Third Grade Homeschool Curriculum

Are you planning on homeschooling your child at the third grade level? Are you not quite certain about where to begin or what materials to use? One of the benefits of homeschooling is the freedom to choose materials that work for your kiddos. No single curriculum is a perfect fit for every family. Even within my own family, I have added or removed materials from my first child through my fourth child. In general, I use a variety of workbooks and other resources for my third grade homeschool curriculum. The following are the workbooks that I am using with my second child and will use with my third and fourth children. If you are interested in any of the materials, easily find copies on Amazon via my affiliate links.

I began homeschooling my oldest daughter in the fall of 2014. I start homeschool preschool with each of my children about age 3. After two years of preschool work, my kiddos start kindergarten around age 5. After completing kindergarten level work, I graduate my children to first grade around age 6. They then move onto second grade a year later around age 7. Upon finishing all our second grade work, I move my kids onto third grade about age 8. Fourth grade work then begins roughly a year later after the completion of the third grade.

Of the many materials that I use with my third graders, the most important to me are Teach a Student to Spell: Level 3 and A Form-Function English Grammar: Level 3. The Teach a Student to Spell series is the follow-up workbook series to the Teach a Student to Read reading program, which strives to teach students accurate and complete information about the English spelling system. The Form-Function English Grammar series is the elementary series that builds up to A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language, a textbook and workbook that provides a descriptive grammar that strives to provide an objective description of English as used without value judgements.

Originally published on February 11, 2019. Updated on July 28, 2024.

Reading

In third grade, our reading curriculum focuses on advancing comprehension skills, critical thinking, and literary analysis. My kiddos engage with a variety of texts, from narratives and informational passages to poetry, which enhances the understanding of different genres and writing styles. Reading activities include answering questions, discussing authors and illustrators, and completing comprehension exercises, all of which enhance vocabulary, context clues, and inferencing skills. The skills that my children gain through our third grade reading curriculum are crucial for developing independent reading habits and a deeper appreciation of literature.

After completing the second level of the McGraw-Hill Reading series, we move on to the third level (Book 1, Book 2) of the series. Each lesson begins with a “Stories in Art” reading passage for the child to read and then a read-together section on the author and/or illustrator of the subsequent reading. At the end of the reading are questions for the child to answer and some additional language arts activities. The reading become a little more difficult with each lesson and book. I also purchased the accompanying practice book for additional practice. We use the reading comprehension and study skills pages because the other pages are largely busy work.

For additional reading comprehension practice, I included Reading Comprehension, Grade 3: Gold Star Edition (Home Workbooks) in our reading lessons. The 60-page workbook reinforces reading skills through short reading passages and a variety of questions and activities. We like the short practice activities, which offer a nice break from the longer and more intensive reading work. The activities are different from the ones found in our other reading books, which adds variety to our reading curriculum.

I also use Read and Understand Poetry, Grades 3-4 to focus on reading and understanding poetry. The workbook contains 26 poems with activity pages. The first follow-up activity for each poem emulates the format on standardized language arts tests. Other activities cover skills such as literal comprehension, sequence, word meaning, context clues and inferences, and main idea and details.

Grammar

Because of the many errors and problems in the grammar books for third grade currently available, I wrote my own third grade grammar workbook for my children. A Form-Function English Grammar: Level 3 is the third workbook in the elementary series that builds up to A Form-Function Description of the Grammar of the Modern English Language, a textbook and workbook that provides a descriptive grammar that strives to provide an objective description of English as used without value judgements.

The goal of Level 3 is to reinforce the word classes (parts of speech, grammatical forms) of English taught in Level 1 and Level 2. Level 3 includes nouns, determiners, pronouns, verbs, modal verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions, correlative conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions, and interjections. Level 3 introduces additional pronouns and also introduces adjective phrases, determiner phrases, subject complements, gerunds, present participles as noun phrase modifiers, past participles, perfect aspect, adverb phrases and adverb phrase modifiers, functions of prepositional phrases, verb phrase complements, adjective phrase complements, adverbials, subordinating conjunctions (adverbializers), adverb clauses, main clauses, and sentence fragments.

Level 3 is recommended for ages 7 to 8 in second grade through third grade.

The answers to all the activities are located at the end of the workbook.

Writing

For formal writing lessons, I use portions of the 112-page Grammar and Punctuation, Grade 3 workbook. The black-and-white workbook covers 25 grammatical and punctuation topics including conjunctions, commas, and quotation marks that build on the topics learned in the second grade edition. Each section includes four pages of instruction and activities for a total of 25 instructional pages and 75 practice pages. As with the second grade workbook, I again use only the writing and punctuation portions because of errors in the grammar sections.

I also include Weekly Real-World Writing, Grades 3-4 to help my children explore real-world purposes for writing with activities that demonstrate thoughtful and effective writing strategies. We use the first half of the workbook in third grade and the second half in fourth grade. The real-world topics include letters, journal entries, product opinions, advertisements, directions, and interviews.

For additional writing practice, I use the Narrative Writing printable workbook from Education.com. The writing workbook teaches students about narrative writing through activities that focus on sensory words, action verbs, supporting details, and point of view. The printable workbook is available only through Education.com. I personally have had a subscription to the website for years.

I additionally include All About Super Sensational Me! from Lakeshore Learning in our third grade writing curriculum. Each page of the journal includes prompts for writing, drawing, and answering questions. I like that the finished journal gives me a keepsake of my children.

I also continue lessons on handwriting within our writing lessons. I begin focusing more on learning to read and write cursive. We finish using the Complete Book of Handwriting from Carson Dellosa. Recommended for kindergarten through third grade, the first part of the book focuses on printing letters and then words, and the second half focuses on cursive. Once print handwriting is neat, I introduce cursive writing. Learning cursive offers cognitive benefits. Learning to read cursive is also important for reading older documents and for signing your name. We additionally use Cursive Writing (Practice Makes Perfect) and Learning to Write Cursive for additional practice.

Spelling

Rather than using word lists for spelling, I introduced word study using Structured Word Inquiry in first grade. For my main resource, I use the InSight Words decks from Linguist-Educator Exchange.

I also created the Teach a Student to Spell: Level 3 workbook for spelling lessons as a follow up to Teach a Student to Read. Teach a Student to Spell: Level 3 is the third follow-up workbook to the Teach a Student to Read reading program, which strives to teach students accurate and complete information about the English spelling system. Level 3 consists of 36 spelling lists of 12 words each. The spelling lists are based on the most common words in English and various sight word lists. The first goal of Level 3 is to teach more spellings of the most common English words and common English bases. Each list reinforces the graphemes taught in Teach a Student to Read. Some complex words are also introduced. Related words are noted. The second goal of Level 3 is to teach more English suffixes and spelling rules. Level 3 also introduces prefixes and connecting vowels. Words from Level 1 and Level 2 sometimes appear in Level 3 to reinforce spelling rules with prefixes and suffixes. Level 3 introduces word sums that contain three or more morphemes.

Vocabulary

In addition to the other subjects that I include in all grades, I add vocabulary to our third grade curriculum. Expanding the vocabulary is essential for enhancing reading comprehension and communication skills. My kiddos learn to understand and use new words through various activities that include context clues, word meanings, and usage in sentences. These skills help my third graders express themselves more clearly, understand complex texts, and improve their overall literacy.

My children begin using McGraw-Hill Education Vocabulary Grades 3-5 to expand their vocabulary as part of our third grade curriculum. Focusing on a particular subject and including ten or more vocabulary words related to that topic, each vocabulary list includes definitions and example sentences followed by activities for practicing the words.

Math

In third grade, math skills become more advanced and foundational for future learning, focusing on critical areas like multiplication, division, and money management. Mastery of multiplication and division allows my kiddos to solve more complex problems and understand relationships between numbers. Learning about money including counting and making change is essential for real-life applications and financial literacy. The math skills learned through our third grade curriculum not only enhance mathematical thinking but also prepare my children for practical, everyday tasks and higher-level math concepts.

For third grade math lessons, I selected Singapore Math Level 3 (US Edition) including the Home Instructor’s Guide (3A, 3B). The two textbooks in Level 3 teach mathematical concepts, and the workbooks provide additional independent practice. The US Edition has been minimally modified from the original Singapore edition to teach American money and include American English spellings. The textbooks follow a unique pattern of moving from hands-on demonstrations to picture drawings (concrete examples with pictures) and finally to the abstract (numbers and symbols) in a natural, easy-to-understand progression. The program aims to teach children to learn to think mathematically rather than just being able to solve math problems.

In addition to the Singapore Math textbooks and workbooks, I am using a few other workbooks to supplement math lessons, specifically within the areas of time, money, multiplication, and division. I picked up Common Core Third Grade Workbook: Multiplication and Common Core Third Grade Workbook: Division from Landoll at the Dollar Tree. Both workbooks include math facts from zero through twelve as well as activities focusing on multiplication and division strategies, fact families, and word problems. I have copies of the 2014 edition, but new almost identical workbooks come out every few years. I use the workbooks to provide extra practice with adding and subtracting through colorful activities.

For continued practice with money, I use DK Workbooks: Money Math, Third Grade. Learning about money is an essential everyday skill. The 60-page workbook includes many different types of questions and problems involving money.

Science

Science skills are important for third graders for fostering curiosity, critical thinking, and a foundational understanding of the natural world. In third grade science, my kiddos explore essential topics such as plants and animals, environments, Earth science, weather and space, matter and energy, and forces and motion. The lessons are broken into manageable units that help third graders understand and retain complex information. Reflective questions and hands-on activities reinforce learning, encouraging students to think critically and apply the knowledge to the world.

For science lessons, I selected the textbook Harcourt Science: Grade 3 and the accompanying workbook. The 720-page textbook contains six units that cover the topics of plants and animals, environments, Earth science, weather and space, matter and energy, and forces and motion. Each unit is broken down into smaller chapters and lessons. I especially like the questions at the end of each lesson, which allow my kiddos to reflect on the information learned. consumable workbook reinforces the information from each lesson through vocabulary sheets, quick study guides, and writing practice.

Social Studies

Through our third grade social studies curriculum, my kiddos delve into the study of communities, geography, history, and culture and develop important skills such as reading maps, understanding compass directions, and exploring the historical and cultural aspects of different regions. The social studies skills my third graders learn are crucial for fostering a sense of global awareness and helping them understand their place in the world. We use a textbook and workbook followed by geography lessons and unit studies.

After finishing the grade 2 social studies textbook and workbook, we move on to the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Our Communities Grade 3 textbook and the accompanying workbook. The 295-page hardback book covers various social studies topics such as community, geography, history, and culture. The text is easy enough for my children to read on their own but engaging enough to keep their attention and provide adequate information on each topic. The accompanying 72-page workbook is essential for reinforcing the lessons in the textbook and covers vocabulary, writing, and other activities.

In addition to the textbook and workbook, I also use the workbook DK Workbooks: Geography, Third Grade to supplement our third grade social studies lessons. The 60-page workbook topics include map reading, compass directions, continents, countries and states, borders, landforms, and more. Geography skills are essential for understanding the physical features, human-environment interactions, and global interconnectedness of the world as well as for navigating the world.

After completing the Ancient Civilizations activity book during first grade and Native Americans during second grade, we move on to History Pockets: Life in Plymouth Colonies, Grades 1-3 in third grade. The activity book covers the Voyage to the New World, The New World, Building a Village, Home Sweet Home, The Family, Working in Plymouth Colony, Going to School, and What Did the Pilgrims Give Us. Each reproducible section contains words to know, information booklet complete with illustrations, arts and crafts projects, and writing activities. My third grader again completes each section over one or two days with a culminating portfolio to show the study of the Plymouth Colony.

Health/Life Skills

Through our third grade health curriculum, my kiddos learn about essential topics such as personal hygiene, nutrition, physical fitness, safety, and emotional well-being. These health skills are crucial for developing healthy habits, understanding the human body, and making informed decisions about health. Our curriculum also promotes awareness of community health and safety, fostering a sense of responsibility.

For health lessons, I opt to continue using the same textbook series, Harcourt Health & Fitness: Grade 3 and the accompanying workbook. The 344-page hardback book covers health topics including your growing body, caring for your body, caring for your teeth, food for fitness, keeping fit and active, avoiding danger, staying safe, staying well, medicines and drugs, your feelings, your family, and caring for your neighborhood. The accompanying workbook provides practice that reinforces the information from each lesson. Most of the worksheet pages cover two or three lessons per page.

In addition to the textbook and workbook, I also include My First Human Body Book as an additional activity book in our health lessons. The coloring book includes 28 drawings that explore muscles, bones, lungs, and other parts of the human body.

Art

Learning about art history and specific art pieces and artists is important for enhancing cultural awareness, fostering creativity, and understanding the historical and social context of different eras. For art in third grade, I continue using the 13 Children Should Know series of books. For third grade, I used 13 Artists Children Should Know, 13 Impressionism Artists Children Should Know, and 13 Art Inventions Children Should Know. We also used YouTube, trips to art museums, and other resources to learn more about various artists, artworks, and art styles.

Printable Schedule

Because I am a homeschooling mom of four children, I have created yearly schedules for each grade to help me keep track of the work that needs to be completed in each subject each week. Our schedules make sure that we complete all work in each subject in each grade in a timely manner. The schedules also help us spread out the work over the entire grade without cramming too much in at any one time. Our schedules are designed for four days of work for forty-two weeks a year. Feel free to use our Grade 3 Schedule in your own homeschool.

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