What your child learns in Grade 3 in Nova Scotia
Grade 3 is a bridge year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, work with numbers to 1000, multiplication, fractions and measurement, and study plants and soils. Social studies looks at Atlantic Canada, cultures and democracy.
Grade 3 subjects in the Nova Scotia Curriculum
Math
Big Ideas
- Number: Develop number sense.
- Patterns and Relations: Use patterns to describe the world and solve problems.
- Measurement: Use direct and indirect measurement to solve problems.
13 units, including numbers to 1000, add & subtract, facts to 20, multiplication.
English Language Arts
Big Ideas
- A1 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply listening, speaking, and non-verbal communication skills and strategies to understand and communicate meaning for various audiences, purposes, and cultural contexts.
- A2 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply understanding of foundational language knowledge and skill when reading and writing.
- A3 Foundations of Language: Learners will apply knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation when reading and writing.
12 units, including speaking & listening, spelling patterns, prefixes & suffixes, word pairs.
Science
Big Ideas
- Earth and Space Science: Soil. Learners will analyse soil in the environment.
- Life Science: Plants. Learners will investigate plants in the environment.
- Physical Science: Invisible Forces. Learners will investigate invisible forces.
5 units, including plant parts & needs, how plants grow & change, pushes, pulls & forces, structures & their jobs.
Social Studies
Big Ideas
- Investigate the location of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada. Learners will investigate the location of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada.
- Investigate various groups through their expressions of culture. Learners will investigate various groups including Acadians, African Nova Scotians, Gaels, and Mi’ kmaq, through their expressions of culture.
- Implement strategies that promote positive interactions in the community. Learners will implement strategies that promote positive interactions in the community.
5 units, including maps & globes, nova scotia in atlantic canada, cultures of nova scotia, groups, leaders & getting along.
French Immersion
Big Ideas
- French Immersion is first and foremost a language program: French is both the language students learn in and the language they learn.
- Early French Immersion begins in Primary and Late French Immersion in Grade 7, and both follow Français arts langagiers.
- Students listen, speak, read and write in French for real purposes and audiences.
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, early multiplication and fractions, and working with others. Grade 3 students may take part in a provincial assessment.
Nova Scotia report cards describe learning with Needs development, Developing as expected, Well developed, Well developed and extending. See what each level means.
Grade 3 students also take the Nova Scotia provincial assessments. Read the Provincial assessments guide.
The Essential Graduation Competencies grow through every subject from Primary to Grade 12. Read about graduation 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: skip counting, tens & ones, bigger or smaller, even, odd and ordinals, facts to 20
- English Language Arts: listen and speak, ask and answer, rhyme time, sound detectives, word power
- Science: water world, air & water for life, life cycles, animal life cycles, solids & liquids
- Social Studies: then & now, people who shaped our communities, needs & wants, smart shoppers, caring for our community’s future
- French Immersion: le, la, un, une, les adjectifs, l'ordre des mots, les contes, d'abord, ensuite, enfin
Common questions
Grade 3 covers math, english language arts, science, social studies, french immersion in the Nova Scotia Curriculum. Grade 3 is a bridge year. Students read to learn as well as learning to read, work with numbers to 1000, multiplication, fractions and measurement, and study plants and soils. Social studies looks at Atlantic Canada, cultures and democracy.
Nova Scotia report cards describe learning with Needs development, Developing as expected, Well developed, Well developed and extending. Students in Grade 3 also write the Nova Scotia provincial assessments, which is separate from the report card.
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
Kind hints, no ads, and reports in the language of the Nova Scotia report card. Subscribe now, or try it free for 30 days with no card.