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
Butterfly Life Cycle Poster
An educational poster displaying the stages of a butterfly's life cycle.
- Plus Plan
Persuasive Writing Word Wall Vocabulary
Persuasive language for a word wall.
- Plus Plan
Transformation Poster and Worksheets
A poster and worksheets to teach children about transformations.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication Facts PowerPoint - Six Times Tables
A 30 slide PowerPoint to use when learning about multiplication.
- Plus Plan
Multiplication Facts PowerPoint - Three Times Tables
A 30 slide PowerPoint to use when learning about multiplication.
- Plus Plan
Writing Editing Checklist
Now your students can make sure that they check everything when they are editing their work... no mistake gets left behind!
- Plus Plan
Unit Fraction Mini Book
Explore unit fractions with your students using this fun printable mini book.
- Plus Plan
Colour by Fraction Worksheet Pack
Help students understand different types of simple fractions in shapes with this set of unit fraction worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Unit Fractions Worksheet Pack
Practise unit fractions with this set of seven worksheets with answer sheets.
- Plus Plan
Unit Fractions Roll and Cover Activity
Explore unit fractions with this fun partner game for maths rotations in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
Elapsed Time Word Problems Game
Practise solving elapsed time word problems with an interactive Year 3 maths game.
- Plus Plan
'My Goal Tree' - Goal Setting Worksheet
Grow new back to school goals with a printable goal setting tree template.
- Plus Plan
4-Digit Mystery Numbers Interactive Activity
Explore 4-digit numbers with this fun mystery-themed interactive activity .
- Plus Plan
Inferencing Worksheet
Use this worksheet with your students when teaching them how to make an inference.
- Plus Plan
Number Line Multiplication – Interactive Picture Reveal
Engage your students with this interactive multiplication game while learning how to multiply on a number line.
- Plus Plan
Number Talks – Multiplication Representation Task Cards
Help your students discover different ways to represent multiplication with this set of number talk cards.
- Plus Plan
Design a Doughnut Persuasive Writing Interactive
Explore persuasive writing with this fun doughnut-themed interactive activity.
- Plus Plan
Right Angle Turn Patterns Worksheet
Teach your students to make shape patterns using right angle turns with this differentiated maths worksheet for Year 3 students.
- Free Plan
Plant Life Cycle Passage and Graphic Organiser
Give your students an opportunity to sequence the life cycle of a plant with a reading passage and worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Skip Counting by 2,3,4,5 and 10 Board Game
Have students correctly answer problems involving skip counting and multiplication to be the first to lay down 4 game pieces in a row!
- Free Plan
Never Have I Ever... Getting-to-know-you Game
Have some back to school fun with a child-friendly version of the popular getting-to-know-you game, ‘Never Have I Ever’.
- Plus Plan
Kindness Word Search
Download a printable word search about kindness to explore this important aspect of social awareness with your students.
- Plus Plan
Fact Family Mazes Differentiated Worksheet Set
Use this differentiated worksheet set to provide independent practise of fact family knowledge to solve multiplication expressions.
- Plus Plan
Classifying 3D Objects Sorting Activity
Play this sorting game when learning how to classify 3D objects according to their properties.
- Plus Plan
Safe or Unsafe Scenario Task Cards
Discuss safe and unsafe situations with this set of scenario task cards.
- Plus Plan
Word Building Bricks - Prefixes, Suffixes, and Roots Activity
Build, read and write multi-syllable words using prefixes, suffixes, and base words with a fun word-building literacy activity.
- Free Plan
Recess Rules: True Friends – Worksheet
Learn about being a good friend while also brushing up on those reading comprehension skills with this comic strip activity.
- Plus Plan
Fraction Flags Worksheet
Create fraction models with different flags by dividing rectangles and colouring them according to the guide.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension Task Cards - Identifying Author's Purpose
A set of comprehension task cards to help students identify the author's purpose when reading.
- Plus Plan
Interpreting a Column Graph Worksheet
Interpret information from a column graph and answer questions with this worksheet.
- Plus Plan
Column Graphs – Teaching Presentation
Learn all the features and how to construct a column graph with this 25-page teaching presentation.
- Plus Plan
Bat Facts and Opinions Worksheet
Identify facts and opinions with a Halloween worksheet activity about bats.