In Third Grade students make a leap into independent work and experience a shift from learning to read into reading to learn. Creativity and critical thinking are important aspects of the curriculum especially when it comes to large-scale projects and essays. Mrs. Franco aims to create a calm and comforting environment where students can feel relaxed and focused. Many new concepts are introduced this year including:

• Cursive handwriting
• Division and multiplication
• Utah’s state history
• Grammar skills such as diagramming sentences
• Dictionary and thesaurus skills to enhance vocabulary

For the state report, each third grader learns about a state of their choosing. They each spend several days researching facts about their state using multiple sources including books, encyclopedias, and the internet. Once the research portion is complete, each student writes a report and draws a detailed map of their state along with various symbols. The final report includes a title page, table of contents, a bibliography, and is handwritten in their best cursive.