All parents want to know what their child is learning in school. Until August 2001, each Spring Branch I.S.D. campus followed curriculum guidelines issued by the State (TEKS) and District, but had independence on timing and management. This has changed in light of Spring Branch I.S.D.'s curriculum alignment initiative. Curriculum has been designed to build and augment from grade to grade to ensure that core academic skills are taught and mastered at the appropriate receptive level. Below is an outline of what to expect your third grader to be learning at Rummel Creek and which is also a reflection of third grade instruction throughout Spring Branch I.S.D.
Math - Understanding place value to 999,999 is extremely important in third grade math. Addition and subtraction of three digit numbers with regrouping is also a core skill, initially in concrete form, but in abstract form by the end of the year. Students are expected to have instant recall of addition and subtraction facts to eighteen by the end of the first semester. Students will learn how to count money using a combination of coins and dollar bills, as well as how to use this knowledge to solve everyday problems involving money. Equivalent fractions, metric and customary measurement of length and perimeter, and the application of measurement concepts are taught, reviewed and strengthened. Geometry includes learning to identify dimensional shapes by attributes such as edge, face and corner, as well as understanding symmetry, area and perimeter. Multiplication and division are introduced in third grade using pictorial models. By the end of the year, students are expected to have instant recall of multiplication and division facts for 1, 2, 5, and 10. Throughout all math instruction, students are expected to solve problems connected to everyday experiences and activities, communicate about mathematics and use tools and logical reasoning to make sense of their world. Students will learn how to solve math problems independently by using problem solving strategies such as drawing a picture, looking at a pattern, acting it out, or making a simple table.
Language Arts - Reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills are closely related and are integral parts of the language arts curriculum. Reading will be partly taught through the use of novel units, and will include such genres as realistic fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, biography, autobiography, mystery, adventure, mythology, and poetry. Reading instruction includes:
independent reading time
choices of reading material
exposure to a wide range of literature
primary focus of instruction on comprehension, although word attack strategies will be reinforced
reading will be seen as a process using strategies such as using prior knowledge, testing predictions, asking questions, visualizing, and application after reading.
Writing will also be taught as a process that includes revision and editing. Students will learn how to organize their ideas by brainstorming and making a plan, which might include making a web, writing a list, or using sticky notes. This brainstorming will be used to write a rough draft which will be revised, edited and rewritten before final publication. Not all written pieces will be taken to final publication. The six traits of good writing listed below will be strongly emphasized and will be used as a basis to grade essays through a holistic approach:
good, well elaborated ideas which make sense
good organization including an inviting introduction and logical, sequential flow
the essay has voice and does not sound as if it were written by a robot
good word choice including strong verbs and imaginative adjectives, and with very little repetition
sentence fluency with a variety in sentence beginnings and sentence structure
attention to conventions which includes legibility, spelling, grammar, and thoroughly proof-read.
Spelling - The Neuhaus Scientific Spelling model will be used to teach spelling. It is very logical and sequential, and builds from simple spelling patterns to more complex knowledge of Latin and Greek derivatives. Grammar will be taught through a multi-sensory model that utilizes the color coding of parts of speech in sentences. Correct punctuation and grammar will be strongly emphasized and reinforced during the writing process.
The main emphasis of social studies curriculum is on communities and how they have developed and changed over time. Students will describe the basic structure of government in the local community and identify local government officials and explain how they are chosen. They will identify characteristics of good citizenship and understand the importance of civic responsibility. Students will also identify historic figures who have had a positive influence on the community and society. Geography instruction will include mapping skills and an explanation of the variations in the physical environment including climate, land forms, natural resources, and natural hazards. Students will learn how people in different communities have adapted or modified their physical environment. Students will also investigate ways that money can be earned, spent and saves, and will understand examples of scarcity. Students will learn how a simple business operates and will explain how supply and demand affect the price of a good or service. The final project of the year will be research on another country's community and a comparison of that community with life in the U.S.A. We will have a multicultural celebration in which students will set up a booth to present information and facts on the country they studied.
The underlying processes of science investigation such as making predictions, observing, recording data, making inferences, and drawing conclusions will be taught throughout the year, using a variety of hands-on investigations. The main focus of science is how the world around us changes. This year, the newly adopted FOSS kits will be used extensively in teaching science. The four FOSS kits used in 3rd grade are: Earth Materials, Physics of Sound, Structures of Life, and Environmental Science.