Pachappa Elementary School, Third Grade Information
Parents, Welcome to third grade! The following information is intended as a guide to help you
support and prepare your student for the new school year. Thank you.
Math
To keep your student sharp and ready for third grade math,
here are some skills to work on over summer.
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Memorize addition and subtraction facts up to 20 (second grade standard). This includes
multiple ways to make each number. Example: There are many ways to make 18, 10 + 8;
11 + 7; 12 + 6; 20 - 2. There are many ways to make 10, 4 + 6; 12 – 2; 15 – 5.
Using tens frames would be helpful. See the example below.
Count by 2, 3, and 5 up to 30, starting with 0. Can you extend it up to 50? Example: 3, 6,
9, 12, 15, 18, 21, 24, etc.
Tell time to the nearest five minutes (second grade standard). Tell time to the minute and
tell elapsed time (third grade standards) Example: Baseball practice begins at 2:00 P.M.
and is 2 hours long. What time does baseball practice end?
Identify coins and their value. Count various coins. Add and subtract two items together.
Example: a ball costs 53₵ and a candy costs 35₵. How much would it cost to buy both
items?
Mentally add or subtract 10 or 100. Example: what is 10 more than 67? What is 10 less
than 250? Picture which digit is changing.
Ten Frames for Addition and Subtraction
How to use these frames: add two numbers together by placing one item per square
(coins, cereal pieces, Smarties, beads, dried beans, etc). Use the top frame for the first
number and the bottom frame for the second number. Can you visually see how many
pieces from the bottom frame need to be moved to the top frame to make a ten? How
many pieces would be left in the bottom frame? Example: 8 +7 is the same as 10 + 5, so
if 10 + 5 = 15, then 8 + 7 = 15.
Example
8+7=
becomes . . . 10 + 5 =
Reading
High Frequency/Red Words
This is probably the most important thing
you can do with your child this summer.
If you can say and spell these before
entering third grade, then you rock!
Make your own flash cards.
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Make reading fun! Read different ways.
You read a page, your child
reads a page
You read a sentence, your child
repeats the same sentence
Listen and follow along to
audio books
Read out loud
Ask who, what, where, when, and why
questions. Have your child support
his/her answer by pointing to the proof in
the text. Your child should respond using
complete sentences. The question should
be restated in the response. Example:
What did Cinderella’s Fairy God Mother
make her carriage out of? “Cinderella’s
Fairy God Mother made her carriage out
of a pumpkin.”
Have student tell the important events in
a story in order.
Say and spell the high frequency words
who
what
where
why
when
how
said
says
once
are
friend
does
any
many
people
please
goes
because
were
again
other
another
should
would
could
they
there
their
some
more
learn
child
children
come
Websites
Supplies for Third Grade
Learning through online games.
If you would like to support your child and our
classrooms with supplies, here are some
suggestions.
Typingclub.com (this is the program
we will use in third grade)
BBCtyping.com (keyboarding skills
– very important for third grade)
Multiplication.com (addition and
subtraction games under the
“games” tab)
Factmonster.com (addition and
subtraction facts)
http://resources.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/maths/measure
s.htm (games for telling time)
ixl.com (language arts and math
practice; start with the second
grade tab then move up to third
grade)
Starfall.com (Look for “It’s Fun to
Read,” and “I’m Reading” categories)
www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/ (common
core state standards for all grades)
Student supplies:
 16-24 crayons
 Wide-rule line paper
 Colored pencils
 Black, thin dry erase markers
 Pencils, pencils, pencils (one per week –
yes, they go through them that fast!)
 Glue stick
 Student scissors
 Highlighter - yellow
 Individual pencil sharpener with cover
Classroom supplies:
 Wide-rule notebook paper
 Pencils, markers, crayons
 Tissues
 Baby wipes