Meet the Teacher:
My name is Kristine Kolles and I am the 3rd grade teacher here at St. Timothy’s. I currently live in Maple Lake with my husband Myles and our 3 daughters. I graduated from St. Cloud State University in May 2013. As a child, I attended St. Timothy’s school from K-6th grade! I love teaching in the same building that sparked my desire and love for education..
I am proud to be your child’s teacher and am committed to doing everything within my power to make this year successful for all of us. Third Grade is an exciting time for your child and an important part of setting up future success in school. I look forward to getting to know each student and supporting them in learning. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me via email.
(3rd Grade leading the end of the year prayer service)
3rd Grade Notes:
Religion:
Christ Our Life is the religion curriculum used in third grade. The focus is on God Calls Us to Faith. Wanting to help your child with religion at home? Here is the link to the Christ Our Life: Parent/Student Resources for Grade 3.
Math:
McGraw-Hill “My Math” is our math curriculum. It is built around rigorous standards and mathematical practices. It delivers conceptual understanding, procedural skill and fluency, and application to real word problems.
Reading:
We use the Houghton Mifflin reading program which stresses genre, vocabulary, and comprehension. Our reading block begins with a whole group focus lesson followed by a round of Daily 5 (Daily 5 is a way of structuring the reading block so every student is working independently in meaningful literacy tasks). This allows me to work with small groups or one on one with students to work on reading and writing strategies that will address their individual needs. Writing units such as a personal narrative, letter writing, research paper, and instructions are integrated throughout the year. The largest writing project is a typed research report, using multiple sources, on a culture.
Spelling:
The spelling program consists of 36 weekly units. There is a pretest on Monday and test on Friday. Each unit highlights a pattern or phonetic theme. Students also become familiar with proofreading as well as using a dictionary and thesaurus.
Social Studies:
We use the TCI (Teacher Curriculum Institute) social studies curriculum. It adds an interactive and engaging approach to teaching social studies. Later this year, students complete a culture research report using multiple sources.
Science:
Using the Scott Foresman curriculum, we study Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science and Engineering Technology. A highlight for students is watching a mealworm as it goes through its life cycle and develops into a darkling beetle.
