Curriculum Detail - Grade 3

Third Grade

Third Grade Curriculum-at-a-Glance

Moving to the Butler Campus brings exciting opportunities for curious and more independent Third Grade learners. Our place-based curriculum challenges girls to dig deeply, ask questions and make connections across disciplines including mathematics. With sustained attention, students revisit ideas, respond to feedback, and develop strategies to improve their own writing and come to know themselves as learners. Third Graders become better able to recognize and understand experiences and perspectives that differ from their own.

Third Grade Reading
- Converse daily about reading with teachers and small groups of peers
- Read both fiction and non-fiction books
- Enjoy uninterrupted time to read
- Learn to make choices about appropriate reading material
- Use evidence from the text to support thinking
- Identify personal connections to texts
- Continue the development of higher-order critical-thinking and comprehension skills by identifying problems and solutions, determining importance from the text and synthesizing information
Third Grade Writing
- Practice Writing Revolution strategies for building better writing from the sentence level up
- Advance spelling skills through group and individual instruction
- Write across all disciplines
- Assess writing through self-evaluation, as well as peer and teacher feedback
Third Grade Social Studies
- Explore how the local community has changed over time through the usage of maps and timelines
- Discover the importance and history of National Parks while emphasizing unique geographical, geological and historical features of the United States
- Investigate how risk-taking and perseverance has an impact on people’s lives by exploring invention and innovation
- Demonstrate knowledge of entrepreneurship, financial literacy and marketing through the creation of a classroom company
- Examine play and purposeful design by participating in the Design Thinking process to develop inclusive and innovative playground equipment
- Consider and appreciate multiple perspectives
- Conduct research and examine primary and secondary sources
- Foster creativity through the integration of role-playing, music, dance and art
Third Grade Mathematics
- Explore numbers and place value within 10,000
- Develop computation skills and problem solve using all four operations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division
- Gain addition, subtraction, multiplication and division fact fluency within 100
- Discover fraction concepts, including unit fractions, relative size, equivalent fractions, and the addition and subtraction of like fractions
- Continue exploration of money through addition and subtraction of amounts
- Advance skills in mental math strategies, data analysis, measurement, time, temperature, patterns, properties and functional relationships
- Focus on geometric concepts of sides, angles, perimeter, area and symmetry
- Enhance mathematical communication through connections, representation and usage of mathematical vocabulary
- Recognize mathematical practices of mathematicians and incorporate practices into own mathematical life
Third Grade Science
- Observe and ask questions about the world that can be answered through scientific investigations
- Design and conduct scientific investigations using appropriate safety techniques
- Use appropriate mathematics, tools and techniques to gather data and information
- Develop and communicate descriptions, models and predictions
- Think critically and ask questions about the observations and explanations of others
- Communicate scientific procedures and processes
- Apply knowledge of science content to real-world challenges
- Learn about local ecological community roles (producers, consumers and decomposers) with special focus on sugar maples, crayfish, birds, fungus and and their respective adaptations
- Explore Ohio and National Park geology
- Observe and measure the physics of playgrounds and properties of matter and engineer biomimicry-inspired inventions
Third Grade Technology
- Foster and increase awareness of technology and computer science concepts
- Develop a foundation for digital citizenship and responsible use
- Learn how to recognize and stand up to cyberbullying
- Practice appropriate use of digital learning tools that foster collaboration, creativity, and authentic audiences, such as iPads
- Expand and reinforce coding, computer science and computational thinking concepts using block-code
Third Grade Art and Design
- Develop personal expression through self-reflection
- Focus on experiential and interdisciplinary learning
- Experience drawing from observation of the natural world including scientific drawings
- Use natural materials and a variety of tools to create expressive art
- Continue the examination of line, space, form, pattern, texture and color
- Engage in interdisciplinary experiences
- Build sculptures using natural materials
- Explore textiles: stitching a portrait
- Work with classroom themes to create art
Third Grade Drama
- Practice speaking and movement skills
- Develop a performance based on interdisciplinary studies
Third Grade Music
- Enjoy musical experiences through small- and large-group activities and ensemble work
- Develop note-reading skills through the study of the ukulele
- Recognize that beats can be divided into different patterns and moving notes up and down the treble staff determines pitch
- Identify and perform basic duple rhythms and the pitches of the C Pentatonic scale on the ukulele
- Explore extending vocal range and vocal independence
- Engage in solo, ensemble, classroom, grade-level and all-division performances
Third Grade Physical Education
- Develop a greater understanding of specific movements related to biking, the
- Project Adventure course, and a broad range of sports and games to include field hockey, soccer, softball, netball, handball and pickleball
- Use individual goal setting to build self-esteem while striving to achieve personal best on the Project Adventure course
- Embrace the outdoors and learn and practice life-long skills like orienteering, biking and hiking
Third Grade Spanish
- Gain skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing
- Strengthen oral communication
- Explore culture through songs, stories and celebrations

3-5 Curricula

In Grades 3-5, our interdisciplinary curriculum is inspired by findings from Laurel’s Center for Research for Girls. Grade-level themes shape deep investigations of big ideas and help girls strengthen their understandings by connecting learning in each subject. In addition to thought-provoking integrated themes, students in Grades 3-5 are immersed in the big systems thinking that comes from time spent learning in and about our natural world.

Faculty

James Aguilar

Primary School Math Specialist

Education: University of Phoenix - B.S.

jAguilar@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2022
Melynda Byrnes

Director of STEAM Education, K-5; STEAM Teacher

Education: University of Utah - B.S.
Vassar College - B.A.

mByrnes@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2009
Emily Felderman

Visual Art Teacher, Primary School

Education: Case Western Reserve University - B.S.

eFelderman@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2006
Dennis Ficklin

Spanish Teacher, Upper and Middle School

Education: Baldwin Wallace University - B.A.

dFicklin@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2023
Kimberly Green

Third Grade Teacher, Laurel@Butler

Education: John Carroll University - B.A.

kGreen@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2011
Chrystal Litman

Education: John Carroll University - B.A.
Concordia University - M.Ed.

litmanc@laurelschool.org

Hired: 2025
Shannon Lukz

Associate Director of Primary School, Grades 3-5 and Outdoor PreK

Education: Miami University - B.S.
Western Michigan University - M.A.

sLukz@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2005
Veronica McDowell

Latin Teacher, Middle School

Education: John Carroll University - B.A.

vMcDowell@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2024
Abigail Murphy '04

Librarian, Grades 1-5

Education: Brown University - M.A.
Yale University - B.A.
National University of Ireland

afmurphy@laurelschool.org

Hired: 2020
Bella Patel

Director of Early Childhood and Primary Schools

Education: Vassar College - B.A.
Teachers College, Columbia University - M.A.

bPatel@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2003
Ilissa Pearlman

School Psychologist, Grades K-5

Education: University of Michigan - B.A.
Ohio State University - M.A.
Ursuline College - M.A.
Case Western Reserve University - Ph.D.

iPearlman@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2005
Karen Redmond

Technology Innovation Specialist & Maker Mentor

Education: Kent State University - B.A.
Ohio State University - M.A.
Ursuline College - M.Ed.
Baldwin Wallace College

kRedmond@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2002
Cara Tweed '99

Music Teacher, Primary School

Education: Cleveland State University - M.A
Cleveland Institute of Music - B.M.E

cTweed@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2012
Dale Versteegen

Physical Education Teacher and Project Adventure Coordinator

Education: RMIT University - B.S
La Trobe University - B.S.
Assumption College - Cert

dVersteegen@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2022
Karen Yusko

Teacher, Laurel@Butler

Education: University of Iowa - B.S.
Fordham University - M.S.

kYusko@LaurelSchool.org

Hired: 2010