The St. Paul School curriculum gives students a solid foundation of skills to help them master each subject. Students are encouraged to be independent and take responsibility for their learning.

Religion

• Third Graders learn about the Catholic Church from its beginnings and what it means to be a member.
• They study the four marks of the Church: that it is one, holy, catholic and apostolic.
• Students learn the individual parts of the Mass, and celebrate a Teaching Mass.

Language Arts

• Good literature, silent reading, and group discussion are used to build a love of reading.
• Students express ideas and thoughts to others through speaking, writing, and drawings.
• They learn cursive handwriting, and begin to use it for all assignments.
• Students spell frequently encountered multi-syllabic words, contractions, and compound words.
• For less frequently encountered words, they use structural cues, dictionaries, and spell checkers.
• Students use subjects and verbs in correct agreement, verb tenses, nouns, possessives, and quotations marks & capitalization in dialogue.

Math

• Students use mental math, estimation, computation and calculators to add/subtract whole numbers.
• They identify fact families, solve inequalities, use inverse operations to check, and apply operational and relational symbols.
• To interpret data, students use bar graphs, line graphs, and tables.
• Students use manipulatives and drawings to understand fractions.
• They learn geometric terms such as parallel, perpendicular, circumference, area, and perimeter.
• Students learn place value up to 1,000 and expanded notation up to 10,000.
• They use patterns to make predictions, identify numbers on a number line, and round.
• Students add/subtract with regrouping, memorize multiplication facts, and divide without remainders.

Science

• The program emphasizes the use of data as evidence to separate fact from opinion.
• Students learn the effect of humans on nature and how people contribute to the advancement of science.
• They explore light: how it travels, how shadows are made, its behavior through water, and how objects reflect, absorb, or refract light.
• Students explore sound as a result of vibrations and how pitches are produced.
• They learn the structures in plants and animals that help them to survive in their environments.
• They consider the dependence of living things on aspects of their behavior within their environment.
• Students learn causes of change on the earth’s surface, renewable/non-renewable resources, and how humans affect the environment.

Social Studies

• Third Graders learn social studies through the context of “Michigan Studies.”
• In history, students learn the early periods of Michigan history from exploration through statehood.
• Students learn about the beliefs of American Indians and how they interacted with earlier settlers.
• In geography, students explore maps of Michigan and how Michigan can be separated into regions. Students locate different natural resources in Michigan.
• In civics, students learn their role as citizens. They distinguish the roles of state and local governments.
• In economics, students explore how Michigan’s natural resources affect our economy.

Specials and Extracurricular Activities

• Third Graders attend weekly specials classes including art, library, music, Spanish, gym, and computers.
• St. Paul offers a wide variety of after school activities for Third Graders, including chess, scouts, and art.