuss the plot, structure and characters. At the end of the week, students take a test on the story’s vocabulary and reading comprehension. The class will complete a minimum of two novel studies each year in between the Journeys series. To supplement learning, students work on Seesaw, Boom Cards and Blooket.

Third-graders use the Easy Grammar textbook, which helps students improve their grammar skills. They learn about prepositions and pronouns and how to better develop their sentences. Integrating this with writing, students learn how to use different parts of speech to expand their sentences and create a more interesting writing piece. Students write opinion and persuasive pieces as well as a personal narrative. They learn to use graphic organizers as a tool to help plan out their thoughts about what they want to write. This year, students also continue to work on their cursive-writing skills.

Students use the Christ Our Life series. Throughout the year, they learn about 12 different saints. Each child will research one saint and create a presentation for the class. This project not only builds their knowledge on religion but also covers standards such as public speaking and writing for an audience. Third-graders study the liturgical calendar. They also learn the Apostles Creed, how to pray the Rosary and the importance of God’s love in their life.

Third-graders use the enVision Math Common Core textbook. When students enter third grade, they should know their addition and subtraction facts. In the beginning of the year, students review, focusing on number sense, rounding, place value, and addition and subtraction. As the year progresses, they move into learning and understanding multiplication and division facts. Students learn fractions, perimeter and area. To supplement the curriculum, third-graders use XtraMath and MobyMax.

Students engage in lessons and experiments on force and motion, animal and plant characteristics, ecosystems and weather. The main project for science is creating their own ecosystem. Students then work together in pairs to present their findings on ecosystems to the class.

Third-graders learn about different aspects of California, starting with California regions and California Native Americans and leading to an engaging play/musical on the history of the Santa Clarita Valley. The main component of the social studies curriculum is understanding how citizens build a strong community.

Label With Child’s Name:

  • 1 backpack (no wheels)
  • 1 pair headphones for iPad and computer (any type)
  • 1 plastic pencil box
  • 1 pack colored pencils (24-count)
  • 1 box twistable Crayola crayons (24-count)
  • 1 box markers (12-count)
  • 2 highlighters (yellow and pink/blue)
  • 1 pair scissors
  • 1 plastic green two-pocket folder
  • 1 plastic yellow two-pocket folder
  • 1 plastic red two-pocket folder
  • 3 wide-ruled single-subject spiral notebooks (writing, science/social studies and math)
  • 1 pack 2 Magic Rub erasers

Do Not Label (Community Use):

  • 3 packs No. 2 Ticonderoga pencils (30 each)
  • 3 cylinders Clorox wipes
  • 1 roll paper towels 
  • 4 boxes Kleenex tissues
  • 1 bottle pump hand sanitizer
  • 3 packs neon index cards (3×5)
  • 1 four-pack glue sticks
  • 2 pack baby wipes
  • 1 pack chalkboard markers

Last Name A-L:

  • 1 ream white card stock

Last Name M-Z:

  • 1 four-pack glue sticks

Art class supplies (These will be given to the art teacher.)

  • 1 pack acrylic paint markers (24-count, no specific brand, dual- or single-tipped)
  • Chalk pastels (12-count, no specific brand)
  • Oil pastels (12-count, no specific brand)
  • 1 pack fine-point Sharpies (not ultra-fine point)

Optional Gift Cards:
Target, Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens, Dollar Store, Michaels (These help with expensive class projects like Mother’s Day/Father’s Day, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and photo developing.)

Each student should bring one or more reams of 500 sheets or more of white copy paper for the school office labeled with his or her name.