3rd Grade is a transition year where students begin to become more independent. 
Ask any 3rd Grader at Carlthorp the question, “What is your motto?” and the 3rd Grader will likely declare, “Always be yourself. Unless you can be a pirate. Then always be a pirate!”

Morning Meeting activities continue to follow the responsive classroom model, building and strengthening the classroom community. One uniquely 3rd Grade example of this is the coveted "Pirate of the Week" recognition. All the students are given the opportunity to share with their peers what makes them special, and the class, in turn, celebrates each classmate’s individuality.
After three years of gentle public speaking preparation, 3rd Graders are ready for Current Events! Finding topical articles online, in the newspaper, or in children’s news magazines, the students learn to digest information and present it in their own words in front of the class. By the end of the year, students are able to speak confidently and clearly, maintain eye contact and present material in an easy, natural way.
Small-group study in math and reading helps to prepare the students for the upcoming challenges of 4th, 5th and 6th Grades. Writing Workshop focuses on personal narratives, information writing and fairy tales, and students combine their writing and public speaking skills through persuasive speeches that are presented to families.

Field Trips

Field trips are also carefully chosen to tie into the curriculum with the visit to the La Brea Tar Pits, Upward Bound House relating directly to social issues in reading, the California Science Center visit tying into the science curriculum, and a visit to the Autry Museum of the American West bringing to life Native American studies.

Meet the Team

List of 4 items.

  • Jacqueline Corsini

    Jacqueline graduated from Boston College with dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Elementary Education and English Literature in 2008. She began her career as an English Language Learner specialist in the Boston Public Schools, working with students from a variety of native languages across the elementary grade levels. She then lived in London for six years, during which time she obtained her Master’s Degree in Educational Leadership and School Improvement at Cambridge University, and taught 4th Grade at TASIS England. This fall will be her tenth year in the classroom, and her fourth at Carlthorp School. In her free time, Jacqueline enjoys chasing after her two children, and eating chocolate chip cookies.

  • Lisa George

    Lisa graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a double major in Liberal Studies and Dance. She was on both the swimming and the water polo teams there. Lisa has a Master’s in Educational Psychology from California State University Northridge. She began her teaching career in the 2nd Grade classroom at Pinecrest, Chatsworth, where she had also attended middle school.  Lisa joined the Carlthorp School faculty in 1998. Since then she has taught 1st and 2nd Grades, as well as reading to 4th, 5th, and 6th Grades. Currently she enjoys playing tennis, running, reading, volunteering, raising her two children and caring for numerous pets.

  • Russel Tilly

    Mr. Russel Tilly is excited to be joining the 3rd grade team at Carlthorp School. Originally from Buckinghamshire, England, he studied art and design for two years before discovering his passion for teaching. At the University of Hertforshire, he earned a Bachelor in Education with an emphasis in both Art and Design and English Literature. Among his previous positions, Russel taught students in kindergarten through 5th grade in culturally diverse communities in and around London. Pursuing his love of different cultures, he also held teaching positions in Shanghai and Bangkok. In Manhattan, Russel taught 4th grade at a Montessori-inspired school. His love of challenges inspired him to try great white shark cage diving and bungee jumping. However, these days he loves to spend time with his energetic three-year-old son, Beckett. In addition, Russel enjoys photography, drawing, painting, reading novels, visiting art galleries, playing tennis, listening to live music, and hiking.

  • Elizabeth Worrell

    Elizabeth grew up in Wisconsin and attended Concordia University in Chicago, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education.  She continued at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, where she completed a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Literary Studies. Throughout her graduate program, she focused mainly on identifying and overcoming the social constructs that may cause boys to develop early and negative attitudes towards reading. Elizabeth has acquired a broad range of teaching experience in both elementary and middle schools. Her first assignment was in suburban Chicago teaching 2nd Grade.  After moving to California, she spent eight years teaching 7th Grade and 8th Grade students at Venice Lutheran, an independent school just down the road from Carlthorp. While there, Elizabeth started an astronomy partnership with a local university, helped rethink the school’s reading curriculum, directed and co-directed numerous theatrical productions and incorporated many forms of educational technology into her classroom. In her free time Elizabeth is an avid reader who is always on the lookout for high interest books to add to the 3rd grade library.
Established in 1939, Carlthorp School is the oldest independent coeducational day school for grades K-6 located in Santa Monica, California.