Descriptions of the Reporting Categories Grade 3

The following descriptions outline what your child should know and be able to do at this grade level.

Numbers and Operations

This topic includes skills related to operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Students must be able to use these operations and understand how they relate to each other. Students must also grasp an overall understanding of numbers, including ways of representing numbers and relationships among numbers and number systems. Finally, students must be able to make reasonably accurate estimates.

Take advantage of everyday situations with fractions and decimals. At dinnertime, ask your child to serve the family using fractions. For example, one person might want 1/4 of the meatloaf or the pizza, while someone else may want only 1/8. Have your child prepare the portions according to your mathematical directions. How many portions will there be if the meatloaf or pizza is divided into fourths or eighths? What happens if one person wants 1/4 of the pizza and another person wants 1/5?

Measurement

This topic includes the basics of measurement, like finding distances using the customary and metric measurement systems and measuring and comparing angles. As students progress through this topic, they must apply the appropriate tools and techniques, and formulas to determine measurements.

Help your child to understand and estimate units of measure. Start by encouraging your child to establish benchmarks for estimating temperatures. How hot is an 80 degree day? Do you need a jacket if it's 50 degrees outside? What can you expect if it's 30 degrees outside? Once you have worked on temperatures, move to other measurements such as height and weight.

Geometry

This topic includes skills related to shapes. Students must identify and classify two- and three-dimensional shapes. Students must also use the characteristics of these figures in problem solving situations. As they progress through this topic, students will also apply the rules of congruence, correspondence, and similarity to solve problems.

To help your child identify and classify geometric figures, have him or her make a theme collage. For example, ask your child to find different examples of triangles in magazines and newspapers and then put them together in a poster. The theme could be specific: triangles, quadrilaterals, or circles; or more general: polygons or three-dimensional objects.

Algebraic Concepts

This topic requires students to demonstrate an understanding of patterns, relations, and functions. Students must use numbers, symbols, words, tables, and graphs to represent mathematical situations. Students must also be able to describe or use models to represent mathematical situations.

Use this activity to get your child thinking about variables and the relationships between numbers. Ask your child to determine a rule that represents the relationship between two ages of people in your family. For example, your child might be twice your age divided by three. Then ask your child whether that relationship will always be true. If not, find a different rule that will remain true over the years.

Data Analysis and Probability

This topic requires students to use data to solve problems. Students will construct and read bar and line graphs. As they progress through this topic they will use more advanced data displays, like box-and-whisker plots and scatter plots. Students must make inferences and predictions based on data. Finally, they must understand and apply basic concepts of probability.

Have your child collect and display data for an interesting topic. He or she might survey family members on their favorite foods, colors, or television shows. Then help your child organize the information in a table or graph. Encourage your child to take this one step further by writing an article summarizing the results of the survey.