What does a student learn in StateMississippi,GradeGrade 3,SubjectEnglish Language Arts?

Students read a story and answer questions about it by pointing to the exact words or sentences in the book that back up their answer. No guessing from memory.

Students retell a story, fable, or folktale in their own words, then explain the lesson or moral. They point to specific moments in the story that show how that lesson comes through.

Students read a story and describe what a character is like, what they want, and how they feel. Then students explain how that character's choices move the story forward.

Students figure out what words mean in a story, including phrases that don't mean exactly what they say. "It's raining cats and dogs" means a heavy rain, not actual animals falling from the sky.

Students name the chapters, scenes, or stanzas in a story, play, or poem and explain how each part connects to what came before it.

Students read a story and separate what they think from what a character or narrator thinks. A character might believe something students disagree with, and students can name that difference.

Pictures in a book do more than decorate the page. Students study how an illustration can show a character's mood, make a setting feel scary or calm, or add a detail the words leave out.

This standard doesn't apply to literature. In reading class, third graders focus on stories, characters, and themes rather than evaluating arguments or evidence.

Students read two books by the same author and look for what's alike and what's different: where the stories happen, what the characters go through, and what lesson each story leaves behind.

Students read full stories, plays, and poems on their own by the end of third grade. The books and poems are at the harder end of what's expected for this age group.

Students read a nonfiction passage and answer questions by pointing to the exact sentence or paragraph that proves their answer. The evidence has to come from the text itself, not from what students already know.

Students find the main point of a nonfiction passage, then pick out the key details that back it up. Think of it as finding what the whole article is really about and showing which sentences prove it.

Students read nonfiction and explain how one event or idea leads to the next, using words like "first," "then," "because," and "as a result." They practice connecting facts in order, not just listing them.

Students figure out what unfamiliar words mean using clues in the surrounding sentences. This includes everyday school words like "compare" or "describe" and topic-specific words found in science, social studies, or history passages.

Students use tools like headings, sidebars, and keywords to find specific information in a nonfiction book or website without reading every word.

Students read a nonfiction passage and separate what they personally think from what the author is saying. The goal is to notice when those two views differ.

Students read nonfiction books and articles about history, science, and everyday topics on their own, without help, by the end of third grade. The goal is steady, confident reading across subjects.

Print concepts like letter recognition and tracking words on a page are taught in earlier grades. By Grade 3, students focus on reading and understanding longer texts.

Phonological awareness skills were the focus in earlier grades. By Grade 3, students work on reading and spelling full words rather than breaking down individual sounds.

Students use letter patterns and word parts to figure out unfamiliar words while reading. By third grade, this includes recognizing common prefixes, suffixes, and spelling rules that help decode longer words on the page.

Students learn that adding a prefix or suffix to a word changes its meaning. Knowing parts like "un-," "re-," or "-ful" helps students read and understand unfamiliar words faster.

Students learn to read words that end in Latin suffixes like -tion, -ment, and -ful. Recognizing those endings helps students figure out longer words on their own.

Students break longer words into smaller parts to read them. A word like "fantastic" gets split into chunks so students can sound it out piece by piece.

Students read words that don't follow normal spelling rules, like "answer," "enough," or "people." These words have to be learned by sight because sounding them out won't get you there.

Reading fluently means reading smoothly enough to understand what the words actually say. Students practice reading at a steady pace, with correct pronunciation, so meaning comes through clearly.

Students read a full passage with a clear reason in mind, not just decoding words but actually understanding what the text means as they go.

Reading the same passage more than once helps students read it smoothly, at a natural pace, and with feeling. By the second or third read-aloud, students sound less like they're decoding and more like they're telling a story.

When students read a sentence and a word doesn't make sense, they go back and reread to fix their understanding. They use the surrounding words to figure out what they missed.

Students pick a topic, take a side, and write reasons that back up what they think. The goal is a short piece that argues a point, not just describes one.

Students open a short opinion piece by naming the topic and stating their view, then line up their reasons in order so the writing is easy to follow.

Students pick reasons that actually back up their opinion, not just restate it. The reasons explain why a reader should agree.

Students practice connecting their opinions to their reasons using words like "because," "since," and "for example." These words act as bridges so the writing holds together and the reader follows the logic.

Opinion pieces need a wrap-up, not just a stopping point. Students write a closing sentence or paragraph that brings their argument to a natural end.

Students pick a topic and write to explain it clearly, using facts and details a reader wouldn't already know. The goal is a piece that teaches someone something, not one that argues a side.

Students pick a topic and organize what they know about it into a clear opening and grouped paragraphs. They add pictures or diagrams when those help explain what words alone can't.

Students pick a topic and back it up with real facts, clear definitions, and specific details. The goal is to give readers enough information to actually understand the subject.

Students practice stitching sentences together with words like "also," "but," and "another" so their writing flows from one idea to the next instead of stopping and starting.

Students end an informational piece with a closing sentence or paragraph that wraps up the topic. It signals to the reader that the writing is finished, not just stopped.

Students write a story, real or made-up, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. They use specific details to bring characters, places, and events to life.

Students open a story by setting the scene and naming who is in it, then arrange what happens in an order that makes sense.

Students write story scenes where characters speak in their own words and react to what happens around them, using thoughts and feelings to make the events feel real.

Students use words like "first," "next," and "finally" to show the order things happen in a story or account.

Stories need an ending, not just a stop. Students write a final sentence or two that gives readers a feeling of completion, wrapping up the events or ideas instead of leaving them hanging.

Students practice shaping their writing to fit the reason they're writing. A personal story is organized differently than a persuasive paragraph, and adults help students figure out which structure fits the work.

Students plan, draft, and revise their writing with feedback from a teacher or classmates. They also edit for spelling, punctuation, and grammar before the writing is finished.

Students use a computer to type, publish, and share their writing with others. An adult helps them along the way.

Students pick a topic, gather information from books or other sources, and write up what they learned. The goal is a short, focused project, not a long report.

Students find facts from books or websites, jot down short notes, and sort what they find into categories their teacher has already set up. It's the basics of research before writing begins.

This skill starts in Grade 4. In Grade 3, students focus on building the writing habits they'll need before researching and citing sources.

Students practice writing often, both in quick single-sitting tasks and in longer projects that take days of planning and editing. They write for different reasons and different readers across subjects.

Students take turns talking and listening in class discussions, whether in pairs, small groups, or with the teacher. They build on what others say and share their own ideas clearly.

Students read or study the material before a group discussion, then use what they learned to add something real to the conversation, not just agree with what others say.

Students take turns talking in group discussions, listen without interrupting, and ask to speak instead of talking over others.

During a class discussion, students ask questions when something is unclear, keep their comments on topic, and connect what they say to what a classmate just said.

After a class discussion, students update or add to their own thinking based on what they heard. They explain how the conversation changed or deepened what they understood.

Students listen to a story, video, or presentation and figure out the main point and the key details that back it up.

Students listen to a speaker, then ask questions and answer others' questions with enough detail to show they understood what was said.

Students pick a topic, story, or experience and talk about it out loud, using real details and speaking slowly enough for listeners to follow.

Students record themselves reading a story or poem aloud, keeping a steady pace that's easy to follow. They can add a picture or chart to help listeners understand an important detail.

When a teacher or classmate asks for more information, students answer in complete sentences rather than one-word replies. A full sentence helps the listener follow the explanation.

Students practice using correct grammar in sentences they write by hand or on a keyboard, and in what they say out loud. This standard covers the grammar rules students are expected to know and apply in third grade.

Students learn what nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs do in a sentence. They practice spotting each one and explaining the job it does, like why a word names a thing or describes an action.

Plural nouns name more than one thing. Students practice spelling plurals the regular way (adding -s or -es) and learning the ones that don't follow the rules, like "mice" instead of "mouses."

Abstract nouns name ideas or feelings you can't touch, like "freedom," "friendship," or "childhood." Students practice spotting and using these words in their own writing.

Students practice using verbs that follow the usual past-tense pattern ("walked," "jumped") alongside tricky ones that change form entirely ("ran," "went"). Both types show up in their own writing and reading.

Students write sentences using past, present, and future verb tenses. They show the difference between something that already happened, is happening now, and will happen later.

Students learn to match their verbs and pronouns to the nouns they go with: "she runs," not "she run," and "the dog wagged its tail," not "the dog wagged their tail."

Students learn when to say "faster" versus "fastest" and when to use those kinds of words to describe actions as well as things. They practice picking the right form depending on whether they're comparing two options or several.

Students learn to connect ideas using joining words like "and," "but," and "or," and linking words like "because," "when," and "although." These words show how two parts of a sentence relate to each other.

Students write sentences that stand alone, sentences that join two ideas with a word like "and" or "but," and sentences that connect a main idea to a dependent clause. All three types show up in real writing.

Students use correct capitalization, punctuation, and spelling in their writing. That means starting sentences with capital letters, ending with the right punctuation mark, and spelling grade-level words correctly.

Students practice capitalizing the right words in a book title, movie title, or story title, knowing which words get a capital letter and which stay lowercase.

Students practice putting commas in the right spots inside a mailing address, like between a city and state. It's a small punctuation rule with a clear, useful job.

Students learn to punctuate conversations in a story, placing commas in the right spots and wrapping a speaker's exact words in quotation marks.

Students learn when to add 's or s' to show that something belongs to someone, like "Maria's book" or "the dogs' bowls."

Students spell common everyday words correctly and apply spelling rules when adding endings like -ing, -ed, or -ness to a base word.

Students use spelling rules and word patterns to spell correctly when they write. That includes things like syllable breaks, word endings, and word parts that carry meaning.

Students look up words in a dictionary to check spelling and fix mistakes. Learning to use a reference book builds the habit of catching errors before calling a piece of writing finished.

Students practice choosing the right words and phrases for the situation: formal writing for a letter, everyday language for a story, a complete sentence when it counts.

Students pick the exact word that makes a sentence clearer or more interesting. They learn that swapping one word can change the whole feeling of what they write.

Students notice that writing and talking follow different rules. A spoken answer like "gonna" or "me and him went" gets cleaned up when it hits the page.

Students figure out what unfamiliar words mean while reading, using context clues from nearby sentences or breaking the word into parts like prefixes and roots.

Students use the words around an unfamiliar word to figure out what it means. Context clues in the same sentence do the work before a dictionary is needed.

Students take a word they know, add a prefix to the front of it, and figure out what the new word means. For example, adding "un-" to "happy" makes "unhappy," and adding "re-" to "tell" makes "retell."

Students use a familiar word to unlock the meaning of a new one. If they know "add," they can figure out "addition" or "additional" because the words share the same root.

When students see an unfamiliar compound word, they use the two smaller words inside it to figure out what it means. A "bookshelf" holds books; a "housefly" is a fly near a house.

Students look up unfamiliar words in a glossary or dictionary, print or online, to find out what a word means or confirm they have it right.

Students learn that words have shades of meaning and that related words are not always interchangeable. They compare words like "happy," "cheerful," and "overjoyed" to understand how tone and exact meaning shift.

Students connect vocabulary words to real life by matching them to things they know. For example, they might name a food that is crunchy or a day that felt gloomy.

Students learn to spot the difference between words that are almost synonyms but not quite. Tossing a ball is gentler than hurling it, and calling someone slender feels different from calling them scrawny.

Students practice using new words from books and class discussions in their own writing and speech. That includes describing words like adjectives and adverbs so they can say more than "good" or "bad" when explaining how something looks, feels, or happens.