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Welcome to a big reading year! Your reading skills are strong — and getting stronger.
Third graders are still building decoding and fluency skills, but also learning to go deeper
into the meaning of what they read. Another big step forward: expect to tackle new and challenging
books, poetry, articles, and even online research with less assistance from adults than ever before.
Third graders will read about it, talk about it, and think about it! Finding ways to build understanding
while reading is the ultimate goal of learning how to read.
General reading goals for 3rd grade:
Using Prior Knowledge to Make Meaning
-Preview text and use text structure to activate prior knowledge
-Use prior knowledge to determine a purpose for reading
Using Connections to making Meaning
-Make connections from text to world during reading
Using Visualizing to Make Meaning
-Form mental pictures to organize and visualize the content of text
Using Questioning and Monitoring to Make Meaning
-Generate questions and check the text for answers
-Question the author’s purpose
-Using Inferences to Make Meaning
-Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal and inferential
information found in the text
-Discuss why an author may have selected particular words or phrases
-Draw inferences, such as conclusions or generalizations, and support them with text evidence
and/or personal experiences
Determining Importance to Make Meaning
-Organize information and events logically
-Determine the purpose for reading
Summarizing and Synthesizing for Meaning
-Retell the main parts of a story including the characters, setting, beginning, middle and end
-Summarize a story
-Summarize major points found in nonfiction materials
Exhibit Behaviors and Habits of an Active Reader While Reading a Variety of Texts
-Read daily
-Demonstrate knowledge of the content, style, and theme of the works of a single author
-Discuss authors, stories, and other texts and make recommendations to classmates and teachers
-Respond to a wide variety of texts by contributing to a reading journal which demonstrates
appropriate comprehension skills, including picture and written responses, and providing
evidence that supports the answer
-Self-select materials on independent reading level based on personal interest, knowledge of
Authors and different types of text
-Use graphic organizers including character webs and K-W-L charts to make meaning of the reading election
Reading a Variety of Informational Materials for Enjoyment and Critical Analysis
-Read a variety of informational texts, including sequential formats
-Recognize expository text structures which are sequential
-Describe in own words new information gained from texts and relate it to prior knowledge
Reading a Variety of Literature for Enjoyment and Critical Analysis
-Read a variety of stories, including tall tales and fables
-Identify and compare the story elements of tall tales and fables
-Create own tall tale and/or fable
-Identify language and literary devices, including mood
Reading a Variety of Poetry for Enjoyment and Critical Analysis
-Read a variety of poetry, including diamantes and cinquains
-Discuss poetry to determine meaning
-Analyze poetry to identify the characteristics of cinquains
Reading a Variety of Practical Materials for Enjoyment and Critical Analysis
-Read a variety of functional/practical texts, including menus, recipes, and maps
-Use functional print, including recipes, menus, and maps to accomplish tasks
-Use a dictionary, index, thesaurus, encyclopedia and online reference materials to enhance
reading
Vocabulary/Word Study/Fluency
-Meaning-based Word Recognition
-Use context clues to determine precise meaning of new words
-Use knowledge of irregular plurals, verb tenses, homonyms, homographs, homophones, prefixes
and suffixes to read with meaning
Accuracy of Reading With Fluency and Expression
-Read grade level texts with accuracy of 90% or above
-Read grade level text fluently at a minimum of 110 words per minute
-Read familiar grade level texts using appropriate rhythm, pace, phrasing, punctuation and
intonation
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How to help your child with their reading at home:
READ, READ, READ every day and talk about it!
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