What Third-Graders Learn
- Improve reading skills through independent reading a variety of children's literature - chapter books, myths and fables, non-fiction, poetry, plays
- Advanced word skills including prefixes, suffixes, and exceptions to word rules
- Use phonics rules and context to decode multi-syllable words
- Expand sight word recognition, vocabulary, and spelling skills
- Read non-fiction books and textbooks and use strategies to locate information and identify main points
- Use reference materials - dictionary, thesaurus, encyclopedia, almanac, map
- Read fiction and analyze the plot, characters, main idea, conflict, point of view, and other story elements
- Write a story or report with a beginning, middle, and end
- Use a writing process to outline, draft, edit, and revise a written product
- Compare and contrast information derived from text, graphs, charts, and maps
- Use the computer to explore a topic and create simple documents.
- Memorize the multiplication table
- Multiply and divide multi-digit numbers by a single-digit number
- Round to the nearest whole number
- Recognize and write fractions and simple fraction equivalents
- Tell time to the nearest minute
- Solve the value of an unknown in a number sentence.
- Apply math to everyday situations and problems
- Analyze and display data by creating a graph
- Beginning science thinking skills such as how to form a simple hypothesis, make predictions, and gather data
- Learn about the planets and solar system
- Learn about the human body
- Explore the life cycle of plants
- Learn about the water cycle and clouds
- Introduce biomes and the plants and animals found in each
- Study American history people and events
- Learn the 50 states and their capitals
Next > The Eight-Year Old - Activities and Interests
Note to Parents...
Children, families, and schools vary so widely that it's possible only to state general guidelines for the skills needed to start the grade and those the child will learn in this grade. So, don't panic if your child or school doesn't match the list exactly. Just be aware of these skills and work on them with your child this year.
Child Development - The Eight-Year Old
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