Posted on: Thursday, September 9, 2004

What your third-grader is expected to learn

Advertiser Staff

Here's a brief description of what your third-grade child is being taught and is expected to know by the end of the year. The goals are intended to help assure that your child is at the appropriate development level and that Hawai'i's public schools are working toward meeting Hawai'i Content and Performance Standards.

Language Arts

• Reads text fluently and accurately and understands what is read.

• Knows when text is not understood and ways to correct misunderstandings.

• Makes personal connections to text, interprets ideas in text and is aware of the writer's skill.

• Writes for a variety of purposes, using a process to develop and organize ideas.

• Adds details and is able to clarify meaning when speaking to others.

• Speaks standard English.

Health

• Identifies and gives examples of ways to help promote and protect own health and that of others.

• Explains similarities and differences in the relationships between health and behavior.

• Demonstrates behaviors to avoid or minimize the risk of injury or harm to self and others.

• Practices appropriate personal communication strategies such as thinking before speaking and forming positive statements to avoid miscommunication.

Mathematics

• Represents, describes and computes fluently with whole numbers.

• Estimates and measures objects, time, temperature and money.

• Uses properties of shapes to describe movement and positions of objects in space.

• Creates and describes patterns using symbols.

• Collects, represents and uses data to answer questions or make predictions.

World languages

• Asks and answers questions about familiar topics and daily activities.

• Identifies main ideas, key words and phrases in short written and spoken descriptions.

• Presents a traditional song, poem or memorized piece.

• Compares practices and objects from another culture with their own.

Physical education

• Learns and demonstrates more mature movement forms such as throwing a variety of objects or dribbling with a dominant hand.

• Applies movement concepts alone and with a partner while moving.

• Learns age-specific skills and the health benefits of physical activity.

• Learns game strategies, rules and etiquette.

Social studies

• Uses historical evidence from different sources to develop empathy, different perspectives and points of view.

• Participates in civic engagements and applies civic knowledge to solve real problems.

• Examines values, beliefs, knowledge and artifacts from other cultures.

• Constructs and interprets maps, graphs and charts and uses the information to learn about places in the world.

• Makes sound economic decisions and uses resources appropriately.

Science

• Collects and organizes data.

• Defends explanations and conclusions.

• Analyzes structures and describes properties of matter.

• Describes how heat is transferred.

Educational technology

• Creates, edits and stores documents that contain text and pictures on a computer.

• Learns to get reliable information from electronic sources and uses the information in class.

• Begins using spreadsheets.

• Communicates with students outside the classroom through telecommunication.

Fine arts

• Identifies and applies elements, principles and technology in visual arts to present work.

• Identifies and applies elements, principles, and technology in music, drama and dance to present or perform work.

Career and life skills

• Explains how technology helps to make things easier or better.

• Describes occupations that may not be apparent in the community and tasks associated with these occupations.

• Describes how different occupations meet different needs.

• Describes what knowledge and skills are needed to get a job and how to acquire the knowledge and skills.

Source: Department of Education