Third grade has quite a year planned out. We are going on several field trips and have many wonderful activities in the works.

The students in third grade take three field trips during the year. In September, we are going to the Heritage farmstead and to Plano Senior High School. At the end of the year, we will take another field trip to which the destination will be decided at a later date.

The curriculum in third grade consists of math, language, reading, writing and integrated which includes science, social studies, and health.

In math the students will be learning place value, rounding, estimating, money, time, number patterns, geometry, measurement, multiplication and division. A strong emphasis is placed on problem solving in third grade. We play lots of games to stress skills, and we have several computer games, which reinforce the skills taught in the classroom. The student's favorite game is Zoombinis. Each day during math, the students can figure out problems from a mountain math bulletin board in their classrooms. This contains most skills that will be tested on the TAKS test in April.

During our language arts block students participate in guided reading groups, grammar skills, and writing activities. Students are going to be writing personal narratives, persuasive stories, and how-to papers during the year. This year with writing there is a school wide focus on the six traits of writing. These traits include ideas/content, organization, voice, word choice, fluency, and conventions or grammar. Each of these traits is studied in depth and should be included in each of their writing samples.

At the end of the day, students participate in integrated activities. This is a very hand-on time for the children. This year the will be learning about continuity and change, seeking reasonable solutions, communication, diversity, systems, and natural resources. Each of these units will end with a culminating activity such as making a quilt, planning and participating in putting on a fair, growing plants, visiting different countries (at school), and an all time parent favorite, a what-to-do-when-I-am-bored-over-the-summer folder.

We have lots of opportunities for parent involvement during the school year. Please call you child's classroom teacher if you would like to help out or volunteer in the classroom.

The third grade team is off to a great beginning, and is looking forward to creating many lasting memories for your children!

OUR THIRD GRADE TEACHERS Planning Time 7:55am - 8:45am Antreshawn Buhl - Team Leader This is my third year working with Forman Elementary School. My first year here was so rewarding. I definitely have found my home! I am a graduate of The University of Texas at San Antonio with an Undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and a Master of Arts degree in Education. I am currently seeking a second Masters in Educational Administration. I am a strong believer that Health and Education are key sources to success in life, therefore I am here to motivate, encourage, support, and guide my student’s into healthy lifestyles and assisting them in the tools to accomplish the desires of their hearts. I enjoy the eagerness and desires of parental involvement; it makes a huge difference in our youth’s lives. I am not only here to prepare your child for the next level, but to guide them in fulfilling and conquering their strengths and weaknesses. It is important for each student to understand what they are capable of accomplishing and I look forward to assisting them in meeting those accomplishments. favorite color: purple and green favorite candy: peanut m&m's favorite soda: pepsi favorite sport: football & track and field favorite saying: “Teams that achieve peak performance are successful because of hard work and focus, not good fortune” email: Antreshawn.Buhl@pisd.edu Ext 21261 Racquel Johnson This is a year of firsts for me!  This will be my second year in the Plano school district and my second year as a public school teacher and I'm so happy to be have made my debut at Forman Elementary.  I am originally from Chicago but am truly enjoying Texas hospitality.  My B.A. was earned at Spelman College,  I have an M.A. in English Lit. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an M. Ed in Educational Administration from DePaul University in Chicago and did some post graduate in Educational Research at New York University.  It's obvious that I love learning and I'm hoping to pass on this enthusiasm to my students.  I moved to the third grade group.  My vivacious five year old daughter keeps me busy at home and my favorite hobbies are reading, knitting, skiing and stained glass. email: Racquel.Johnson@pisd.edu Ext 21279 Kristine Ollom I am very excited to be at Forman Elementary this year. I have been teaching for twelve years. This is my sixth year to teach third grade. I have taught pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first previously. I graduated from Texas A&M at Commerce with my Bachelor's degree and from the College of New Rochelle with my Master's degree. Swimming and reading are a couple of things I really enjoy doing in my free time. email: Kristine.Ollom@pisd.edu Ext 21259   Ericka Bonilla I am excited to teach 3rd grade Bilingual at Forman Elementary! I graduated from Texas Woman's University. My dream was always to be a teacher and now that I am, I love it. I know that it is going to be a great year, and I can't wait to see how much the students are going to grow. I like to go to the movies, walk outdoors, watch reality TV and spend time with my family and friends. email: Ericka.Bonilla@pisd.edu Ext 21260 Laura Cordova   email: Laura.Cordova@pisd.edu Ext 21262     Russell Sanders I have lived in Plano my whole life. I am the type of person that likes to move a hundred miles an hour at all times. I enjoy playing all sports with my friends, this gives me lot of energy and a positive outlook on life. I have been playing rugby for the past five years and I still can't get enough. Teaching is my passion, and I am really happy that I finally am able to teach a class of my own. I know that having a good team behind me, and really being enthusiastic about teaching children will get me through those first tough years. I look forward to meeting new people and begin teaching at Forman. email: Russell.Sanders@pisd.edu Ext 21258

THIRD GRADE CURRICULUM  

1ST NINE WEEKS
Language Arts - What an exciting first nine weeks we will have in third grade! Sometimes there seems to be so many fun learning activities and not enough time. Third graders start off the year getting to know each other by bringing "All About Me" bags and writing personal narratives. Students do not only learn about each other, though.

In Math - Students will explore many new concepts and expanded and previously taught concepts such as graphing, place value, estimation and time.

In Integrated - Third graders begin a theme unit titled "Continuity and Change" in which we dive deep into the lifestyles of Plano's earliest pioneers. Students learn that although their lives were quite different than ours, there are many similarities. We make homemade bread and butter, design and sew a quilt piece, and so much more. The culminating activity is a field trip to Heritage Farmstead. The year has just begun and there are so many ideas yet to explore.

2ND NINE WEEKS
Language Arts - Third graders learn the skills to write effective paragraphs for our animals reports that will be on display. This is also a busy nine weeks as students are learning many things to prepare for our Third Grade Fair.

In Math - The money and estimation skills third graders are learning will come in handy at the snack booth.

In Integrated - Students are learning about animals and simple machines. This knowledge will come in handy since third graders will be creating games for the fair based on what they have learned about in simple machines. So stop by and see all your hard work and enjoy the fair!

3RD NINE WEEKS
Third grade has been working extremely hard toward preparing for the upcoming TAKS test in March. Students will play "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" to help us prepare for the test. Third graders might not be millionaires at the end of the game, but they are "rich" with knowledge. They will be ready and anxious to take the test. They have learned many strategies in math and reading to help us. We look forward to using all of these techniques on the test.

In Math - Students will continue to work on money and estimation skills.

In Integrated - Third graders are learning lots of new things in integrated. Our unit this period is titled "Systems." They are learning about communities, money and electronics. They will make a hot air balloon out of paper and hang them in our classrooms. They will also learn about conductors and insulators and event get to make our own circuit board. In addition to that, third graders interview a friend or relative regarding a system and make that into a book.

4TH NINE WEEKS
Third graders will have an exciting visit from Mr. Dunlap from the Outdoor Learning Center this nine weeks. He will bring some amazing animals that most of us have only seen on television. Some of the animals we might see include a baby alligator, a skunk, giant roaches, and a yellow python! They will even get to pet these animals. What a treat!

In Math - Students will review all the concepts learned throughout the year and begin preparing for fourth grade!