Third Grade Standards

Reading              Writing

Reading

R1 – Print-Sound Code (how letters stand for sounds and how letters put together make up a string of sounds to form a word)

By this point in the education process, third grade students should:

• Know and automatically apply the relationship of letters to sounds to their reading.

• Continue to learn about words (roots, inflections, suffixes, prefixes, homophones and word families) 

R2 – Getting the Meaning (words in a text say something specific)

By the end of third grade, students should be able to:

• Independently read aloud unfamiliar Level O (Guided Reading Level) books, recognizing at least 90% or more of the words, using intonation and pauses to show meaning

• Easily read words with irregularly spelled suffixes (ex. -ous, -ion, -ive)

• Use punctuation to guide them in getting the meaning and to help them read more smoothly

• Use pacing and intonation to convey the meaning of clauses and phrases when reading aloud

• Check themselves when reading, noticing when sentences or paragraphs are incomplete or the reading does not make sense

• Figure out the meaning of new words by listening for what sounds right, or by using roots, prefixes, suffixes, or by how the word is used in context

• Analyze the relationship between different parts of the text

• Question what the author is trying to say and use the text to help answer those questions

• Understand and explain the meaning of figurative language (ex. similes, metaphors, etc.)

• Cite important details from a text

• Compare one text to another text they have read or heard

• Discuss why an author chose a particular word to use

• Tell how a story relates to real-life experiences

• Explain the characters motives (why they did what they did)

• Discuss plot and setting

• Analyze the causes, motivations, sequences and results of events

• Describe in their own words new information gained from nonfiction text and how it relates to what they already know

• Follow instructions or directions in complicated functional texts that are read

 R3 –Habits (things to do daily)

Third grade students should:

• Read 30 chapter books a year, alone or with help, and discuss their reading with others

• Read various types of books, such as narratives, responses to literature (written by others about a book), informational writing (including announcements, labels, signs, etc.), reports, poetry, etc.

• Read several books by the same author and identify and discuss differences and similarities

• Reread favorite books to gain deeper understanding and knowledge

• Read their own writing and the writing of classmates

• Listen to and discuss at least one chapter read to them every

• Read to others

• Read and listen to good children’s literature daily

• Discuss themes and messages in fiction

• Read and respond to poems, stories, memoirs, plays, etc.

• Evaluate what makes a “good book” and talk to others about choosing books to read

• Examine the reasons for a character’s actions in relation to situation and motive

• Compare similar works by different authors

• Discuss author’s craft: content, point of view, word choice, plot, beginnings and endings and character development

• Use comparisons, analogies and knowledge from discussions to explain ideas

• Use information that is accurate, accessible and relevant

• Restate their ideas more clearly when a listener does not understand

• Challenge others to support their opinions or arguments

• Learn new words daily

• Recognize when they don’t know what a word means and try to figure out what it means by how it is used, asking others, find the word used elsewhere and look for clues there

• Know the meanings of roots, prefixes, and suffixes

• Talk about the meaning of new words

• Notice unfamiliar words in texts that are read to them

• Know how to talk about what nouns mean in terms of function (“An apple is something you eat.), features (“An apple is red.”), and category (“An apple is a fruit.”)

• Know how to talk about verbs as “action words”

• Talk about words as they relate to other words: synonyms, antonyms, etc

 Writing

W1 – Habits (things to do daily)

Third grade students should:

• Write daily

• Come up with their own topics and spend the necessary time revising and refining their work

• Routinely rework, revise, edit, proofread, and evaluate their work

• Write for specific purposes (ex. thank you note, birthday card, invitation, etc)

• Pattern their writing after the writings of authors that have been discussed in class

• Reread, revise, edit, proofread, and evaluate their work

• Polish and publish 10 – 12  pieces (for an audience in and beyond the classroom) throughout the year

W2 – Narrative Writing (writings that include both fictional and autobiographical works)

By the end of third grade, students should be able to:

• Engage the reader by setting the time, indicating the location where the story takes place, introducing the character or entering immediately into the story line

• Create a believable world using characters and specific details about them, settings, motives and moods

• Create a sequence of events that unfolds naturally

• Develop a character by providing motivation for action and having the character solve the problem

• Develop plot by describing actions and emotions of main characters, using descriptive details, dialogue, etc.

• Provide some kind of conclusion  

W2 – Report or Informational Writing

By the end of third grade, students should produce reports that:

• Introduce the topic

• Have an organized structure that is useful to the reader

• Communicate main ideas, theories, insights that are further explained or illustrated through facts, details, quotations, statistics and other information

• Use diagrams, charts or illustrations, when appropriate

• Usually have a concluding sentence or section

• Use a straightforward tone of voice

W2 – Functional Writing (writing a procedure)

By the end of third grade, students should be able to produce narrative procedures that:

• Identify the topic

• Provide a guide to action

• Show steps in an action in considerable detail

• Include all relevant information

• Use language that is straightforward and clear

• Use illustrations to detail steps in the procedure

W2 – Producing and Responding to Literature

By the end of third grade, students should be able to:

• Write stories, poems, memoirs, etc using styles learned from studying authors and genres

• Go beyond retelling and build on a story by extending or changing the story line

• Support an interpretation by providing sufficient detail and making specific references to the text

• Compare two works by the same author

• Discuss several works with a common idea or theme

• Make connections between the text and their own ideas and lives

W3 – Language Use and Conventions

By the end of third grade, students should be able to:

• Show relationships of ideas

• Use transitions words and phrases

• Use phrases and modifiers to make their writing lively and graphic

• Use varying sentence patterns and length to slow down or speed up reading to create mood

• Use literary language (describing words, similes, metaphors, etc) when appropriate

• Use words from their speaking vocabulary in their writing, including words learned from reading and class discussions

• Choose words that show they have a large enough vocabulary to have options in word choice (ex. more precise and vivid words)

• Extend their writing vocabulary by using specialized words related to the topic or setting  (ex. use the names of kinds of trees when writing about the forest)

• Notice when words do not look correct and use strategies to correct the spelling

• Correctly spell all high-frequency words

• Correctly spell words with short vowel and common endings

• Correctly spell plurals and verb tenses

• Use correct spelling patterns and rules such as consonant doubling, dropping the final e, and changing y to I

• Correctly spell most words with –tion, -ment, and –ly endings

• Use capital letters at the beginnings of sentences

• Use periods and other end punctuation correctly most of the time

• Approximate the use of quotation marks and commas

• Use common contractions

 Highlights
and
Upcoming Events

Congratulations to the 2009-2010
Teacher of the Year
Mrs. Jill Bragan

Teacher Planning Day
NO SCHOOL

Monday, October 26th.

Fall Festival

November 6th
6-9 PM

Early Release

 October 21st   1:45