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Third Grade

        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 or she 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 or she communicates with others, carrying on longer conversations with more sentences and details. Your child 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 or she 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. Your child 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 or her 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 or she will want to share with you. If your child feels successful, then he or she will be more apt to try more challenging tasks. Talk with your child to encourage his or her confidence in learning. He or she 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 or she first arrives home from school, he or she may feel tired and want a break. Playing outside or having a snack before sitting down to complete his or her 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 or her homework assignments. Help your child 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 your child know when to take a break. Commend your child when he or she shows responsibility in completing the work or going to the study area independently.

Review Homework
        Ask your child to share what homework has been completed. Check for accuracy, and work with your child if you notice that he or she 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 or her repeat the directions or steps. Your child 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 or her homework. If you notice that your child is having significant difficulties, talk with his or her 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 your child from feeling stressed or embarrassed by completing his or her work, or "fixing" a poor job, or delivering forgotten work to school, your help may prevent your child from learning to accept responsibility for his or her 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 or she gets home from school. Such a daily routine should include a time for himself or herself, a time for family, and a time for homework. Structure the time so that it has few distractions. Help your child organize his or her work materials and work on one task at a time. (Organizers and folders can help keep things in order.) When he or she finishes assignments, teach your child to put his or her things together or away, and then place his or her 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 or her select programs that are educational and entertaining for children. You can help make television an educational experience by discussing the programs with your child. Help him or her understand how the plot was developed, how the information applies to what he or she is learning at school, and how the story/plot could be useful in real life.

Physical Activity, Nutrition, and Safety Tips
        As a parent, you have an important role in shaping your children’s physical activity, nutrition, and safety attitudes and behaviors. Help keep them safe, healthy, and ready to learn. Here are some things you can do.

        Make physical activity fun. Fun activities can be anything the children enjoy, either structured or nonstructured. Activities may include team sports, individual sports, and recreational activities such as walking, running, skating, bicycling, swimming, playground activities, and free-time play. It is recommended that children participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days of the week.

        Plan your children's snack choices. Check the nutrition labels on foods. Food products marketed as low-fat can still be high in calories from sugar.

        Create a safe home and community environment. Teach your children water-safety rules. Even if they know how to swim, never let your children swim without supervision.