Third Grade Curriculum

READING- This comes from the Library and books I have here. They read from the history topics, Science topics, and fun reading. I order books from the Library that are suggested in their history book. These suggestions will give you more than you can read in a year. You cover important men and women as well as topics that you are studying. I highly recommend the choices out of The Story of the World Activity Book Three: Early Modern Times. I aim to have them spend 45 minutes a day in reading.

MATH- I use Abeka still at this point.(3rd grade is my last year to use Abeka Math, we move on to another publisher next year.)

GRAMMAR-Beginning Wisely is my book of choice. It is Rod and Staff Publishers. It is so thorough. They will be diagramming masters after using their curriculum.   I love the way it uses scriptures at times to diagram or pick apart the parts of speech. I love all of their grammar. It builds beautifully on itself each year.

SPELLING Spelling Workout: Level D. If you did not complete Spelling Workout: Level C, go ahead and do that one first.

HISTORY- The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child, Volume 3: Early Modern Times ,The Story of the World Activity Book Three: Early Modern Times. We do History 2 times a week with one day used for reading and writing a composition and the next doing work from the activities book.

SCIENCE- We use the recommendations from The Well-Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home, Revised and Updated Edition, but I never feel we have done enough. This year, we did Abeka and that is very good, but it was too difficult to stay in my classical teaching methods while doing their text. Though I love the workbooks that go with it, I had to use several grades of Science to cover my entire time period. We also skipped alot because it didn't relate to what we were trying to teach. If you are not going with classical education, this is a rigorous, slightly in depth program. Otherwise, for 3rd grade, we do chemistry. I am trying a new curriculum this year that I have my hands on and I love it already. God's Design for Chemistry and Ecology Set--All 3 Student Books and Teacher Supplement. If you want to use what I have used in the past, you can order Adventures With Atoms and Molecules: Chemistry Experiments for Young People (Adventures With Science),  The Usborne Internet-Linked First Encyclopedia of Science and Science Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-Linked Discovery Program).  If using these last recommendations, please see The Well Trained Mind for how to use these books.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE- We teach Latin for the next three years beginning in 3rd grade. I use Rosetta Stone.

WRITING- Their writing program spans several subjects, so it is not one particular curriculum, but rather it is accomplished from doing their other assignments. They write 3X a week at least in cursive 1/2 of the time and print the other.

MEMORY-  The goal is to learn 12-15 poems or speeches or passages from the Bible. This year, having the multiplication tables memorized through 12 is a must.

BIBLE- I have used formal Bible curriculum before, but wasn't impressed. Of course, I haven't tried too many. Here is what I like to do. I have several children's bible books around the house and some character building curriculum that I combine. I also have a computer program. So, I just use what I have. They always have some sort of bible story or lesson from the bible. We share prayer requests and then spend some time in prayer before we begin each school day. Sometimes, I teach out of a book I am reading if they contain some simple lessons that can be adapted to children. This is a great time for children to learn how to pray, how to study the word of God and how to memorize it. We spend 10 minutes a day on memory. Many times, it is learning scripture. The Bible Story Hour is our favorite for this age. Character Classics : "Little Larry" Attentiveness (Books and CD) (Character Classics) is a great character building course that has a CD with the lesson put to classical music. It's great to introduce your kids to classical music at the same time as teaching them biblical values. I can't hear Mozart without singing the lyrics to a character classic, neither can my kids.

MUSIC- If piano lessons haven't started by this age already in my family, this is the year I target it.  I started a music theory book, but we didn't get very far in it since her piano class already included that.