Welcome to Trempealeau Elementary Third Grade

We hope that you will find the following information helpful. We welcome your questions and concerns regarding your child's education during third grade. Please contact us at any time. We encourage you to refer to our Grade Three Parent Guide for a complete list of benchmarks.

Language includes reading, writing, and oral communication.

Reading
Students need parental help and support to review and practice reading skills. They need to read daily at home. Parents should help by asking children to retell stories and discuss vocabulary words. Book reports will be assigned throughout the year. This helps children practice reading and writing skills.

Writing
Cursive writing is a very important skill the third graders will learn. Children learn to write, using the Six Traits of Writing. In third grade we focus on writing paragraphs with a topic sentence and related details. This will lead to writing short stories. Here are some suggestions for helping your child at home:

• Start a diary
• Write a letter to a friend or relative
• Write a short summary of a favorite TV show, movie, or book
• Write a story about a family outing or trip
• Keep a journal during a vacation

Math
Our math program, Everyday Math, includes many strategies your child will use throughout their academic career. Problem solving and learning multiplication facts zero to nine are two of our main focuses.

Home Activities

• Practice facts daily until mastered and then review weekly
• Have your child explain strategies used to solve problems
• Practice using fractions and measurements in baking and cooking
• Practice reading and writing large numbers
• Practice counting money and making change from dollar amounts
• Learn to tell time to the nearest minute

Science
It is widely accepted that children learn science concepts best by doing science. Doing science means hands-on experiences with objects, organisms, and systems. Children work in cooperative groups to complete experiments. This allows children to share ideas and discoveries. We learn about science using the FOSS Science Program.

In third grade we focus on five main areas in science.
Measurement
Our measurement unit in science is based on the metric system. They learn to measure length, volume, mass (weight) and temperature.
Structures of Life
This is a discovery activity. Children observe the life cycle of plants and animals. They will have a hands-on experience with live crayfish.
Magnets and Electricity
The children learn which objects are magnetic and where magnets are found in our world. In the electricity unit, they will be making a complete circuit.
Earth Materials
Children learn the properties of rocks and minerals through hands-on activities. They learn and investigate the properties of hardness, luster, texture, size, color, etc.
Birds
During our bird unit, we set up an incubator and follow the life cycle of a bird. We learn the parts, behavior, and characteristics of birds. Students will complete a research project which will be presented to the class and videotaped.

Science Websites

Social Studies
Our main focus in social studies is communities. We study other communities and compare them to ours. We take a historical walking tour of Trempealeau and a trip to Perrot Park to learn about early Native Americans residents. We travel to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Pepin to learn about life during the late 1800's.

• Children learn to identify mountains, rivers, and deserts on a map of the world .
• They learn to use a map key, scale, and the compass rose.
• They learn how transportation and communication effects our community.
• They learn about the important documents of our country which include Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.