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3rd grade · English Language Arts · Unit 9 of 21

ABC Order & Dictionary

Find words fast

What your child practices

Putting words in alphabetical order to the first, second and third letter, and using dictionary guide words to find the right page.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 3L4 · alphabetical order and using a dictionary

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Put words in ABC order by the first letter. If the first letters match, look at the second, then the third.
  2. Guide words at the top of a dictionary page show the first and last words on it.
  3. A word is on that page if it comes between the two guide words.

Example: A page has the guide words “camp” and “cat.” Is “car” on that page? c-a-m, c-a-r, c-a-t: compare the third letters. m comes before r, and r comes before t. Answer: Yes

ABC Order & Dictionary in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 9 of 21 in 3rd grade English Language Arts, after Sentence Smarts and before Grammar Gears.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Put these words in ABC order.

    • lion
    • lemon
    • umbrella
    • egg

  2. Question 2

    Which word comes last in ABC order?

    • duck
    • dog
    • brick

  3. Question 3

    A dictionary page has the guide words “camp” and “cave.” Which word is on that page?

    • cat
    • cloud
    • cabin

  4. Question 4

    Which word comes first in ABC order?

    • flag
    • hat
    • fox

  5. Question 5

    What do the guide words at the top of a dictionary page show?

    • The first and last words on that page
    • The hardest words on the page
    • The words that rhyme

  6. Question 6

    A dictionary page has the guide words “train” and “trophy.” Which word is on that page?

    • truck
    • trick
    • tiger

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