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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Volume Math Games — Composite Figures Match-Up
Challenge your students with volume math games like this composite figures match-up that will have them matching compound rectangular prisms with equations and volumes.
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Letter Writing Prompts Worksheets
Encourage young writers with these letter writing prompts, designed to help students master letter structure while engaging with fun, relatable topics.
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Spelling Spinner Homework Activity - Differentiated
Have fun practising spelling words with an engaging Spelling Spinner Game for any spelling word list.
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Fun Volume Activities
Bring maths to life with these fun volume activities that will have students building prisms, going on a scavenger hunt and estimating volumes!
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Monitor and Clarify Reading Strategy Worksheets
Help students monitor and clarify while reading using these Monitor and Clarify Reading Strategy Worksheets.
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The Parts of a Letter Interactive Activity
Teach the parts of a letter with this engaging interactive activity where students learn the format of a letter through sorting and labelling exercises.
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Volume Hands On Activity — The Popcorn Challenge!
Make learning ‘pop’ with this volume hands on activity — ‘The Popcorn Challenge!’
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Matching Activity for Volume
Provide your students with this matching activity for volume to give them practice finding the volume of objects they see in the real world.
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Parts of a Letter Poster Pack
Use this parts of a letter poster pack, featuring colourful visuals and clear explanations, to help students understand the key components of a letter.
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Halloween Word Ladders Worksheet Pack
Scare up some exciting Halloween Vocabulary Practise with printable Halloween Word Ladders Worksheets.
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Editable Vocabulary Card Template Pack
Create English vocabulary cards to help your students study new vocabulary terms with our editable Vocabulary Card Template pack.
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Making Predictions Worksheets - Early Years
Build early comprehension skills with these Making Predictions Worksheets that include age-appropriate activities using pictures, sentence starters, and simple texts.
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Weekly Spelling Sheets for Year 3
Use our Weekly Spelling Sheets for Year 3 to provide your students with quality spelling homework assignments all year long!
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Fast Finisher Task Cards (3-5)
Keep students engaged and learning with fun fast finisher activity cards.
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Best Friend Wanted Poster Template
Use our Best Friend Wanted Poster Template to spark new friendships at the beginning of the year.
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10 Problem Solving Strategies Posters
Boost problem solving skills and remind your students to use their strategies with our Word Problem Solving Strategy Posters.
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Who’s in Your Circle? Icebreaker Activity
Help your students find like-minded friends on the first day of school with a ‘Who’s in Your Circle?’ icebreaker activity.
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THINK Strategy - Think Before You Speak Poster
Promote positive communication using the THINK strategy and our printable Think Before You Speak Poster.
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All About Paraphrasing Teaching Slides
Explain ‘writing in your own words’ to your students with an engaging, interactive Paraphrasing Slide Deck.
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Rounding Games for 4th Graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
Challenge your students with one of our many rounding games for 4th graders — Race Up the Rounding Ladder!
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Mixed Numbers and Improper Fractions Visual Representation Bingo
Play our mixed numbers and improper fractions visual representation bingo with your students to increase their understanding with colorful fraction models.
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Types of Rocks Worksheet Pack
Read and learn about sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks with our printable Types of Rocks Worksheet Pack.
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Diagram of a Rock Cycle Worksheet Pack
Use our Rock Cycle Diagram Worksheet set and Cloze Passage to introduce your students to the processes in the rock cycle.
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Unit Fraction Match Task Cards
Explore unit fractions with your students using this unit fraction match template that can be used for a variety of classroom activities.
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Editing and Revising Checklist Pack
Download this editing and revising checklist pack to support your students when revising and editing their written work.
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Rocks and the Rock Cycle Worksheet Pack - Vocabulary
Download our Rocks and the Rock Cycle Worksheet Pack to practise a variety of academic vocabulary skills with your students.
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Rock Detective Task Cards - Classifying Types of Rocks
Practise classifying rocks based on their properties with a set of printable Rock Detective Task Cards.
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Odd One Out Game- Observable Properties of Matter
Use an exciting 'Odd One Out' Game to practise identifying the observable properties of matter.
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Making Predictions with Pictures - Worksheet Pack
Practice making predictions based on illustrations with a set of printable Making Predictions with Pictures Worksheets.
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Place Value Poster Set — Whole Numbers
Display this colourful place value poster set in your classroom to remind your students of place values to the millions and billions.
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'Name That Rock' - Rock Classification Activity
Use our 'Name That Rock' Science Sorting activity to classify metamorphic, sedimentary and igneous rocks.
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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.