What your child learns in 3rd grade in Texas
3rd grade is a big year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, start multiplication, division and fractions, and study how communities change and how people govern them. It is also the first year of the STAAR state tests in reading and math.
3rd grade subjects in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)
Math
Focus areas
- Number and operations: place value to 100,000, rounding, multiplying and dividing within 100, and fractions
- Algebraic reasoning: one- and two-step problems, unknown numbers, and number pairs in tables
- Geometry, measurement and data: area and perimeter, time, liquid volume and weight, and scaled graphs
18 units, including Numbers to 100,000, Round & Count, Add & Subtract, Two-Step Stories.
English Language Arts
Focus areas
- Foundational language skills: spelling rules, affixes, homophones and dictionary skills
- Comprehension, response and genres: folktales, fables, legends, myths, poems and plays, and key ideas in nonfiction
- Author's purpose and craft, and composition: simile, sound devices and hyperbole, and organized paragraphs
15 units, including Read and Think, Story Elements, Word Jobs, Punctuation Power.
Science
Focus areas
- States of matter, forces and mechanical energy
- The Sun, Earth, Moon and planets
- Weather, soil, fast changes to Earth and natural resources
12 units, including Matter & Particles, Pushes, Pulls & Forces, Speed & Motion, How Plants Grow & Change.
Social Studies
Focus areas
- History: how individuals, events and ideas shape communities, past and present
- Geography: directions, map scale and grids, and how people adapt to and change the land
- Economics: earning, saving and donating, budgets, supply and demand, and profit
11 units, including Needs Around the World, Working Together Fairly, Ask, Find & Record, People Who Built Communities.
Printable 3rd grade sheets
One free practice sheet for each subject, with an answer key. Print them, or work through them on screen.
- 3rd grade MathNumbers to 100,000, Round & CountOpen the sheet →
- 3rd grade English Language ArtsRead and Think, Story ElementsOpen the sheet →
- 3rd grade ScienceMatter & Particles, Pushes, Pulls & ForcesOpen the sheet →
- 3rd grade Social StudiesNeeds Around the World, Working Together FairlyOpen the sheet →
What to look for on the report card
Look for comments on reading comprehension, paragraph writing, multiplication and division facts, and fractions. State test scores are separate from the report card.
Texas has no statewide report-card scale in 3rd grade, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. See what each level means.
3rd grade students also take the Texas state tests (STAAR). Read the state tests guide.
The TEKS process skills apply in every grade. Read about Process skills.
The four practice steps in 3rd grade
- Beginning
- Practice shows a first understanding of the learning standards. Most answers still need a hint or a second try.
- At home: Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Practice shows a partial understanding of the learning standards. Some answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practicing the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try.
- At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exceeding
- Practice shows a deep understanding of the learning standards, including harder, unfamiliar questions.
- At home: Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Ready for 3rd grade?
3rd grade builds on what your child practiced in 2nd grade. If a skill feels shaky, a few short practice sessions before or early in the year can help:
- Math: Numbers to 1000, Bigger or Smaller, Skip Counting, Even, Odd and Ordinals, Facts to 20
- English Language Arts: Rhyme Time, Sound Detectives, Story Builders, Word Power, Book Explorers
- Science: Solids & Liquids, Changing Materials, Animal Life Cycles, Push & Pull, Mixtures & Materials
- Social Studies: Work, Saving & Resources, Citizens & Leaders, Maps of Our World, Then & Now, Our Community Changes
Common questions
3rd grade covers math, English language arts, science, social studies in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). 3rd grade is a big year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, start multiplication, division and fractions, and study how communities change and how people govern them. It is also the first year of the STAAR state tests in reading and math.
Texas has no statewide report-card scale in 3rd grade, so Gradelings describes practice in four steps: Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. Students in 3rd grade also write the Texas state tests (STAAR), which is separate from the report card.
Practice shows a solid understanding of the learning standards. Most answers are right on the first try. At home: Has it! Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
3rd grade builds on 2nd grade. In math, that means Numbers to 1000, Bigger or Smaller, Skip Counting. In English language arts, that means Rhyme Time, Sound Detectives, Story Builders.
About 15 minutes a day of short practice works better than long sessions, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Practice math facts in short bursts, such as five minutes while dinner cooks. Take turns reading a page aloud, and chat about what happened and why. Praise effort, and stop on a success.
Practice 3rd grade skills with Gradelings
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