By third grade, children should be able to spend longer periods of time writing independently and building upon skills acquired in previous grades.
Below are the main objectives to be achieved when writing at Grade 3 level:
- Learn how to effectively convey ideas through written texts
- Create a structured piece of writing, including a short introduction, main body and conclusion
- Develop paragraph-writing skills
- Start to incorporate longer and more complex sentence forms
- Research and present knowledge in informative reports
- Recall details about experiences and write about them clearly
- Revise, edit and improve their writing over a period of time
- Create a piece of writing based on a given prompt
- Use technology to compose articles and stories
- Actively apply literary devices for the purpose of developing details
- Write for different audiences and purposes
These aims can be broadly illustrated through the lens of the following different styles of writing:
Informative Writing
Writing informative texts in Grade 3 calls for a focus on a specific topic and piecing together factual details with the aim to inform the reader. Here are our top tips for writing a high-quality informative text at third grade level:
- Introduce the topic
- Group all related information clearly, to form the text
- Include facts, definitions and details to support the text, using illustrations when or if necessary in order to further the reader’s understanding of the topic
- Use linking words to connect the information
- Include a concluding statement
Some informative writing text styles in Grade 3 are:
- Notes
- Lists
- Explanations
- Reports
- Rules
- Recipes
Practice Tip: Your child can work on their informative writing skills with Night Zookeeper’s activity pack about explanations. This pack introduces examples of linking words and phrases that can help connect ideas in informational writing!
Opinion Writing
In third grade, your child is expected to give their opinion on a chosen topic and provide valid reasons for their perspective. Your child will also learn how to use linking words and phrases to piece together a compelling argument. Grade 3 learners should be working on writing to persuade or influence an audience.
How to write an opinion piece at third-grade level:
- Start with a short introduction, stating a clear opinion on the topic at hand
- Give a reason for this opinion, followed by a convincing example that validates your point
- Always circle back to the original statement, to ensure that the argument is consistent and coherent
- Finish with a summary of the argument, stating the original opinion once again, to leave the reader thinking about the perspective shared
Practice Tip: You can encourage your child to develop opinions on specific topics by engaging in topical discussions! Choose a theme and start a conversation about it - you’ll be surprised by the already-formed opinions your child has!
Narrative Writing
Stories at Grade 3 level should rely on descriptive writing techniques to create a cohesive plot of events, which provide the reader with as much information on the characters, settings and actions as possible!
To write a narrative piece of writing at third-grade level, your child must think about the following:
- Plan and develop a well-structured plot
- Establish characters, settings and actions according to the theme of the story
- Be as descriptive as possible
- Use figurative language and literary devices to enhance the plot
- Include an introduction, paragraphs which allow the story to progress chronologically and finish with a great narrative ending
Practice Tip: Why not get your child to draw the characters and settings of their story before writing the piece? Not only will this encourage them to think about more details which can be described in the story (such as the clothes worn by the characters or the type of setting appropriate for the plot), but it will also improve their ability to think creatively about the chosen topic or theme!
How Night Zookeeper can help
Our extensive collections of lesson series on our program, nightzookeeper.com, are especially relevant for Grade 3 writing, such as The Persuasive Professor, Building Story Tension with the General, and Story Endings with the Guardians. There are also hundreds of grammar, spelling and vocabulary challenges that can help your child build upon the skills they learned in the earlier grades. We also offer lots of useful educational resources which will help your child through Grade 3!
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