3rd Grade

Third-graders can:

  • Read fluently and enjoy reading
  • Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from the text
  • Use word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when encountering unknown words
  • Recognize and discuss elements of different text structures
  • Make critical connections between texts
  • Write expressively in many different forms (stories, poems, reports)
  • Use a rich variety of vocabulary and sentences appropriate to text forms
  • Revise and edit their own writing during and after composing
  • Spell words correctly in final writing drafts

What teachers do:

  • Provide opportunities daily for children to read, examine, and critically evaluate narrative and expository texts
  • Continue to create a climate that fosters critical reading and personal response
  • Teach children to examine ideas in texts
  • Encourage children to use writing as a tool for thinking and learning
  • Extend children's knowledge of the correct use of writing conventions
  • Emphasize the importance of correct spelling in finished written products
  • Create a climate that engages all children as a community of literacy learners

What parents and family members can do:

  • Continue to support children's learning and interest by visiting the library and bookstores with them
  • Find ways to highlight children's progress in reading and writing
  • Stay in regular contact with your child's teachers about activities and progress in reading and writing
  • Encourage children to use and enjoy print for many purposes (such as recipes, directions, games, and sports)
  • Build a love of language in all its forms and engage children in conversation 

Reading Tips

  • Read every night
  • Encourage independent reading
  • Ask questions after they finish reading
  • Discover new genres 

Math Tips

  • Make math fun in the kitchen
  • Apply real-world strategies
  • Talk with them about what they learn
  • Have a reward system