Rm 8 - Third Grade
 Debbie Olcott olcottd@bcsd.com |
Welcome to the 3rd Grade!
We are going to have a great year! As you will discover, there is quite a transition as students move to 3rd Grade. California State Standards become more sophisticated in Reading Language Arts, Mathematics, and the content areas of Science and Social Studies. Students are required to work from a textbook in Math (an extremely time consuming process, at first) and learn Cursive Handwriting. Major emphasis is placed on Writing, as students are expected to progress from an organized paragraph to a five paragraph essay by the end of the year.
IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOUR STUDENT MASTERS ADDITION, SUBRACTION, MULTIPLICATION, AND DIVISION MATH FACTS, BY MEMORY.
Third Grade is a year of great growth for the students. We appreciate your support as parents and family members. Remember that habits formed this year will stay with your child throughout school, and time invested now will pay big dividends later on.
THIRD GRADE EXPECTATIONS
Reading and Language Arts
Listening
The student is attentive while directions and instruction are being given. The student also demonstrates respectful listening behaviors during classroom discussions and student sharing time.Speaking
The student participates in class discussions and makes thoughtful comments that are pertinent to the topic at hand.Reading
The student reads grade level text fluently and with expression. The student is able to answer comprehension questions about the content of the text.Writing and Comprehension
The student uses the rules of grammar (punctuation, capitalization, spelling, etc.) to compose meaningful text on a particular topic, or in response to a specific question. The student successfully demonstrates mastery of the Third Grade Writing Tenets as the year progresses.Spelling
The student demonstrates grade level spelling by his/her performance on weekly quizzes, and by incorporating correct spelling in his/her writing assignments.Effort
The student has good attendance and demonstrates a positive attitude about the subject matter. The student takes pride in the quality and appearance of his/her work
Mathematics
Computation
The student accurately performs basic operations (algorithms) to solve problems. By the end of Third Grade, students will memorize addition and subtraction facts to 20, and multiplication and division facts to 12. They will demonstrate mastery on a timed test.Problem Solving
The student is able to analyze a story problem or a real-life problem, and
determine what steps and operations are needed to solve the problem.Effort
The student has good attendance and demonstrates a positive attitude about the subject matter. The student takes pride in the quality and appearance of his/her work. The student has MEMORIZED the basic facts of addition and subtraction and is working on multiplication and division.
I would appreciate it if all parents would make their e-mail address available, so that I can communicate any important information to parents in a prudent manner. I am looking forward to this school year with great anticipation. Thank you for all of your support.