The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) has used research about the development of children and national guidelines to develop expectations, or standards, to guide the education of your child. In laymen's terms, the standards describe what students should know by the end of the third grade. If your child meets these standards, he will be on target to meet grade level expectations in other states and school districts. This booklet reflects only some of DoDEA's content standards in the core academic areas. To view the complete standards, please log onto the DoDEA Web page: www.dodea.edu.

         Children at this age enjoy working on hands-on projects that demonstrate their abilities. They easily share their knowledge with others and work well in groups. Your third grader will be more sophisticated in the way he communicates with others, carrying on longer conversations with more sentences and details. He may read silently, but still need to sound out new words. Third grade books have more words and more chapters, as well as more complicated plots and subplots. The math and writing assignments become progressively more complex, requiring more time at home spent on school work. Understanding what is expected of a child this age will assist you in working with your child at home. The more success your child experiences, the more confidence he will have when completing independent and more complicated tasks.

The following tips may be helpful with the overall development of your child.

Stay Involved
        It is most important that you stay involved and do things with your child. Your third grader will be more social and will start to value friendships with other children. Establish a weekly time for a parent/child day out. He will cherish the quality memories of sporting and school events where you were included. You can and will have a direct and positive impact on his academic success if you stay involved.

Talk with Your Child
        In third grade, children define themselves based on the feedback they get from others. Your child will have interests and talents which he will want to share with you. If he feels successful, then he will be more apt to try more challenging tasks. Talk with him to encourage his confidence in learning. He needs to feel recognized for small as well as big successes.

Create a Learning Environment at Home
        Your third grader will usually bring schoolwork home to complete on a regular basis. When he first arrives home from school, he may feel tired and want a break. Playing outside or having a snack before sitting down to complete his homework is a good idea. Creating the right climate for learning is important. Set aside a quite time and location for your child to complete his homework assignments. Help him be prepared to work by having the materials needed (e.g., pencils, paper, and books) in a central location. Use a kitchen timer to help him know when to take a break. Commend him when he shows responsibility in completing the work or going to the study area independently.

Review Homework
        Ask your child to share what homework he has completed. Check for accuracy, and work with your child if you notice that he has difficulties understanding a concept. A good process to follow is to walk your child through the directions or steps needed, and then have him repeat the directions or steps. He will be more motivated if the two of you work through problems together. Too many parents get into a struggle with their children over homework. Instead of you taking on the task, let your child assume responsibility for his homework. If you notice that he is having significant difficulties, talk with his classroom teacher.

Developing Responsibility and Organizational Skills
        Schoolwork and homework are your child's responsibility. While it is natural for you to want to rescue him from feeling stressed or embarrassed by completing his work, or "fixing" a poor job, or delivering forgotten work to school, your help may prevent him from learning to accept responsibility for his own actions. Instead, structure a home climate that is both educationally stimulating and supportive of schoolwork and homework.

        Help your child set up a daily routine when he gets home from school. Such a daily routine should include a time for himself, a time for his family, and a time for his homework. Structure the time so that it has few distractions. Help your child organize his work materials and work on one task at a time. (Organizers and folders can help keep things in order.) When he finishes his assignments, teach him to put his things together or away, and then place his completed homework by the front door for the next day.

Use Television Wisely
        Research indicates that academic achievement drops sharply for children who watch more than 10 hours of television a week, or an average of more than two hours a day. Limit the amount of television your child watches, and help him select programs that are educational and entertaining for children. You can help make television an educational experience by discussing the programs with him. Help him understand how the plot was developed, how the information applies to what he is learning at school, and how the story/plot could be useful in real life.