Colebrook Consolidated School

Mrs. Manulla's Third Grade

     Third Grade Overview

 Third Grade is a year of transitions.  There is the transition from printing to cursive, the transition from primary to intermediate student, and the transition from adult dependent to independent learner.  Besides that, there is the mastery of multiplication and division, and learning how to write coherent and cohesive narratives for the Mastery Test looming over each and every student.

 Language Arts

 Reading skills should improve with every student, as they become more skilled and avid readers.  We will be reading for enjoyment, for information, and will focus on inferential comprehension, author's purpose, prediction, cause and effect, and evaluation of pieces read.

 Writing will be an integral part of all subjects, as Third Graders learn to express themselves more fully.  The emphasis on writing will be on the narrative story, with a strong beginning, middle and end.  Their writing must show control, with the use of colorful language, metaphors, similes, and conversation.  Students will write frequently, and at greater length than they did in prior years. Correct punctuation, capitalization, grammar and spelling will be encouraged. The students will learn to edit their works, and improve their original drafts.

                                      Spelling Expectations                

By the end of third grade, students will:

• Understand that spelling is important and use conventional
  spelling most of the time.
• Use sound, look, and meaning strategies to solve new words.
• Use common spelling patterns, word roots, prefixes, and
  suffixes to solve words in reading and spell words in writing.
• Use common plural rules to write words.
• Use spelling rules and exceptions to write words.
• Know many complex spelling patterns.
• Use effective proofreading skills to locate their own errors.
• Use resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and
  glossaries.
• Use mnemonic devices to help remember some words.

From Word Matters, by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas

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