What Your Third Grader Needs to Know (Revised Edition)

by HIRSCH, E.D. JR

• ISBN13: 9780385336260
• ISBN10: 0385336268
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-05-28
• Publisher: Delta

Summary

Give your child a smart start with the revised and updatedWhat Your Third Grader Needs to Know What should your child learn in the third grade? How can you help him or her at home? This book answers these important questions and more, offering the specific shared knowledge that thousands of parents and teachers across the nation have agreed upon for American third graders. Featuring 16 pages of full-color illustrations, a bolder, easier-to-follow format, and a thoroughly updated curriculum,What Your Third Grader Needs to Know, Revised Editionis designed for parents and teachers to enjoy with children. Hundreds of thousands of children have benefited from theCore Knowledge Series. This revised edition gives a new generation of third graders the advantage they need to make progress in school today, and to establish an approach to learning that will last a lifetime. Discover: Favorite Poems, old and new, from the traditional Mother Goose rhyme"For Want of Nail"to Lewis Carroll's whimsical poem"The Crocodile" Literature from around the world, including Native American stories, African folktales, European fairy tales, classic myths from ancient Greece, stories from ancient Rome, and more Learning About Language--the basics of written English, including sentence structure, parts of speech, and a first look at writing a report or letter World and American History and Geography--journey down the great rivers of Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia, visit ancient Rome, and experience the earliest days of America with the Pilgrims and Native Americans Visual Arts--an introduction to masterworks by Rembrandt, Henri Matisse, Mary Cassatt, and others, with full-color reproductions and fun, do-it-yourself activities Music--the basics of appreciating, reading, and making music, plus great composers, instruments, and sing-along lyrics for songs such as"A Bicycle Built for Two"and"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" Math--stimulating lessons ranging from counting money to solving division problems, numbers through 100,000, graphs, and the metric system Science--fascinating discussions on the natural world, the cycles of life, the human body and its systems, pollution, and the environment---with accompanying activities and stories about famous scientists such as Copernicus and Alexander Graham Bell.

Author Biography

E. D. Hirsch, Jr., is a professor of English at the University of Virginia

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	vii
Introduction to the Revised Edition	xxi
General Introduction to the Core Knowledge Series	xxiii
I. Language and Literature
Reading Writing and Your Third Grader	3	(2)
Suggested Resources	4	(1)
Literature	5	(1)
Introduction	5	(1)
Suggested Resources	5	(1)
Poetry	6	(38)
Adventures of Isabel	6	(2)
By Myself	8	(1)
Catch a Little Rhyme	8	(1)
Dream Variations	9	(1)
Knoxville, Tennessee	9	(1)
The Crocodile	10	(1)
Trees	11	(1)
For Want of a Nail	11	(1)
Jimmy Jet and His TV Set	12	(1)
First Thanksgiving of All	13	(1)
Eletelephony	14	(1)
Father William	14	(2)
Stories
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland	16	(5)
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp	21	(4)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves	25	(4)
The Hunting of the Great gear	29	(3)
Gone Is Gone	32	(2)
The Little Match Girl	34	(2)
The People Could Fly	36	(2)
Three Words of Wisdom	38	(1)
William Tell	39	(2)
The River Bank	41	(3)
Mythology	44	(14)
Gods, Heroes, and Tricksters from Scandinavia	44	(3)
Norse Gods and Goddesses	44	(1)
The World Tree and the End of the World	45	(1)
Loki and the Gifts for the Gods	45	(2)
Myths from Ancient Greece and Rome	47	(11)
Jason and the Golden Fleece	47	(2)
Perseus and Medusa	49	(2)
Cupid and Psyche	51	(2)
The Sword of Damocles	53	(1)
Damon and Pythias	53	(2)
Androcles and the Lion	55	(1)
Horatius at the Bridge	56	(2)
Learning About Literature	58	(1)
Biography and Autobiography	58	(1)
Fiction and Nonfiction	58	(1)
Sayings and Phrases	59	(4)
Actions speak louder than words	59	(1)
His bark is worse than his bite	59	(1)
Beat around the bush	59	(1)
Beggars can't be choosers	60	(1)
Clean bill of health	60	(1)
Cold shoulder	60	(1)
A feather in your cap	60	(1)
Last straw	61	(1)
Let bygones be bygones	61	(1)
One rotten apple spoils the whole barrel	61	(1)
On its last legs	61	(1)
Rule the roost	62	(1)
The show must go on	62	(1)
Touch and go	62	(1)
When in Rome, do as the Romans do	62	(1)
Learning About Language	63	(15)
Let's Write a Report	63	(2)
Let's Write a Letter	65	(1)
What's a Sentence?	65	(2)
What Kind of Sentence Is It?	67	(1)
Parts of Speech	67	(3)
Nouns	68	(1)
Adjectives	68	(1)
Verbs	68	(1)
Adverbs	69	(1)
Pronouns	69	(1)
More About Verbs	70	(1)
Let's Punctuate!	70	(1)
Just Say No Once	71	(1)
Prefixes and Suffixes	72	(1)
They Sound Alike, but They're Different	73	(1)
Shorten Up with Abbreviations	74	(3)
II. Geography and History
Introduction	77	(1)
Suggested Resources	77	(1)
World Geography	78	(10)
Look at the Legend	79	(1)
Great Rivers of the World	79	(9)
Rivers of Asia	81	(2)
Rivers of Africa	83	(1)
Rivers of Europe	84	(1)
Rivers of Australia	84	(1)
Rivers of South America	85	(1)
Rivers of North America	86	(2)
World History	88	(32)
Ancient Rome	88	(26)
The Legend of How Rome Began	89	(1)
Religion, Roman Style	90	(1)
Rome's Powerful Location	91	(1)
Rome's Early Republic	91	(1)
Who's Got Class?	92	(1)
Rome and Its Provinces	92	(1)
Latin Lives!	93	(1)
Conquering Carthage	93	(2)
Hannibal Keeps His Promise	95	(1)
The Final De feat of Carthage	96	(1)
All Roads Lead to Rome	96	(1)
Julius Caesar Shows the Pirates Who's Boss	97	(1)
Pompey, Caesar's Rival	98	(1)
Crossing the Rubicon	98	(1)
Caesar Meets Cleopatra	99	(1)
Pride Comes Before a Fall	100	(1)
All for Love-and Power	100	(1)
Octavian Becomes Augustus Caesar	101	(1)
Pax Romana	102	(1)
Downtown in the Roman Empire	103	(1)
Where's the Spaghetti?	104	(1)
Roman Sports: Play at Your Own Risk	105	(1)
Let's Go to the Races!	106	(1)
Pompeii: A City Frozen in Time	107	(2)
A Long Line of Emperors	109	(1)
Nero: Not a Hero	109	(1)
Christians During the Days of Ancient Rome	110	(1)
The Beginning of the End for the Empire	111	(1)
Constantine Sees a Burning Cross	111	(1)
Constantinople: A City Full of Art	112	(1)
The Fall of the Roman Empire	112	(2)
Justinian's Code: A Gift from the Byzantine Empire	114	(1)
The vikings: Raiders and Traders from the North	114	(6)
The Long, Dark Winter Night	114	(2)
Who Were the Vikings?	116	(1)
Good Guys or Bad Guys?	116	(1)
Men of the Sea	117	(1)
Eric the Red	118	(1)
Leif the Lucky	118	(2)
American History	120	(10)
Crossing the Land Bridge	120	(1)
The Inuits	120	(2)
The Mound Builders	122	(1)
Cliff Dwellers; The Anasazi	123	(1)
The Pueblo People	123	(1)
The Apaches and the Navajos	124	(2)
Eastern Woodland Peoples	126	(1)
A Day with Little Thunder	126	(4)
Early Morning	127	(1)
The Day's Work	127	(2)
Let the Games Begin	129	(1)
The Chief Sachem Speaks	129	(1)
Early Explorers in North America	130	(10)
A ``New World'' for Europeans	130	(1)
A Fountain of Youth?	131	(1)
De Soto's Cruel Quest	132	(1)
The First Lasting European Settlement	133	(1)
In Search of the Cities of Gold	134	(1)
Spanish Missions	135	(1)
Up North	136	(1)
Seeking a Northwest Passage	136	(1)
The Sad Story of Henry Hudson	137	(2)
Fur Trade in New France	139	(1)
English Colonies in North America	140	(44)
Thirteen Colonies	140	(2)
Jamestown: Dreaming Big	142	(1)
Smith Lays Down the Law	142	(2)
The Powhatans and the English	144	(1)
The Starving Time	145	(1)
A Cash Crop	146	(1)
Ladies and Laws	146	(1)
The Arrival of the Africans	146	(1)
The Pilgrims at Plymouth	147	(1)
The Mayflower Compact	148	(1)
A ``Wild and Savage'' Land	149	(1)
The Pilgrims and the Wampanoags	149	(1)
Peace and Plenty: Thanksgiving	150	(1)
Massachusetts Bay: The Puritans	151	(1)
People of the Book	152	(1)
Roger Williams and Rhode Island	152	(1)
Anne Hutchinson	153	(1)
One People's Prosperity, Another's Peril	154	(1)
Refuge for Other Religions: Maryland and Pennsylvania	155	(1)
A Refuge for Catholics	156	(1)
New Netherland	157	(1)
Charles's Carolina	158	(1)
A Debtor's Tale	159	(1)
The Slave Trade	159	(4)
III. Visual Arts
Introduction	163	(1)
Suggested Resources	163	(1)
Caught in the Light	164	(1)
Out of the Shadows	165	(1)
A Wall Filled with Light	166	(1)
Filling a Space	167	(3)
Speaking of Space	170	(1)
Design	170	(1)
Using Line to Design	171	(1)
Lines, Shapes, and Colors Move	172	(2)
Drawing with Scissors	174	(1)
A Very Formal Room	174	(1)
Picturing an Idea	175	(1)
Can You Feel It?	176	(1)
A Quilt That Tells a Story	177	(1)
Over and Under with Wool and Thread	178	(1)
A Painting Made Without Brushes or Paint	179	(4)
IV. Music
Introduction	183	(1)
Suggested Resources	183	(1)
Elements of Music	184	(11)
Reading and Writing Musical Notes	184	(2)
Reading and Writing Rhythm	186	(2)
Keeping Time	188	(1)
Rests	189	(1)
Loud and Soft	189	(1)
Let's Join the Orchestra	190	(5)
Percussion and Strings	190	(1)
The Brass Family	191	(2)
The Woodwind Family	193	(1)
All Together Now	194	(1)
Composers and Their Music	195	(5)
Musical Connections	195	(1)
Tchaikovsky: Music That Brings Strong Feeling	195	(3)
The Story of Swan Lake	196	(2)
John Philip Sousa: The March King	198	(1)
Aaron Copland: Making American Music	199	(1)
Some Songs for Third Graders	200	(12)
Alouette	200	(1)
Hey-Ho, Nobody Home	200	(1)
Li'l Liza Jane	201	(1)
Down in the Valley	202	(1)
Polly Wolly Doodle	203	(1)
Simple Gifts	203	(1)
This Little Light	204	(1)
He's Got the Whole World in His Hands	204	(1)
My Bonnie	205	(1)
The Sidewalks of New York	205	(1)
The Man on the Flying Trapeze	206	(1)
In the Good Old Summertime	206	(1)
A Bicycle Built for Two	207	(1)
You're a Grand Old Flag	208	(1)
America	208	(3)
V. Mathematics
Introduction	211	(1)
Suggested Resources	211	(1)
Multiplication-Part One	212	(5)
Multiplication Words	212	(1)
Multiplying Vertically	212	(1)
Showing Multiplication	212	(2)
The Multiplication Table	214	(1)
Square Numbers and Square Roots	215	(1)
Parentheses, Multiplying Three Numbers	216	(1)
Division-Part One	217	(10)
Operations	217	(1)
An Example of Division	217	(1)
Solving Division Problems	218	(1)
Division Words	219	(1)
Division Facts	219	(2)
Division Rules for 0 and 1	221	(1)
Division Word Problems	222	(2)
Picturing Multiplication and Division Facts	224	(1)
Picturing Multiplication and Division Facts with Blank Spaces	224	(1)
Division and Fractions	225	(2)
Numbers Through Hundred Thousands	227	(6)
Thousands	227	(1)
Reading and Writing Four-Digit Numbers	228	(1)
Ten Thousands and Hundred Thousands	229	(1)
Expanded Form	230	(1)
Counting with Thousands	230	(1)
Skip-Counting with Thousands	231	(1)
Rounding Numbers	231	(1)
Comparing and Ordering Thousands	232	(1)
Working with Numbers	233	(2)
Equations and Inequalities	233	(1)
Ordinal Numbers Through One-Hundredth	233	(1)
Using Number Lines	234	(1)
Addition and Subtraction	235	(5)
Column Addition	235	(1)
Mental Addition	236	(1)
More Mental Addition Techniques	236	(1)
Estimating Sums and Differences	237	(1)
More Than One Operation	238	(1)
Mental Subtraction	239	(1)
Sums and Differences of Four-Digit Numbers	240	(5)
Adding with Thousands	240	(2)
Subtraction: Regrouping More Than Once	242	(1)
Subtracting Across Zeros	242	(1)
Four-Digit Subtraction	243	(1)
Adding and Subtracting Amounts of Money	244	(1)
Mental Addition and Subtraction	244	(1)
Time, Money, and Graphs	245	(8)
Time to the Minute	245	(1)
Elapsed Time in Minutes	246	(1)
Working with the Calendar	247	(1)
Writing Dates	248	(1)
Money	249	(2)
Reading and Writing Graphs	251	(2)
Geometry	253	(8)
Polygons	253	(2)
Angles	255	(1)
Congruent and Symmetric Figures	256	(1)
Perimeter	257	(1)
Area	258	(1)
Solids	259	(2)
Measurement	261	(8)
The U.S. Customary System and the Metric System	261	(2)
Measurement Word Problems	263	(1)
Measure and Draw Line Segments	264	(1)
Estimating Linear Measurements	265	(1)
Measuring Weight	266	(1)
Measuring Volume	267	(1)
Measuring Temperature	268	(1)
Multiplication-Part Two	269	(6)
Multiplying Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands	269	(1)
A Way to Multiply	269	(2)
The Short Way to Multiply	271	(1)
Multiplying Three-Digit and Your Digit Numbers	271	(2)
Checking Multiplication	273	(1)
Another Way to Write Expanded Form	274	(1)
Solving Word Problems Using Multiplication	274	(1)
Division-Part Two	275	(5)
Remainders	275	(1)
Dividing Tens, Hundreds, and Thousands	276	(1)
Two-Digit Quotients	276	(2)
Checking Division	278	(1)
Dividing Three-Digit Numbers	278	(2)
Roman Numerals	280	(1)
Fractions	281	(11)
Numerator and Denominator	281	(1)
Recognizing Fractions from 1/2 to 1/10	282	(1)
Equivalent Fractions	282	(1)
Comparing Fractions	283	(1)
Mixed Numbers and Whole Numbers	283	(1)
Decimals: Tenths	284	(1)
Decimals and Hundredths	284	(1)
Multiplying and Dividing Amounts of Money	285	(1)
Word Problems	286	(5)
A Two Step Word Problem	286	(1)
An Estimation Problem	287	(1)
A Problem Where You Need to Guess	287	(4)
VI. Science
Introduction	291	(1)
Suggested Resources	291	(1)
Classifying Animals	292	(5)
What Do They Have in Common?	292	(1)
Does It Have a Backbone?	293	(1)
Classifying the Vertebrates	293	(4)
Fish	294	(1)
Amphibians	295	(1)
Reptiles	295	(1)
Birds	295	(1)
Mammals	296	(1)
The Human Body: The Skeletal and Muscular Systems	297	(7)
Muscle and Bone	297	(1)
Bones and Connections	297	(4)
The Skull	299	(1)
The Spinal Column	299	(1)
The Ribs	299	(1)
The Scapula	299	(1)
The Pelvis	300	(1)
Will You Sign My Cast?	301	(1)
Many Muscles	301	(2)
Voluntary and Involuntary Muscles	303	(1)
Connecting Muscles and Bones	303	(1)
The Human Body: The Brain and Nervous System	304	(3)
Your Powerful Brain	304	(1)
You've Got Nerves	305	(1)
Reflex Responses	306	(1)
Light and Vision	307	(8)
Fast and Straight	307	(1)
Mirrors Flat and Curved	307	(2)
Lenses	309	(1)
What Color Is Light?	310	(1)
How Your Eyes See	311	(4)
Sound and Hearing	315	(5)
Good Vibrations	315	(1)
What Does Sound Travel Through?	315	(1)
The Speed of Sound	316	(1)
Loud and Quiet	317	(1)
High and Low	317	(1)
How the Ear Works	318	(2)
Astronomy	320	(19)
The Universe: Big and Getting Bigger!	320	(1)
How Do We Learn About Outer Space?	321	(1)
Our Solar System	322	(2)
Planets in Motion: Orbit and Rotation	324	(2)
Earth's Satellite: The Moon	326	(2)
The Force of Gravity	328	(2)
When Day Becomes Night: A Solar Eclipse	330	(1)
The Inner Planets	331	(2)
Mercury	331	(1)
Venus	331	(1)
Earth	332	(1)
Mars	333	(1)
The Asteroid Belt	333	(1)
The Outer Planets	334	(2)
Jupiter	334	(1)
Saturn	335	(1)
Uranus	335	(1)
Neptune	335	(1)
Pluto	336	(1)
Dirty Snowballs and Shooting Stars	336	(1)
Constellations: Shapes in the Stars	337	(1)
The Space Shuttle	338	(1)
Ecology	339	(6)
The Natural World	339	(1)
Living Things Depend on Each Other	339	(1)
How Natural Cycles Work	340	(1)
Depending on Each Other	341	(1)
A Web of Living Things	342	(1)
Hold Your Breath!	343	(1)
Should You Drink the Water?	343	(1)
Conservation and Recycling	344	(1)
The Lives of Famous Scientists	345	(6)
Nicolaus Copernicus	345	(1)
John Muir	346	(1)
Alexander Graham Bell	347	(1)
Women on the Final Frontier	348	(3)
Illustration and Photo Credits	351	(2)
Text Credits and Sources	353	(2)
Index	355

Excerpts

Reading, Writing, and Your Third Grader

The best way to nurture your child's reading and writing abilities is to provide rich literary experiences and find frequent and varied opportunities to work and play with language.

By the end of second grade, children have developed a reading vocabulary of familiar words and can decode the letter-sound patterns of many unfamiliar one- and two- syllable words. During third grade, as they increase their knowledge about words (including the concepts of syllables, prefixes, and suffixes), they put that knowledge to work, decoding unfamiliar multisyllabic words. If a child has not mastered the skill of decoding simple words, that practice should continue.

By third grade, the mental process of turning letters into sounds should be nearly automatic. This year, children focus more on meaning as they read. Their reading vocabulary expands tremendously, as does their ability to read longer and more complex literature. They read for information and begin to use nonfiction reference books like children's dictionaries and encyclopedias. They learn the distinction between fiction and nonfiction, and they read and enjoy longer and more complicated "chapter books."

In third grade, children continue to learn about language as they write it: identifying parts of speech, properly using punctuation, and recognizing sentence types. They begin to shape their own writing, understanding how paragraphs relate in a larger whole and exerting more control over vocabulary and structure.

Parents can do many things to help their children reach these new levels of understanding language:

Read aloud to your child. While third graders are beginning to read on their own, they also still enjoy listening. Continue reading aloud, both fiction and nonfiction, even as your child becomes an independent reader.

Have your child read aloud to you.

Visit the library with your child.

Encourage your child to write letters or keep a journal.

Play word games with your child. Scrabble, Hangman, Boggle, and other popular games that involve spelling, word recognition, and vocabulary development combine fun with language facility.

Find language wherever you go. Use road signs, advertising, magazines--the written word all around you--to keep your child thinking and talking about language.

Support your child's interests through reading. When your child shows an interest in something special-insects or baseball, Davy Crockett or ballet-go together to the library to find more to read on that subject.

The more a child reads and writes, the more fluent in language that child becomes. By using these strategies, you communicate the enjoyment of reading and writing and you help build the foundation for learning that will last a lifetime.

Suggested Resources

The American Heritage First Dictionary (Houghton Mifflin). Simple words, clear definitions, and ample visuals provide a helpful introduction to how a dictionary works.

E. D. Hirsch, Jr., A First Dictionary of Cultural Literacy (Houghton Mifflin). Some entries may be difficult for a third grader, but this book can serve as a single-volume encyclopedia of American culture.

Macmillan Dictionary for Children (Simon & Schuster). This dictionary offers 35,000 expanded entries with easy-to-read pronunciations, synonym lists, and color illustrations.

The World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia (World Book Inc.). This multivolume reference is structured like a standard encyclopedia but designed and written so third graders can look things up and read entries easily.

Educators Publishing Service (EPS) is a mail-order company with good teacher-created resources including basic phonics, spelling, vocabulary development, reading comprehension, grammar, and composition skills. Write to EPS, 31 Smith Place, Cambridge, MA 02138-1089, call 800-435-7728, or visit www.epsbooks.com.

Literature

Introduction

This selection of poetry, stories, and myths can be read aloud or, in many cases, read independently by third graders. We hope you'll take it as a starting point in your search for more literature for your child to read and enjoy.

We have included both traditional and modern poetry. Poems can be silly, written for the sheer enjoyment of rhythm and rhyme, or they can be serious. Rhythm and rhyme make poetry the perfect literature for a third grader to memorize.

The stories selected here include classic folktales from many cultures and excerpts from great works of children's literature. Some of them have been chosen as literary links to topics elsewhere in the book. In the case of book-length works, we can provide only short excerpts, hoping that you and your child will read the rest on your own.

This book continues the effort, begun in previous books, to share the wealth of classical mythology. Since third graders learn about ancient Rome, several myths were chosen to convey a sense of Roman history. Likewise we offer some Norse mythology. Parents can coordinate readings about literature and history. Age-old myths also give parents the opportunity to discuss traditional virtues such as friendship, courage, and honesty.

Suggested Resources

For a frequently updated list of recommended children's books thematically linked to the subjects offered in this book and others in the Core Knowledge Series, consult Resources to Build On on the Core Knowledge Foundation Web site, at www.coreknowledge.org.

Favorite Poems Old and New, selected by Helen Ferris (Doubleday). One volume with more than seven hundred poems, including many perennial favorites.

William F. Russell, Classic Myths to Read Aloud (Crown Publishers). This book retells Greek and Roman myths in language with a suitably old-fashioned feel.

Spider, Cricket, and Muse. Colorful magazines, with intelligent material, that give children plenty of good monthly reading experiences with no advertising. Spider, for children aged six to nine, and Cricket, for children aged nine to fourteen, include stories, activities, and puzzles. Muse, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution, offers science articles for children aged eight to fourteen. To subscribe to any of these, write the Cricket Magazine Group, Box 7499, Red Oak, IA 51591, call [phone], or visit www.cricketmag.com.

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Excerpted from What Your Third Grader Needs to Know: Fundamentals of a Good Third-Grade Education
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.