Grade 3 ELA Massachusetts standards Standards

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Knowledge of Language

Conventions of Standard English

Language

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Comprehension and Collaboration

Speaking and Listening

Range of Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Production and Distribution of Writing

Text Types and Purposes

Writing

Fluency

Phonics and Word Recognition

Reading Standards for Foundational Skills

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

Reading Standards for Literature

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking; retain and further develop language skills learned in previous grades.

Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Use verbs in the present, past, and future tenses and choose among them depending on the overall meaning of the sentence.

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions and choose between them depending on the overall meaning of the sentence.

Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs and choose between them depending on what is to be modified and the overall meaning of the sentence.

Use abstract nouns.

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns and the past tense of regular and irregular verbs.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Write legibly and fluently by hand, using either printing or cursive handwriting.

Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

Use commas in addresses.

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Form and use possessives.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

Demonstrate understanding that numerals used at the beginning of a sentence are written as words and capitalized (e.g., "Three pandas could be seen eating leaves high in the bamboo grove.").

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Choose words and phrases for effect.

Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written English.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Recognize and use appropriately abbreviations related to grade-level content or common in everyday life (e.g., N, S, E, W on a map).

Recognize and use appropriately symbols related to grade-level content or common in everyday life (e.g., <, >).

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).

Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

Decode multisyllable words.

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, mathematical, and technical texts, exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 3.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, mathematical ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words, numbers, and symbols in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

Independently and proficiently read and comprehend literary texts representing a variety of genres, cultures, and perspectives and exhibiting complexity appropriate for at least grade 3.

Retell stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in a text.

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from figurative language.

Identify common structural elements of fiction (e.g., problem, solution); describe how each successive part of a text builds on earlier sections.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of a text's narrator or those of its characters.

Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Not applicable.

Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Report on a topic, text, or solution to a mathematical problem, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace and using appropriate vocabulary.

Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting an opinion with reasons.

Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

Provide reasons that support the opinion.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Introduce a topic and group-related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Write narratives in prose or poem form to develop experiences or events using effective literary techniques, descriptive details, and clear sequences.

Establish a situation and introduce a speaker, narrator, and/or characters; organize an appropriate narrative sequence.

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences or events or show responses to situations.

Use figurative language to suggest images.

Use temporal words and phrases to signal order where appropriate.

Provide a sense of closure.

For poems, use words and phrases that form patterns of sound (e.g., rhyme, repetition of sounds within words or within lines) to create meaning or effect.

Produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

Demonstrate command of standard English conventions.

Demonstrate the ability to choose and use appropriate vocabulary

Use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Begins in grade 4.