3rd Gr Goals

Dear Peanut,

I am so proud of you! You are graduating to 3^rd grade. This year will be a unique year for you. Last year, you managed to successfully complete 1^st gravel level work early and advanced into and finished 2^nd grade level work before the year was over. You have worked hard and it has paid off. You will be a young 3^rd grader so we will take our time this year. My hope is to find out more about you, your passion, gifts/talents, and your interests this year so I can give you as much exposure as I can. I cannot wait to see how you develop into a righteous, strong boy! It is my honor to watch you grow and find out more about yourself this year.

Here are the goals that mommy has for you this year:

BIBLE/CHARACTER/SELF

Bible:

·         Understand the events of the Old Testament chronologically

·         Learn about Joseph, Moses, the Exodus, and the building of the Tabernacle

·         Understand how God interacted with people and events

·         Recite memory verses and important Biblical facts (memorize family verse)

·         Recite books of the Bible (Old Testament)

·         Appreciate and reference the Bible/prayer

Character: Truth

·         Understand and apply what the Bible says about truth

·         Understand that trust in one of the most important factors in a relationship

·         Understand that trust is attached with being honest/telling the truth

·         Memorize Bible verses that focuses on truth

·         Tell the truth consistently

·         Tell the truth because it is the right thing to do, not only to avoid punishment

Self:

·         Practice self control, helping hands vs. hurting  hands

·         Walk in love, practicing selflessness

·         Practice leadership/initiative and servant hood

·         Honor parents; be obedient

·         Defend/protect younger brother

·         Contribute to family, doing my part

LANGUAGE ARTS

Writing:

·         Form thoughts into coherent and grammatical writing

·         Increase retention to write effectively

·         Successfully plan, write, revise, and publish a friendly letter, persuasive essay, compare-contrast essay, make believe story, book report, poem, and research report.

·         Recites and uses writing stages; use proofreading marks

·         Identifies paragraphs

·         Write pen pals

Reading:

·         Develop reading comprehension

·         Able to read with inflections and tone to match mood and nature of characters and punctuation

·         Summarize stories and books accurately; recognize details

·         Increase retention to discuss stories and books effectively

·         Increase ability to read silently

English/Literature/Grammar:

·         Match pairs of words w/ correct contractions

·         Understand poetic terms and concepts; appreciate poetry

·         Learn how to use and identify plural and possessive nouns

·         Learn how to use and identify linking and helping verbs

·         Define and understand “subject & predicate” (advancing from “subject part” & “action part”

·         Recognize sensory words

·         Address envelopes correctly

·         Know common abbreviations

·         Recognize double negatives and avoids using them regularly

·         Identify main characters and problems in stories

·         Recognize the beginning, middle, and end of various texts

·         Uses a comma in a series correctly

·         Recognize and revise run-on sentences correctly

Spelling:

·         Master spelling and phonics rules for all 32 lists

Handwriting:

·         Begin letter formation of the cursive alphabet

·         Apply cursive letter formation to written assignments naturally and independently

MATH, MONEY, & LOGIC

Math:

·         Memorize all fact families 0-20

·         Decrease add/subtraction drills from 5 minutes to 3 minutes

·         Measure in meter, yard, feet, gram, kilogram, pound, and ounce

·         Learn place value of 3 & 4 digit addition and subtraction equations

·         Apply time-telling lingo: “half past”, “quarter to”, quarter past”

·         Learn beginning multiplication facts; divide facts to 5

·         Write and identify fractions

·         Understand basic geometry (patterns, symmetry, perimeter, and lines)

·         Learn place value of 1,000,000

·         Read, interpret, and create data in charts, tables, and graphs

·         Able to round and estimate whole numbers

Life Skills: Money

·         Understand God’s intention for money

·         Understand responsibility of being a good steward over money

·         Understand and apply the tithe to earned (or given) money

·         Understand and apply the “saving-giving-spending” principle

Logic:

·         Develops critical thinking skills in all academic areas (especially math and language/reading)

·         Improve recognition and understanding of analogies, classifications, antonyms and synonyms, spatial awareness, and vocabulary development

·         CoGat: Increase overall score by 3 percent (or 3 points)—apply for Mensa

SCIENCE/HEALTH & SOCIAL STUDIES/GEOGRAPHY

Science:

·         Learn and explore a variety of sea creatures

·         Classify aquatic animals into respective groups: whales, seals & sea cows, herps, cnidarians, primeval reptiles, fish, sharks & rays, crustaceans, mollusks, cephalopods, and echinoderms.

·         Understand the difference between Creation and evolution

Health:

·         Gain an understanding and applies cleanliness, nutrition, proper mental health, manners/courtesy and safety

Social Studies:

·         Gain a clearer grasp of God’s purposes for civil, family, church, and self governments.

·         Know basic framework for understanding God’s plan for the world

·         Gain US History knowledge and facts in dates, European & Spanish explorers, Pilgrims & Puritans, 13 colonies, colonial days and ways of life, Declaration of Independence, our flag and Constitution, Bill of Rights, war of 1812, pioneers, the West and cowboys, CA Gold Rush, and early and modern inventions)

·         Sharpen map reading and directional skills

·         Learn the “Star-Spangled Banner” and “My Country Tis of Thee”

Geography

·         Gain a deeper understanding of the USA, states with their capitals, and interesting facts

·         Locate states  by the 5 major regions of the USA (SE, NE, NW, SW, & MW)

·         Gain an awareness of native land in relation to the world, specifically Europe

TECHNOLOGY/COMPUTERS/INTERNET

Keyboarding:

·         Type home keys with correct fingers

·         Type more fluidly (w/o “pecking”)

Computers:

·         Understand and apply internet safety rules

·         Understand and apply computer, keyboard, mouse, and printer handling and procedures

·         Apply beginning skills and knowledge in word processing and presentation software

FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Latin:

·         Use Latin prefixes, suffixes, and roots to better understand the English language

·         Understand and appreciate that Latin can help understand other foreign languages

INTERESTS

As you approach “age 8” I desire to expose you to the interests that have “stuck” over the years. To date, your interests (and love) for art, basketball, track, flight, and robots have not waned or died off. This year, my goal is to introduce you to these worlds on a higher or more involved level to determine true interest level and mark a game plan for the appropriate time, energy, money and resources to allot.

Art:

·         Begin making some determinations for art as a hobby or if it’s something you want to really “get into”

·         Become familiar with value and color, blending techniques, composition, textures and form, balancing, and portraits

·         Become familiar with art terminology

·         Create pieces he is proud of, store in his art portfolio

Flight:

·         Begin making some determinations for flight/space as a hobby or if it’s something you want to really “get into”

·         Learn about the daily life of a pilot

·         Become familiar with basic flight terminology

·         Visit several air/space/flight museums and exhibits

·         Complete flight/space unit studies

Robots:

·         Enroll in a robotics course (Spring)

·         Begin Lego Education

Sports/Fitness:

·         Display teamwork in athletics

·         Increase game knowledge and skills and drills in basketball

·         Exercise at least 15 minutes daily (from habit)

·         Begin track (determine if you like running to the degree to run track)