3rd Grade

The Child

Third grade is full of eight to nine year olds who are both interesting and challenging individuals! Students at this age often begin to question authority, to question themselves and to demand answers from the world around them. They are experiencing a new sense of self. New capacities for thinking and judgment are taking shape. The younger child’s experience of the unity of all things matures into the 3rd grader’s awareness of his or her distinctly separate inner life. Strong opinions, likes, and dislikes are emerging. The children begin to develop a more realistic view of everyone and everything around them.

The Class

In response to the third graders’ growing awareness and sense of self, the curriculum connects them to meaningful, practical work, such as construction, farming, and gardening. Developing these skills helps students build confidence and stamina. Stories of the Hebrew people begins a six year journey which exposes students to the beliefs and evolution of many major world cultures. Spelling and grammar instruction becomes more formal. While continuing to hone and expand their math skills, third graders jump into practical aspects of math by measuring their surroundings and engaging in building projects, creating a natural bridge between subjects. They study time, including how to read a clock and what the changing seasons mean, in order to trace the ongoing rhythms of life. Through stories and hands-on experiences third graders begin to understand their potential for courage, determination, and skill.

    • Four operations

    • Measurement: linear, weight, volume, etc.

    • Time & money

    • Form drawing

    • Independent writing & reading

    • Grammar

    • Punctuation

    • Spelling

    • Cursive writing

    • Native American stories

    • Stories of indigenous peoples around the world

    • Hebrew Bible stories

    • Farming & pioneering stories

    • Spanish

    • Study of practical life: farming, housing & clothing

    • Singing

    • Recorder

    • Intro to strings: violin or cello

    • Drawing

    • Free-hand geometric drawing

    • Watercolor Painting

    • Beeswax modeling

    • Sewing

    • Knitting

    • Crocheting

  • Eurythmy, developed by Rudolf Steiner, is an art of human movement set to music, poetry, or speech. It is intended to be a complement to intellectual learning. By studying eurythmy, students learn dexterity of movement, grace, poise, balance, and concentration. They also develop a sense for sound and space and a feeling for social harmony.

    • Group & collaborative games

    • Hikes