Mr. David Quinn
​Teacher

Third Grade

My name is David Quinn, and I am grateful to be part of the St. Ignatius community, where I have been teaching since 2025. I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, and moved to Portland because my wife has lived here her whole life. I have now called Portland home for the past 11 years and truly value being part of such a supportive and vibrant community.
I currently teach Third Grade and bring experience from teaching Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade. I am passionate about creating meaningful learning experiences that connect classroom lessons to the real world. I believe students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and excited to explore new ideas, and I strive to build an inclusive classroom environment where every child is valued and encouraged to grow.
Through hands-on activities, engaging discussions, and strong relationships, my goal is to help students become confident learners, thoughtful thinkers, and kind members of our school community.

Literacy 
In Third Grade, literacy instruction focuses on developing strong, confident readers, writers, speakers, and thinkers. Students continue to build foundational reading skills while also learning how to think deeply about texts, express ideas clearly, and communicate with purpose.
Our reading program emphasizes comprehension strategies such as identifying the main idea, making inferences, analyzing characters, understanding themes, and using evidence from the text to support thinking. Students are exposed to a wide range of genres including fiction, non-fiction, biographies, poetry, and informational texts.
Writing instruction focuses on helping students organize their ideas and write with clarity and detail across multiple genres. Students practice narrative, opinion, and informational writing while strengthening grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and vocabulary. Emphasis is placed on the writing process: planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
We also dedicate time each day to phonics, word study, and vocabulary development to support reading fluency and decoding skills. Through guided reading, small group instruction, independent reading, and collaborative discussions, students grow as independent readers and thoughtful communicators.

Math
Daily math instruction focuses on connecting mathematics to our everyday lives so that students develop a true understanding of concepts, rather than simply memorizing skills or patterns. We spend time discussing what it means to be a mathematician and why communicating our ideas, strategies, and questions is essential for learning and growth.
Students engage in meaningful mathematical thinking through daily Number Talks, which promote discussion, reasoning, and multiple problem-solving approaches. Throughout the year, instruction includes the following key areas of study:

• Multi-digit addition and subtraction strategies
• Multiplication foundations and fact development
• Measurement, including time, mass, and capacity
• Rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000, and beyond
• Place value understanding up to the millions
• Basic fractions and multiple representations
• Basic division concepts and strategies
• Two-dimensional and three-dimensional geometry

Catechesis & Service
Faith and service are central to our daily learning in Third Grade. Students grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith by learning about the parts of the Mass, the Sacraments, and how the teachings of Jesus guide us in making thoughtful, loving choices.
We focus on helping students recognize how faith connects to their everyday lives and how they can contribute to building a more just and compassionate world through their words and actions.
As part of our service learning experience, Third Graders participate in a meaningful project by creating dog and cat toys for the Oregon Humane Society. This project allows students to practice kindness, responsibility, and service while understanding the importance of caring for others in our community.

Technology:
Students spend about 20–30 minutes each day using Chromebooks or iPads to support learning. Activities include typing practice with Typesy, math skill development on SplashLearn, and research and reading using Newsela, Seesaw, Epic, and other educational websites. Technology is used to strengthen skills, encourage independence, and build responsible digital habits.

Specialist Classes

• P.E. (3 times a week)
• Music (3 times a week)
• Library (2 times a week)