Third Grade

Rossman faculty have been taking extra steps to learn about executive functioning throughout this school year. We began our year learning from an outside professional, who is a licensed professional counselor, about different areas of executive functioning. Recently, many teachers stayed after school to view a webinar from Dr. Peg Dawson, who is one of the authors of Smart but Scattered. As the learning consultant for Rossman, and in my other professional role as a trained school psychologist who conducts...Read more

The “Gift of Words” project is one of our favorite third grade writing projects. We began by reading the book Be Good to Eddie Lee, which is about a boy who has down syndrome and how he was not treated kindly by his peers. We held a classroom discussion about how we should treat each other with kindness and how everyone has different gifts that shine. We then shared with one another the amazing gifts that all of us have (e.g. some of us are good at climbing trees, drawing, doing math, being empathetic with others, being helpful, reading, kicking a ball, telling jokes, turning a negative...Read more

Comprehension is an essential part of the learning process. This constructive process is one that requires students to make connections in order to understand what they are hearing and reading. Comprehension should be interactive between teachers and students. This is where students learn to become problem solvers, infer, compare and contrast, relate what they are learning to background knowledge, among many other meaning-making benefits.

Comprehension is a vital skill to one’s everyday life no matter what walk of life he or she is in. Students must be able to make connections in...Read more

What are fractions? If you ask a third grader, they can tell you. We recently learned the parts of a fraction, compared fractions, drew fractions, converted improper fractions into mixed fractions, and much more. After spending weeks learning about fractions, we wanted to reinforce some of what the students learned in a fun and creative way.

Papa Johns Pizza was very willing to help our students with this project by donating 27 empty pizza boxes. Our students were asked to do the following:

1. Divide your pizza into at least 8 pieces.
2. Represent at least 5
...Read more

What do you think about when you hear the word dance? Most likely, half of you smile ear to ear and the other half cringe at the thought. That is pretty close to the reaction our Upper School students have when we announce our dance unit each year.

The first week of the unit is spent listening to music, learning to find the beat and practicing setting each move or combination of moves to an eight-count. Each year, we also study a specific dance style, so students have at least four different types of dance in their repertoire upon graduating.

After this introduction, students...Read more

When integrated in intentional and meaningful ways, technology goes hand in hand with the 6 C’s of education: creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, citizenship, and character education. These life skills are critical for success in our ever-changing world, and Rossman educators cultivate each of them on a daily basis by enhancing students’ learning through technology that is visible in many forms. By giving our students accessibility to technology when needed, we give them a choice in their voice to the world.

This summer, Rossman was able...Read more

Xin nian kuai le! Happy New Year from the third grade class! Every year, Rossman third graders are immersed in the Chinese culture. This third grade class tradition was started 13 years ago after telling the story of how Mrs. Frankenberger escaped Vietnam on a fishing boat. Sharing this journey with the students peaked their interests in the learning of the Chinese...Read more

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” —Aristotle

What ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle believed in 350 B.C. is precisely what we aspire to impart every day at Rossman School — a balanced education of heart and mind. Academically, students discuss great literature and history, as well as participate in scientific investigation and collaborative group projects, all which offer rich opportunities to integrate lessons of a parallel priority: the development of strong character. As a complementary social component of character...Read more