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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Addition and Subtraction Strategy Worksheets
Reinforce addition and subtraction strategies through this worksheet pack one‑ and two‑digit calculations.
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Persuasive Writing Poster Set
Display this set of persuasive posters for students to use as a guide during your persuasive writing units.
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Nouns, Proper Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs and Conjunctions Posters
Enhance student understanding of the 8 parts of speech with these colourful, informative and easily-referenced grammar wall posters.
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Cut and Paste Array Worksheets
Guide your students to match arrays and multiplication facts with these cut-and-paste worksheets.
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Multiplication as Repeated Addition Worksheet Pack
Strengthen student understanding of multiplication and repeated addition with this worksheet pack designed for year 2 and 3 students.
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Persuade Me Persuasive Writing Prompts
Encourage students to write persuasive texts with these engaging task cards or teaching slides.
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Scripts for Readers Theatre – Year 3 and Year 4
Bring your literacy lessons to life with scripts for readers theatre that boost student confidence and improve reading fluency.
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Year 3 Reading Fluency Passages
Assess student fluency with a printable pack of reading fluency passages for Year 3.
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Blank Map of Australia - Template
Record and represent data about the location of significant places with this printable blank map of the continent of Australia.
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Colouring 2D Shapes Worksheet
A worksheet to consolidate students' understanding of rectangles, squares, circles and triangles.
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Multiplication Chart
Print a handy multiplication chart for your students — it's free for teachers!
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Australian States and Capital Cities Map Worksheet
A worksheet for students to use when learning about Australian states, territories and capital cities.
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Editable Classroom Schedule Cards
Make your classroom routines visible and understandable with a editable classroom schedule cards.
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Informative Writing Posters
Display this set of 5 information report posters in your classroom during your informative writing unit.
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Equal Groups Multiplication Worksheets
Reinforce how to relate equal group models and multiplication with this printable worksheet pack.
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Fractions Number Line - Halves, Quarters and Eighths
Demonstrate the concept of fractions on a number line with a printable number line display and student reference sheets.
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Types of Angles Teaching Slides
Teach your students about the six main angle types with this teaching presentation perfect for primary school maths lessons.
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Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check Templates
Use our Look, Say, Cover, Write and Check Templates to encourage students to study and practise their weekly spelling words.
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Developing Report Writing Skills Teaching Slides
Use this slide deck to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of information reports.
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The Natural Environment of Australia PowerPoint
A 23 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the climate, vegetation and animals of Australia.
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2D Shapes Poster Set
Hang this 2D shapes poster set in your classroom to give students an easy reference for the attributes of two dimensional shapes.
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Personalised Name Colouring Bookmarks
Inspire your new students to read, read, read with their very own personalised name bookmark to colour!
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Blank Number Lines - Printable
Print a set of open number lines to help you teach a variety of maths skills.
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Note-Taking Practice Worksheets
Use this set of note-taking practice worksheets to help your students identify key facts, details and vocabulary when researching information.
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Unit Fraction Interactive Task Cards
Engage your students with their learning of unit fractions using this set of interactive task cards ready to be used today!
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Dog or Cat? Persuasive Writing Project
Help students plan out persuasive writing with this very common argument, which is best dogs or cats?
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Multiplication and Division Speed Drill Worksheets – Mixed Facts
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the multiplication tables.
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Rhetorical Questions Interactive Activity
Explore rhetorical questions with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons.
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Making Inferences Comprehension Task Cards
Download this set of comprehension task cards to help students draw conclusions and make inferences when reading.
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Phonics Sound Wall Display
Build a classroom sound wall to match your phonics programs and literacy progressions with a printable sound wall display.
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Narrative Plot Structure – Story Mountain Template
Use a story mountain template to help your students write narrative texts.
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PEEL Paragraph Structure for Persuasive Writing Teaching Slides
Support students to master PEEL paragraph structure in their persuasive writing with this comprehensive slide deck perfect for direct instruction.