Third

Can you believe the school year is already here? Third grade is going to be an adventure!

Deriving our vocabulary, spelling and writing assignments from our reading, our assigned books are pretty important. Please purchase these paper backs as soon as possible. I have chosen inexpensive reading materials that can be easily found through major book store chains.

Our titles covered this year include: "The Secret of Platform 13" by Eva Ibbotson, "James and the Giant Peach" by Roald Dahl, The Firework Maker's Daughter" by Philip Pullman, Bullseye Step into Classics "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain and "Stuart Little" by E.B. White. Some of these titles are very familiar and some are brand new. All of them are exciting and truly a lot of fun.

For math, we'll be using the book "Spectrum 3rd grade Math" by McGraw Hill. This can be found at most major book store chains. It too is pretty inexpensive.

For social studies, we are introduced to life in the early Americas with the book "On the Mayflower" by Kate Waters. This is a book about a ship's apprentice and girl who is a passenger on the famous ship. It can be found easily through Scholastic or through any major book store. This book will launch our look at colonialism through the eyes of children. When our reading gets to Mark Twain's novel of a boy growing up during the time of slavery on the Mississippi, we'll catch another glimpse of American history and examine life through Twain's childhood character.

There will also be 1 semester in geography where we examine three states per week. There is a downloadable map as well. At the end of our tour of America, students will be asked to choose one state they are particularly fond of and write a report about it.

Science will consist of wonder in the everyday. Science is everywhere! It's in the rocks, the trees, our bodies, our food and skies. We'll explore the Laws of nature through everyday, simple experiments.

Many Pagan paths become evident to children at this age. We'll cover Pagan art in it's many forms across the globe this year. From mock cave painting (okay, brown grocery bags will have to do) to Native American medicine bags, art is a way of expressing what we believe in. Children will be encouraged to express their beliefs through art, this year.

Bright Blessings,

Rev. Michele