Reading and Writing Skills Every 3rd Grader Needs to Know

I always wanted to study what Miss Sarah was going to be taught in school, before that year started. I thought that would help better to prepare me to assist her in her lessons or find material that worked with it so I could build on her education. Third grade is a transitional year for your child. Kindergarten, first grade, and second grade are considered primary grades where your child learns basic skills that serve as the foundation for learning. In third grade, your child will begin to learn skills that are more complex. This is especially true in reading and writing. If your child is in third grade, you can help by supporting these reading and writing skills every third grader needs to know.

Reading Comprehension

Reading comprehension is a big deal in third grade. Your child will need to be able to ask and answer questions about a text, as well as determine the main idea and any supporting details. This is especially important since most third graders are expected to take part in standardized testing. Support your child’s reading comprehension by encouraging your third grader to re-read the passage and use the text to find answers.

Identify Important Details

Your third grader will need to be able to identify important details in a story. This includes identifying the traits, motivations, and feelings of the main and supporting characters. Your child will also need to be able to explain how these details contribute to an action or sequence of events. For example, if the main character tries to hide a bad grade from his parents, your child should be able to point out the reason behind this, as well as what happened as a result of this deception. Identifying these important details will help your child better comprehend the text.

Fluency

Fluency is always an important part of reading at any level, but in third grade, more will be expected from your child. Your third grader will now be expected to read more complex text at an appropriate rate, with accuracy and expression. This means that your child will need to know reading strategies that will help them decode multisyllabic words, as well as a basic knowledge of prefixes and suffixes. If your child struggles with a specific sentence or paragraph, encourage him or her to re-read and correct any mistakes.

Writing

In third grade, there will also be higher expectations for writing. Your child will be asked to write for different purposes, from giving an opinion to describing something. For each purpose, your child will need to support the point of view with facts, definitions, and details. In introduction and conclusion will also need to be used accurately in the writing piece.

Although third grade will be more difficult than primary grades, your child will succeed with your help. Encourage your third grader to practice these important reading and writing skills, and eventually, the skills will come more naturally. This will help your third grader prepare for the next few school years!

Miss Sarah also wrote a book to help out soon-to-be 3rd graders!

This third grade vocabulary puzzle book was created by Sarah and she hopes it helps your young student to master their words for third grade.

You can see it on Amazon HERE