Grade 3

In Grade 3, we will help students build upon the foundational skills and knowledge gained in previous grades. As the curriculum becomes more advanced, we prepare students for more complex reading comprehension, mathematical concepts, and writing tasks.

Reading:

  • Comprehension Skills: Developing advanced comprehension skills, including identifying main ideas, themes, and author's purpose.

  • Vocabulary: Expanding vocabulary through exposure to a wide range of texts, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

  • Fluency: Continuing to improve reading fluency with more challenging texts and longer passages.

  • Critical Thinking: Encouraging students to analyze and evaluate texts, make inferences, and draw conclusions.

  • Text Structures: Recognizing and understanding different text structures (e.g., cause and effect, compare and contrast) in both fiction and nonfiction.

Math:

  • Number Sense: Extending understanding of numbers, including fractions and decimals, and exploring concepts of multiplication and division.

  • Operations: Developing fluency in multiplication and division facts, as well as problem-solving skills in multi-step word problems.

  • Measurement and Data: Deepening knowledge of measurement units, data interpretation (through bar graphs and line plots), and finding elapsed time.

  • Geometry: Identifying and classifying two-dimensional and three-dimensional shapes, as well as understanding concepts like area and perimeter.

  • Mathematical Practices: Emphasizing mathematical reasoning, modeling, and mathematical communication skills.

Writing:

  • Writing Process: Continuing to refine the writing process, including planning, revising, editing, and publishing.

  • Grammar and Mechanics: Mastering more complex sentence structures, punctuation, and capitalization rules.

  • Narrative Writing: Writing more elaborate narratives, including short stories and personal narratives, with a focus on plot development and character development.

  • Informative Writing: Composing informative texts with research-based content, using credible sources.

  • Opinion Writing: Formulating persuasive arguments and opinions with supporting evidence.

  • Research Skills: Introduction to research skills, including gathering information from multiple sources and citing sources properly.

Grade 4

In Grade 4, we will help students continue to build upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous grades, with a focus on an even higher complexity of reading comprehension, mathematical concepts, and writing tasks. There is a huge jump in content from Grade 3 to Grade 4, so we also focus on better equipping students for the challenges of upper elementary education.

Reading:

  • Comprehension Skills: Advancing comprehension skills, including analyzing text to identify themes, central ideas, and character motivations.

  • Vocabulary: Expanding vocabulary through reading a variety of complex texts, including literature, informational texts, and poetry.

  • Fluency: Continuing to improve reading fluency with a focus on more challenging texts and varied genres.

  • Critical Thinking: Encouraging students to evaluate arguments, make evidence-based claims, and analyze multiple perspectives in texts.

  • Text Structures: Understanding and identifying advanced text structures to comprehend complex information.

Math:

  • Number Sense: Extending understanding of numbers, including fractions and decimals, and working with factors and multiples.

  • Operations: Developing fluency in multiplication and division, including multi-digit numbers, as well as mastering addition and subtraction of larger numbers.

  • Measurement and Data: Deepening knowledge of measurement units, data interpretation, and understanding concepts like area, volume, and angles.

  • Geometry: Exploring geometric concepts such as symmetry, congruence, and transformations.

  • Mathematical Practices: Emphasizing mathematical reasoning, modeling, and explaining mathematical concepts clearly.

Writing:

  • Writing Process: Mastering the writing process, including planning, revising, editing, and publishing complex compositions.

  • Grammar and Mechanics: Applying advanced grammar and mechanics rules, including complex sentence structures.

  • Narrative Writing: Creating detailed narratives, stories, and personal narratives with a focus on character development and plot complexity.

  • Informative Writing: Writing research-based informative texts with in-depth analysis and source citation.

  • Opinion Writing: Formulating persuasive arguments and opinions with strong supporting evidence.

  • Research Skills: Developing advanced research skills, including gathering information from various sources, evaluating sources critically, and citing sources accurately.

Grade 5

In Grade 5, we support students in continuing to build upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous grades, with a focus on more sophisticated reading comprehension, mathematical concepts, and writing tasks. In comparison to Grade 4, the Grade 5 curriculum takes a leap in content, and it is even more imperative to close that gap.

Reading:

  • Comprehension Skills: Advancing comprehension skills to analyze and interpret complex texts, including novels, nonfiction, and poetry.

  • Vocabulary: Expanding vocabulary through exposure to a wide range of sophisticated words and contexts.

  • Critical Thinking: Encouraging students to critically evaluate arguments, analyze author's tone, and discern implicit meaning in texts.

  • Text Structures: Understanding and identifying advanced text structures for effective comprehension.

  • Literary Analysis: Analyzing literary elements such as character development, plot structure, and theme in literature.

Math:

  • Number Sense: Building a strong foundation in number theory, including factors, multiples, and prime numbers.

  • Operations: Mastering multiplication and division of multi-digit numbers and applying these skills to solve complex word problems.

  • Fractions and Decimals: Understanding and working with fractions and decimals in various contexts.

  • Measurement and Data: Exploring advanced measurement concepts, data analysis, and statistical reasoning.

  • Geometry: Analyzing geometric shapes, relationships, and concepts like volume and surface area.

Writing:

  • Writing Process: Demonstrating proficiency in the writing process, including drafting, revising, editing, and publishing complex compositions.

  • Grammar and Mechanics: Applying advanced grammar and mechanics rules, including complex sentence structures.

  • Narrative Writing: Creating detailed narratives and stories with a focus on character development, plot intricacies, and point of view.

  • Informative Writing: Crafting informative texts with in-depth research, analysis, and source citation.

  • Opinion Writing: Formulating persuasive arguments with compelling supporting evidence.

  • Research Skills: Further developing advanced research skills, including credible source evaluation and proper citation.