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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Elements of Plot Teaching Presentation
Teach your students about the elements of a story with this engaging teaching presentation.
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Christmas Around the World Mini Book - Sweden
Introduce your students to Christmas in Sweden with a printable mini book and graphic organiser.
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Christmas Around the World Mini Book - Mexico
Introduce your students to Mexico's Christmas traditions and decorations with a printable Christmas Around the World Mini Book.
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Persuasive Writing Bump It Up Wall – Year 3
A visual display for your classroom to help students ‘bump up’ their persuasive writing.
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2-Digit Addition Colour by Number - Halloween Mystery Picture
Celebrate the coming of Halloween and practise adding 2-digit numbers up to 99 with this set of Halloween mystery picture worksheets.
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Kindness Quilt Display
Discuss and create a gorgeous kindness-themed classroom display.
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Managing Anger Worksheet (Lower Primary)
Help students identify and manage their anger with this self-relfection worksheet.
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Managing Anxiety Worksheet (Upper Primary)
Help older students identify and manage anxious feelings with this self-reflection and action plan worksheet.
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Representing Money Amounts – Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practise representing money amounts in multiple ways.
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Selecting Units of Capacity — Interactive Game
Estimate the units needed to measure capacity with an Interactive Measurement Game!
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Mindfulness Colouring Tree (National Tree Day)
A tree mindful colouring in sheet to focus attention on National Tree Day.
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Christmas Tree Circularama – Craft Activity
Try combining geometry and Christmas with this fun holiday craft!
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Visual Arts Elements Shape and Form PowerPoint - Middle Years
A 27 slide teaching presentation to use when investigating shape and form in Visual Art.
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Creating a Graph Using Digital Technologies
A worksheet that supports students when collecting initial data and creating a digital graph.
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Line and Feelings Sorting Activity - Year 3 to Year 6
A fun sorting activity for students to explore interpretation of line in visual art.
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Acrostic Poems Poster and Templates
Use this acrostic poem example and accompanying templates to teach your students how to write an acrostic poem.
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Loose Change (Coins) – Board Game
A board game to encourage students to learn about Australian coins.
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Place Value Wall Display
A place value wall display for the classroom.
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Reading-Inspired Bookmarks
Foster a love of reading in your students with this set of 4 reading-inspired bookmarks.
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Back to School Today — Short Poem for Kids
Use this short poem for kids when students return to school. This child-friendly poem discusses feelings that they may experience when heading back to school after an extended break.
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Organic Shape Search Worksheet
A fun art activity to explore organic shape.
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Their, There, They're Poster
Teach students to differentiate between their, there and they're with this classroom poster.
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4-Digit Number of the Day Worksheet
A 4-digit place value worksheet to represent the number of the day in different ways.
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Prefixes List for Students
Download this list of prefixes to help your students build vocabulary, improve decoding skills, and confidently understand how prefixes change the meaning of words.
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Health and Physical Education Term Tracker (WA Curriculum) - Year 3
A Health and Physical Education term tracker using the WA Curriculum Year 3 content descriptors and codes.
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The Continent of Australia PowerPoint
A 20 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when introducing students to the geographical features of Australia.
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-Ment Suffixes Worksheet
Improve students' understanding of the suffix -ment with a printable suffix worksheet.
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Sentence Structure Practice Interactive Activity (Middle Primary)
Use this interactive quiz to review key sentence structure concepts with your Year 3 and 4 students.
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World Map with Countries - Black and White
Teach your students about the continents and countries of the world with this black-and-white world map.
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Prefixes and Suffixes Posters
Increase vocabulary skills with anchor charts about common prefixes and suffixes.
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Paddock to Plate Data Sorting Worksheet
A cut and paste sorting worksheet for use when learning about raw and manufactured products.
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Write a Shape Poem Worksheet
Set your students up for success when writing a shape poem with this set of scaffolded, easy-to-follow worksheets.