Lower School
Learning, No Boundaries
Lower School: Grade 3
Students in Grade 3 meet in self-contained classrooms. There are two sections of no more than 18 students in each class with a certified teacher.
Core curriculum includes a literature and novel-based reading program and word study using the Words Their Way spelling program. The Step Up to Writing program continues as the focus for daily writing, journals, reading responses and grammar. The program also includes flexible math groups using the Houghton Mifflin text and Accelerated Math. In Social Studies, students study the regions of the United States, while the inquiry-based FOSS science program continues with four science labs a week. Handwriting instruction is maintained in Grade 3 through the Handwriting Without Tears program. Students in Grade 3 also participate in the WordMasters Challenge, a Language Arts competition that encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.
Students in Grade 3 have Music and Art twice weekly, and Physical Education for 45 minutes, four times a week. Students have a weekly period of Library. Guidance is provided weekly for a 30-minute period and students study technology in the Computer lab once a week as well.
Students in the third grade participate in a weekly assembly with their Lower School peers and take several field studies throughout the year. Third graders produce a play each year and perform in the Winter Holiday and Grandparents Day programs. They also present an annual poetry recital.
Grade 3 and 4 students gain leadership opportunities while serving on the Director's Council. Students meet with the Lower School Director to discuss and implement improvements to the school and community.