What your child learns in Grade 3 in Alberta
Grade 3 is a bridge year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, start multiplication and division facts, work with numbers to 100 000, and study Alberta and the prairies in social studies.
Grade 3 subjects in the Alberta Curriculum
Math
Big Ideas
- Place value: whole numbers within 100 000 can be read, written, compared and ordered by looking at the value of each digit.
- Addition and subtraction within 1000 use strategies that work with place value, and multiplication and division within 100 use equal groups, arrays and tables.
- Fractions describe equal parts of one whole, built from unit fractions.
12 units, including numbers to 100 000, add & subtract, multiplication, division.
English Language Arts
Big Ideas
- Speaking and listening: using eye contact, posture, gestures and movements to communicate, and listening with respect.
- Oral traditions carry shared knowledge for many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, and are shared with respect.
- Reading: reading words, phrases and passages fluently and with expression, and understanding how texts share ideas and information.
13 units, including speaking & listening, oral traditions, prefixes & suffixes, spelling patterns.
Science
Big Ideas
- Substances can change state, including water as it moves through the water cycle.
- Contact forces affect how objects move, and simple machines make work easier.
- Earth's surface changes over time through natural events and the activities of plants, animals and people, including farming.
15 units, including solids, liquids & gases, materials & changes, the water cycle, pushes, pulls & forces.
Social Studies
Big Ideas
- Alberta has distinct physical regions (the Rocky Mountains, foothills, parkland, grasslands and boreal forest) and political boundaries that it shares with its neighbours.
- First Nations and Métis peoples have made, and continue to make, important contributions to Alberta.
- Francophone settlers and communities have helped shape Alberta.
8 units, including alberta's regions & borders, first nations & métis in alberta, french-speaking albertans, fairness & respect.
French Immersion
Big Ideas
- Listening and speaking in French grow every day when French is the language of learning.
- Reading French texts of many kinds builds comprehension and the habit of reading for meaning.
- Writing in French for a purpose and an audience uses the conventions of the language.
7 units, including je me, tu te, il se, et, mais, ou, avec, ne… pas, le futur proche.
What to look for on the report card
Look for comments about reading comprehension, paragraph writing, understanding multiplication and division, and what your child knows about Alberta.
Alberta report cards describe learning with Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding. See what each level means.
Competencies grow alongside subject learning in every grade. Read about competencies.
Ready for Grade 3?
Grade 3 builds on what your child practised in Grade 2. If a skill feels shaky, a few short practice sessions before or early in the year can help:
- Math: tens & ones, numbers to 200, numbers to 1000, bigger or smaller, adding to 100
- English Language Arts: listen and speak, sound detectives, word power, super sentences, build sentences
- Science: think like a scientist, materials and their uses, light and sound, landforms and earth, lakes, rivers and oceans
- Social Studies: canada's regions and resources, heritage across canada, traditions & celebrations, groups in our community, trade and transportation
- French Immersion: le, la, un, une, les adjectifs, l'ordre des mots, les contes, d'abord, ensuite, enfin
Common questions
What do kids learn in Grade 3 in Alberta?
Grade 3 covers math, english language arts, science, social studies, french immersion in the Alberta Curriculum. Grade 3 is a bridge year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, start multiplication and division facts, work with numbers to 100 000, and study Alberta and the prairies in social studies.
How is Grade 3 reported in Alberta?
Alberta report cards describe learning with Beginning, Approaching, Meeting, Exceeding.
How can I help my Grade 3 child at home?
Short, regular practice works better than long sessions: 10 to 15 minutes a few times a week, on the skills your child's teacher flags. Read together, use math in real life, and praise effort.
Practise Grade 3 skills with Gradelings
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