Jump down to 3rd grade guided reading expectations.

1. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness

Master phonological and phonemic awareness. These activities can be done with eyes shut—no print should be in front of the child. Print and follow this! If children cannot hear and manipulate sounds in their heads, they won’t be able to read and spell! Blending and segmenting are the most important phonemic awareness activities because these directly correlate to reading and spelling. You can find these activities by following this link, but you can blend and segment any word!

2. Phonics

Follow the Wilson Fundations Scope & Sequence for 3rd grade. My Wilson Fundations page will give you even more information!  Also, check out phonics by grade level.

Here are grade 3 phonics workbooks – Wilson Home Practice,  grade 3 phonics workbook 1, and grade 3 phonics workbook 2. Pick a workbook and do a few pages each day.

Teach syllabication rules. These are fun and will help your child to sound out any word! If you are ambitious, check this out!

3. Tapping, Blending, Spelling

Teach tapping out and blending sounds into words.

Here is an AMAZING activity! Watch the video clip below. (This is not my video.) Word lists are also below.

• Say it
• Stretch it
• Spell it
• Change it

Research shows decodable texts are the BEST way to learn to read!

Decodable text falls under the phonics approach of the science of reading. When students decode words, they break them down and figure out how to pronounce them. Teaching beginning readers how to sound out words is critical in reading and writing. 

Tips for Struggling Readers

• If your child struggles to decode, always have him or her read each short story three times for fluency and accuracy.
• If your child is still learning to read, having him or her point to each word with 1:1 correspondence is essential because students tend to guess or memorize simpler texts.
• Your child should figure out unknown words independently by SOUNDING OUT. Not all words can be perfectly sounded out, but most words have at least parts that can!

When reading any text…

• No more than 10 errors per 100 words, including words you had to tell your child, are acceptable.
• The child must also demonstrate comprehension. 3rd graders should retell, state the author’s lesson, and describe the most important event and why.
• Reading at an appropriate rate (words per minute) is essential. When fluency is achieved, comprehension can occur.

  Words Per Minute for Grade 3

To calculate rate—WPM: ___words in the book divided by ___SECONDS it took to read X 60 = __WPM. For example, say there are 207 words in a book. The child read it in 3 min. 25 seconds, which is 205 seconds. 207 divided by 205 is approximately 1.0 words per second x 60 = 60 WPM!

This table shows approximate percentile ranks for correct words per minute at 3 points during the school year. The average 3rd grader should read 83 words correct per minute in the fall, 97 in the winter, and 112 in the spring.

* WCPM = Words Correct Per Minute

5. Master Sight Words

Master a few sight words each day. Third graders should know all of the sight words. Sight words are best learned in context. They should read, reread, and reread:

Grade Three story by Susan M. Serena

220 Dolch Words in One Story

If your child is struggling, for more practice, write words your child doesn’t know in simple sentences for your child to practice reading. Please also go to my sight words page and get the sight word stories for all the grades.

Your child should also know how to read and spell the Grade 3 Fundations Trick Words.

6. Vocabulary for 3rd Graders

3rd graders need to know the meaning of these words taken from the Marzano list.

And the meaning of these words, taken from WORDS TO KNOW BY GRADE LEVEL.

7. Spelling

Teach decoding and spelling in this reading and spelling order. Master each column before moving on. This corresponds with the progression of decodable texts. Students should recognize the sounds and spellings of the 44 phonemes.

Here is a grade 3 spelling workbook.

8. Are you looking for a tech option?

Here are Grade 3 Common Core State Standards Question Stems to start a conversation. These stems are used in school.

We administer the FREE DIBELS 8 3x/year. Each are 1-minute tests:

• Read 3-letter short vowel nonsense words ~ these can be sounded out ~ for example, “sil,” “tox,” “paj,” “zev,” and “nud.” The goal is for the child to recognize these chunks automatically.
• Read real words. See #4 and #5 above.
• Oral reading fluency ~ Can the child read x amount of words in a story with at least 96% accuracy?
• Maze Comprehension ~ This test is 3 minutes. The student reads a story that is missing words. Each time a word is missing, the student selects the correct missing word from three words.

The minimum scores to pass: 

Here are other free literacy assessments if you want to assess your child!

Does your child’s school use guided reading?  🙁

Guided reading is NOT a good way to learn to read. Parents, if your school uses guided reading and your child is struggling, please scroll to the top of this page and follow my “Grade Three Expectations and Recommendations.” If your child CAN decode and spell, then guided reading is fine. Just be sure that when your child is stuck on a word, they sound it out – not guess! 

Guided reading falls under the Fountas and Pinnell cueing system method, which is now frowned upon. Students do NOT sound out words when they are stuck; instead, as students read, you ask them to figure out unknown words by looking at the picture, looking at the beginning letter sound, thinking about what would look right/sound right/make sense or skipping the tricky word/reading on/going back. This makes reading a guessing game.

Even if your child is in 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, you can still read at home with them. Alternate reading pages or paragraphs aloud to each other. Borrow books on tape or CD from the library and have your child follow along.

To Meet the “Guided Reading” Benchmark, 3rd-grade students should be instructional at:

Level N in November (independent M)

Level O in March (independent N)

Level P by June (independent O)

Get Level N-P books on Amazon or at the public library. Here is a book list!

AT LEVELS N-P, A CHILD’S READING LEVEL IS DETERMINED BY THE FOLLOWING:

These bullet points are based on the DRA2 assessment.

• Is the child reading with accuracy? No more than 10 errors/100 words.

• The child is timed. Level N students should read at least 75 words per minute. Level O and P at least 80 words per minute.

• Is the child reading expressing the text’s mood, pace, and tension? OR, if the text is nonfiction, is the child emphasizing key phrases and words?

• Does the child read in longer phrases and heed punctuation?

• After reading the first few paragraphs, can the child make 3 thoughtful predictions of what might happen in the text without peeking at the pictures ahead? OR, if the text is nonfiction, can the child use the title and table of contents page to think of 3 questions that may be answered in the book?

• After reading the first few paragraphs, can the child stop and describe each character using 3 specific details? OR, can the child interpret what some nonfiction text features show if the text is nonfiction?

• After reading, can the child write a summary, including important characters, events, and details, from the beginning, middle, and end? Or, can the child write essential facts from each heading if the text is nonfiction?

• Does the child use the critical language and vocabulary from the text?

• Can the child answer literal questions?

• The child has to interpret the story’s meaning and support it with details. (For example: What did the character learn? OR Why did the character feel____? OR Why did the character say ____?) OR, if the text is nonfiction, a “why do you think…” question is asked.

• The child must determine the most important event in the story and why, giving an opinion that reflects higher-level thinking.

No donations from my school, please! I am here to help you!  🙂

 $10 for the Grade 3 Reading Expectations document.