Grade 3 English/Language Arts

What your child will learn and do in Grade 3 English/Language Arts

In grade three, students build important reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. They think, talk, and write about what they read in a variety of articles, books, and other texts. In their writing, students pay more attention to organizing information, developing ideas, and supporting these ideas with facts, details, and reasons. Activities in these areas include:

  • Reading a wide range of stories and describing how a story teaches a lesson

  • Describing characters in a story and how their actions contributed to events

  • Reading texts about history, social studies, or science and answering questions about what they learned

  • Referring to information from illustrations such as maps or pictures as well as the words in a text to support their answers

  • Learning the rules of spoken and written English

  • Learning and using new words, including words related to specific subjects (such as science words)

  • Participating in class discussions by listening, asking questions, sharing ideas, and building on the ideas of others

  • Giving a class presentation on a topic or telling a story using relevant facts and details and speaking clearly

  • Writing stories with dialogue and descriptions of a character’s actions, thoughts, and feelings

  • Gathering information from books, articles, and online sources to build understanding of a topic

  • Writing research or opinion papers over an extended period of time


Helping your child learn outside of school:    

Provide time and space for your child to read independently for at least 20 minutes. This reading time should be free from distractions such as television.

  • Ask your child what topics, events, or activities he or she likes. Then look for books, magazines, or other materials about those topics to motivate your child to read.

  • Ask your child to think about what the message of a story may be or what he or she learned from an informational book or article.

  • Look for opportunities in everyday places to build your child’s vocabulary.

  • Be sure your child has a library card. Your child should select books in which they are interested in order to develop a passion for reading. Spend time at the library with your child.

  • Use technology to help build your child’s interest in reading. Access websites that allow students to read books or articles online. The computer will help with words your child cannot read independently. Libraries also have computers your child can use to access websites.

  • Involve your child in authentic opportunities to practice conveying a message through writing/drawing (e.g. grocery or shopping lists, chore lists, messages to family members, signs, directions, keeping a journal, etc.).

  • Encourage friends and family to give books or magazine subscriptions to your child as gifts.  

  • Find time to talk to your child about school or current events (e.g. while riding in the car or taking public transportation, while waiting at the doctor’s office, etc.).

  • Involve your child in planning and researching family activities (e.g. reading recipes to plan a meal, planning a family trip, planning a home project, etc.).


Websites

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