Curriculum Overview

The central guiding principle of the Third Grade curriculum is a response to the changing consciousness of the child who is turning nine. We are aware that the child experiences a shift in consciousness around this time, a move into a new phase of the child’s inner life. The child becomes more self-conscious and more aware of their separation from others. There is a new sense of being cut off from the joys of early childhood; there are questions about many things, some of them quite profound; there is a growing sense of loneliness. There is moving away from parents and friends and moving into a world of oneself. 

Physical Education: Folk dances, balance games, gymnastics, jump roping, hula hoops, clapping and chase gamesThe curriculum is meant to reassure, nurture, and help the child move ahead with confidence through this sometimes difficult transition. Each morning, the children work through exercises in recitation, singing, flute-playing, and rhythmic activities to enter into the work of the day. 

The major themes for English language arts are taken from the stories of the Old Testament. These give a picture of the joy of life in the Garden of Eden, the expulsion from the Garden, and the human being’s need to work on the earth to transform the world for food, shelter, and clothing. These stories tell of people who wander the ground searching for their home on the planet; they speak to the child in an unconscious but profound way: “Others have done this before me; I am not alone in this experience.”

Your third grader will learn:

• Language Arts: Grammar, spelling and cursive writing

• Literature: Multi-cultural creation stories

• Mathematics: Long division, measurement and telling time
• Science: Farming, gardening and house building
• Chinese: Individualized dialogue, vocabulary, writing and reading practice, songs and stories
• Physical Education: Folk dances, balance games, gymnastics, jump roping, hula hoops, clapping and chase games
  
• Handwork: Crocheted ball, hat and puppet
• Art: Watercolour painting, clay modelling and crayon drawing
• Music: Recorder, singing and string ensemble