Grade 4

biomes by conducting research about animals. Our final unit returns to concepts learned about flooding, and students explore the impact of water on various landforms by investigating the earth’s materials and erosion. Throughout each year of the Lower School science program, students learn about various STREAM careers, with a particular focus on women in STEM. During each Heritage month (and in-between), students learn about women scientists from that cultural background. Second grade students know they are scientists!

Technology

Second grade technology classes begin by connecting to the Digital Citizenship skills learned in first grade. Students practice skills through activities about internet privacy, online communities and communication, and staying kind online. Students then transition to a typing unit using the Typing Agent program. Typing Agent provides differentiated lessons and strategies for teaching students how to properly type while working on speed, accuracy, and skill level. This unit is then followed by an introduction to coding and computational thinking. Students learn the four basic computational thinking skills: decomposition, algorithmic design and thinking, pattern recognition, and abstraction. They end the year with a hands-on approach of computational thinking using Bee-Bots, a visual and tactile programming tool that allows students to take a deeper dive into coding and engineering. At the end of the year, students bring their stories to life by creating stop motion animations of their writing.

GRADE 3

The third grade program is designed to support students as they become more independent thinkers and learners. Having mastered the fundamentals in earlier grades, students develop more complex skills as they read longer texts about varied topics in language arts, social studies, and across their specialty subjects. Students write longer, more expressive stories and essays, and they engage in higher-level problem solving. The third grade curriculum places focus on giving students more opportunities to engage in critical thinking and to express those thoughts in discussion. A rich and varied curriculum—including language arts, mathematics, and social studies—supports and promotes students’ intellectual development. Students also participate in weekly classes in art, creative drama, French or Spanish, library, music, physical education, religion, science, and technology.

Language Arts

Students learn reading in a variety of ways, through large and small group differentiated instruction, as well as oneto-one instruction within group lessons. Students focus on learning a variety of inferential comprehension strategies that help deepen their understanding. They utilize these comprehension strategies as they read and reflect upon their own books, as well as shared texts. The third grade reading curriculum encourages students to read with appropriate expression, develop critical thinking and comprehension skills through discussion, and foster an appreciation for various genres of literature. Students transition from Wilson’s Fundations program to Megawords, a study of how to use syllabication rules to aid a child’s reading and spelling.

In writer’s workshop, teachers emphasize expository writing as students learn how to organize their ideas in a structured paragraph that grows throughout the course of the year from one to three paragraphs. This paragraph writing is closely linked to the research strand taught in library classes. In addition, students continue to develop various techniques as they compose narrative, descriptive, and creative writing pieces. Students also continue to learn strategies to both revise and edit their own writing and in conference with peers. Students learn to publish their writing at first in cursive and then in Google docs on their individual Chromebooks.

Mathematics

As students continue their study of the Singapore Math approach, they further develop their number sense by exploring the relationships between the parts and whole, concentrating on place value as well as a conceptual, pictorial, and abstract understanding of addition and subtraction up to 10,000. Students take a deep dive into multiplication, studying arrays and area models so that they can truly understand these concepts before learning the standard algorithms. Students learn strategies to reinforce number sense and mental math strategies, and the now familiar tool of model drawing is integrated into every new concept. In addition, students build upon their background knowledge of angles and lines, fractions, and time.

Social Studies

The initial lessons in the third grade social studies curriculum are rooted in continuing to construct personal identity, as each student continues to develop an understanding of their multicultural selves. Lessons are curated from the Learning for Justice curricula, and an overarching important understanding for the year is that

our identities, and others’ identities, are not based on one thing alone. Students study the landscape of New York City 400 years ago and the Lenape people who lived on it. They learn about the Lenape of the past, as well as the Lenape of the present. The Lenape people today work hard to keep their culture and traditions alive, and it is our responsibility to work with them in that effort. Then, students learn about communities around the globe and about global citizenship. Students’ understanding continues to grow concentrically from the self, to the family, to community, to greater New York City, and now our global community. Students make comparisons across time and space, examining different world communities, their geography, natural resources, industries, and economies, as well as their respective cultures. Students begin to understand how world communities interact with one another through trade and how they can do their part in creating a more sustainable world. Teachers also connect these world communities to our greater Sacred Heart Network.

Art

Using their imaginations and life observations, students further develop their skills in the areas of drawing, painting, collage, sculpture, printmaking and mixed media. Students develop their skills in color analysis and design in two and three-dimensional art projects. Students’ observations, drawings, and paintings reinforce the concepts of scale and spacial relationships. Students use clay to create a STREAM project exploring solutions to climate change problems facing specific countries. The final project is a study of artist Georgia O’Keeffe. Throughout the year, art projects are coordinated with other areas of study and highlight artists from cultures celebrated during Heritage months. Learning and sharing continue through art exhibits, class discussions, and self-evaluations.

Creative Drama

As their understanding of movement and voice develops, students learn more advanced techniques in creative drama classes. Students use improvisation, tableaux, and stage movement to exercise creativity and imagination when creating their own original scenes and monologues. In preparation for these presentations, students use images and music as inspiration to generate their ideas. As actors, students further develop effective skills of clarity and communication which add dramatic flair to their performances throughout the year.

French and Spanish

The French and Spanish program in third grade emphasizes pronunciation, oral comprehension, and a continued awareness about the many cultures that exist in the French and Spanish-speaking communities. Students learn basic grammar, and units are aligned with the language arts curriculum whenever possible. Students complete homework assignments regularly and begin taking short written and oral assessments.

Library

Students continue to learn the complex organization of the library and learn how to use the patron’s catalog to search for materials for their reading pleasure. An American Library Book Award unit emphasizes the importance of having representation in visual images in books and allows students to practice discussing children’s literature. In connection with the social studies curriculum, students use research tools, such as the encyclopedia, databases, and web-based databases to find and analyze research about the Lenape people. The year ends with a unit on graphic novels that examines storytelling throughout history. Students use their knowledge to create book talks.

Music

Students use Orff instruments and Boomwhackers to explore song form, melody, and notation as well as to have the experience of performing in an ensemble. Through using instruments and voice, students explore improvisation and music composition. They practice harmony and ear training while singing and playing partner songs and rounds. Students begin to formulate and delve into researching musicians of various music genres. Liturgy preparation also encourages students to grow in their ability to sing.

Physical Education

The third grade physical education program continues to develop motor skills, coordination, agility, strength, and endurance. During team sports, students work on soccer, basketball, and volleyball. They build upon previous knowledge and develop more intricate skills which culminates in small group drills and activities. These progressions help students develop their spatial awareness, communication skills, and teamwork. Understanding of the games and decision making skills are continually worked on.

Third grade dance education is taught through a creative and collaborative method with foundations in the elements of dance and dance notation. Students use these understandings to create dances inspired by poetry and