The third grade classroom at
Forest Ridge Academy is filled
with students reading, exploring,
problem-solving, writing, and
working cooperatively with
classmates through many projects
and activities. Integrated into
our curriculum are many engaging
field trips like staying
overnight at the Indiana Dunes
and at Chicago museums

The year begins with our Flat
Stanley project. Students read
the story "Flat Stanley" and send
him across the United States to
visit other third grade
classrooms. Many geography,
math, and writing projects are
integrated into this reading
unit.

Third grade students are busy
reading all year long. Not only
do they read stories out of our
readers, but we read many chapter
books throughout the year as
well. Students also set
Accelerated Reader goals each
quarter and study many types of
literature genres as well.

Book reports are required
throughout the school year and
many special activities are
incorporated into our reading
units. For example, students
must choose a biography to read,
write a book report about that
person and then dress up like
that character and present a
short, oral report about that
person as well. These oral
reports are then presented in
front of the entire student body,
as well as, family and friends.
Students in all grade levels are
given as much opportunity for
public speaking as possible to
enhance their leadership skills.

Our math program includes many
hands-on activities to reinforce
concepts, as well as learning
problem-solving strategies,
practicing math facts daily, and
using a math journal to help
process new information. The
math program includes many
activities, games, and
cooperative group work throughout
the year A wide array of
concepts are covered, including:
regrouping, time, money,
geometry, place value,
multiplication and long division,
fractions, decimals, and much
more.

Students who are more advanced
or gifted in math, travel to the
fourth grade classroom for their
math classes, allowing for them
to be more challenged.

We begin the year in social
studies working in cooperative
groups to learn about the
Pilgrims. In their groups,
students must cross the Atlantic
and then establish a colony in
the
New World. Students keep a log
book to record their travels and
compare their progress to that of
the actual Pilgrims.

Also, throughout the year third
graders learn about their
community and other communities
in the world around them. During
one unit, they learn about Jane
Addams and then visit the Jane
Addams Hull-House Museum in
Chicago. After learning about
all the wonderful things she did
for her community, the third
graders help serve their
community by decorating bags for
the holidays for Meals on Wheels,
a local agency which provides
food for the needy.

Another service learning project
that the third graders are
involved with is called "Reading
Buddies." During "Reading Buddy"
time the third graders buddy up
with a student in our 3-year-old
preschool program. The third
graders share their reading
talents with the preschoolers and
model good oral reading skills
and also share their love of
reading. This bonding experience
benefits both the third graders,
as well as, the preschoolers.
They both love the time they
spend together reading.

Another fun project incorporated
into our social studies
curriculum is our Caravans
project. Once again, students
work in cooperative groups to
travel around the world
collecting artifacts from
different countries. In the
process, they learn about the
different countries and prepare
oral presentations to the class
to share what they have learned.
The unit ends with each student
preparing their own presentation
about the country where their
ancestors originated. We
celebrate our heritage hy having
a taste-testing food party
sharing delicious dishes from our
ancestors' countries.

Third grade students spend a lot
of time writing. Each student
has their own writing journal and
they learn many different
stategies to help them become
better writers. Writing
assignments are often integrated
into their other subjects, like
keeping log boooks in social
studies, responding to literature
in reading, or writing an essay
about how to be a good citizen in
social studies. Also throughout
the language arts program, they
are learning about grammar and
parts of speech, writing letters,
and much more.

As you can see, third grade
students are very busy throughout
the year. Not only are they
focusing on their academic
subjects, they are also learning
to be organized and responsible
students. Students are
continually challenged and
motivated to work to the best of
their ability.

Third grade students also attend
special classes in science,
computers, art, music, Spanish,
Sign Language, and PE. To learn
more about what happens in these
classes, please click on the
appropriate links. To learn more
about what is happening today in
third grade, please click on
classroom pages and then on third
grade.

CLICK ON SPECIALS TO READ WHAT
THE THIRD GRADERS ARE LEARNING IN
SCIENCE, SPANISH, SIGN LANGUAGE,
MUSIC, ART, AND PE.