3rd Grade: The BIG Beast!

Everyone knows that entering kindergarten, middle school, and high school are major milestones in a scholar's life. But there is one transition that occurs that people rarely talk about. The one transition that parents freak out over. The transition level from 2nd to 3rd grade is a major transition and nobody is talking about it.

I have been teaching 3rd grade for 3 years now and many of my parents express how they were not prepared for this BIG transition. Scholars are being introduced to standardized testing, there is an increase in responsibilities and their social development is shifting. Third grade is deemed the "beast" of all grades. Let's take a look at what's really going on!

Parents are getting a glimpse of the young adult their scholar is becoming. Scholars at this time, want to learn what it means to be independent but don't want to be too far from mommy and daddy. Social media and their peers, become a BIG influence in the choices that they make when it comes to the types of clothes they want to wear, the kind of music they listen to and also the kind of extracurricular activities they want to get involved in.

Let's put this into perspective and look at this through a closer lens. Scholars are experiencing a newness and parents are not clear of what this newness is. So, I have summed it up for us. 

Challenging & Complex 

The level of work becomes challenging and complex, as students are beginning to prepare for standardized testing. The reading passages become tougher and the writing becomes longer. Students are now "reading to learn" instead of "learning how to read". Scholars are expected to use multiple reading strategies to navigate through difficult texts and synthesize information learned to answer a prompt of some sort. They are "writing to communicate" instead of "learning to write". Assignments now are requiring your scholar to be proficient. 

Sense of Independence & Being Responsible 

Scholars are learning how to take ownership of their learning by being responsible and paying attention to details. The way scholars work, has shifted from teacher led to student led. Scholars are expected to use strategies learned in class more independently to make meaning of their own learning. There is the pressure of doing well and meeting high expectations. Because of this, many scholars become caught up in wanting to become perfectionists. Some begin to believe that everything they do is a measurement of their level of success. Scholars learn how to overcome a hurdle that if they fall behind it takes a lot more work to catch up. Scholars are beginning to learn consequences from their lack of effort. 

Parents ask me all the time how can they help their scholar with this BIG transition. There are many ways parents can help their scholar counteract the frustration of 3rd grade and bring a balance at home and at school. The one thing that I stress to all my parents is to not be the problem solver but to help their scholar find solutions to help navigate through 3rd grade. Here are some tips that I have shared with my parents over the years. 

• Offer your scholar words of encouragement & praise their efforts
• Remind your scholar that standardized test scores & grades do not  measure their level of future success but are tools to aid in ensuring that he/she is understanding what is being taught. These are used to measure their readiness for the next grade.
• Explain to your scholar that struggles are part of the learning process. Teachers are pushing your scholar's potentials so they can rise up and meet the high expectations. It is a way to pave the road for harder transitions. 
• Find books your scholar likes to read. This is a great time to introduce great reading series like "I Survive" or "Magic Treehouse". Encourage your scholar to read a variety of books. This will help in building background knowledge and see the world through different lenses.  "Easy" books still bring value. As long as he/she is reading,  that is all that matters. 
• Keeping a journal at home to document new & exciting things going on their lives is good too. This is a great way of practicing to write to communicate and build your scholar's writing stamina. 

Rest assure, the roller coaster of emotions & the honeymoon period doesn't last forever and wears off around December. The biggest way to be at ease with this transition, is to stay in constant communication with your scholar's teachers. By doing so, you send the message to your scholar that you and the teacher are working together to help them be successful. 

Continue to encourage your scholar to do their best work and strive for excellence.