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.
- Plus Plan
Build a Magical Story Interactive Activity
Use this “Build a Magical Story” narrative writing interactive activity to model the purpose, structural elements and language features of narrative texts.
- Plus Plan
Species Survival! Science Word Search
Explore vocabulary related to the National Science Week 2024 theme of “Species Survival – More Than Sustainability” with a differentiated word search.
- Free Plan
Blank Digital and Analogue Clock Templates
Practise writing the time in digital and analogue form with this set of blank clock faces.
- Plus Plan
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.
- Free Plan
Free iPad Rules Classroom Poster
Display this classroom poster to set the boundaries and rules around using school iPads in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Fitness Bingo Game Cards
Get active in the classroom with this set of fitness bingo cards
- Plus Plan
Apostrophes in Contractions PowerPoint
Teach your students to use apostrophes to form contractions with an Apostrophe teaching presentation.
- Plus Plan
Unit Fraction Puzzles
Find matching representations of fractions on a number line and visual models while piecing together a 4-piece puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Gratitude Journal Writing Prompts for Kids - Daily Slides
Project and inspire reflective writing with 50 gratitude journal writing prompts in one handy slide deck.
- Plus Plan
Time Knockout Game - Telling Time to The Minute Year 3
Practise telling time to the minute by reading analogue and digital clocks with this competitive whole-class telling time game.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Prompt Task Cards
Need some procedural writing ideas? Download these task cards to use as a writing activity during your procedure writing unit.
- Plus Plan
Unit Fraction Colouring Sheet
Crack the colour code and practise unit fractions all while colouring in fun images.
- Plus Plan
Identify Unit Fractions Worksheets
Colour the different fraction units to show different unit fractions with this set of worksheets perfect for your budding mathematicians.
- Plus Plan
Unit Fraction Fairy Bread Matching Activity
Sort and match fairy bread model cards to the corresponding unit fraction cards.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time Test - Nearest 5 Minutes
Assess your student's abilities to tell time to the nearest five minutes with a printable telling time assessment.
- Plus Plan
Finding Phonemes - Spelling Words with DGE, GE, J, and G Interactive
Read and spell words using the j, g, ge, and dge phonemes with an interactive digital learning activity for 2nd Grade.
- Plus Plan
Characteristics of Living Things - Science Worksheets
Identify the characteristics of living things and animal classes with a pack of printable Animal Class Characteristic Worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Figurative Language Posters – Onomatopoeia
Help young readers and writers recognise onomatopoeias with a set of onomatopoeia classroom posters.
- Plus Plan
Identifying Unit Fractions Interactive Clip Cards
Explore unit fractions in a variety of contexts with this set of interactive clip cards.
- Plus Plan
Animal Classes Word Search Pack - Upper Years
Review vocabulary related to animal classes and characteristics of animals with a pack of printable animal classification word searches.
- Plus Plan
Platypus Adaptations - Reading Passage & Questions
Learn about the physical and behavioural adaptations of the platypus with a set of printable reading comprehension worksheets for Years 3-5.
- Plus Plan
Year 2 Reading Comprehension Test - Being a Good Pet Parent
Build comprehension skills and learn about being a good pet parent by limiting pets' impact on ecosystems with a reading passage and comprehension questions.
- Plus Plan
Our Belonging Map Classroom Display
Investigate your students’ heritage with this belonging map to display in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Under the Sea Classroom Theme Decor Bundle
Download an under the sea classroom theme bundle that has everything you need for decorating your classroom this school year!
- Plus Plan
Rhetorical Questions Sorting Activity
Explore rhetorical question examples with your students using this set of 28 sorting cards perfect for literacy groups
- Plus Plan
Giraffe Adaptations - Reading Comprehension Year 3
Read and learn about adaptations of the giraffe with a set of printable Year 3 comprehension activities.
- Plus Plan
Parts of a Clock Anchor Chart
Familiarise students with the analogue clock face, hands and other parts of a clock with a printable poster created for the primary classroom.
- Plus Plan
Telling Time Worksheets - Differentiated Maths
Practise using analogue clocks with this set of differentiated tell-the-time clock worksheets.
- Free Plan
4-Digit Numbers Worksheet
Practise reading and writing 4-digit numbers using expanded form with this printable PDF worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Printable Animal Classification Posters
Support your F-3 students’ understanding of the animal kingdom with classroom-ready animal classification posters. Designed for durability and easy display.
- Plus Plan
First Nations Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheets
Use First Nations Instruments Reading Comprehension Worksheets to help your Year Two students learn about some traditional First Nations Australians musical instruments and their characteristic sounds.
- Plus Plan
Subordinating Conjunctions Worksheet
Use this worksheet to enable students to practise identifying and constructing sentences using subordinating conjunctions.