The Third Grade Program at St. Thomas More School

Curriculum Overview

The third grade curriculum is aligned with the Diocesan guidelines and Pennsylvania State Academic Standards.

Religion

In third grade, we place emphasis on the Church. The thrust of the program is Jesus’ gift of the Church, worship in the Church, and our role as members of the Church.

Reading

The third grade reading curriculum utilizes the Houghton Mifflin reading series to support oral reading, vocabulary development, and comprehension skills. In addition, students meet in small “Book Club” style groups to explore and discuss a variety of chapter books.

Language Arts

The language arts program emphasizes spelling, grammar, and writing skills. Through a variety of writing opportunities across the curriculum, written communication skills are fostered.

Math

The math curriculum focuses on six digit place value, addition and subtraction of four digit numbers, multiplication and division facts to 12, time, money, algebra, and word problem strategies.

Science

The science curriculum consists of studying the states of matter, the forces that affect matter, and how matter can change. Students also study simple machines and end the year's study with the life cycles of plants, trees, insects, and frogs.

Social Studies

The social studies curriculum focuses on the community, including the different types of communities, their economies, and history. We also study geography which includes map skills.

Third Grade Highlights

Students visit many places of interest in the community such as the Lehigh County Courthouse, Allentown Art Museum, and Mack Trucks. Students also participate in a pen pal program with St. Thomas More Parish shut-ins and pair up with senior buddies at Country Meadows Retirement Community.

Technology Highlights, Projects, and Special Events

The third grade teachers use electronic whiteboards and multimedia projectors to introduce concepts and involve students in the learning process. They also utilize many online resources such as video clips from Discovery Education United Streaming, as well as interactive websites which provide animation to help students understand difficult concepts, particularly in science. The science class participates in an outreach program through Cedar Crest College. Professors bring microscopes connected to laptops into the classroom, allowing students to view pollen and seeds. Students in social studies create a podcast about their community, reporting on many fascinating facts about Allentown. Teachers prepare interactive review games using the Classroom Performance System. Finally, students have access to computer stations in their classrooms, as well as laptops, which allows them to create projects related to the curriculum.  They also use the Academy of Reading, a computer-based program which increases phonics, word attack, and comprehension skills.