What children will study this year:

This course is taught by an Art Specialist. It is the goal of the elementary art program to develop an understanding of art that will lead to a lifetime of art appreciation. Students will continue to learn about and create visual artworks by:

• Exploring the elements of art: line, shape, color, texture, value, space and form.

• Exploring the principles of art: pattern, balance, contrast, emphasis, rhythm and movement. They will specifically learn more deeply about pattern and balance in third grade.

• Creating different types of artwork.

• Using a variety of art materials, tools, and techniques.

• Learning about artists and how they create art.

• Looking at a variety of artwork from around the world, including Ojibwe and Dakota art.

• Exploring symbols and how they are used in art.

• Talking about their work and the work of others. 

What you can do at home to help:

• Help your child explore the signs and symbols around us by making a game out of finding lines, shapes, colors and textures. Some shapes and colors represent certain ideas. An example might be to find signs that are a certain color, shape or pattern. What do they stand for? What are some shapes or patterns on clothing or tennis shoes?

• Display your child's artwork in a place at your home where many can see it. This will help your child develop a sense of pride in his/her work. Change the artwork regularly. Encourage your child to talk about the artwork.

• Together, with your child, point out items around your home or environment that have symmetry or look the same on both sides. Help discover things that are symmetrically balanced.

• Look at patterns in fabric, wallpaper, and other places in your environment. Talk about what elements of art are used to create the pattern.

• Visit a traditional pow-wow at the shores of Mille Lacs, the upper Sioux community, or other locations.

• Take your child to a local art museum. The Twin Cities and surrounding area has a wide variety of art to view in person. Visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Museum of Russian Art.

• Attend special art events at the North Suburban Center for the Arts, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Caponi Art Park, Franconia Sculpture Park, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Silverwood Park.

Grade 3 Art Units:

Unit 1: Element Review

What families can do at home to help:

• Go on an Elements of Art Scavenger Hunt. Look for different lines, shapes, colors, textures, value, space, and form. See how many of each you can find. Or, who can find all of them first.

• Play an Elements of Art memory game. Find one or two objects to represent each of the Elements of Art: (line, shape, color, texture, value, space, form). Place all of the objects on a tray. Have your child study the objects, linking each object with an element of art. Then, take the tray away, and see how many objects they can remember, writing them down, in relation to each of the elements of art.

Unit 2: Pattern

What families can do at home to help:

• Look for patterns in the world around you. What kinds of man-made materials contain patterns? What kinds of animals have patterns?

• Visit a local fabric shop. Look at the variety of patterns in the fabric. Pick out interesting patterned fabric and create a mini quilt. How do certain patterns look interesting together?

• Create a scrapbook page about a subject matter of your choice. There are many patterns that can be found on scrapbook paper. Involve some on your scrapbook page. Better yet, create your own patterned paper by drawing or painting.

Unit 3: Balance

What families can do at home to help:

• Look at kaleidoscopes and draw what you see. What kind of balance are you viewing? Symmetry? Radial Symmetry?

• Create a mobile or wind chime with your child. How does balance play a part in what you are creating?

• Go outside and look at things in nature. Look at leaves in the fall, snowflakes in the winter, flowers in the spring. What kinds of balance do you see in nature? Create your own art project by drawing, painting or cutting what you see.

What children will study this year:

Technology skills are learned within the context of math, social studies, language, and science curriculum objectives. Students learn to use computers to help prepare them to live in the technology-rich society of the 21st century.

• Access teacher approved websites
• Chromebooks Skills
• Read and follow onscreen computer prompts
• Save and retrieve files
• Review/use copy, cut, paste, select all and undo in a variety of environments
• Click and drag text and graphic
• Copy and paste graphics
• Add, Flip, rotate and move graphics
• Zoom to view page layout
• Type text in text box
• Manipulating text boxes
• Highlighting text to edit
• Correct posture for keyboarding
• Locate and use keys: shift, delete, =, +, - (dash, minus)
• Use arrow keys to move around in text
• Formal Keyboard instruction
• Reinforcement of good technique in all computer activities
• Coding on Scratch Website

What children will study this year:

• How to express emotions in a healthy way by:
• Demonstrating an understanding of individual differences.
• Knowing and using conflict resolution skills.
• The attributes of the District #11 Education for Character Plan.
• Age appropriate personal safety strategies such as:
• Bus safety,
• Playground safety,
• Bike safety,
• Fire safety, and
• Personal safety.
• The consequences of using drugs, alcohol and tobacco

Grade 3 Health Units

Unit: Safety
What parents can do at home to help:

• Discuss bus and bus stop etiquette and safety.
• Create a plan to get to the bus stop on time.
• Talk with your child about an escape plan from your house/apartment in case of a fire. Make sure you have and outside meeting spot. Practice using the escape route.

Research shows that many factors contribute to successful keyboarding development for elementary students. Below are the guidelines for implementing a successful keyboarding experience for Anoka-Hennepin students.

Outcomes Anoka-Hennepin elementary keyboarding instruction focuses on:

• Proper Posture
• Correct Technique
• Accuracy
• Speed

Proper Posture:

• Feet on floor, one foot slightly ahead
• Fingers curved
• Hands not resting on keyboard or table
• Sitting up straight, leaning slightly forward
• Head up looking at the screen
• Elbows are naturally close to body
• Center body in front of letters on keyboard
• Back straight

Correct Technique:

• Fingers resting lightly on home row
• Correct fingering for all letters, shift, tab, space, return, and punctuation
• One space after all punctuation
• Eyes off keyboard as much as possible

Grade 3 Keyboarding Unit

Unit: Keyboarding

What families can do at home to help:

• Practice Keyboarding

Bridges in Mathematics is a comprehensive math curriculum that addresses the Minnesota Standards for Mathematics in a manner that is rigorous, coherent, engaging, and accessible to all learners.

The curriculum focuses on developing children’s’ deep understandings of mathematical concepts, proficiency with key skills, and ability to solve complex and new problems. Bridges taps into the intelligence and strengths of all students by presenting material that is as linguistically, visually, and kinesthetically rich as it is mathematically powerful.

This year in grade 3 math, your child will learn to:

• read, write, and represent numbers to 100,000
• use addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division to solve story problems
• solve multiplication and division facts accurately and efficiently
• represents multiplication facts by using a variety of approaches, such as repeated addition, equal-sized groups, arrays, area models, equal jumps on a number line, and skip counting
• represents division facts by using a variety of approaches, such as repeated subtraction, equal sharing and forming equal groups
• multiply 1-digit numbers by multiples of 10, e.g., 3 x 70
• add and subtract multi-digit numbers
• compare, recognize, and generate equivalent fractions and place them on a number line
• estimate and measure in time, liquid volumes, and masses of objects
• round numbers to the nearest 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000
• tell time to the minute and know relationships among units of time
• estimate and measure liquid volume and mass in metric units
• determine temperature to the nearest degree (F and C)
• make change up to one dollar in several different ways
• solve area and perimeter problems
• identify and construct different kinds of quadrilaterals
• use parallel and perpendicular lines to describe and create geometric shapes
• sort and classify shapes
• collect, display and interpret data using frequency tables, bar graphs, picture graphs and line plots having a variety of scales

Bridges in Mathematics Family Overview Letters:

Family Welcome Letter: An introduction to Bridges, including an overview of the year.  Available in English  or  Spanish.

 Unit 1:  Addition & Subtraction Patterns:   English or Spanish

Unit 2:  Introduction to Multiplication:  English or Spanish

Unit 3:   Multi-Digit Addition & Subtraction:   English or Spanish

Unit 4:  Measurement & Fractions:  English or Spanish

Unit 5:  Multiplication, Division & Area:   English or Spanish

Unit 6:  Geometry:   English or Spanish

Unit 7:  Extending Multiplication & Fractions:  English or Spanish

Unit 8 - Bridge Design & Construction: Data Collection & Analysis:   English or Spanish

Your best source to answer questions and get assistance is your student's teacher. The resources here provide additional guidance and suggestions for how you can participate in your child's learning.

Click on this link to see the free apps that provide visual models featured in Bridges in Mathematics.

Games and Activities to do at Home

Bridges Math at Home  Look for additional fun daily math activities, collections of practice pages, family games and online games from the Math Learning Center.

Bedtime Math  The charitable mission of Bedtime Math is to help kids love numbers so they can handle the math in real life. Bedtime Math makes math part of the family routine. Every day, they serve up a quick bite of wacky math just for fun. Whether it’s flamingos, ninjas or pillow forts, children can see the math in their favorite topics. 

Games for Young Minds  Kent Haines, the developer of this website, has done a lot of legwork pulling together games and resources for families that are fun and mathematically power.

Which One Doesn’t Belong  This website is dedicated to providing thought-provoking puzzles for adults and students alike. There are no answers provided as there are many different and correct ways of choosing which one doesn't belong. Enjoy!
 

Caregiver Resources

DREME Family Connections  DREME describes home-school connections to help young children see and understand that math is an important part of daily life. 

Four Boosting Messages Everyone can learn math at high levels, according to recent research.  This eight and a half minute video from Stanford University looks at evidence to support a growth mindset for all math learners.

Learning Progression Videos  The Making Sense Progression videos describe the phases of strategies children progress through as they develop number sense and construct understandings of critical mathematical ideas.

Math Learning Center Apps   Families can access these apps without a user name or password, and the apps can be used with iPads, Chrome or a computer's web browser. There’s a tutorial on the website for the apps, but most of the students will know what to do!

Supporting Your Child in Math   This website offers a variety of resources to support families in understanding why we teach math differently today.  These resources provide families with strategies for instilling positive beliefs about mathematics.

Talking Math With Kids  Talking Math with Your Kids is about supporting children’s early mathematical development.  Parents know that we need to read 20 minutes a day with our kids.But teaching math to your kids doesn’t have to be intimidating.  It can be fun. Just as children say goodnight to the moon, they can say hello to numbers, shapes and measurement.

What children will study this year:

Students visit the Library Media Center once in a digital day cycle for literature appreciation, information literacy instruction and book check-out.

As third graders, students learn to use the on-line catalog to locate library materials, are guided through the formal research process, explore new literature genres and authors, and make personal reading choices that are a "good fit."

• The location of books he or she is interested in.
• The library has an organization scheme which can be searched using the on line catalog.
• New literature genres and authors.
• Borrowing books requires responsible book care.
• Books are a shared resource and need to be returned when due.

Program and Grade Level Understandings articulate what students should understand and be able to do when they leave the K-12 program in Anoka-Hennepin. The grade level understandings demonstrate what students should understand and be able to do when they leave each grade level. The grade level understandings increase in complexity as students progress through the K-12 program.

Unit: Research
What families can do at home to help:

• Visit your local library
  
  

What children will study this year:

• Pitch - Students continue to refine the skill of in-tune singing with reading melodies. Students know the pitch relationships between do, re, mi, so, la, and high do - and the relationship on the music staff. On instruments, the emphasis continues to be the relationship between pitches that step up or down, repeat, or big leaps. Performance testing for using a system to read pitch is accomplished. Improvisation is emphasized in third grade by having students create their own rhythms and melodies. Performance testing of improvising (unknown) and reading simple melodies is accomplished.

• Rhythm - Students continue to work on rhythm combinations by singing, playing instruments, improvising and reading. Performance testing for using a system to read rhythm is accomplished. Third grade students are able to identify previously learned rhythms and add four sixteenth notes as a simple rhythm and quarter/eighth notes and eighth/quarter notes as a compound rhythm.  

• Elements of Music - Students continue to analyze how compositions are put together and demonstrate knowledge of expressive qualities in music.

• History and Culture- Students learn to recognize and describe various sounds of instruments, music from many cultures including Minnesota American Indian and various styles of music, both vocal and instrumental.

What families can do at home to help:

• Listen to your child sing and suggest improvements. Encourage your child to sing with age-appropriate tone (clear, gentle, connected).

• Have your child share and teach songs to your family and friends.

• Have your child practice singing every day. Suggest to your child to sing a song in his/her head a few times before singing it aloud.

• Have your child play on a keyboard instrument, demonstrating by steps, skips, and leaps.

• Have your child sing "America the Beautiful” to feel the combination of long and short sounds.

• Practice singing rounds such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat", "Frere Jacques", or "Kookaburra”.   Take turns being the first one to start the round.

• Describe, evaluate, and compare a variety of music from different times, people, and places.

GRADE 3 MUSIC UNITS

Pitch – Sol-Mi-Re-Do/La-Sol-Mi-Re-Do

This is a unit in which students will utilize La-Sol-Mi-Re-Do. Through singing, reading, notating, creating, improvising, playing, moving, and listening, students will become more proficient with the above pitches. This will be accomplished using the instructional format: prepare, present, practice, and assess. Students will continue to develop their ability to respond to music in a variety of ways, while identifying the musical elements covered in the previous units. 

Pitch – Extended Pentatonic Scale (High Do) 

This is a unit in which students will utilize Do’-La-Sol-Mi-Re-Do. Through singing, reading, notating, creating, improvising, playing, moving, and listening, students will become more proficient with the above pitches. This will be accomplished using the instructional format: prepare, present, practice, and assess. Students will continue to develop their ability to respond to music in a variety of ways, while identifying the musical elements covered in the previous units. 

Compound Rhythm – Quarter-Eighth (and Eighth-Quarter)

In this unit, students will continue to sing and play using known rhythms and add quarter/eighth (du--di), and eighth/quarter (du-da) to the other compound rhythms.  Students will continue to experience music in simple and compound time.  Students will continue to develop an understanding that music is present in every culture, is a reflection of culture, and promotes an appreciation of other cultures, through the use of singing, playing, creating, moving, listening, improvising, and conversing. Students will develop their ability to respond to music in a variety of ways. Students will create and perform an original 16-beat composition, using known rhythms.

Simple Rhythm – Sixteenth Notes

In this unit, students will continue to sing and play using known rhythms and add 4 sixteenth notes (du-ta-de-ta).  Students will continue to experience music in simple and compound time.  Students will continue to develop an understanding that music is present in every culture, is a reflection of culture, and promotes an appreciation of other cultures, through the use of singing, playing, creating, moving, listening, improvising, and conversing. Students will develop their ability to respond to music in a variety of ways. Students will create and perform an original 16-beat composition, using known rhythms.

Critical Response

The overarching goal of this unit is that students will analyze, evaluate, respond and connect to music from many different cultures. Students will realize that music is a form of communication, and there are meaningful connections between music and other aspects of life.

What children will study this year:

• Locomotor Movement Skills: running, jumping, hopping, galloping, skipping and leaping.

• Manipulative Skills: Underhand throwing and rolling, overhand throwing and catching, dribbling with both hands and feet, volleying and striking.

• Students build on their previous knowledge about their heart, muscles and bones and the function they play in their body.

• Nutrition and the meaning of what a balanced meal looks like.

• Students will be exposed to rules and strategies for the different units.

• Teamwork 

• Sportsmanship

In order to participate safely and successfully, students should have tennis shoes for physical education activities and recess.  

Adaptations and modifications will be made for students on an as needed basis.

What families can do at home to help:

It is important that youth of today develop regular exercise habits and activities that will be continued throughout life. In order for our children to become truly fit, these fitness activities must extend beyond the school day. Family and friends can have a major impact on a child's level of physical activity in many different ways.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION UNITS

Unit: Cardiovascular Fitness, Locomotor, Soccer, Underhand Throw/Roll

Students will learn about how their heart rate is affected during a variety of activities and its importance to their heart health. Discussion in class will include sportsmanship, safety, and teamwork.  Activities in this unit will focus on hand/eye and eye/foot coordination through various units which include: Football, Soccer, Bowling and Tag Games.

Unit: Muscular Fitness, Non-locomotor, Overhand Throwing/Catching, Dribbling, Volleying and Striking

Third graders will build upon their knowledge of muscular fitness during a variety of activities. Students will be introduced to the three components of fitness (strength, endurance and flexibility).  Activities in this unit will focus on hand/eye coordination and spatial awareness through various units which include: Basketball, Volleyball, Tumbling and Floor Hockey. 

Unit: Nutrition, Jump Rope, Striking, Track and Field

Students will be introduced to a “balanced” meal. Students will be able to identify a balanced meal, and create their own balanced meal.  They will learn how lifelong activities promote personal health and physical fitness. They will develop an understanding of different activities that they can participate in at any age. Activities in this unit will focus on hand/eye and eye/foot coordination through various units which include: Jump Rope, Pickleball and Track and Field events.

Grade 3 Science Units:

Unit: Physical Science

• Students will plan and conduct an investigation to identify how forces and motion impact the design of playground equipment.
• Students will make observations of playground equipment to identify patterns in forces.
• Students will plan and conduct an investigation to identify how forces and motion impact the design of playground equipment.
• Students will make observations of playground equipment to identify patterns in forces.

Unit: Earth Science

• Represent data to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
• Students will analyze data from tests to make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard.
• Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Unit: Life Science

• Students will develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
• Students will use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

What children will study this year:

The third grade social studies program is hands-on and content-rich. During the school year, children will expand and deepen their knowledge in the four social studies disciplines of citizenship and government, economics, geography and history. By applying basic concepts in each discipline to complex communities and environments near and far, students begin to understand the social, economic, geographic and political aspects of life in the world beyond our state and nation. Topics include:

• Elements of Geography.
• Government: Local, State and National.
• Economics in the Community.

• Ancient Civilizations (Egypt, China, Greece): Characteristics of communities from different times and places.

• Creating and interpreting simple maps, using them to understand the physical and human characteristics of places around the world.
• Investigating historical records, maps and artifacts to discover how geographic factors, technology and individual and group actions have shaped history. 
• Reading timelines, graphs, diagrams and charts. 
• Comparing cultures- similarities and differences. 
• Weighing the costs and benefits in making decisions and looking at examining forces that influence interactions among individuals in a community.
• Exploring the civic relationship between an individual and the community in which he/she lives.
• Examining the three branches of government.

Grade 3 Social Studies Units:

Unit: Government: The purpose of this unit is to provide an understanding of government. Students will understand that there are three different levels of government and learn about the services they provide. Students will understand the relationship between the rights and responsibilities of citizens and how citizens affect change. Students will be able to identify leaders in government and have a basic understanding of their roles and how they are elected. Students will also learn about Citizenship/Constitution Day.

What families can do at home to help:

• Visit local government buildings (city hall, police department, library, historical society) and discuss the reasons for their existence.
• Discuss with your child concerns or problems that you see in your community. Make a list of solutions that could be presented to the mayor or community leaders to implement a change.
• Bring your child with you to vote. Discuss the responsibilities of being a voter.

Unit Information for Families - Academic Standards, what students should know and be able to do, and vocabulary.

What families can do at home to help:

• Discuss various jobs and whether or not they provide a service or product. Hold a “product” hunt in your house to find out where different products are manufactured. Locate these places on maps or globes.
• Provide opportunities for choices your child might make regarding a purchase or a decision to do something (ie. grocery shopping, shopping for other items). Then discuss why they made that choice and that what they gave up is called “Opportunity Cost” (the item or choice that is given up).

Unit Information for Families - Academic Standards, what students should know and be able to do, and vocabulary.

Unit: Geography: Students will study the following elements of geography: landforms, waterways, and maps. The focus of this unit is developing map skills, understanding how geography determines where people live and work, and learning about continents. Students will understand that maps give information about geography and will be able to locate and interpret information on maps.

What families can do at home to help:

• Using a Minnesota map, help your child locate familiar and important places such as; cities, counties, the state capitol, lakes, parks, and rivers.
• While traveling, use directional words (cardinal directions-N, S, E, W and intermediate directions- NW, SW, NE, SE).
• Look for natural features (river, hill, lake) and human-made features (buildings and bridges) found in our world.

Unit Information for Families - Academic Standards, what students should know and be able to do, and vocabulary.

What families can do at home to help:

• Visit the Minnesota Science Museum to learn about Ancient Egypt and view a real mummy.
• Go to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) to view works of art from various ancient cultures.
• Find family artifacts, current and from the past, and discuss what they can tell you about your family.
• When traveling, discuss how life in other parts of the country is the same or different from your life, and why.