Our Curriculum › Reading › 3rd Grade
Reading 3
Third grade reading is comprehension practice: ten core skills are introduced early, then used again and again on short stories and nonfiction passages, with one chapter-book project in the middle. Word parts (prefixes, suffixes, roots) are taught briefly.
180 lessons
One a day for a school year
7 units
Each opens to its lessons
81 stories and articles
Fiction and nonfiction, each with questions
Standards
Common Core Grade 3 reading
What's taught, unit by unit
Story skills & word-part toolkitDays 1–20
One-day introductions to main idea, character and setting, predicting, cause and effect, comparing, sequence, context clues, fact and opinion, author's purpose and summarizing. Then story message, character motivation, literal vs. nonliteral language, point of view, prefixes and multisyllable words.
- 1 · Reading skill: Main idea
- 2 · Reading skill: Character and setting
- 3 · Reading skill: Making predictions
- 4 · Reading skill: Cause and effect
- 5 · Reading skill: Comparing
- 6 · Reading skill: Sequencing
- 7 · Reading skill: Context clues
- 8 · Reading skill: Fact and opinion
- 9 · Reading skill: Author's purpose
- 10 · Reading skill: Summarizing
- 11 · Finding the Lesson in a Story
- 12 · Character Traits and Motivations
- 13 · How Characters' Actions Affect the Story
- 14 · Literal and Nonliteral Language
- 16 · Whose Point of View?
- 17 · Prefixes and Their Meanings
- 18 · Decoding Multisyllable Words
- 19 · Comparing Books in a Series
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Reading nonfictionDays 21–30
Main idea and key details, time order, cause and effect, and text features in nonfiction. Telling the author's view from your own, comparing two texts on one topic, reading a longer article, and suffixes.
- 21 · Main Idea and Key Details
- 22 · Time Order in Nonfiction
- 23 · Cause and Effect in Nonfiction
- 24 · Using Text Features
- 26 · Distinguishing Your Point of View from the Author's
- 27 · Comparing Two Texts on the Same Topic
- 28 · Reading a Longer Nonfiction Article
- 29 · Suffixes and Their Meanings
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
Passage practice & close readingDays 31–70
A weekly rhythm of short stories and nonfiction passages (honeybees, volcanoes, sharks, ancient Egypt, rainforests) with questions. Mixed in: inference, text evidence, fact and opinion, comparing characters, retelling, root words and point of view.
- 31 · Reading a Story: The New Kid
- 32 · Reading a Story: The Science Fair Surprise
- 33 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Honeybees
- 34 · Reading a Story: The Lost Dog
- 36 · Making Inferences with Evidence
- 37 · Finding Text Evidence
- 38 · Fact and Opinion in Nonfiction
- 39 · Author's Purpose
- 41 · Reading a Story: The Talent Show
- 42 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Volcanoes
- 43 · Reading a Story: The Broken Window
- 44 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Great Barrier Reef
- 46 · Comparing Characters
- 47 · Retelling a Story in Order
- 48 · Figuring Out Nonliteral Phrases in Context
- 49 · Reading a Longer Story: The Camping Mix-Up
- 51 · Reading a Story: The Chess Club
- 52 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Sharks
- 53 · Reading a Story: The Missing Homework
- 54 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Human Heart
- 56 · Comparing Two Characters' Feelings
- 57 · Practicing Story Sequence
- 58 · Reading a Story: The Talent I Didn't Know I Had
- 59 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Rainforests
- 61 · Reading a Story: The Science Museum Trip
- 62 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Ancient Egypt
- 63 · Reading a Story: The Recycling Challenge
- 64 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How a Caterpillar Becomes a Butterfly
- 66 · Distinguishing Own Point of View from the Narrator's
- 67 · Comparing Stories by the Same Author
- 68 · Root Words
- 69 · Reading a Longer Story: The Talent Behind the Scenes
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
Chapter-book reading projectDays 71–80
Choosing a chapter book, then reading it over two weeks while predicting, tracking characters and the main problem, checking predictions, finding the message, and finishing.
- 71 · Starting a Reading Project: Choosing a Book
- 72 · Predicting What Will Happen
- 73 · Reading Project: Tracking Characters
- 74 · Reading Project: Tracking the Problem
- 76 · Reading Project: Checking Your Predictions
- 77 · Reading Project: Continuing the Story
- 78 · Reading Project: Finding the Message
- 79 · Reading Project: Finishing Your Book
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
More passages: context, pictures & structureDays 81–125
More story and nonfiction pairs (octopuses, the Sahara, penguins, pyramids, the ISS). New focus skills: word meaning from context, illustrations, problem-and-solution text structure, comparing characters, feelings vs. your own, academic words.
- 81 · Reading a Story: The New Recipe
- 82 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Amazon Rainforest
- 83 · Reading a Story: The Substitute Teacher
- 84 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Bald Eagles
- 86 · Determining Word Meaning from Context
- 87 · Reading Illustrations Alongside Text
- 88 · Reading a Longer Story: The Science Fair Team
- 89 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Great Wall of China
- 91 · Reading a Story: The Lost Key
- 92 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Octopuses
- 93 · Reading a Story: The Talent Contest
- 94 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Sahara Desert
- 96 · Comparing Characters Within a Story
- 97 · Understanding Text Structure: Problem and Solution
- 98 · Reading a Story: The Science Experiment Gone Wrong
- 99 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Volcanoes Around the World
- 101 · Reading a Story: The New Puppy
- 102 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Honeybee Colonies
- 103 · Reading a Story: The Broken Trophy
- 104 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Human Skeleton
- 106 · Whose Feelings Are These?
- 107 · Reading a Longer Nonfiction Article: The Water We Drink
- 108 · Reading a Story: The Class Pet
- 109 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Coral Reefs
- 111 · Reading a Story: The Missing Library Book
- 112 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Penguins
- 113 · Reading a Story: The Group Project
- 114 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Human Brain
- 116 · Determining Meaning of Academic Words
- 117 · Reading a Longer Story: The Camping Trip Surprise
- 118 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Ancient Pyramids
- 119 · Reading a Story: The New Neighbor
- 121 · Reading a Story: The Spelling Bee
- 122 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Elephants
- 123 · Reading a Story: The Piano Recital
- 124 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The International Space Station
Plus 9 review days, not listed.
Cause-effect chains, summaries & self-checkDays 126–165
Cause-and-effect chains, summarizing a longer text, then more story and article pairs (Panama Canal, rainbows, sequoias, bats, Northern Lights). Includes two comprehension "Olympics" rounds, a skills self-assessment and a year-highlights look-back.
- 126 · Understanding Cause and Effect Chains
- 127 · Reading a Longer Story: The Lemonade Stand
- 128 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Panama Canal
- 129 · Reading a Story: The Forgotten Homework
- 131 · Reading a Story: The Chess Champion
- 132 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Dolphins
- 133 · Reading a Story: The Broken Bike
- 134 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Mount Everest
- 136 · Summarizing a Longer Text
- 137 · Reading a Longer Story: The School Play
- 138 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Rainbows Form
- 139 · Reading a Story: The Talent Everyone Forgot
- 141 · Reading a Story: The Robot Building Contest
- 142 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Giant Sequoia Trees
- 143 · Reading a Story: The Missing Trophy Case Key
- 144 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Mariana Trench
- 146 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 1
- 147 · Reading a Longer Story: The Backyard Campout
- 148 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Bridges Stay Up
- 149 · Reading Comprehension Olympics: Round 2
- 151 · Reading a Story: The Karate Belt Test
- 152 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Bats
- 153 · Reading a Story: The Rained-Out Game
- 154 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Northern Lights
- 156 · Reading Skills Self-Assessment
- 157 · Reading a Longer Story: The Science Museum Volunteer
- 158 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: How Glass Is Made
- 159 · Reading Year Highlights
- 161 · Reading a Story: The First Day at a New School
- 162 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Amazon River
- 163 · Reading a Story: The Kindness Chain
- 164 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Volcanic Islands
Plus 8 review days, not listed.
Trivia, portfolio & year-endDays 166–180
Mostly review and celebration: three trivia rounds, designing a reading quiz, a year in review, a few last passages, choosing a favorite book, a portfolio of best work, and a look ahead to Grade 4.
- 166 · Reading 3 Trivia Finale: Round 1
- 167 · Reading 3 Trivia Finale: Round 2
- 168 · Design Your Own Reading Quiz
- 169 · Reading 3 Year in Review
- 171 · Reading a Story: The Last Day of Summer
- 172 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: The Sahara's Sand Dunes
- 173 · Reading a Story: The Perfect Gift
- 174 · Reading a Nonfiction Passage: Recycling Around the World
- 176 · Reading 3 Trivia Finale: Round 3
- 177 · Choosing Your Favorite Book of the Year
- 178 · Reading 3 Portfolio: Choose Your Best Work
- 179 · Getting Excited for Reading 4
- 180 · Reading 3 Complete! Final Celebration
Plus 2 review days, not listed.
By the end of the year, your child can
- Find the main idea and key details of a story or article
- Describe a character's traits and feelings and how they change
- Use evidence from the text to answer questions and make inferences
- Figure out unknown words using context clues, prefixes, suffixes and roots
- Compare two texts, or two characters, on the same topic
- Read a chapter book from start to finish and tell its message
Other 3rd Grade subjects: Math 3 · Writing 3 · Science 3 · History 3