Class 3: Mrs. Mandy Howard
(2023/2024)
Live Zooms in Pacific Time
Family Testimonial
We just love everything about Seasons of Seven Virtual School. It has afforded us the freedom to be flexible so that we can flow more easily with our lives together as a family. We are blessed to be part of this wonderful school! ~ The McNally Family
Class Description
The year of Class Three is a remarkable time and I feel honored to be your teacher as we embark on this new school journey together.
The curriculum of the Class Three school year meets the children in their natural curiosity and their transforming capacities for discovery, thinking, judgment, practical work, and independent and collaborative learning. Children’s emergence of questioning the origins of things is met in a variety of ways that strive to engage their heart, hands, and head.
The school year’s journey is deeply immersed in the experiences of living on our beautiful Earth. Weeks are woven together with practical experiences as children learn to embrace the use of tools, measuring, building, food growing, baking, sewing, helping those around them, and so on.
Language Arts curriculum engages students in introductions to grammar, basics of writing, and continued encouragement towards confidence in independent reading. Ancient Hebrew stories of the Old Testament meet the children’s inner experiences while the meaningful explorations of practical work related to building, clothing, gardening, and cooking allow the children to build confidence and trust their own capacities. During Math Main Lesson Blocks, Children continue to work with the four arithmetic math operations using large numbers while learning to measure distance, capacity, weight, volume, money, and time; and practically applying their skills through various learning activities.
The curriculum of the third-grade year, carried on the streams of stories, poems, artistic work, and hands-on experiences, leads the child toward an inner experience and a budding understanding of the human being’s potential for skillful creativity, experiences of the beauty of living on Earth, joyous explorations, and courage and determination in learning and work.
Main Themes of Grade 3
Language Arts: Intro grammar, Letter writing, The Hebrew year, Reading Practice
Mathematics: Extended skills with the use of four operations, Measurement, Carrying/Borrowing, Prime Numbers, Time & Money, introduction to vertical orientation when practicing multiplication
Social Studies: Farming, Gardening, Shelters, Understanding occupations
And More: Form Drawing, Handwriting (cursive), Painting, Modeling, Drawing, Music, Handwork, Practical Work
Work Samples:
Sample Video from Mrs. Mandy Howard:
Enrichment is incorporated in your full class experience!
Meet your Four Fold Enrichment teachers!
Handwork With Ms. Maggie
During the 3rd grade year as the child begins the nine-year change, crochet is introduced to build dexterity in the dominant hand. Students will learn about wool, where it comes from, how to wash and card a fleece, how to dye wool with natural plant dyes and how to wind the wool. Basic crochet stitches will then be introduced as the children learn to crochet practical items such as a mug mat and a belt made with braided crochet cords. They will also learn how to give a crocheted item shape by blocking it. Crocheting in the round and changing colors will be taught as the children choose two colors, one dark and one light, to crochet a striped pattern that moves from dark at the bottom to light at the opening of the top of a crochet felted water bottle carrier.
Eurythmy Inspired Movement With Ms. Tiffany
The theme of the third grade is "Inner Life Expressed Outwardly." We will follow this theme with specific spatial movements and arm gestures. We will learn letter gestures as the secret code they are! Our basic form walking will begin to change and transform. We also work with rhythm, beat, and the awareness of rise and fall of pitch. Copper rod exercises consist of basic principles learned in previous years, as well as, intermediate rod exercises.
German with Mr. Dornemann
The aim of the course is to experience the German language, to get used to its sounds, acquire basic vocabulary and speaking skills. It is intended for beginners with no or little previous exposure to the German language.
In the recorded part of the lessons there will be listening and speaking activities, poems, songs, stories and tongue twisters. Students will practice speaking by repeating what the teacher presents. In our live sessions we will engage in speaking and conversation as well as call and response.
The vocabulary covered will include actions, counting, phrases, cultural references and many words describing aspects of everyday life.
Music with Mr. Mark
In Music Class 3 we use singing games, dancing games, sing-alongs and stories to create music together. We explore physically the steady beat, how the beat relates to rhythm, and how beat and rhythm relate to melody in a naturally organic progression. The material we use incorporates the season we're in as well as aspects of the students’ Main Lesson blocks. Emphasis is on creative expression and musical exploration, where everyone participates together in the creation of beautiful music. Music Notation is introduced in a fun, organic way that relates to the Feeling Life of the music rather than the Intellectual. We incporporate Beginning/Intermediate Recorder into our musical explorations (some students may already be playing recorder at this age, and I take that into account as I incorporate complete beginners with those who have some recorder skills, so that we can all progress together).
