Quarter 1 · Weeks 1–9

Foundations: Place Value, Stories, Forces & Communities

Children build on second grade with place value, adding and subtracting within 1,000, and their first multiplication facts. In reading they study story elements, characters and traditional tales, then use text features and main ideas in nonfiction, and write their first opinion paragraphs. Science explores pushes, pulls, friction and magnets. Social studies looks at communities, maps and landforms, the Native nations who lived here first, and how early communities began.

Units in this quarter

Quarter plan

By the end of this quarter

Mathematics

Your child can tell what each digit in a 3-digit number is worth and write the number in words and in expanded form.
Your child can round whole numbers to the nearest 10 and the nearest 100.
Your child can add and subtract within 1,000, including regrouping and subtracting across zeros, and check the answer.
Your child can show multiplication with equal groups and arrays and write a multiplication sentence for a picture.
Your child can find any product from 2 × 2 to 10 × 10 by using a strategy such as doubles, skip-counting or breaking a fact apart.
Your child can solve one-step and simple two-step word problems with adding and subtracting and check with an estimate.

Matters most for what comes next: Adding and subtracting within 1,000 with regrouping, and a strategy for every multiplication fact, matter most; Quarter 2 division and two-step problems lean on both.

Reading & Writing

Your child can retell a story in order and name its characters, setting and central message.
Your child can describe a character's traits and back them up with what the character says and does.
Your child can answer questions about a text by pointing to the exact words that give the answer.
Your child can tell folktales, fables and myths apart and state the lesson or moral of each.
Your child can use headings, captions, diagrams, a glossary and an index to find information, and state the main idea of an article with its details.
Your child can write an opinion paragraph with a clear opinion, two reasons, linking words and a conclusion.

Matters most for what comes next: Answering with evidence from the text, finding the main idea with its details, and writing an opinion paragraph matter most; Quarter 2 research and the Quarter 3 opinion essay build on them.

Science

Your child can explain that a force is a push or a pull and show how forces start, stop, speed up, slow down or turn an object.
Your child can tell whether the forces on an object are balanced or unbalanced and predict what the object will do.
Your child can explain how friction slows moving things and compare friction on different surfaces with a fair test.
Your child can show that magnets and charged objects push or pull without touching, and that distance changes the pull.
Your child can use a pattern in motion, such as a swinging pendulum or a bouncing ball, to predict what happens next.
Your child can define a simple design problem, build and test a magnet solution, and improve it.

Matters most for what comes next: Planning a fair test that changes only one thing, and explaining results with evidence, matter most; every later investigation and design challenge uses them.

Social Studies

Your child can explain what a community is, what every community needs, and who meets those needs.
Your child can sort communities into urban, suburban and rural and describe life in each.
Your child can read a map using its key, compass rose and scale, and tell how a map and a globe differ.
Your child can name the landforms, bodies of water, climate and natural resources of your region.
Your child can explain that Native nations were the first people of your area and describe them as living nations today.
Your child can tell the story of how your community began and changed, from more than one point of view.

Matters most for what comes next: Reading a map with its key, compass rose and scale, and describing your region's land and resources, matter most for the United States geography in Quarter 2.

Assessment calendar

Week	Day	Subject	What
1	5	All subjects	Weekly checkWeekly checks in all four subjects, every Day 5
5	3	Reading & Writing	ProjectFable Factory: plan, write and share an original fable (Days 3–4)
5	3	Social Studies	ProjectSalt-Dough Relief Map Challenge: your state (Days 3–4)
6	5	Mathematics	Unit testUnit 1 Test: Place Value, Adding & Subtracting, Multiplication Begins
6	5	Reading & Writing	Unit testUnit 1 Test: Stories, Evidence & Text Features
6	5	Science	Unit testUnit 1 Test: Forces & Motion
6	5	Social Studies	Unit testUnit 1 Test: Communities & Geography
7	5	Science	ProjectMagnet latch design challenge: present your design (work begins Day 1)
8	5	Science	ProjectFair-test investigation: present your results (work begins Day 1)
9	1	Mathematics	Quarter reviewQuarter 1 Review: Mathematics
9	2	Reading & Writing	Quarter reviewQuarter 1 Review: Reading & Writing
9	3	Science	Quarter reviewQuarter 1 Review: Science
9	4	Social Studies	ProjectMy Place one-page project
9	4	Social Studies	Quarter reviewQuarter 1 Review: Social Studies

Pacing and planning

Week 5 is the flex week and Week 9 is the review week. Use them to catch up before adding anything new.
A week behind? Keep every math lesson in Weeks 2–4 and 6–8. In Week 5, use Days 3–4 for missed lessons in place of the projects.
Week 6 Day 5 holds four unit tests. Give math and science that day and reading and social studies the next day. No test has a time limit.
In Week 9, give each Quarter 1 Review first, while your child is fresh, then shorten that subject's review lesson to the skills missed.
Gather ahead: two bar or disc magnets, two balloons and a toy car for Weeks 1–4, and a shoebox for the Week 7 latch.
Mix the Week 5 salt dough (flour, salt, water) before Day 3; it dries overnight. Request library books on local Native nations and town history for Weeks 6–8.

Week 1: The first weekly checks arrive on Day 5; math begins by reviewing second-grade place value.
Week 4: Science needs two magnets and two balloons for this week's tests.
Week 5: Flex week: Days 1–2 catch up; Days 3–4 hold the Fable Factory, a marble run and a salt-dough relief map.
Week 6: All four Unit 1 tests fall on Day 5, so plan to spread them over two days.
Week 7: Science is a five-day magnet latch design challenge that ends with a short presentation on Day 5.
Week 8: Science runs a full fair-test investigation; social studies needs local history sources about your own community.
Week 9: Review week: one Quarter 1 Review each day on Days 1–4, plus the My Place project on Day 4.

Quarter 1 Reviews Quarter 1 report form

See what your state adds or places differently

Weeks in this quarter

Open a week for the full plan, jump straight to a day, or print the whole week.

Week 1

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can set up my reader's notebook and name the parts of a book(RL.3.10, RI.3.5, L.3.2.A, RL.3.3)
Mathematics: I can tell the value of each digit in a 3-digit number(2.NBT.A.1, 2.NBT.A.3, 2.NBT.A.4, 3.NBT.A.1)
Science: I can explain what a force is and give examples(3-PS2-1)
Social Studies: I can explain what a community is and name places and people that make my community work(D2.Civ.6.3-5, D2.Civ.13.3-5, D2.Eco.3.3-5)

Activities

English: Show your child this table of contents from a made-up book called "The Kite on…
Mathematics: Your child draws each number, then writes its expanded form
Science: What Is a Force?
Social: What Is a Community?

Reading list

Last Stop on Market Street — Matt de la PeñaRead-aloud
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 — Beverly Cleary
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale — John Steptoe
Forces Make Things Move — Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Week 2

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English Language Arts: I can name character traits that tell what a character is like inside(RL.3.3, L.3.6, L.3.1.A, L.3.5.B)
Mathematics: I can add 3-digit numbers in my head using place value and friendly numbers(3.NBT.A.2)
Science: I can explain what balanced forces are and what they do to an object's motion(3-PS2-1)
Social Studies: I can sort communities into urban, suburban, and rural and explain how I know(D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.8.3-5)

Activities

English: 1) Ask: "Which other trait card fits Jada? What is your proof?" (Patient
Mathematics: Your child chooses a way, then says the thinking aloud
Science: Balanced Forces
Social: Three Types of Communities

Reading list

Ramona Quimby, Age 8 — Beverly ClearyRead-aloud
Charlotte's Web — E. B. White
Sarah, Plain and Tall — Patricia MacLachlan
Juana & Lucas — Juana Medina

Week 3

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English Language Arts: I can ask questions before, during and after reading, and ask a speaker questions to learn more(RL.3.1, SL.3.3, L.3.2.C, RL.3.2)
Mathematics: I can subtract 3-digit numbers in my head using place value, counting up and friendly numbers(3.NBT.A.2)
Science: I can explain what friction is and how it affects moving things(3-PS2-1)
Social Studies: I can explain how a map and a globe are alike and different(D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.3.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5)

Activities

English: Read the rest of the story aloud
Mathematics: Your child solves each aloud, the way named
Science: What Is Friction?
Social: Maps and Globes

Reading list

The Stories Julian Tells — Ann CameronRead-aloud
My Father's Dragon — Ruth Stiles Gannett
Charlotte's Web — E. B. White
Sarah, Plain and Tall — Patricia MacLachlan

Week 4

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can name the features of a folktale and use the pictures to understand it(RL.3.2, RL.3.7, SL.3.2, SL.3.1)
Mathematics: I can show equal groups and find how many in all(3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3, 3.OA.B.5)
Science: I can show that magnet poles attract or repel each other without touching(3-PS2-3)
Social Studies: I can name and describe common landforms and find them near where I live(D2.Geo.5.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.10.3-5, D2.Eco.3.3-5)

Activities

English: 1) Ask: "What happens three times?" (He asks for one more food
Mathematics: Your child builds each one with plates, then draws circles with dots inside
Science: Magnets: Attract and Repel
Social: Landforms

Reading list

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China — Ed YoungRead-aloud
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale — John Steptoe
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti — Gerald McDermott
What Makes a Magnet? — Franklyn M. Branley

Week 5

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can tell the difference between what happens in a story and its central message(RL.3.2, RL.3.1, L.3.1.C, RL.3.3)
Mathematics: I can fix my mistakes when adding and subtracting with regrouping(3.NBT.A.2, 3.NBT.A.1, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3)
Science: I can use arrows to show whether forces are balanced or unbalanced and predict what will happen(3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3, 3-5-ETS1-3)
Social Studies: I can use a map key, the compass rose, and a scale without help(D2.Geo.2.3-5, D2.Geo.3.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.5.3-5)

Activities

English: Write six index cards: "Fox slips on the path." "Honesty brings peace." "Fox hi…
Mathematics: Use the other two cards, then write the third problem
Science: Flex Day 1 — Catch-Up: Balanced vs. Unbalanced
Social: Flex: Reteach Map Skills

Reading list

Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti — Gerald McDermottRead-aloud
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story from China — Ed Young
Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale — John Steptoe
What Makes a Magnet? — Franklyn M. Branley

Week 6

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can tell the difference between informational text and a story(RI.3.10, L.3.6, RI.3.5, RI.3.4)
Mathematics: I can use doubles to know my ×2 facts(3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.D.9, 3.NBT.A.3)
Science: I can observe a pendulum's motion and describe its repeating pattern(3-PS2-2, 3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3)
Social Studies: I can explain that Native nations were the first people in my area and name the nations whose homelands inclu…(D2.Geo.3.3-5, D3.1.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5)

Activities

English: Draw a T-chart in the reader's notebook: Informational | Fiction
Mathematics: Your child says the double first, then the product
Science: Repeated Motion Patterns
Social: Who Lived Here First?

Reading list

We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga — Traci SorellRead-aloud
Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti — Gerald McDermott
What Makes a Magnet? — Franklyn M. Branley
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Picture Book Edition) — William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Week 7

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can find the main idea of a paragraph and the details that support it(RI.3.2, RI.3.1, RI.3.4, L.3.4.A)
Mathematics: I can use a double plus one more group to know my ×3 facts(3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.A.3)
Science: I can describe a design problem that magnets can solve, with criteria for success and constraints(3-PS2-4, 3-5-ETS1-1, 3-5-ETS1-2, 3-5-ETS1-3)
Social Studies: I can explain different reasons explorers and settlers came to North America, including people who did not ch…(D2.His.3.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5, D2.His.10.3-5, D2.His.6.3-5)

Activities

English: Read aloud
Mathematics: Your child says the double, then adds one more group
Science: Define a Magnet Design Problem
Social: Why People Came

Reading list

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Picture Book Edition) — William Kamkwamba and Bryan MealerRead-aloud
What Makes a Magnet? — Franklyn M. Branley
Sarah, Plain and Tall — Patricia MacLachlan
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows — Asia Citro

Week 8

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can state a clear opinion and talk about opinions respectfully(W.3.1, W.3.1.A, SL.3.1, SL.3.1.B)
Mathematics: I can break 7 into 5 and 2 to find my ×7 facts(3.OA.C.7, 3.OA.B.5, 3.OA.D.9, 3.OA.A.3)
Science: I can write a testable question about forces or magnets and make a prediction(3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-2)
Social Studies: I can find out when my community was founded and what was here before(D2.His.1.3-5, D1.1.3-5, D1.4.3-5, D1.5.3-5)

Activities

English: 1) Ask: "Which fits an opinion better, 'I believe' or 'I know'? Why?" (I believe
Mathematics: Your child writes the ×5 part, the ×2 part and the sum
Science: Choose a Testable Question
Social: When Was Our Community Founded?

Reading list

Ox-Cart Man — Donald HallRead-aloud
Sarah, Plain and Tall — Patricia MacLachlan
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows — Asia Citro
Twister on Tuesday (Magic Tree House #23) — Mary Pope Osborne

Week 9

Videos Print

English Language Arts: I can review characters, setting, sequence and central message using a new story(RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.5)
Mathematics: I can round and add within 1,000 using place value(3.NBT.A.1, 3.NBT.A.2, 3.OA.A.1, 3.OA.A.3)
Science: I can explain pushes, pulls and balanced and unbalanced forces with examples(3-PS2-1, 3-PS2-3, 3-PS2-2, 3-PS2-4)
Social Studies: I can explain communities, needs, helpers, and community types(D2.Civ.6.3-5, D2.Geo.4.3-5, D2.Geo.1.3-5, D2.Geo.2.3-5)

Activities

English: 1) Setting
Mathematics: Your child draws a number line for each rounding problem
Science: Q1 Review: Forces, Balanced and Unbalanced
Social: Q1 Review: Communities and Helpers

Reading list

My Father's Dragon — Ruth Stiles GannettRead-aloud
Sarah, Plain and Tall — Patricia MacLachlan
The Stories Julian Tells — Ann Cameron
Zoey and Sassafras: Dragons and Marshmallows — Asia Citro

Key milestones this quarter

Unit 1 tests (Week 6)
Multiplication facts ×2–×9
Opinion paragraph with reasons
Magnet design challenge
Quarter 1 review (Week 9)