Third grade (also 3rd Grade or Grade 3) is the third year of Formal education or compulsory education. It is the third year of primary school. Children in third grade are usually 8–9 years old.
Examples of the American syllabus
In
mathematics, students are usually introduced to
multiplication and division facts, place value to
or
, and
approximation. Depending on the elementary school, third grade students may even begin to work on
long division, such as dividings in the double digits, hundreds, and thousands.
(to tenths only) are sometimes introduced. Students begin to work on problem-solving skills working to explain their thinking in mathematical terms.
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In science, third grade students are taught basic physics and chemistry. Weather and climate are also sometimes taught. The concept of and molecules are common, the states of matter, and energy, along with basic chemical elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, gold, zinc, and iron. Nutrition is also sometimes taught in third grade along with chemistry.
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Social studies sometimes begins a study of the culture of the United States and basic idea of the early part of the United States from the time of the Native Americans to the Civil War. Outward expansion and the gold rush are covered.
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In reading and language arts, third grade students begin working more on text comprehension by using informational articles or different genre books than Phonics strategies. Students also begin reading harder chapter books. They read and distinguish between a variety of book genres: realistic fiction, non-fiction, poetry, fantasy, historical fiction, science fiction and Folklore. Kids learn reading, vocabulary, and writing strategies such as finding main idea, finding theme, citing textual evidence, compare and contrast, nouns, verbs, context clues, writing narratives, writing research reports, writing explanatory essays, and writing persuasive and argumentative pieces.
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Grade 3 students learn how to work on projects on their own and with others. This may start as early as second grade and first grade as well. Social skills, empathy and leadership are considered by some educators to be as important to develop as the academic skills of reading, writing and arithmetic.
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Although more common in the past than today, many students begin writing in cursive at this grade level. In some schools, cursive writing is taught in earlier grades such as in second grade.
/ref> were launched in 2009, which lay out all of the above curriculum for each grade level.
Australian equivalent
In
Australia, this level of class is called
Year Three. Children generally start this level between the ages of eight and nine.
Brazilian equivalent
In
Brazil, third grade is the
terceiro ano do Ensino Fundamental I, in this case, children begin their first year of elementary school at age 6 or 7 depending on their birthdate. Therefore, the 3rd year of elementary school is typically for students of 8 (96 months)–9 years (108 months) of age. All children students must be 8 years old before the cut-off date.
British equivalent
In England, the year of school that is the same age as 3rd Grade is
Year Four, which is the fourth year of compulsory education. Most children start one year earlier however, in the Reception class.
Welsh pupils are in their fourth full year of compulsory education.
In Northern Ireland and Scottish pupils are in
"Primary 4", their fourth year of compulsory education.
Canadian equivalent
In
Canada, the year is called Grade 3, and the pupils are known as "3rd grade".
French equivalent
In France, children aged 8 join CE2 ("Cours élémentaire deuxième année"), the third school year of primary school. It was formerly called "neuvième" (ninth year before Terminale, the "baccalauréat" year).
[Education in France#Primary education]
German equivalent
In Germany, the equivalent grade is 3. Klasse.
Greece equivalent
In Greece, the third school year of primary school is referred to as Third Grade of Primary (Triti - Τρίτη Δημοτικού)..
Indian equivalent
In India children enter Class 3 or 4 at ages 8 to 9.
[Primary education#India]
Irish equivalent
In the Republic of Ireland, the equivalent is
Third Class or
Rang a trí (for 9-10 year olds) which is the fifth year of Primary School.
New Zealand equivalent
In
New Zealand, this level of class is called Standard 2 or Year 4. Children generally start this level between the ages of eight and nine.
Philippine equivalent
In Philippines, this levels of class called Grade 3. Children generally start this level for females between ages of 7, 8, 9 to 10 and male students between 8, 9, 10 to 11.
Portuguese equivalent
In
Portugal, the third grade (
terceiro ano,
3.º ano) is the third year of the four-year
1.º Ciclo do Ensino Básico that includes also the
first grade, the
second grade and the
fourth grade.
Spanish equivalent
In
Spain for children from 8 to 9 years old is also the third year of elementary education (
tercero de EGB, tercero de primaria). Also, elementary education is further subdivided into two stages. This is the third year in the first stage or
primaria in Spanish.
