Grade 3 at Bertschi
Third graders manage longe-term projects, conduct original research, present their findings to real audiences, and begin to read and write with increasing complexity. They study world geography, dive into Seattle history, volunteer in their community, and serve as mentors to kindergartners. By the end of the year, they are organized, self-directed learners who understand that their voices and actions carry real weight.
Grade 3 Math
Grade 3 math builds directly on the number sense and problem-solving work of Grade 2, extending into multiplication, division, multi-digit addition and subtraction, fractions, place value, and estimation. An accelerated math curriculum is available to third graders through use of a combination of the 3rd and 4th grade Reveal Math curriculum. Flexible groupings meet each student at their level while consistently pushing toward the next challenge.
Math projects ask students to explore patterns, test conjectures, and apply problem-solving strategies in open-ended contexts that go beyond computation. Basic fact fluency is built through games and regular practice, while word problems remain a consistent focus, requiring students to explain their reasoning, show multiple strategies, and verify their work. The goal is students who think flexibly, communicate mathematically, and approach unfamiliar problems with confidence.
Grade 3 Language Arts
Reading in Grade 3 deepens into genuine literary analysis. Third graders participate in literature circles focused on plot analysis, character comparison, and author's style. These student-led book groups foster a love of reading, and provides students with ample opportunities to share and support their own ideas while listening to the ideas of others. Nonfiction reading is equally central, with students using books, websites, and articles to develop research skills, practice note-taking, and build the habits of sourcing and verification.
Writing in Grade 3 covers the full range: creative short stories, descriptive paragraphs, book reports, research reports, and letter writing, with a through-line emphasis on organization, detail, and mechanics. Third graders move from pre-writes through drafting, revision, and editing to polished final pieces, developing skills in punctuation, spelling patterns, sentence variety, and word choice. By spring, they are tackling longer projects independently and producing structured, multi-paragraph reports.
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM)
In Grade 3, STEAM learning grows more complex and more connected to the world beyond the classroom. In science, third graders investigate real environmental challenges, collecting and analyzing data on recycling and composting at Bertschi and presenting their findings and recommendations to the entire student body. In robotics and technology, students build on the coding and computational thinking skills developed in earlier grades, taking on more sophisticated challenges and applying logic and sequencing to open-ended problems. In art, third graders develop technical range and creative voice across a variety of materials and approaches, with projects that connect to their classroom studies in social studies, literacy, and science. In drama, every third grade class performs a full production, connected to their social studies curriculum, deepening the narrative thinking, collaborative skills, and creative confidence built in earlier grades.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
Grade 3 marks a meaningful shift in social-emotional development. Third graders are ready to take on greater independence and responsibility, and the SEL curriculum meets them there. The year begins with the development of a classroom agreement, a collaboratively written set of values and commitments that guides community life all year. Monthly virtue focuses, including unity, thankfulness, self-discipline, justice, and compassion, give students a shared framework for reflecting on their character and behavior. Weekly classroom meetings give students a structured space to surface issues, brainstorm solutions, and practice the advocacy and perspective-taking skills that will serve them in every collaborative environment they encounter. Project management becomes an explicit SEL goal in Grade 3. Students develop the organizational habits and self-direction needed to manage longer-term assignments, balance competing demands, and follow through on commitments independently. The kindergarten buddy program adds another dimension: third graders step into a mentorship role, leading activities with younger students and experiencing firsthand what it means to be responsible for someone else's experience. By the end of Grade 3, students have the emotional maturity, collaborative habits, and self-management skills to meet the more demanding academic and social expectations of Grades 4 and 5.
Learning in Action
At Bertschi, students connect learning to their families, communities, and the world around them. Scroll below to see a few Grade 3 learning experiences.
Hands on Algebra: Mathematical Thinking Starts Early
Third graders at Bertschi are introduced to algebraic thinking through Hands on Algebra, a program that uses physical manipulatives to make abstract mathematical concepts concrete and accessible. Students place pawns and numbered cubes on a balance scale to represent equations, then develop the logical steps to find the unknown. The experience builds flexible reasoning, pattern recognition, and the foundational understanding of how equations work.
The Seattle History Project
The Seattle History Project is a Grade 3 signature research experience. Students investigate key events in Seattle's past with a focus on the perspectives of Indigenous communities and historically marginalized groups, using online sources, books, and media to gather information, take notes, and build their analysis. The project develops the full academic research pipeline: formulating questions, evaluating sources, synthesizing information, writing structured reports, and presenting findings to an audience. It also introduces media literacy, asking students to examine who created a source, what perspective it represents, and what questions it leaves unanswered.
Changemaker Project: Reading and Research in Action
Third graders study changemakers, people who identified a problem and did something about it, examining how change happens and how even significant historical figures are complex products of their time. Students select a changemaker to research independently, read deeply about their subject, take notes, and produce a presentation that synthesizes their findings. The project connects directly to Grade 3's literature circle work, where students read and analyze fiction and nonfiction texts featuring changemakers, building the comprehension and analytical skills to move from reading about change to thinking about how they might create it.
Country Study: Research and Presentation
As part of their world geography curriculum, third graders complete an independent country study, using nonfiction books, websites, and videos to research history, culture, geography, and daily life. Students practice the full research cycle: reading and taking notes, organizing their findings, and producing a slideshow presentation to share with the class. The project builds the nonfiction research and public presentation skills that third graders will use across every major project for the rest of their time at Bertschi, and introduces the kind of long-term project management that becomes a Grade 3 hallmark.
Kindergarten Buddies: Leadership as a Curriculum
Third graders serve as mentors to kindergartners throughout the year, leading activities, hosting collaborative sessions, and modeling what it means to be a Bertschi community member. Third graders practice communication, patience, planning, and perspective-taking in a context where the stakes are real and the relationship matters. It also reinforces reading and writing skills as third graders prepare materials and activities for their younger partners, and develops the leadership identity that deepens through Grades 4 and 5.