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Home > Homeschool > Our Favorite Curriculum (by grade level!) > Third Grade
(Ages 8-
Third Grade Curriculum (Ages 8-
Douglas Talks (Christian Puppet Videos for Kids)
Douglas Talks. We often watch these short episodes of Douglas Talks as part of our Christian devotion time in school, and I have to admit, this is one of the best puppet shows I’ve ever watched! The puppet, Douglas, talks in a way that is so relatable, that you sometimes forget he’s not real – he’s just a puppet!
I’m really thankful for this show, though. It brings up so many great topics for kids, and talks to them about some really deep spiritual truths in a way that kids can totally understand and relate to. My kids absolutely love watching Douglas. I let them do some coloring while we listen to an episode or two each morning in school. This show has been a huge part of our homeschool mornings!
Answers Bible Curriculum (Answers in Genesis)
Answers Bible Curriculum. We really enjoyed this Bible curriculum . . . We started it when our oldest student was in third grade, and it took us about 2 years to go through it. Just a note, though, we literally ONLY did the video part of the curriculum (watching the video lessons) and did NOT do any of the actual book work. I do, however, own the books, and thought we might wait until our YOUNGEST student is in third grade, and then we would all go through it again together at that point, WITH the book work – that’s the plan, anyway.
The one thing I noticed (and absolutely LOVE) about the books, is that the exact same lesson video can be used by all the grade levels – so all the students (regardless of grade level) are moving together in this curriculum, all watching the same video together, and then they each have a different worksheet they can do, based on their grade level, which is great.
Officially this program is geared towards kindergarten through 5th grade students, but quite honestly, I think the actual videos strike me as being the most ideal for 3rd through 6th grade.
Language Fundamentals Grade 3 (Evan-
Language Fundamentals Grade 3. You’ll notice I’ve changed which curriculum I use
for reading/language again. This is because I really do like this Evan-
Alternatively, the Abeka Phonics and Language 2 book is also really excellent. I just don’t like how thick of a book it is, and the fact that it has so much repetition that the child doesn’t feel like they are progressing very quickly. But if you’re looking for a book that’s full color, with fun pictures, and fun activities, that might be a better fit. Just remember that Abeka tends to be a grade ahead in what they teach, so a grade 2 workbook is actually teaching grade 3 content.
Building Spelling Skills Grade 3 (Evan-
Building Spelling Skills Grade 3. Up until now we haven’t included spelling as a
subject in school, but I like to start introducing spelling at grade 3, and while
we have tried multiple spelling curriculums, Evan-
Of course, if you’re looking for a spelling curriculum that’s a little more “pretty”
and colorful, I can also recommend the Abeka Spelling and Poetry book for grade 3.
We’ve used that one before and it was also really excellent, I just found the kids
were able to work a lot more independently (needing less instruction from the teacher)
with the Evan-
Abeka Third Grade Arithmetic Workbook
Abeka Third Grade Arithmetic Workbook. By third grade we are completely done with Mathseeds, and completely done with the online Reading Eggs & Mathseeds Program.
In third grade I like to try to transition my kids to using the Abeka math books, since, of all the math books I have tried over the years, this one seems to be the best for really preparing the kids for higher levels of education.
Most of my kids do really well with Abeka math, but I should mention that the company, Abeka, does tend to introduce concepts a little earlier than some children are ready for, and tends to be a little too hard, then, for some students.
That being the case, I also have to recommend this other math curriculum that is also really excellent; it’s what I use with any of my students that seem to be struggling with the Abeka math curriculum (see below!) . . . .
Of course, I also had one child who was rather “brainy” when it came to math, so for him we actually jumped ahead and just gave him the Abeka Arithmetic 4 right away in 3rd grade. The Abeka curriculum is very repetitive and is a very thick book, so I figured if he started it in 3rd grade, it would challenge him enough that he wouldn’t be bored in math class, but he could also work at his own pace, and if it took him 2 years to complete the book, that wouldn’t be a problem at all, since it would land him exactly where he was supposed to be.
Catch-
Catch-
Handwriting Practice Book (Hippidoo)
Handwriting Practice Book. Most of my kids start this handwriting book in second grade, but they work at their own pace, so even though they start this book in second grade, they usually continue to use it in third grade as well. Then, at whatever point they complete all the pages in this book, I give them the next book from the same series: Hippidoo Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Kids.
Geography Kids Website. This is actually my website. I’ve been creating our own geography curriculum, of sorts, as we virtually travel the world and learn about many different countries and cultures.