Wayland Union Schools utilizes the Reader's and Writer's Workshop model for Language Arts Instruction. Our district utilizes the Lucy Calkins Units of Study for Reading and Writing as the basis of our Language Arts program but supplement based on the needs of students, which vary from year to year. Students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade also complete the Saxon Phonics program in order to establish a firm foundation in phonics skills.

Essential Standards for 3rd Grade Language Arts:

• Ask and answer questions to demonstrate an understanding of the text, referring to the text as the basis for the answers.
• Using text features and search tools to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
• Determine the main idea of a text; recount key details and explain how they support the main idea.
• Produce clear and coherent writing which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
• Develop and strengthen writing by planning, revising, editing, or rewriting.
• Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversation with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own persuasively.

In accordance with Michigan's new Third Grade Reading Law, all students must be within one grade level of reading proficiency at the end of their Third Grade year. To read about how you can help your child reach reading proficiency, please check out our Read At Home Plan.

Wayland Union Schools utilizes Everyday Mathematics as the core resource for addressing our math curriculum.

Essential Standards for 3rd Grade Math:

• Add and subtract within 1000
• Multiple and divide numbers. By the end of third grade, have multiplication facts memorized.
• Use place value to round numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.
• Understand a fraction as parts of a whole.
• Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement.

Parents looking to help their child with math at home might find the following resources useful.

Everyday Math At Home - 3rd Grade

Wayland Union Schools utilizes Mystery Science as the core resource for addressing the Michigan Science standards. Currently, students in Third Grade will learn about the following topics during the school year:

• Animal Survival and Heredity
• Plant Life Cycle and Heredity
• Weather and Climate
• Forces, Motion, and Magnets

Mystery Science

The third grade social studies curriculum introduces the history, geography, government, and economy of Michigan. Students learn about people and events from the past that have influenced the state in which they live. They study the geography of Michigan including the physical and cultural characteristics of different areas of the state. Using the context of their state, students explore human-environment interactions and their consequences. Using a geographic lens, students also examine the movement of people, products, and ideas across the state, and investigate how Michigan can be divided into distinct regions. Economic concepts are applied to the context of Michigan as students explore how Michiganians support themselves through the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services. By studying economic ties between Michigan and other places, students discover how their state is an interdependent part of both the national and global economies. The purposes, structure, and functions of state government are introduced. Students explore the relationship between rights and responsibilities of citizens. They examine current issues facing Michigan residents and practice making and expressing informed decisions as citizens. Throughout the year, students locate, analyze, and present data pertaining to the state of Michigan.

Link to 3rd Grade Social Studies Book (a Michigan Open Book Project Textbook)

Source: MAISA Social Studies 3rd Grade Course Description

Elementary students at Wayland Union Schools attend classes in Music, Physical Education, Media, and Art on a weekly basis.