Homeschool Curriculum for Third Grade - Includes Benchmarks 3rd Grade Students Must Reach

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When homeschooling you may choose to do some other subjects in addition to the four basic subjects I am going to give you guidelines on. That is just fine. Those subjects, however, do not determine whether a child moves up to 4th grade or whether they need to repeat 3rd grade. Graduating to the next grade or being held back a year is determined by a child’s grasp of the concepts listed in each category.
Math
- Mastery of numbers up to the thousands.
- Mastery of addition and subtraction of numbers up to the thousands.
- Beginning understanding of multiplication and division.
- Begin to memorize multiplication facts.
- Ability to use a time-line with both positive and negative numbers.
- Master estimating and rounding to the nearest number.
- Master fractions up to 1/12.
- Beginning ability to be able to add and subtract fractions.
- Master money and what each coin is worth including dollars.
- Add, subtract, and multiply the money.
- Master addition, subtraction, and money word problems.
- Master three dimensional shapes.
- Understand and use liquid measurements and dry measurements.
- Master the thermometer.
- Understand how to find co-ordinates on a map.
- Master telling time on a clock to the minute.
- Master the use of a ruler.
- Master bar graphs and charts.
- Compare and contrast data from the bar graphs and charts.
- Master greater than, less than, and equal to.
Language Arts
- Ability to read 3rd grade reader books fluently.
- Ability to read with emphasis.
- Ability to comprehend the information in a story.
- Master putting the story in the order that it happened (1st, 2nd, 3rd)
- Ability to tell you the setting of the story.
- Ability to tell you the plot of the story.
- Ability to tell you the characters in the story.
- Participate in Book It or similar reading program.
- Ability to write simple book reports.
- Study 15 new spelling words and vocabulary words weekly.
- Ability to write a letter.
- Ability to address an envelope.
- Ability to write a thank you note.
- Understand nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
- Use correct capitalization and punctuation.
- Begin using a dictionary and arrange words in alphabetical order.
Science
- Master collecting and recording data.
- Full understanding of a hypothesis, experiment, and conclusion.
- Understand how force affects motion.
- Understand the properties of light.
- Learn the classification system used for animals (mammals, birds, reptiles, etc.).
- Investigate animal habitats and behaviors.
- Understand and create a simple food chain.
- Investigate plant life and plant habitats.
- Fully grasp natural resources provided by the earth.
- Research the sun, moon, and stars and create a model of them.
- Learn about the planets in the solar system.
- Recognize well known constellations.
- Understand the moon’s cycle and identify its phases.
- Understand natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods.
- Begin to learn about volcanoes and how they are formed.
- Understand the different instruments used for measuring the weather (thermometer, barometer, wind vane, rain gauge, etc.).
- Conduct science experiments and use the scientific method.
Social Studies
- Get a general idea of how the government works.
- Understand a citizen’s part in how the government works.
- Investigate and compare other cultures.
- Investigate how your community got started.
- Understand a time line and add the events that you learn about on it.
- Ability to use a map and create one of your own.
- Identify and label different bodies of water.
- Identify and label different types of land.
- Research different cultures and compare them to your own.
- Master the concept of goods (how they are bought and sold).
- Understand how a family functions and what each member’s role is.
- Understand how a community functions and what each member’s role is.
- Understand how technology and the invention of machines makes life easier today.
- Make a model of your town and discuss why each part of it is important.
- Research the historical landmarks of your state.
- Write a report on the history of your state.