Aichi International School：Grade 3

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Elementary
Grade 3

Grade 3 students follow a 35 period week. Below is a breakdown of how many lessons per subject students study on a weekly basis:

6 . Lessons English
6 . Lessons Japanese
3 . Lessons Math
2 . Lessons Math (Japanese)
3 . Lessons Science
2 . Lessons Science (Japanese)
1 . Lesson Social Studies

2 . Lessons Social Studies (Japanese)
2 . Lessons Interdisciplinary
3 . Lessons PE
1 . Lesson Music
2 . Lessons Art
1 . Lesson Moral Education
1 . Lesson Violin

Lessons Taught in English

This section describes the curriculum for Grade 3. For core subjects students follow the California Department of Education curriculum. Each of these lessons uses Houghton and Mifflin textbooks.

AIS’s curriculum is divided into the following subjects of the curriculum, which are taught in English:

English

English at Grade 3 follows six themes throughout the year. These themes are:

Off To Adventure (focus on poetry)
Celebrating Traditions (focus on trickster tales)
Incredible Stories
Animal Habitats (focus on biography)
Voyagers and Horizons (focus on fairy tales)
Smart Solutions

Assessment in English is ongoing throughout the year, and there is a test at the end of each theme.

Resources: Houghton and Mifflin Reading.

Math

Math in Grade 3 follows a series of themes. Students work through the following themes over the course of the year:

Place Value and Money
Addition and Subtraction
Data and Probability
Multiplication and Division
Measurement and Geometry
Fractions and Decimals

During each month students take a unit test.

Resource: Houghton and Mifflin Math.

Science

In Grade 3 Science is divided into four topics. The topics covered are:

How Living Things Function
Earth and the Environment
Earth and Space
Matter and Energy

Each theme in the Science program is assessed at the end of the unit with a test.

Resources: Houghton and Mifflin Science.

Social Studies

At Grade 3 level the Social Studies program is based a variety of topics aimed to develop students awareness, understanding, knowledge and enquiry of the world. Topics studied are:

Communities
Being an Active Citizen
People’s Culture
Family Origins

Resources: Houghton and Mifflin Social Studies.

Interdisciplinary

Students at Elementary School level have interdisciplinary lessons. These are designed to allow students to self-study, thus allowing them to develop their independence. It is also the chance for students to focus on a subject, which they feel they need to spend more time and focus on.

PE

In Grade 3 PE students identify choices people can make to be more active. Students are to demonstrate safe behaviours, respect, encouragement and leadership when participating in physical activity.

Students demonstrate an ability to balance in a variety of activities, demonstrate proper technique for performing specific movement skills and perform specific movement skills in sequence.

Music

Students develop and understanding and appreciation for music by studying the fundamentals of music; rhythm, tempo, dynamics, and all of its components. Students explore music through various activities such as singing, recorder, violin, percussion, music, games, etc.

Art

Throughout the Elementary School there is a program of skills taught, studied and practiced. Students participate in a range of art activities, which allow children the opportunity to experience different materials, tools, images, etc. The art activities in Grade 3 support much of the cross-curricular work undertaken throughout the year.

Moral Education

Moral Education is the last lesson of the school week. During this time the students are able to review their week, consider their performance and any possible things they would like to change about their week.

Violin

All students participate in a Suzuki-method violin program. Students have one lesson a week.

Lessons Taught in Japanese

In Grade 3 AIS students study the following subjects in Japanese, following the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) curriculum.

Japanese Language

The objectives for Japanese in Grade 3 are:

To enable pupils to acquire the ability to speak logically about what they have studied.
To listen to the focal points of the story and have the ability to conduct discussions in line with the course of discussions.
To develop an attitude of speaking and listening while doing creative work.
To be able to write sentences in paragraph form.
To acquire the ability to read, and be able to grasp the focal points of the content.

Students acquire Japanese through practicing and developing their speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.

Math

The objectives for math in Grade 3 are as follow:

To use addition and subtraction appropriately, to understand the use of multiplication and to understand the meaning of division.
To understand the meaning and representation of decimal numbers and fractions.
For students to understand the units and measurements of length, weight and time.
To understand geometrical figures such as isosceles and equilateral triangles by paying attention to the elements that compose the figures.
For pupils to represent numbers and quantities using words, numbers, algebraic expressions, figures, diagrams, tables and graphs, and to be able to interpret such representations.

Science

The objectives for science in Grade 4 are:

To develop perspectives and ideas about the properties and functions of weight, wind, force of rubber, light and magnets and electricity through investigation.
To develop students understanding and ideas about the relationship between living things and the environment; the relationship between the sun and its effects on conditions on earth, through investigation comparing familiar animals and plants, and sunny and shady spots.

Social Studies

In Grade 3 Social Studies students learn about their local area. They look at the city of Nagoya as a whole, and also study the vicinity around the school. Within this topic students will learn to read a map, develop their understanding of how to use the key of a map, and learn about the different kinds of work that people do in Nagaya.

Students also study about the life and work of a farmer. Also students will consider where they buy food from, and where the food comes from (before it arrives in the supermarket).

The third theme is about accidents and natural disasters. Students will learn about how to contact the fire department, the mechanics of a fire engine, what to do in the case of an accident or crime, and what to do when a natural disaster (particularly an earthquake) occurs.

Homework

Homework is given every night to students. This consists of work from the core subjects of math, science and English.