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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3D Objects Poster
Learn the names of some common 3D shapes with this classroom poster.
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Word of the Week (or Day) – Graphic Organiser
Boost your students' vocabulary with this engaging Word of the Week/Word of the Day graphic organiser!
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Middle Years Morning Work PowerPoint
An engaging 77 slide PowerPoint to use in the classroom for independent morning work.
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What Is a Clause? Teaching Slides
Explain what is a clause to help students confidently identify subjects and verbs and build stronger, more accurate sentences across their writing.
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Changing Matter Experiment – How Long Will It Take to Melt?
Explore how solids change into liquids with an exciting hands-on Matter science experiment.
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Calm Down Corner Classroom Decor Pack
Create a classroom calming corner with a printable Calm Corner Decor Pack.
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Back to School Activity Mats - All Year Levels
Use these back-to-school activity mats as your first day of school warm-up activity during morning arrival.
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Printable Bubble Maps - Templates
Support student thinking and vocabulary development with printable bubble maps!
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Visual Literacy Worksheets
Enhance critical thinking with visual literacy worksheets that guide students to analyse images, infer meaning and explore how pictures tell powerful stories.
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Children’s Word of the Day - Tier 2 Vocab Warmup Slides
Boost academic vocabulary skills and provide your students with daily tier 2 vocabulary review using our Children’s Word of the Day Warmup Slides for Year 2.
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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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Blank Function Table Template
Grab this function table template set to create a wide variety of input/output activities that will have your students thinking algebraically.
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Self Monitoring Reading Comprehension Strategies Flipbook
Get students practising their self monitoring while reading skills with this activities flipbook.
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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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Worksheets on Volume of Rectangular Prisms
Share our worksheets on volume of rectangular prisms with students to give them the practice they need in a fun ‘this’ or ‘that’ format.
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English Spelling Practice Activity Cards
Make English spelling practice more exciting with this set of 24 spelling activity task cards.
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Fact or Opinion Worksheet Pack
Boost critical thinking skills with this fact or opinion worksheet pack featuring five engaging worksheets where students colour-code fact and opinion sentences.
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Year 3 Vocabulary Word of the Week PowerPoint
A 40 slide PowerPoint Template for introducing new Year 3 vocabulary words.
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Editable Vocabulary Card Template Pack
Create English vocabulary cards to help your students study new vocabulary terms with our editable Vocabulary Card Template pack.
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Prediction in Reading Comprehension Task
Help students to engage with prediction during reading with this predictions in reading comprehension task.
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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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I Have, Who Has? - Place Value Maths Game (5-Digit Numbers)
Use a 5-Digit Place Value Maths game to engage your students and practise identifying and reading five digit numbers.
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Physical Changes in Matter Interactive Game
Observe and predict physical changes in matter with an engaging, interactive Science Game!
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Observing Properties of Matter Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the observable properties of matter with an engaging interactive teaching slide deck.
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Paragraph Editing - Quotation Marks Worksheets
Practise using quotation marks to signify dialogue in text with a set of printable Paragraph Editing Worksheets.
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Pocket Money Board Game
Use this pocket money board game to introduce your students to the concept of money management.
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Measuring Mass Digital Learning Activity
Practise measuring mass with this fun and engaging digital learning slide deck.
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Introduction to the Paralympic Games - Inquiry-Based Project
Introduce your students to the key components of the Paralympic Games with this inquiry-based learning project.
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Past, Present, and Future Verb Tense Sentence Sort
Identify sentences written in past, present, and future tense with task cards designed for primary students.
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Which Verb Is It? Worksheet
Practise past, present, and future verb tenses with this easy to implement worksheet.
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Place Value Charts
Practise place value knowledge up to 6 digits with these blank place value charts.
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Know Wonder Learnt KWL Chart
Encourages active participation while also helping your students identify prior knowledge, set their learning objectives, and summarise their learnings with this set of 3 KWL charts.