Grade 3 math in the BC curriculum is a big step. Children work with numbers to 1000, meet fractions as numbers, and begin multiplication and division. Grade 3 reading asks for fluent reading with attention to punctuation, and for longer writing. This guide explains the BC curriculum for Grade 3 in plain words.
What Grade 3 math covers in BC
Here are the main parts of the Grade 3 content list.[1]
| Area | What your child works on |
|---|---|
| Numbers to 1000 | Skip-counting from any starting point; place value in hundreds, tens and ones; comparing and ordering; estimating large amounts[1] |
| Fractions | Fractions as numbers for equal parts of a whole, a set or a line; making and drawing fractions with objects[1] |
| Adding and subtracting | Adding and subtracting to 1000 with flexible strategies; estimating; facts to 20, with most children able to recall addition facts to 20 by the end of Grade 3[1] |
| Multiplication and division | Meaning of multiplication (groups, arrays, repeated addition) and division (sharing, grouping); linking them to skip-counting[1] |
| Patterns and equations | Increasing and decreasing patterns and their rules; one-step equations with an unknown, such as n + 15 = 20[1] |
| Measurement and time | Centimetres, metres, kilometres, millilitres, litres, grams and kilograms; ideas of perimeter and area; units of time[1] |
| 3D objects | Faces, edges and vertices; names such as cube, prism, cone, cylinder and sphere[1] |
| Data and chance | Bar graphs, pictographs, charts and tables; more likely, less likely and equally likely[1] |
| Money | Counting coins and bills up to 100 dollars; different ways to pay and to earn money[1] |
What Grade 3 reading and writing cover
Grade 3 English Language Arts asks for fluent reading, with phrasing and attention to punctuation.[2] The content and competencies include:
- Story elements. Character, plot, setting, conflict and theme.[2]
- Text features. Headings, diagrams, columns and sidebars.[2]
- Language devices. Descriptive language, simile, alliteration, rhythm and rhyme.[2]
- Reading strategies. Predicting, rereading, retelling, finding the main idea and details, and using phonics.[2]
- Writing. Personal writing, letters, poems, multi-page stories and simple non-fiction.[2]
- Conventions and word study. Compound sentences, punctuation, apostrophes in contractions, word families, and word roots, prefixes and suffixes.[2]
Grade 3 math practice questions
These example questions were written for this guide. They are not taken from the curriculum.
- What is the value of the 4 in 342? Answer: 40 (4 tens).
- What does the 0 in 408 tell you? Answer: There are 0 tens.
- What is 365 + 248? Answer: 613.
- What is 702 − 258? Answer: 444.
- There are 4 bags with 6 apples in each. How many apples? Answer: 24.
- 20 stickers are shared equally among 5 friends. How many each? Answer: 4.
- n + 15 = 20. What is n? Answer: 5.
- 5, 10, 20, 40, __. What is the rule and what is next? Answer: doubling; 80.
Reading practice ideas
- Read a chapter aloud. Ask your child to change their voice at commas and periods.
- After a story, ask: what was the problem, and how was it solved?
- Ask your child to write a short letter to a relative, then check punctuation together.
How to help at home
- Build multiplication from real things: egg cartons, muffin trays, rows of chairs.
- Cut a pizza or sandwich into equal parts. Name each part as a fraction.
- Skip-count by 3s, 4s and 5s while walking.
- Use coins and bills for shop games up to 100 dollars.
- Read together and talk about the problem in the story.
- Ask for a quick estimate before an exact answer.
If your child is behind or ahead
Grade 3 builds on earlier skills, so gaps show up here. Talk to the teacher first. Ask which skill is the gap. Then check place value and addition and subtraction facts to 20, because fractions, multiplication and bigger numbers rely on them.[1] Practise one skill a few minutes a day.
If your child is ahead, try fractions in recipes, bigger numbers and longer books. See our Grade 2 guide to check the earlier skills, and our guide to the BC proficiency scale to read the report card.
Unica Learning mails personalized math and reading workbooks that follow the BC curriculum at your child’s level.
A free placement assessment on paper shows your child’s level in math and reading.