Year 3
The English curriculum is built around the three interrelated strands of language, literature and literacy. Teaching and learning programs should balance and integrate all three strands. Together, the strands focus on developing students' knowledge, understanding and skills in listening, reading, viewing, speaking, writing and creating. Learning in English builds on concepts, skills and processes developed in earlier years, and teachers will revisit and strengthen these as needed.
In Years 3 and 4, students experience learning in familiar contexts and a range of contexts that relate to study in other areas of the curriculum. They interact with peers and teachers from other classes and schools in a range of face-to-face and online/virtual environments.
Students engage with a variety of texts for enjoyment. They listen to, read, view and interpret spoken, written and multimodal texts in which the primary purpose is aesthetic, as well as texts designed to inform and persuade. These encompass traditional oral texts including Aboriginal stories, picture books, various types of print and digital texts, simple chapter books, rhyming verse, poetry, non-fiction, film, multimodal texts, dramatic performances and texts used by students as models for constructing their own work.
The range of literary texts for Foundation to Year 10 comprises Australian literature, including the oral narrative traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, as well as the contemporary literature of these two cultural groups, and classic and contemporary world literature, including texts from and about Asia.
Literary texts that support and extend students in Years 3 and 4 as independent readers describe complex sequences of events that extend over several pages and involve unusual happenings within a framework of familiar experiences. Informative texts include content of increasing complexity and technicality about topics of interest and topics being studied in other areas of the curriculum. These texts use complex language features, including varied sentence structures, some unfamiliar vocabulary, a significant number of high-frequency sight words and words that need to be decoded phonically, and a variety of punctuation conventions, as well as illustrations and diagrams that support and extend the printed text.
Students create a range of imaginative, informative and persuasive types of texts including narratives, procedures, performances, reports, reviews, poetry and expositions.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
Achievement Standard
Receptive modes (listening, reading and viewing)
By the end of Year 3, students understand how content can be organised using different text structures depending on the purpose of the text. They understand how language features, images and vocabulary choices are used for different effects.
They read texts that contain varied sentence structures, a range of punctuation conventions, and images that provide extra information. They use phonics and word knowledge to fluently read more complex words. They identify literal and implied meaning connecting ideas in different parts of a text. They select information, ideas and events in texts that relate to their own lives and to other texts. They listen to others' views and respond appropriately using interaction skills.
Productive modes (speaking, writing and creating)
Students understand how language features are used to link and sequence ideas. They understand how language can be used to express feelings and opinions on topics. Their texts include writing and images to express and develop, in some detail, experiences, events, information, ideas and characters.
Students create a range of texts for familiar and unfamiliar audiences. They contribute actively to class and group discussions, asking questions, providing useful feedback and making presentations. They demonstrate understanding of grammar and choose vocabulary and punctuation appropriate to the purpose and context of their writing. They use knowledge of letter-sound relationships including consonant and vowel clusters and high-frequency words to spell words accurately. They re-read and edit their writing, checking their work for appropriate vocabulary, structure and meaning. They write using joined letters that are accurately formed and consistent in size.
(source: www.australiancurriculum.edu.au)
- Plus Plan
Gemstones Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about gemstones with this fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Cars Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about cars with this fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Doctors Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about doctors with this fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Eagles Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about eagles with this fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Elephants Fact File and Report Writing Scaffold
Support your students in writing an information report about elephants with this fact file and writing scaffold.
- Plus Plan
Descriptive Writing Poster With Annotations
A poster outlining the main points and structure of a descriptive text.
- Plus Plan
Introduction to Homophones Teaching Slides
Teach your students how to use homophones correctly in their writing with this comprehensive set of teaching slides.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Match-Up Cards
Teach your students the meanings and spellings of some common homophones with this set of 32 match-up cards.
- Plus Plan
I Have, Who Has? Homophones Game
Play a whole-class game to review common homophones and their meanings.
- Plus Plan
Exploring Poetry Worksheet - Alliteration
A worksheet to help students understand alliteration in poetry.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Practice Workbook 1
Strengthen your students’ ability to recognise homophones in context with this set of 6 worksheets with answers.
- Plus Plan
Homophones Practice Workbook 2
Consolidate your students’ ability to recognise homophones in context with this set of 9 worksheets with answers.
- Plus Plan
Comprehension Chatterbox
A fun reading comprehension strategy activity for students to use after reading a text.
- Plus Plan
Sight Word Cards - Dolch Nouns
Dolch Nouns sight words on flash cards.
- Plus Plan
Informative Paragraphs Sequencing Activity
Teach your students about information report paragraph structure with this hands-on sequencing activity.
- Plus Plan
Developing Report Writing Skills Teaching Slides
Use this slide deck to teach your students about the purpose, structural elements and language features of information reports.
- Plus Plan
Compare and Contrast - Comprehension Task
A task to use when teaching your students reading comprehension strategies.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Writing Sequencing Worksheet – How to Wash Your Dog
Use this procedural writing worksheet to teach your students about the importance of sequence in procedure texts.
- Plus Plan
Recalling Facts - Comprehension Task
A task to use when teaching your students reading comprehension strategies.
- Plus Plan
Healthy Lifestyle - Advertising Challenge
A fun advertising challenge to use in the classroom for students to persuade others to live a healthy lifestyle.
- Plus Plan
Understanding Sequence - Jack and the Beanstalk
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to understand sequence when reading.
- Plus Plan
Sequencing Life Events - Worksheet
A worksheet to use when teaching students how to understand sequence when reading.
- Plus Plan
Procedural Recount Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about the procedural recount text type, including an annotated example.
- Plus Plan
Rio de Janeiro - Comprehension Task
A comprehension task that encourages students to apply a range of comprehension skills when finding out interesting fun facts about Rio.
- Plus Plan
Using Linking Devices in Narrative Paragraphs Worksheets
3 worksheets teaching students how to link ideas when writing narrative paragraphs.
- Plus Plan
Narrative Paragraphs Sequencing Activity
6 jumbled narrative paragraphs for students to sequence in the correct order.
- Plus Plan
Punctuation Sentence Challenge Worksheet
A teaching resource to help consolidate the students’ knowledge of punctuation.
- Plus Plan
The Egyptian Pyramids - Comprehension Task
A 2 page comprehension task for students to use in the classroom when learning about the Egyptian pyramids.
- Plus Plan
Viewing Response Template
A useful template to encourage students to make careful observations and interpretations while viewing visual prompts.
- Plus Plan
Reading Detectives Worksheets
8 reading detective worksheets to use during guided reading sessions in the classroom.
- Plus Plan
NAPLAN-Style Assessment Rubric for Poetry
A NAPLAN-style rubric designed to help teachers to assess student's poetry.
- Plus Plan
Readers' Theatre - Teaching Resource Pack
A comprehensive pack of 33 readers' theatre scripts, catering to a range of age groups and ability levels.