Classical Education in Third Grade

You may be wondering, what does the classical model of teaching young minds look like in third grade. Fortunately, PCA has put much thought and planning into what the classical method looks like in each grade. The classical seeds sown into our eight and nine year olds’ minds and hearts are bearing fruit! We realize that the classical model is a long process. We know that we must be patient and continue to cultivate grade by grade with the longest lasting fruit being produced after students have completed the Grammar School, the Logic School and the Rhetoric School. It truly is exciting to be a part of this process and even more exciting to be a part of a classroom that is alive with the music of children learning!

Third grade is a part of the Grammar School. It sits almost directly in the center of the Grammar School process. In third grade, we have the unique opportunity to lead children into taking responsibility for their own learning. As they baby-step into independence, we get to witness first hand, students being on the cusp of becoming LIFELONG LEARNERS!

In any third grade day, you will hear History, Grammar, Chemistry, and Math chants. The children will boast of many facts that their brains have memorized and they will have interesting ways to present their knowledge. While our primary means of presenting material will be through the grammar process, we will always be knitting glimpses of the Logic and Rhetoric processes throughout the school year in order to build a strong foundation for what is to come. Students may share their ever~increasing knowledge on paper, verbally, through projects, plays, songs or presentations. Students will have a thorough knowledge of the Greek and Roman culture and you will see them fascinated by it! The Third Grade Olympics and History Fair Play at the end of the year are highlights for the students. You will see the students continuing the art of cursive. Students will recite and write poetry, just as the ancients did. Third graders soar in Spelling and Grammar. They absolutely love the Literature books that are chosen. Delving into Number The Stars, Greek Myths, Stone Fox and Detectives in Togas (two of those being set in Greece and Rome) gives the teachers plenty of room to inspire the students to love reading! Those four books are just a glimpse into the literature choices in which the children are introduced. And, most importantly, the students are grounded in God’s Word and have many opportunities to memorize and have a deeper understanding of His Word in Bible. Third Grade is also the initial year the students are introduced to Latin. This creates a sense of well-being in them. They adore the fact that they know the beginning of another language!

It is PCA’s hope that as the third grade students are prepared academically, they are also prepared physically, and emotionally. It is important to us that their brains are developed academically and that their hearts are tenderly nurtured. We care about the students’ uniqueness and we invest in cultivating them to be exactly who God created them to be. It is our prayer they leave third grade with brains exploding with knowledge and hearts exploding with love and kindness. We desire them to feel deeply treasured by their teachers peers and Heavenly Father. So welcome to third grade, we consider PCA an extension of the family and we look forward to spending time with you!