No longer a school novice, your 3rd grader is ready to enter the
more demanding intermediate grades. Although there is still a
time and need for fun, his brain is ripening just in time for
denser lessons and high-stakes standardized tests. These higher
expectations reflect a monumental milestone, in which your 3rd
grader begins to think systematically. She'll understand the
nature of her brain and how she can maximize her thinking
capabilities. She'll concentrate, prepare, evaluate her
knowledge, and understand that with a little bit of reflection,
the mind is a powerful and purposeful tool. Instead of focusing
simply on completion, a 3rd grader will consider the process.
Teachers won't just ask "who and what," but also the latent
meanings, the "why and how." Third grade is a perfect time to
introduce more complex skills, like cursive writing,
multiplication, division, and analytical reading. Third grade
books will have fewer illustrations, therefore setting up the
expectation that students must look beyond t