Download the Grade Three Curriculum

The Language expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into three strands that specify the detail that is to be taught at each grade level. Our school curriculum follows this general pattern with additional emphasis on spelling, grammar, creative writing and oral communications.

Strand #1: Writing – students will be expected to communicate ideas and information for specific purposes and to specific audiences (e.g., write a notice for a community newspaper advertising an upcoming school event); write materials that show a growing ability to express their points of view and to reflect on their own experiences (e.g., journal notes); organize information into short paragraphs that contain a main idea and related details; begin to use compound sentences and use sentences of varying length; produce pieces of writing using a variety of forms (e.g., simple research reports, letters, stories, poems); use materials from other media (e.g., sketches) to enhance their writing; revise and edit their work, using feedback from the teacher and their peers; proofread and correct their final drafts; use and spell correctly the vocabulary appropriate for this grade level; use correctly the conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation, etc.) specified for this grade level.

Strand #2: Reading – students will be expected to read a variety of fiction and non-fiction materials (e.g., chapter books, children’s reference books) for different purposes; read aloud, speaking clearly and with expression; read independently, using a variety of reading strategies; express clear responses to written materials, relating the ideas in them to their own knowledge and experience and to ideas in other materials that they have read; select material that they need from a variety of sources; understand the vocabulary and language structures appropriate for this grade level; use conventions of written materials to help them understand and use the materials.

Strand #3: Oral and Visual Communication – students will be expected to communicate messages, and follow and give directions for a variety of activities and events; listen to discussions and ask questions to clarify meaning; retell stories, demonstrating an understanding of basic story structure and including information about characters, action, and story ending; talk about characters and situations in stories, and information and ideas in non-fiction materials; apply the rules for working with others; view, read, and listen to media works that convey messages or information and talk about what they have learned; create a variety of simple media works; use the conventions (e.g., sentence structure) of oral language, and of the various media, that are appropriate to the grade.

Since we feel that spelling and grammar are important, our program will also emphasize phonic skills, word analysis and word building opportunities through our own Wordbuilder program.

The mathematics expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into five strands that detail specific expectations of students within each of the five major areas of knowledge and skills required of students. Our school curriculum is structured around these five strands with additional review of fundamental arithmetic and problem solving challenges provided by our own Mathbuilder supplementary program.

Strand #1: Number Sense and Numeration – Students will be expected to represent whole numbers using concrete materials, drawings, numerals, and number words; compare and order whole numbers using concrete materials, drawings, and ordinals; represent common fractions and mixed numbers using concrete materials; understand and explain basic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) involving whole numbers by modelling and discussing a variety of problem situations (e.g., show division as sharing, show multiplication as repeated addition); develop proficiency in adding and subtracting three-digit whole numbers; develop proficiency in multiplying and dividing one-digit whole numbers; select and perform computation techniques (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) appropriate to specific problems and determine whether the results are reasonable; solve problems and describe and explain the variety of strategies used; justify in oral or written expression the method chosen for addition and subtraction, estimation, mental computation, concrete materials, algorithms, calculators; use a calculator to solve problems beyond the required pencil-and-paper skills.

Strand #2: Measurement – students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply measurement terms: centimetre, metre, kilometre; millilitre, litre; gram, kilogram; degree Celsius; week, month, year; identify relationships between and among measurement concepts; solve problems related to their day-to-day environment using measurement and estimation (e.g., in finding the height of the school fence); estimate, measure, and record the perimeter and the area of two-dimensional shapes, and compare the perimeters and areas; estimate, measure, and record the capacity of containers and the mass of familiar objects, and compare the measures.

Strand #3: Geometry and Spatial Sense – students will be expected to investigate the attributes of three-dimensional figures and two-dimensional shapes using concrete materials and drawings; draw and build three-dimensional objects and models; explore transformations of geometric figures; understand key concepts in transformational geometry using concrete materials and drawings; describe location and movements on a grid; use language effectively to describe geometric concepts, reasoning, and investigations.

Strand #4: Patterning and Algebra – students will be expected to recognize that patterning results from repetition; identify, extend, and create linear and non-linear geometric patterns, number and measurement patterns, and patterns in their environment; create charts to display patterns; identify relationships between and among patterns.

Strand #5: Data Management and Probability – students will be expected to sort, classify, and cross-classify objects and data; collect and organize data; interpret displays of data, present the information, and discuss it using mathematical language; demonstrate an understanding of probability and demonstrate the ability to apply probability in familiar day-to-day situations; relate meaningful experiences about probability.

The science and technology expectations of the new Ontario curriculum are organized into five strands that specify in detail the program to be taught at each grade level.

Strand #1: Life Systems – Growth and Changes in Plants. Study will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences in the physical characteristics of different plant species and the changes that take place in different plants as they grow; investigate the requirements of plants and the effects of changes in environmental conditions on plants; describe ways in which plants are important to other living things, and the effects of human activities on plants.

Strand #2: Matter and Materials – Magnetic and Charged Particles. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the properties of materials that can be magnetized or charged and of how materials are affected by magnets or static electric charges; identify and describe, using their observations, ways in which static electric charges are made in everyday materials, as well as different types of interactions that take place both between charged materials and between magnetized materials; identify familiar uses of magnets and give examples of static electric charges that are created in the home or at school.

Strand #3: Energy and Control – Forces and Movement. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of how movement is caused by forces and by energy that is stored and then released; investigate how different forces affect the operation of everyday devices, and design and construct devices that use a form of energy to create controlled movement; identify objects, devices, and systems in everyday life that are affected by forces and movement and explain in what ways they are useful to us.

Strand #4: Structures and Mechanisms – Stability. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the factors that affect the stability of objects; design and make structures that include mechanisms and that can support and move a load, and investigate the forces acting on them; describe, using their observations, systems involving mechanisms and structures, and explain how these systems meet specific needs and how they have been made.

Strand #5: Earth and Space Systems – Soils in the Environment. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences between various soils and the effects of moving water on soils; investigate the components of various soils, and describe the effects of moving water on these soils; recognize the dependence of humans and other living things on soil and recognize its importance as a source of materials for making useful objects.

The physical education expectations of the new curriculum are divided into three strands.

Strand #1: Healthy Living - students will learn to describe the relationship among healthy eating practices, healthy active living, and healthy bodies; outline characteristics in the development and growth of humans from birth to childhood; list safety procedures and practices in the home, school, and community; describe what a drug is, list several examples (e.g., nicotine, caffeine, alcohol), and describe the effects of these substances on the body.

Strand #2: Fundamental Movement Skills - students will learn to perform the basic movement skills required to participate in physical activities: locomotion/travelling (e.g., dodging, chasing), manipulation (e.g., striking, hitting), and stability (e.g., balancing on equipment, performing rolls); demonstrate the principles of movement (e.g., in various body shapes; using sudden, sustained, fast, or slow movements) using locomotion/travelling, manipulation, and stability skills.

Strand #3: Active Participation – students will learn to participate on a regular basis in physical activities that maintain or improve physical fitness (e.g., skipping to music); recognize the personal benefits of being physically active; acquire living skills (e.g., basic problem-solving, decision-making, goal-setting, and interpersonal skills) through physical activities (e.g., games, gymnastics, dance, outdoor pursuits); follow safety procedures related to physical activity, equipment, and facilities.

The expectations of the new Ontario social studies curriculum are organized into two strands.

Strand #1: Heritage and Citizenship - Pioneer Life. Students will be expected to identify early settlers and their origins, and describe their lives and contributions; identify the contributions of Aboriginal peoples to early settlement; describe changes that have occurred in their communities since the time of the early settlers.

Strand #2: Canada and World Connections – Urban and Rural Communities. Students will be expected to identify distinguishing features of urban and rural communities; describe some possible relationships between communities and natural environments; demonstrate awareness of the possible similarities and differences among people, places, and environments.

This section of the new Ontario curriculum is divided into Visual Art and Music components.

Visual Art – In this component, students will produce produce two- and three-dimensional works of art that communicate ideas (thoughts, feelings, experiences) for specific purposes and to familiar audiences; identify the elements of design (colour, line, shape, form, space, texture), and use them in ways appropriate for this grade when producing and responding to works of art; describe how the ideas in a variety of art works relate to their own knowledge and experience and to other works they have studied, and how the artists have used at least one of the elements of design; use correctly vocabulary and art terminology associated with the specific expectations for this grade.

Music – In this component, students will  demonstrate an understanding of the basic elements of music specified for this grade through listening to, performing, and creating music; create and perform music, using a variety of sound sources; use correctly the vocabulary and musical terminology associated with the specific expectations for this grade; identify and perform music from various cultures and historical periods; communicate their response to music in ways appropriate for this grade (e.g., through visual arts, drama, creative movement, language).

The program teaches God’s plan of salvation and His principles for Christian living through Jesus’ parables and the lives of Samuel, David, Elijah and Elisha. It also includes weekly memorization of Bible verses and poetry. Students become familiar with the names and location of the books of the Bible.

The above is a summary of the general overall objectives of the new Ontario curriculum. The complete details of each aspect of curriculum for grades 1 – 8 may be found on the web site of the Ministry of Education and Training atwww.edu.gov.on.ca/