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.
- Free Plan
Mini-Mystery – Who Killed the Class Plant?
A fun, logic-based activity where students read clues to solve the mystery.
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Growing Bean Plant Seeds — Greenhouse Template
Start growing bean plant seeds to observe plant life cycles with a printable greenhouse template and observation journal.
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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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Estimation Activity - Estimating Space Worksheet Set
Use estimation activities like this estimating space worksheet set to give your students practice estimating, converting measurements and problem solving.
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My Dream Home Project
Introduce our 'My Dream Home Project’ to your students to help them increase spatial skills while designing the house of their dreams!
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Division Bingo - Facts 1 - 12
Gamify your maths lesson with our division bingo game that delivers engaging practice with division facts up to 12.
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Soil Erosion Poster
Discover how wind, water, and ice change the Earth’s surface with a printable Soil Erosion Poster.
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Visual Text Techniques Teaching Slides
Teach your students about visual text techniques with this engaging presentation, which features elements like layout, gaze, salience, angle and shot.
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Active Listening-Drawing Activity Pack
Grab a Draw My Picture Game to fill in classroom downtime and help your students boost their listening skills.
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Drawing Parallel Lines and Perpendicular Lines Worksheet Set
Utilise this drawing parallel lines and perpendicular lines worksheet set to give your students practice drawing line types on their own and on 2D shapes.
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Spell and Count - Money Maths Activity
Develop spelling and money-counting skills simultaneously with a printable spelling and money maths centre activity.
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Thank You Letter Template Pack
Encourage students to express gratitude with this thank you letter template pack featuring five ready-to-use letter and greeting card designs.
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Proper Punctuation Chart Pack - Upper Primary
Encourage proper punctuation with a printable punctuation chart pack for upper primary classrooms.
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Editing Sentences – Year 3 Worksheets
Download these Year 3 editing worksheets to get your students identifying and fixing errors in sentences.
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Rocks and Minerals Word Search
Introduce or review academic vocabulary with a printable Rocks and Minerals Word Search.
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Changing States of Matter Worksheets
Introduce your students to the changing phases of matter with a set of printable science worksheets.
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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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Persuasive Letter Writing Task - Year 2-3
Improve student composition with an engaging persuasive letter-writing task.
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Measurement Maths Centre - Informal & Formal Units
Create an easily differentiated measurement maths centre with a printable Measuring Length Maths Centre.
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Story Ideas – Character, Setting, and Complication Cards
Help your students choose a topic to write about with this set of 36 character, setting and compilation task cards.
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Types of Verbs PowerPoint
Teach students about the different types of verbs with this set of 38 teaching slides with activities.
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Composing and Decomposing Fractions Worksheets
Use this set of decomposing fractions worksheets to enable your students to practise this important skill.
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Sorting Unit Fractions Cut and Paste
Sort different unit fraction visualisations with these cut-and-paste unit fraction worksheets.
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Unit Fraction Flipbook
Engage with different unit fractions using this fun interactive flipbook for your students.
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Identify Nonliving and Living Things - Printables
Download a pack of Living or Nonliving? Printables to help your students differentiate between living and nonliving organisms.
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Time to the Minute - Colour by Code Worksheet
Practise how to tell time to the minute with a fun Colour in Maths worksheet.
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Our Belonging Map Classroom Display
Investigate your students’ heritage with this belonging map to display in the classroom.
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Cursive Alphabet Worksheets – Letter Groups
Use printable cursive writing worksheets PDF files to learn how to write in cursive.
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Funky Bowerbird Template
Create the cutest funky Bowerbird you ever did see with this easy to print template
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Modal Language Interactive Activity
Explore the language of modality with your students using this digital game perfect for your persuasive writing lessons.
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Persuasive Device Definitions – Match-Up Worksheet
Have students match the persuasive devices with their definitions using this simple one-page worksheet.
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I Am Worksheet - Affirmation Art Activity
Use this ‘I Am’ Worksheet to inspire your students to share how special they are at the beginning of the school year.