G r a d e 3 o f t e n m a r k s s o m e k e y t r a n s i t i o n s t o w a r d g r e a t e r i n d e p e n d e n c e a n d
g r o w t h p h y s i c a l l y , e m o t i o n a l l y a n d m e n t a l l y . K e y c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f a t h i r d g r a d e r :
e x c i t e m e n t f o r l e a r n i n g a n d w i l l i n g n e s s t o t a k e o n n e w c h a l l e n g e s , i n t e r e s t i n
p e e r r e l a t i o n s a n d e a g e r n e s s t o h a v e a p p r o v a l o f t h e i r t e a c h e r a n d c l a s s m a t e s .
T h i r d g r a d e r s w i l l o f t e n e n j o y w o r k i n g i n s m a l l g r o u p s a n d a r e w i l l i n g t o t a k e
r i s k s , b u t a l s o m i g h t t a k e o n m o r e t h a n t h e y c a n h a n d l e . T h e y w i l l o f t e n r e c o v e r
q u i c k l y f r o m m i s t a k e s o r p r o b l e m s . W i t h a f a s t g r o w i n g v
i
m i l e s t o n e s .
Personalising Learning
In the Lower School, we embrace the unique potential within each learner craft individualised educational experiences that grow learner strengths empower learners to explore their passion and interests integrate technology into all subject areas cultivate critical thinking and collaborate using diverse perspectives develop learners who confidently navigate the current challenges of our world
CORE LITERACIES
L i t e r a c y & M a t h e m a t i c s .
R e a d i n g
Foundational Skills
Informational Text Literature
Strand Areas of Focus & Development W r i t i n g
Develop phonics and word recognition and read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers; Recount stories; Describe characters; Determine the meaning of words and phrases; Discuss how language is used to describe; Discuss texts in which characters, events and settings are portrayed in different ways, and speculate on the author's reasons
Determine the main idea of a text; Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases; Use text features and search tools; Use information gained from illustrations; Compare and contrast the most important points
Strand Areas of Focus & Development
Text Types & Purposes
Write opinion pieces on topics or text, supporting a point of view with reasons; Write informative / explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly; Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant descriptive details, and clear event sequences
Use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrasesChoose words and phrases for effect; Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases; Distinguish shades of meaning among related words
Conventions of Standard English
Production of Writing Vocabulary Use
Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling
With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing texts
p r o b l e m - s o l v i n g a b i l i t i e s . S T E M : M a t h e m a t i c s
Strand Areas of Focus & Development
Operations & Algebriac Thinking
Numbers & Operations in Base 10
Numbers & Operations - Fractions
Geometry
Measurement & Data
Mathematical Processes
Solve two-step word problems using the four operations Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation
Use multiplication and division w thin 100 to solve word problems
Identify arithmetic patterns and explain them using properties of operations
Fluently add and subtract within 1000
Fluently multiply and divide within 100
Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100
Understand a fraction as a number on the number line
Explain equivalence of fractions (½, ¼, ⅓, ⅙ and ⅛ ), and compare fractions by reasoning about their size
Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size
Understand that shapes in different categories may share attributes and that the shared attributes can define a larger category
Understand that shapes can be partitioned into equally sized parts, the measure of which can be expressed as a fraction of the original shape
Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units
Solve real world and mathematical problems invo ving perimeters of polygons
Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others
Model with mathematics
Attend to precision
CORE LITERACIES
S T E M : D e s i g n & T e c h n o l o g y
Coding Design Technology Digital Citizenship
Opportunities to build understanding of programming structures are integrated across the year The main topics of Grade 3 are: discovering algorithms debugging program construction
Through projects during year, students are introduced to the different design tools at ISB and the design process
We emphasize using technology responsibly and effectively for communication, collaboration and creation Becoming proficient and postive members in a digital world is a primary goal
CORE LITERACIES
a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y t h e m e s . S c i e n c e & S o c i a l S t u d i e s
D e s i g n e d f o r d e e p i n q u i r y i n t o h o w o u r w o r l d w o r k s
t h r o u g h h a n d s - o n e x p e r i e n c e s a n d b y u s i n g a r a n g e o f
p r i m a r y a n d s e c o n d a r y s o u r c e s c o n n e c t e d t o h i s t o r i c a l
& PropertiesChemistry Childhood Then & Now - History
Starting with interviewing family members and teachers about their childhood, students make comparisons about their own experience and others in years past Students look at 19th century Belgium and how changes in laws and attitudes changed what childhood looks like here now and how childhood can look different around the globe Living Things - Biology
Using our campus environment, students observe the plants and animals in our forest and explore how plants, animals and humans are interdependent and how adaptation is a way living things survive and thrive. Students conduct experiments using their bean plants to discover how the environment impacts growth and practice completing close observations and drawings
Trying to solve the real-life problem of mailing an item so it doesn’t get damaged, students explore the physical properties of materials Students then look more closely at states of matter, changes that are reversible or irreversible, and exploring how matter can be combined as mixtures and solutions
Students develop an understanding of the scientific method for testing a hypothesis
Self-Management
How do I set effective goals and where am I now in achieving them?
Personal Inquiry
Areas of Focus & Development
Participate in an Academic Discussion
Listen to understand, rather than reply
Record Evidence
Select the evidence that is most useful to record
Reason Across Multiple Examples
Identify Similarities & Differences
Set Effective Goals
Seek and use feedback as part of the process of monitoring goals
Each year, students have the opportunity to follow their own personal Inquiry into an area of interest or passion, further developing Character and Transferable Skills. Through this process, students develop planning and resilience skills and overcome challenges and reflect on their own growth. This process culminates in a Showcase where students share their learning with the school community.
To learn more about Personal Inquiry in the Elementary School, watch this video.
LANGUAGES PROGRAM
L a n g u a g e s P a t h w a y s
Students, who have demonstrated proficiency in English, access either the Dutch or French language. Additional languages are offered as part of the ISB+ program, based on demand.
ISB follows the Common European Framework for Languages.
French
Discovery A1
Foundations A1.2
Consolidating A2.1
Building A2.2
Independent B1 / B2 / C1
Grade 5 & 6
Social Studies in French option
English Proficiency
Dutch
Indpendent B2 / C1
ISB+ Plus Languages
Open to all regardless of English Proficiency
SPECIALIST PROGRAM
Hand & Feet Skills
The Physical Education and Heath program focuses on the following areas:
Motor Skills & Movement Patterns
Concepts, Principles, Strategies & Tactics
Understanding Healthy Lifestyles
The Arts program focuses on the following areas:
Creating & Performing and
Responding & Connecting to visual and musical artworks
Praises others for their success
Recognizes the role of rules and etiquette
Throws overarm, demonstrating three of the five critical elements of a mature pattern
Dribbles with the feet in general space at slow to moderate jogging speed with control of ball and body
Chasing & Fleeing
Performs a sequence of locomotor skills, transitioning from one skill to another smoothly and without hesitation like changing speed and direction
Combines movement concepts (direction, levels, force, time)
Parkour / Gymnastics Send, Catch & Track
Transfers weight from feet to hands for momentary weight support
Moves into and out of gymnastics balances with curling, twisting and stretching actions
Jumps and lands in the horizontal plane using a mature pattern
Visual Arts
Third grade students learn about the use of line, shape, color, and three-dimensional form in the creation of realistic and abstract works of art and in understanding how artists express themselves visually Students respond to artworks by reflecting on various artistic processes and by evaluating their own and others’ art based on given criteria
Units in Grade 3 are:
Line, Shape, Color: Stained Glass Windows & Underwater Seascapes
Three-Dimensional Form: Paper, Plastic, and Wire Sculpture
Strikes an object with a shorthandled implement while demonstrating three of the five critical elements of a mature pattern
Strikes a ball with a long-handled implement, sending it forward, while using proper grip
Performing Arts
Third grade builds towards the performance of a canon, while also reinforcing the concepts of the beat and phrase
Major topics in third grade are: the distinction between music in duple meter and music in triple meter instrumental improvisation following a set of rules leading to the spontaneous creation of melodies on classroom instruments melodic reading
FIELD TRIPS & HOME LEARNING
Field Trips
In the Elementary School, we look to connect our curriculum to our local community so as to give students opportunities to acquire and apply learning in different contexts In addition to one-day trips to locations in Brussels throughout the year, in late-spring Grade 3 students also go to the Belgian Coast for an extended multiday field trip
This experience builds both student independence and self-belief, but also is a highlight of the student’s experience at ISB
Home Learning
Typical Assignments
Independent Reading
All ES students should spend at least 20 minutes per evening with a good book
Mathematics
ES students will have a Problem of the Week that they can work on independently
We value perseverance as much as solving the problem We expect all students to make a concentrated effort for at least 20 minutes and be able to show their attempts
There may also be brief assignments connected to other subject areas such as Science & Social Studies,
