Third Grade
Reading in 3rd Grade
After mastering literacy skills in earlier grades, 3rd graders become better and more independent readers. Third grade reading focuses on teaching kids how to think and talk about what they read in deeper and more detailed ways. Students read longer texts, and most read fictional chapter books.
Many reading lessons in 3rd grade are dedicated to writing and talking about the meanings, lessons, and important ideas in texts. Third graders are encouraged to develop their own points of view about books they read, and to discuss their ideas about a text or characters. Series books are important in 3rd grade, because they allow students to make connections between different books and talk about how certain characters develop. As 3rd graders explore a greater range of books and longer texts, they become more fluent readers and learn to read, define, and pronounce complex words.
To build reading skills, your 3rd grader:
- Reads multi-syllable and grade-appropriate, irregularly spelled words (ask your child’s teacher for a list of these words).
- Reads grade-level text with appropriate pace, accuracy, expression, and understanding.
- Self-corrects mistakes and re-reads when necessary.
- Talks about and answers questions about a text using specific examples from the text and connects different parts of a text.
- Reads a variety of texts including, fiction, non-fiction, fables, and poetry, and understands and talks about their main ideas and lessons.
- Begins to understand the difference between literal and non-literal text such as metaphors and analogies.
- Uses the text and context to determine the meaning of words.
- Is able to express his own point of view about characters or a text.
- Makes comparisons between books written by the same author and books in series that are about the same characters.
Writing in 3rd Grade
Third graders continue to practice writing the pieces they learned to do in 2nd grade, but now also write longer ones with more detail. What’s more, 3rd graders learn increasingly sophisticated language, using phrases and terms to provide examples and make connections within their writing.
More time is spent on planning, revising, and editing texts in 3rd grade — and as a result, your child learns the “writing process” authors go through. Students may spend a long period of time (say, a few weeks) working on one piece. They also practice writing pieces in shorter periods of time in class and through homework. Third graders continue to use and become comfortable with technology as they employ computers for writing pieces and doing research.
To build writing skills, your 3rd grader:
- Writes a variety types of texts including:
- Opinion Pieces: Students introduce their opinions, note the reasons for those opinions, and provide a conclusion.
- Narrative Pieces: Students write about an event, using descriptive details, feelings, and proper order — and ultimately provide a conclusion.
- Informative/Explanatory Pieces: Students introduce a topic and use facts, definitions, and, if helpful, illustrations to further explain the topic, eventually leading to a conclusion.
- Uses terms such as: because, since, for example, also, another, and but to elaborate on and make connections in her writing.
- Plans, revises, and edits her writing, going through the same process that most writers do.
- Uses digital tools (under the guidance of the teacher) to publish her writing and interact and communicate with others.
- Begins to take notes and do research for short research projects.
- Spends various amounts of time writing a piece, ranging from a short period of time (such as 30 minutes) to working on one piece over the course of a few weeks.
Math in 3rd Grade
Third grade is a very important year for students to flex their math muscles as they dive into multiplication and division. Specifically, students use math tools such as number rods (units of blocks that represent a certain number), base blocks, and tiles or marbles. This helps them to understand the concepts behind multiplication and division as they combine and divide different groups of objects. As a result, students don’t just memorize multiplication tables, but also understand what it means to multiply.
Third graders also practice explaining these concepts by showing how they solved a problem, both out loud and through writing, and begin to study fractions.
To build math skills, your 3rd grader:
- Multiplies and divides numbers up to 100 and understands the relationship between multiplication and division.
- Understands that 3x5=15 and 5x3=15 (this is the commutative property of multiplication).
- Begins to memorize the product of one-digit numbers so that he knows them all by the end of 3rd grade.
- Solves word problems that require two steps and more than one mathematical action. For example: If Scott has 9 cupcakes and 12 candies, how many cupcakes and pieces of candy can he give to 3 people so that each person has the same number?
- Rounds numbers to the nearest tens or hundreds.
- Adds numbers up to 1,000.
- Understands and creates fractions and uses number lines to represent and compare different fractions.
- Solves problems involving time and measurement.
- Creates and uses graphs to represent data and answer questions.
- Learns about shapes (and specifically quadrilaterals) and their features.
- Learns about and calculates the area of an object using multiplication and addition (specifically by multiplying the lengths of the sides of an object).
Science in 3rd Grade
In 3rd grade, students learn about the physical and living world as they make observations, experiment, research, record, and present what they learn. Children may work in small groups or as a class to conduct experiments.
As in other grades, the specific topics studied in science vary according to state. However, common topics studied in 3rd grade include earth and space, plants, the cycle of life, animals, electricity and magnetism, and motion and sound. Consult your child’s teacher or research your state’s science standards for more details.
To build science skills, your 3rd grader:
- Observes living and non-living things and makes inferences about the observations.
- Researches information on a variety of topics using both text and digital resources.
- Collects and uses data to support experiments and what she learns.
- Records her observations both through writing and talking, and uses those observations to explain and make conclusions.
- Understands what living things need (air, water, and food) and what they do (grow, move, and reproduce).
- Studies and observes life cycles.
- Experiments with different types of materials and different matter such as solids, liquids, and gas.
- Works in groups and as a class to conduct experiments and create projects.
Social Studies in 3rd Grade
Third grade social studies often emphasize and teach students about different communities, including details about citizenship, leaders and governments, and economic systems in different communities. As students compare these aspects of different communities, they learn more about the world around them while improving their analyzing, writing, and reading skills.
Third graders have the ability to understand the communities beyond their own, as well as question and examine the facts they learn, making social studies an ideal outlet for them to develop their critical thinking skills. Consult your child’s teacher to find out which specific communities and which aspects of those communities will be covered.
To build social studies skills, your 3rd grader:
- Learns about global and historical communities.
- Learns about the connection between a culture and its environment.
- Studies and uses maps to gain a deeper understanding of geography and how it affects a community.
- Learns about basic financial needs, such as how different communities support and sustain themselves.
- Learns about how different communities govern themselves and their leaders.
- Compares both the similarities and differences between different cultures with an emphasis on accepting and understanding why these differences exist.
- Uses graphic organizers and charts to make comparisons between cultures and communities.
- Uses different media such as literature, art, writing, film, and museum visits to deepen her understanding of concepts and portray what he has learned.
- Discusses American holidays and important days and events as they approach.
