Today I’ll be sharing all that I will be doing with my third grader this year! (If you missed yesterday’s post about my Kinder’s curricula, you can find it here)

Both my two older children attend a university hybrid homeschool program 2x per week and that has been the perfect balance for our family. It is a full school day where they each have their own separate teachers and are able to spend time with friends on a consistent basis. They cover every subject on the days they meet (Language Arts, Math, Science, History, Music and even PE). The only negative is that I don’t always love the curricula that is chosen and I sometimes need to supplement at home. This year however, I am pleasantly surprised with all they will be using!  

3rd Grade

Morning Work

Like my kindergartener, my third grader also will have work to complete while he eats breakfast each morning. I have tried seasons of slow lovely mornings that are often presented on social media but honestly, they just don’t work for our family. I have found the longer I stretch out the time they are allowed to play and be imaginative first thing, the harder it is to get them to focus later.

So for our family this looks like morning work at the breakfast table Monday-Friday (even on the mornings they attend their hybrid school). Thankfully their school starts late at 9am and their morning work takes less than 30 minutes.

This will be my sons fourth year completing this curriculum. It is one of those things that some might consider “busy work” but I have found it very helpful in seeing where the learning gaps are. There are 180 lessons and he will do this 5x per week. The format is consistent and the topics spiral. Each day there are a variety of things that should be review and it is quick and engaging.

For this comprehension curriculum, he will read the same paragraph Monday-Friday and answer a few questions pertaining to what he has read. The prompts range from text to self-connection to vocabulary practice. It takes him around 5 minutes to complete.

This will be my son’s first year learning cursive. I normally have my children start a cursive curriculum at 9 but he has been asking to learn cursive like his sister so I purchased level 3 from The Good and the Beautiful for him. He will complete this on the days he doesn’t go to his hybrid school.

All of my children complete Explode the Code from beginning to end. There are 8 books and they are simple but effective. This year he will be doing books 5 & 6. He will do a page or two on the days he does not attend school.

Math

Horizons Level 3

This will be the second year my son will be using this math curriculum and it has been a good fit for him. He is mathematically minded and can get these lessons done quickly with little instruction on my part. I have been happy with the rigor and I believe it is giving him a strong foundation. It is a mix between mastery and spiral where the topics are repeated throughout. The only con is that there are a lot of problems which can be overwhelming for some kids.

Language Arts

The Good and the Beautiful

My son had done The Good and The Beautiful level K at age 6 and began first grade at 7. We took a break last year and used the language arts provided by his school and I was unimpressed with it. We will be going back to TGATB Level 3 at home and he will do some novel studies with his school as well. The variety of activities within the lessons keep my son engaged and he enjoys the stories. Everything is short and to the point.

Science/History

Science and history will be covered through the program my kids attend twice a week. I am very thankful for a place that is able to dive into these subjects more fully in a way I don’t have the capacity to do in this season. A few big projects he will participate in are their yearly science fair and their living history museum.

That’s everything for 3rd grade! It should be a wonderful year with a blend of in-person and home education. I will be sharing my 4th graders curricula tomorrow.

Happy Learning!

-Jen

Complete 3rd Grade Curriculum List

Morning Work:

• Second Story Window Morning Warm Up
• Jodi Southard Reading Comprehension
• The Good and the Beautiful Handwriting
• Explode the Code

Math:

• Horizons Grade 3

Language Arts:

• The Good and the Beautiful Level 3

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