Third Day in the Third Grade



Summer has been busy as usual.  I've blogged little but have kept my hands busy picking and preserving the harvest, packing for little trips here and there and am in a constant state of preparing for the family's next meal.



Today is officially Day 13 of homeschooling for us, but this is only our third day behind the desks.  Summer offers so many opportunities to learn hands on and we took advantage of all we could. 

 I've heard over and over again that Americans don't know where there food comes from.  What a sad disconnection in our society.  Summer School at this house is all about the seasonal produce.  I grow what I can and rely on the local farmers for the rest. 

Jonathan often goes down to the garden in the morning to pick blueberries or raspberries for breakfast.  In the afternoon he returns with basil leaves and tomatoes for supper.  This year the boys really contributed to the mountain of corn I purchased to freeze for the winter.  As soon as peaches were in season we went to Weaver's Orchard in Morgantown to pick a full bushel for canning.  I can't wait to take them back in the fall to pick apples. 

This school year is the first that the homeschooling is official for our family.  As required by law I filed several documents with the school district.  My apprehension leading up to the submission of paperwork is almost laughable now.  Jill at the district office was so kind and helpful.  I somehow got the notion in my head that my objectives were going to be handed back to me with a bad grade written in bright red ink at the top.  Instead the district employees just smiled at my three wiggly sons that couldn't contain their energy and laughter for the brief time that they sat in the office.  I was reminded how quickly they grow and before I knew it the paper work that I fretted over was handed back to me with a smile and an "OK, looks good." 

Because I found it so incredibly helpful to read the objectives that other homeschooling teachers shared online, I decided to make mine public as well.  My favorite objectives fall under the Social Studies category.  Oh how I enjoy history, especially American History.  As I reviewed the objectives with Jonathan on Monday his eyes became enormous with excitement that the Declaration of Independence was a real document, not just a pretend piece of paper from the movie National Treasure.   

Jason started Kindergarten this year
and is practicing the letter "S".

Speaking of the Declaration of Independence.  Has it occurred to anyone else that many in the next generation will not be able to read the original document located at The National Archives in Washington D.C.?  Why you ask?  Cursive Handwriting has been removed from America's public school system.  If I Ran the Zoo this would be one of the last things to go.   Do you know the many benefits of learning cursive?  I didn't until I read the article What Learning Cursive Does for Your Brain.  Check it out.

So, here are my objectives for the year (including Cursive Handwriting).  May they be of use to you if you too teach your children at home.

Third Grade Objectives
 

Bible/Behavior       

·         To continue participation in AWANA® Clubs. This year Jonathan will begin the Truth & Training Ultimate Adventure™ Book 1.  He will answer the below questions through Bible study and activities.   

-Why did God give us the Bible?

-Who is God?

-Who is the Lord Jesus?

-How does God want me to live my life?

·         To teach and encourage intentional courtesy and proper etiquette in a variety of social situations including:

-Considering the needs and feelings of others

-Manners of speech

-Rules for public transportation

-Ways to be considerate to adults

-Table manners

-Phone manners

-Rules for going to church

-Rules for traveling in the car
 

Language Arts/Reading

·         To continue teaching Jonathan to be a proficient and self-reliant speller and writer

·         To encourage more confidence and independence in reading skills. 

·         To introduce Cursive Handwriting. 

-How to write each letter of the alphabet

-Combining letters to make words

-Combining words to make sentences

Math/Thinking

·         To increase speed and accuracy in Addition and Subtraction.

·         To introduce more complicated multiple digit Addition and Subtraction.

·         To continue solving Word Problems.

-Addition and subtraction
-Reading graphs
-Drawing graphs and counting given concrete objects

·         To continue Geometry and Measurement concepts:

-Ordinal numbers
-Read and compare numbers to 1000
-Compose and decompose two-dimensional shapes
-Group two-dimensional objects and shapes by like properties
-Length (inch, foot, yard, centimeter, meter)
-Weight (pound, gram, kilogram)
-Capacity (pint, quart, liter)
-Time (to five minutes)
-Temperature (degrees Celsius, Fahrenheit)
-Money (coins and bills, $1, $5, $10, $20)
-Find the area of rectangles and squares using a grid

·         To introduce the game of Chess. 

Science

·         To study flying creatures including birds, feathers, the science of flight, nesting, bats, flying reptiles and insects.

Social Studies

·         To study American History from the first exploration of the “New World” to the 21^st century.

-Who explored the “New World” of America

-Who led the revolution against England

-What is the Constitution

-What do the branches of government do

-When were the great spiritual “awakenings”

-When did the U.S. become a world power

-Where did key civil war battles occur

-Where were the most important civil rights advances

-Why is the United States unique in the world

-Why can we trust God for America’s future

·         Make the connection between key historical events, geography, and people with Maps. Such as the Mayflower’s voyage, Lewis and Clark’s exploration, the Trail of Tears, the Transcontinental Railroad.

·         Reviewing the 50 States and their capitals. 

·         To read biographies of great Americans.

·         Review fire safety rules in our home, in the community, and in the wilderness during National Fire Prevention Month in October. 

Physical Education

·         To keep Jonathan physically active through outdoor play and to acquaint him with new sports and physical activities. 

Arts/Crafts

·         To study American artists and to encourage Jonathan to try their unusual techniques as he learns about architecture, drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture.



In Loving Memory of our sweet kitten Avery (black & white). 
He was struck by a car last Friday night. 
The boys are so devastated that they lost such a good friend. 

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