Language Arts - 3rd Grade
	Course Preface Printable Version (pdf)

 

Core Standards of the Course

Standard 1
(Oral Language): Students develop language for the purpose of effectively communicating through listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting.

Objective 1
Develop language through listening and speaking.

1. Identify specific purpose(s) for listening (e.g., to gain information, to be entertained).
   
2. Listen and demonstrate understanding by responding appropriately (e.g., follow multiple-step directions, restate, clarify, question, summarize).
   
3. Speak clearly and audibly with expression in communicating ideas (i.e., effective rate, volume, pitch, tone, phrasing, tempo).
   
4. Speak in complete sentences with appropriate subject-verb agreement.
   

Objective 2
Develop language through viewing media and presenting.

1. Identify specific purpose(s) for viewing media (i.e., identify main idea and details, to gain information, distinguish between fiction/nonfiction, distinguish between fact/opinion, form an opinion).
   
2. Use a variety of formats (e.g., drama, sharing of books, personal writings, choral readings, informational reports) in presenting with various forms of media (e.g., pictures, posters, charts, ads, newspapers).
   

Standard 2
(Concepts of Print): Students develop an understanding of how printed language works.
See Kindergarten and First Grade.

Standard 3
(Phonological and Phonemic Awareness): Students develop phonological and phonemic awareness.
See Kindergarten and First Grade.

Standard 4
(Phonics and Spelling): Students apply understanding of phonics and other strategies to decode and spell unfamiliar words while reading and writing.

Objective 1
Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds.
See Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade.

Objective 2
Use knowledge of structure analysis to decode words.
See Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade.

Objective 3
Spell words correctly.

1. Use knowledge of word families, patterns, syllabication, and common letter combinations to spell new words.
   
2. Spell correctly grade level compound words, words with plural endings, and common phonograms.
   
3. Spell an increasing number of high-frequency and irregular words correctly (e.g., friend, square, special).
   
4. Learn the spellings of irregular and difficult words (e.g., electric, planet, trapper, rectangle).
   

Objective 4
Use spelling strategies to achieve accuracy (e.g., prediction, visualization, association).

1. Use knowledge about spelling to predict the spelling of new words.
   
2. Visualize words while writing.
   
3. Associate the spelling of new words with that of known words and word patterns.
   
4. Use spelling generalities to assist spelling of new words (e.g., doubling of consonants, “le” endings, adding suffixes).
   

Standard 5
(Fluency): Students develop reading fluency to read aloud grade level text effortlessly without hesitation.

Objective 1
Read aloud grade level text with appropriate speed and accuracy.

1. Read grade level text at a rate of approximately 100 wpm.
   
2. Read grade level text with an accuracy rate of 95-100%.
   

Objective 2
Read aloud grade level text effortlessly with clarity.

1. Read grade level text in meaningful phrases using intonation, expression, and punctuation cues.
   
2. Read with automaticity 300 third grade high-frequency/sight words.
   

Standard 6
(Vocabulary): Students learn and use grade level vocabulary to increase understanding and read fluently.

Objective 1
Learn new words through listening and reading widely.

1. Use new vocabulary learned by listening, reading, and discussing a variety of genres.
   
2. Learn the meaning and properly use a variety of grade level words (e.g., words from literature, social studies, science, math).
   

Objective 2
Use multiple resources to learn new words by relating them to known words and/or concepts.

1. Use multiple resources to determine the meanings of unknown words (e.g., simple dictionaries, glossaries, beginning thesauruses).
   
2. Relate unfamiliar words and concepts to prior knowledge to increase vocabulary (e.g., rotation: planets, spinner, taking turns).
   

Objective 3
Use structural analysis and context clues to determine meanings of words.

1. Identify meanings of words using prefixes and suffixes.
   
2. Use context to determine meanings of unknown key words (e.g., The ferocious dog growled at the children.).
   
3. Use context to determine meanings of synonyms, antonyms, homonyms (e.g., blue, blew) and multiple-meaning words (e.g., light).
   

Standard 7
(Comprehension): Students understand, interpret, and analyze narrative and informational grade level text.

Objective 1
Identify purposes of text.

1. Identify purpose for reading.
   
2. Identify author’s purpose.
   

Objective 2
Apply strategies to comprehend text.

1. Relate prior knowledge to make connections to text (e.g., text to text, text to self, text to world).
   
2. Generate questions about text (e.g., factual, inferential, evaluative).
   
3. Form mental pictures to aid understanding of text.
   
4. Make and confirm predictions while reading using title, picture clues, text and/or prior knowledge.
   
5. Make inferences and draw conclusions from text.
   
6. Identify topic/main idea from text; note details.
   
7. Summarize important ideas/events; summarize supporting details in sequence.
   
8. Monitor and clarify understanding applying fix-up strategies while interacting with text.
   
9. Compile information from text.
   

Objective 3
Recognize and use features of narrative and informational text.

1. Identify characters, setting, sequence of events, problem/resolution.
   
2. Identify different genres: fairy tales, poems, realistic fiction, fantasy, fables, folk tales, tall tales, biographies, historical fiction.
   
3. Identify information from pictures, captions, diagrams, charts, graphs, tables of contents, index, and glossaries.
   
4. Identify different structures in text (e.g., problem/solution, compare/contrast).
   
5. Locate facts from a variety of informational texts (e.g. newspapers, magazines, books, other resources).
   

Standard 8
(Writing): Students write daily to communicate effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.

Objective 1
Prepare to write by gathering and organizing information and ideas (pre-writing).

1. Generate ideas for writing by reading, discussing literature and informational text, and reflecting on personal experiences.
   
2. Select and narrow a topic from generated ideas.
   
3. Identify audience, purpose, and form for writing.
   
4. Use a variety of graphic organizers to organize information.
   

Objective 2
Compose a written draft.

1. Draft ideas on paper in an organized manner utilizing words and sentences (e.g., beginning, middle, end; main idea; details; characterization; setting; plot).
   
2. Use voice to fit the purpose and audience.
   
3. Use strong verbs and vivid language.
   
4. Identify and use effective leads and strong endings.
   

Objective 3
Revise by elaborating and clarifying written draft.

1. Revise draft to add details, strengthen word choice, clarify main idea, and reorder content.
   
2. Enhance fluency by using a variety of complete sentences (i.e., varied sentence length, simple and complex sentences).
   
3. Revise writing, considering the suggestions of others.
   

Objective 4
Edit written draft for conventions.

1. Edit writing for correct capitalization and punctuation (i.e., capitals in holidays, titles, dates, greetings and closings of letters, personal titles, contractions, abbreviations).
   
2. Edit for spelling of grade level-appropriate words.
   
3. Edit for standard grammar (e.g., subject-verb agreement, verb tense, comparatives, superlatives, pronouns).
   
4. Edit for appropriate formatting features (e.g., margins, indentations, titles).
   

Objective 5
Use fluent and legible handwriting to communicate.

1. Write using upper- and lower-case cursive letters using proper from, proportions, and spacing.
   
2. Develop fluency with cursive handwriting.
   
3. Produce legible documents with cursive handwriting.
   

Objective 6
Write in different forms and genres.

1. Produce personal writing (e.g., journals, friendly notes and letters, personal experiences, family stories, literature responses).
   
2. Produce traditional and imaginative stories, narrative and formula poetry.
   
3. Produce informational text (e.g., explanation of a complex process, math/journals, observations, content area reports, summaries).
   
4. Produce writing to persuade (e.g., expressing opinions with supporting data).
   
5. Produce functional text (e.g., newspaper and newsletter articles).
   
6. Share writing with others using illustrations, graphs, and/or charts to add meaning.
   
7. Publish 4-6 individual products.
   

 

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Office of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Office of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.

 

For more information about this core curriculum, contact the USOE Specialist, Tiffany Hall or visit the Language Arts - Elementary Home Page. For general questions about Utah's Core Curriculum, contact the USOE Curriculum Director, Sydnee Dickson . UEN Contact Info: 801-581-2999 | 800-866-5852 | Contact Us