Grade 3

Teachers for 2026
3JS – Julie South
3JL – Jerome Leonard
3AS – Allana Swatton
3ZN – Zoe Needham

What’s on in our week
Monday –
Tuesday – Art
Wednesday – Phys Ed, Performing Arts, Environmental Science
Thursday – Library
Friday – Assembly

Grade 3 Curriculum

Literacy

Reading

At Grade 3 level, students are exposed to fiction and non-fiction texts. Student’s reading will continue to focus on accuracy and ensuring their reading matches the written text. They will continue their build their ability to comprehend what they are reading by asking and answering questions, expanding their vocabulary, and making inferences about the setting and how characters are feeling. Students also begin to explore and infer the Author’s purpose and specific text features and how they help a reader. Students will also be looking to identify different sentence types.

Spelling

Spelling focusses on the learning of spelling rules with daily practice and revision through games and activities. Students look at recognising and recording rules and then applying them within their writing. This is supported by a focus on handwriting, the use of correct letter formation.

Writing

Writing in Grade 3 covers a broad range of text types, including response, recount, narrative, persuasive, information, procedure and poetry.
Within these writing genres we continually develop the use of punctuation, correct letter formation and reinforcing the accurate spelling of high frequency words. Students work on identifying a fragment and a complete sentence, and use these to develop complex sentences. They use this to strengthen their ability to write in paragraphs. Students are encouraged to add ‘stronger words’ including a range of different nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

Speaking & Listening

Students are provided various opportunity to practice their speaking and listening skills in a variety of situations, including sharing to and working in small groups, presenting ideas and work to the class.

Numeracy

Mathematics

In Grade 3, learning in Mathematics extends each student’s prior learning and experiences. Students engage in a range of approaches to develop their understanding of and fluency with concepts, procedures and processes. They make connections, reason, problem-solve and practice strategies to solve problems efficiently as they:

become increasingly aware of the usefulness of mathematics to model situations and solve practical problems
experience the power of being able to manipulate numbers using a range of strategies that are based on proficiency with single-digit addition facts and their understanding of place value in the base-10 number system, partitioning and regrouping
begin to apply their understanding of algorithms and technology to experiment with numbers and recognise patterns
develop, extend and apply their addition and multiplication facts and related facts for subtraction and division through recognising connections between operations, and develop automaticity for 3, 4, 5 and 10 multiplication facts
learn to select appropriate calculation strategies for problems
use metric units to measure and compare objects and events
recognise the relationship between dollars and cents and learn to represent money values in different ways
determine key features of objects and spaces, and use these when they build models and spatial representations
undertake statistical investigations that are meaningful to them, making decisions about their use and representation of data, and reporting findings
develop a qualitative understanding of chance and use the language of chance to describe and compare the outcomes of familiar chance events
become increasingly able to understand that different outcomes can be the results of random processes.

Integrated Studies

In Grade 3 we learn about the geography of Australia, its flora, fauna, climate and major landmarks. We then compare this to other continents on Earth. We explore our past, including the history of First Nations Peoples and the way other people around the world live. We also investigate healthy choices for our mind and body.

Extra-Curricular Highlights

It is fair to say that our Grade 3 students to look forward to their first full camp experience to Pioneer Settlement Swan Hill. They partake in the House Athletics and Cross Country. Students have the option to join the choir and may also elect to take guitar or keyboard lessons.
On the performing arts stage, we can’t go past the Easter Hat Parade or the Middle School Concert.

Wellbeing

At Maiden Gully Primary School, we believe that Wellbeing begins with relationships and getting to know each other both individually and as members of a group, with a focus on inclusion. Throughout Grade 3, students explore their strengths, and strategies to deal with their emotions. They work on the choices they make and how it affects them and others.
Students participate in three wellbeing programs, the Resilience, Rights and Respectful Relationships program, Smiling Minds, and Play is the Way.
The RRRR learning materials are designed to develop students’ social, emotional and positive relationship skills.
Play is the Way is a practical methodology for teaching social and emotional skills using guided play, cooperative games and empowering language. It is a process that gives students a way to develop, improve and entrench the personal and social capabilities. Smiling Minds is a life-long, evidence-based tool to deliver the essential mental fitness skills needed to underpin good mental health and resilience from an early age.

Home Partnership

Daily Home Reading

Students are expected to read 20 minutes per night for at least 5 nights each week and fill in their diary for each night they read. The diary must be kept in their bag and brought to school each day. We ask parents to focus on accuracy and fluency when reading and then ask your child questions about important details in their book. This will assist your child to develop their comprehension.

Communication

The Compass Parent Portal is one of our major communication methods between Teachers and parent/carers. Please check your emails and your child’s profile regularly for any updates.

Numeracy at Home

The parents role in helping to explore maths in everyday life is crucial to learners seeing themselves as capable mathematicians. How can you help?

Play board, card and strategy games together, particularly games that involve addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Involve your child in planning and undertaking measuring activities e.g. pouring drinks, cooking, building, craft or gardening projects.
Encourage them to use discuss time duration using calendars and when telling the time. For example, “We’re leaving in 10 minutes,” or “how many days until …”

Estimating, then counting (and checking) objects and identifying number patterns eg how many grapes will fill your cup?
Reading numbers in the environment, eg road signs, catalogues…

If you are shopping talking about money. Use spending money and determine cost and change.

Playing addition games like car cricket when travelling.