Welcome to the Stupar/Olson grade 3 website!
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We (Mr. Olson and Mr. Stupar) are going into our ninth year teaching here at Becker. This is our fourth year team-teaching together. We find many benefits in the team-teaching model.
Math
We put kids into flexible ability groups during math so that students who are able to move at a faster pace may do so with an added amount of enrichment along the way. Students who need more examples, support, and hands-on activities get the same grade-level material in a smaller group setting. We believe in adapting our teaching styles and differentiating our lessons to fit the needs of our students.
Reading
Our reading program consists of standards-based whole-group instruction combined with small group guided reading. During independent reading time, students are encouraged to pick books that are appropriate for their specific reading level. Reading levels are assigned to them based on their reading fluency, knowledge of vocabulary, understanding of different types of literature, and comprehension.
Our guided reading groups are formed based on reading levels. Each group is challenged with a book that fits into their level. Language skills are taught based on the specific needs of each group.
Writing
During our writing time, students who need extra support are invited into a small group to work on skills that they may be struggling with. Some skills that students need help with are letter/sentence formation, organization, ideas, conventions, or any other part of the writing process. A smaller writing group setting is a great way for students to get more 1-on-1 support while continuing to keep pace with the rest of the class.
Spelling
We really get excited about spelling in our classroom! We love to come up with fun games that help students learn how to spell. Students will get to practice a lot with phonics during our spelling time. Visual phonics is a great way for students to learn their vowel sounds. It involves a combination of symbols and sign-language to help them remember patterns that short and long vowels follow.
Science
The four science units in third grade are sound, light/energy, the universe, and living systems. We use lots of hands-on activities to teach the science concepts.
Social
Four units of social studies are taught in third grade. Each unit deals with different parts of a community. We use Google Earth within many of our lessons so that kids can "travel" from Becker, MN to the many communities in our textbook.