Year 3 Teaching Resources
Explore printable worksheets, digital activities, games and more Year 3 resources, all aligned to the Australian curriculum! The teacher-created resources have all been designed with primary teachers and students in mind to meet the special needs of children as they transition into the middle years of their primary school education.
Carefully curated and thoroughly reviewed by the expert teachers of the Teach Starter team to ensure they're classroom-ready, our Year 3 resources can save you lesson planning time this school year with editable and differentiated options at the ready.
Teach Starter’s Year 3 resources utilise a vast array of resource types and have something for every learning area. Here's just a taste of what you'll find for your classroom!
- Spelling words and English worksheets
- Fractions activities and Maths worksheets
- Social and emotional learning activities
- Narrative writing stimuli
- Language conventions practice
- And so much more!
Are you new to teaching Year 3? Here's a look at what this year of primary school is all about!
What Is Year 3 in Australia?
Year 3 sits right in the middle of primary school for most students in Australia as the fourth year of compulsory education.
How Old Are Kids in Year 3?
The exact age of students will vary slightly by state (and birthday!), but most children in your Year 3 class will be 8 to 9 years old.
What Do Students Learn in Year 3?
Year 3 is a big one for Australian students. Many will sit the NAPLAN tests, and more than a few will hit double digits before the year is through. This is a big year for Maths between the introduction of more complex fractions and formal multiplication, as well as even more skill-building in other learning areas.
Exactly what they're expected to learn will depend to some degree on the state or territory where you are teaching, but here's a look at what your students can expect to encounter in the key areas of the curriculum!
English
Year 3 students continue to develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in their English lessons. Reading will involve more complex texts, including longer novels, non-fiction texts, and poetry.
Students will also be expected to analyse these texts more deeply, examining themes, character development, and literary techniques. Comprehension skill-building will require deeper analysis of texts and drawing inferences from what is read.
While Year 2 instruction focuses on basic writing skills such as sentence structure and punctuation, this older group of students will move toward more advanced writing skills such as paragraphing, using descriptive language, and organising ideas in a logical way.
Grammar and spelling will also become a greater focus this year, with an emphasis on understanding and applying more complex grammar rules and spelling patterns.
Maths
Fractions feature front and centre of the Year 3 Maths curriculum. Students will learn to identify, compare, and order unit fractions (those being fractions with a numerator of 1), as well as use them in simple problem-solving contexts.
We already alluded to this being a big year for multiplication, and is it ever! Year 3 students learn the basic multiplication facts — such as 2 x 2 = 4 and 3 x 3 = 9 — and they begin to use these facts to solve multiplication and division problems. They also learn to interpret and create simple multiplication and division problems.
Students will have the chance to build upon their understanding of measurement concepts from Year 2, including length, mass, and capacity. They'll learn to measure and estimate using standard units, plus how to compare and order measurements.
Maths students will expand their knowledge of 2D shapes this year, and they will begin to learn about three-dimensional shapes and their properties.
Place value is still a big part of maths, of course. Year 3 students expand their understanding of place value to include numbers up to 10,000, and they learn to read, write, and compare four-digit numbers. They also learn to use place value to solve addition and subtraction problems.
Science
Science instruction in Year 3 is more focused on building a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and their applications, as compared to Year 2. It also emphasises the development of scientific inquiry skills that will help kids become more proficient in conducting scientific investigations and communicating their findings.
Students in Year 3 learn to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations, collect and record data, and communicate their findings as part of their development of science inquiry skills. They spend a portion of the year learning about the characteristics of living things, including plants and animals. Year 3 students will have the chance to explore the life cycles of plants and animals, as well as learning about the needs of living things and their habitats.
While they're learning about things that live on Earth, they're also learning about the planet itself, exploring geological features such as rocks, soil, and minerals. They also explore heat energy and how it can be transferred from one object to another.
Last, but certainly not least, Year 3 students learn about the properties and states of matter, including solids and liquids (gasses are explored later on in primary school).
Humanities and Social Sciences
Building on the foundation set in Year 2, Year 3 HAAS lessons build a deeper understanding of historical events and concepts, as well as exploring the social and economic systems that underpin Australian society.
Students learn about the historical events, people, and places that have shaped Australia's history. They explore the concept of change and continuity over time and learn to use historical sources to investigate the past. Students also study significant cultural events celebrated in our country and how they contribute to Australia's diversity and identity.
Geography instruction will guide students as they learn about the physical and cultural characteristics of places and regions. They'll learn more about the representation of Australia as states and territories, and as Countries/Places of First Nations Australians. Students will also begin exploring Australia's neighbours such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
Civics instruction sees Year 3 students strengthening their understanding of what it means to live in a democratic society. They will draw upon their own personal experiences to examine why rules are important and to discuss how they can be active participants in the communities to which they belong.
Health and Physical Education
With their bodies rapidly changing, Year 3 students learn about the factors that influence their health and wellbeing, including the importance of good nutrition, hygiene, and sleep. They also learn about social and emotional health, including how to manage their feelings, develop positive relationships, and make safe and healthy choices.
In Year 3, there are a number of different types of safety on tap in lessons, including road safety, water safety, and personal safety. They develop an understanding of risk and learn strategies for staying safe in different situations.
Year 3 students also learn about the importance of being active and informed citizens in their community. They learn about the benefits of volunteering and begin to develop an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of individuals in society.
The Arts
In Year 3, students develop more advanced skills in drawing, painting, and other visual arts techniques. This includes studying the elements of art — such as line, shape, colour, and texture — and beginning to use these to create more complex artworks.
In music class, these children are learning all about musical notation and how to read and write simple music, while drama instruction explores different forms of drama, including role-playing, improvisation, and scripted performance. Students get the chance to learn about the elements of drama, such as character, plot, and setting, and begin to use these to create their own dramatic works.
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Halloween Poems Activity Pack
Read, share, and annotate Halloween Poems with a printable Halloween Poetry Activity Pack
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Halloween Writing Prompt Worksheet Pack
Inspire spook-tacular story writing with our printable Hallowing Writing Prompt Worksheet pack.
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Halloween Cat Colouring Pages
Print out some Halloween Cat Colouring Pages to scare up some spooky season fun!
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Halloween Acrostic Poem Templates
Write and display a Halloween Acrostic poem with our printable acrostic poem templates and Halloween page peeker cutouts.
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Book an Adventure Bookmarks - Free Printable Colouring Bookmarks
Give your students brand new Book Week Bookmarks with our free printable colouring bookmarks template.
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Roll an Adventure Story - Storytelling Dice Game
Roll and write an adventure story during Book Week using our Roll An Adventure Storytelling Game.
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Visual Literacy Analysis Slide Deck
Teach visual literacy analysis using this comprehensive slide deck featuring 20 stimulus images, each accompanied by thought-provoking question prompts.
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Coin Toss Probability Worksheet
Engage your students with this coin toss probability worksheet that guides them through a hands-on probability activity.
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Fossicking for Fossils – Comprehension Worksheet
Use a Fossil Comprehension worksheet to teach your year 5 and 6 students about what fossils are, how they’re formed, and more!
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Mindful Cat Bookmark
Give students a chance to practise mindfulness and make reading even more enjoyable with their own unique cat bookmark.
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Immigration Worksheets - Year 4-5 Reading Comprehension Pack
Use our differentiated Immigration Worksheets to introduce your students to the concept of immigration and the reasons why people migrate to new countries.
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Spring Word Search Puzzle
Search, find, and celebrate spring in your classroom with a fun Spring Word Search Puzzle.
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Multiply and Divide! Word Problems Interactive
Practise solving one and two step worded maths problems and have fun with our Multiply and Divide Word Problems Interactive Activity.
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Identifying Parallel and Perpendicular Lines in Shapes Worksheet Pack
Present this parallel and perpendicular lines in shapes worksheet pack to your students to give them practice identifying attributes of 2D shapes.
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Comma Lesson Slides - Middle Primary
Teach your middle primary students all about comma rules with our Comma Lesson Slides Presentation.
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Monitor and Clarify Reading Strategy Digital Task Cards
Help students gain more practise in monitoring while reading using these Monitoring and Clarifying Reading Strategy Practise digital task cards.
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Word Whizz - Spelling Game for Kids
Play ‘Word Whizz’, a fast-paced spelling game for kids that encourages quick thinking and correct spelling.
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Place Value Colour by Number Worksheets
Share these place value colour by number worksheets with your students for a fun way to review place value up to the hundred thousands place.
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I Need a Break - Choice Boards
Help upset students regulate their emotions in the classroom with our printable ‘I Need a Break!’ choice boards.
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Volume and Capacity Definition Poster
Display this volume and capacity definition poster in the classroom to help students identify the main difference between capacity and volume.
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Rounding PPT — "Rounding With Reasoning"
Use this engaging rounding PPT to teach your students to round with reasoning — not rules!
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Editing for Incomplete Sentences Worksheet
Use this complete and incomplete sentences worksheet to fine tune your students' editing skills.
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Forms of Matter Brochure Template
Introduce your students to the three states of matter with a printable Forms of Matter Foldable Brochure Template.
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Rounding Anchor Chart — Rounding Roller Coaster!
Hang our rounding anchor chart in your classroom for a fun reminder of how to round numbers — roller coaster style!
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Odd One Out Game- Observable Properties of Matter
Use an exciting 'Odd One Out' Game to practise identifying the observable properties of matter.
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Rocks and Minerals Crossword Puzzle
Use a Rocks and Minerals Crossword puzzle to review key science vocabulary.
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How Do Rocks Form? – Informative Text Sequencing Task
Help students learn about informative text structure and how rocks are formed with an engaging cut-and-paste sorting activity.
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Properties of Solids, Liquids, and Gases Interactive Game
Discover the properties of solids, liquids, and gases with an engaging Properties of Matter Interactive Game.
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States of Matter Doodle Notes Template
Improve note-taking skills with a printable States of Matter Doodle Notes Template.
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States of Matter - Colour by Code Worksheet
Engage your students and have fun identifying the states of matter with a colour-by-code worksheet.
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Punctuation Worksheets - Lower Primary
Download our no-prep punctuation worksheets to help your students practice their skills with using a variety of punctuation marks.
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Choosing Metric Units of Length - Worksheets
Determine which metric unit of measurement should be used to measure objects with a set of Year 3 Maths worksheets.