General Characteristics of South Cedar’s Third Grade Class

This third grade class consists of 25 students between the ages of 8 and 10.  Out of those 25 students, only 10 are girls and 15 are boys.  Even that slight unbalance of 5 students drastically changes the atmosphere of the classroom.  The ratio of boys to girls, as well as the personalities and behaviors of the specific students, gives the classroom a talkative, active, somewhat aggressive atmosphere.  The vast majority of the students, both boys and girls, are already very interested and involved in athletics.  Sometimes the sport mindset invades the classroom through cheering and trash talk, directly influencing the most effective type of classroom management for this group.   

The racial demographics of the class include 3 Hispanic students, 2 Black students, 17 Caucasian students, 1 Asian student, and 2 multiracial students.  This breakdown makes sense considering the racial demographics of the school as a whole:  1 American Indian, 8 Asians, 26 Black students, 340 Caucasians, 29 Hispanic students, and 31 multiracial students. 

These students are primarily middle class, but there are still a significant number of students living in nontraditional settings and receiving free or reduced meals (specifically 27% of the school, regarding the meals).  Most students are able to focus on school and have academically supportive families, however a few students sometimes complain of being tired because they stayed up way too late because there was no one to tell them to go to bed.  Same goes for those few students and their homework – not always completing it because no adult checks in about schoolwork or because their home life is so distracting.

Regardless of their fixed characteristics, as a group these students are engaged and involved in classroom activities.  Yes, sometimes they are more interested in chatting with friends then math, but they are quick to back on task with a reminder.  Three students have a harder time than the rest attending to the task at hand due to medical and behavioral conditions, so they need reminders more often.  Students are respectful and trusting of authority figures.

As I mentioned above, this class loves sports.  A great way to keep them engaged is to tie the lesson to a sport or athletic team.  They also love reading.  Every single student says they like to read.  They do not all like to read every book, but when they are allowed to choose their own text, their excitement and interest is nearly tangible.  The students are also really interested by their local and school community.  The values of their district have been engrained in them, so they are always able and happy to talk about their school and nearby places.  Go Wildcats!