What Ontario grade 3 students learn in language arts

Your child will learn how to use skills they already have, like understanding different viewpoints, to communicate better when reading, listening, watching, or creating different kinds of stories and information, especially when dealing with various cultures, social situations, or languages.

Your child will understand how skills they learn in one area, like problem-solving, can help them express their ideas and participate more in their schoolwork.

Your child will understand their rights and responsibilities when using the internet with permission, and be able to make choices that help create a positive online identity for themselves and their community.

Your child will understand how to use the internet safely, protect their personal information, and interact respectfully with others online, including knowing when to ask for permission.

Your child will be able to find information, think about it from different points of view, and use it to learn new things and show what they know.

Your child will understand the different ways digital and media texts (like videos, websites, or games) are put together, including their common features and special techniques, and use this knowledge to better understand these texts.

Your child will be able to understand how the way a story or text is put together, its main idea, and the situation it's in all connect with who it's for and who made it.

Your child will be able to use computers and other media to help them think through ideas and come up with new ways to solve problems they might encounter in real life.

Your child will learn how to talk and work with others online safely and respectfully, understanding and appreciating different cultures when they use digital tools and platforms.

Your child will be able to use what they've learned in language arts to help them in other school subjects and understand how these skills are useful in their daily life.

Your child will be able to understand the experiences and viewpoints of different people and groups, including those in Canada, by reading stories and texts that reflect various cultures and backgrounds. This helps them learn about who they are, their own identity, and how they fit into the world.

Your child will learn about the main ideas and messages found in stories and traditions from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit cultures. This will help them understand the diverse ways these groups see the world, relate to others, and live their lives.

Your child will be able to listen well and ask questions to understand better, whether they are talking with a few friends or the whole class.

Your child will learn to use different ways to listen, both to words and to clues like body language, so they can understand what others are trying to tell them. They will also learn to notice when something is hard to understand and figure out how to respond.

Your child will learn to understand why and for whom they are speaking, whether it's a formal or informal situation. They will also learn how to speak clearly and smoothly, including how to connect with their audience.

Your child will learn to use different ways of communicating, like their voice, facial expressions, and body movements, and understand how these actions help them share their message.

Your child will learn to choose the right words, including new vocabulary, and use correct grammar to speak clearly and make sure others understand what they are trying to say.

Your child will use their knowledge of phonics (the sounds letters make) to read words, even if they need to try a few times to get it right. They will also be able to break words into sounds to spell them correctly.

Your child will be able to use their knowledge of spelling patterns and rules (orthographic knowledge), including how letters are placed in words, to help them spell words correctly or say them out loud when reading.

Your child will be able to use their growing understanding of word parts (like prefixes, suffixes, and root words) to help them read and spell new words.

Your child will understand and use new words they learn, including words from other subjects like science or social studies. They will also learn to break down words into their parts (like prefixes or suffixes) to figure out what new words mean.

Your child will be able to read words, sentences, and paragraphs smoothly and correctly, at a good pace to understand what they are reading. They will also be able to read aloud with feeling and changes in their voice, depending on why they are reading.

Your child will be able to recognize and create different kinds of sentences, such as simple sentences (one idea), compound sentences (two related ideas joined together), and complex sentences (a main idea with an added detail about when, where, or how).

Your child will understand how different kinds of words, like nouns (words for people, places, or things), verbs (action words), and adjectives (describing words), work together in sentences. This will help them better understand what they read and write more clearly.

Your child will be able to use capitalization (capital letters) and punctuation (like commas and quotation marks) correctly to make their writing clear. This includes knowing when to use capital letters in titles and dialogue, using commas and quotation marks for direct speech, and using apostrophes for contractions (like "don't" instead of "do not").

Your child will be able to understand different kinds of stories and information by using what they know about words, how sentences are put together, and what they already know about the world.

Your child will be able to tell the difference between different kinds of books, like storybooks and factual books, and understand what makes each type special.

Your child will be able to recognize common ways texts are organized, like when information is presented from most to least important, or when one event causes another. They will also understand how features like headings and an index help them find information and understand what they are reading or listening to.

Your child will be able to explain how pictures, drawings, and the way a text looks are used and why they are important to what the text is about.

Your child will be able to point out some ways authors write, like their unique "voice" (how they sound), the words they choose, patterns in those words, and how they put sentences together, and explain how these choices help the story make sense.

Your child will be able to figure out who is telling a story (the narrator) and from what perspective, like if it's "I" (first person) or "he/she" (third person). They will also be able to think of other ways the story could be told.

Your child will engage with different kinds of stories and art created by First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people. They will also be able to show that they understand various parts of these groups' pasts, traditions, communities, and experiences.

Your child will learn to use what they already know from their own life and from other books to help them understand new stories and information.

Your child will understand that people read for different reasons, such as to learn new things or to get new ideas.

Your child will be able to make good guesses about what they are reading by using what they already know, looking at parts of the text like headings or pictures, and finding clues in the story. They will also learn to change their understanding if new information comes up.

Your child will be able to use different strategies, like rereading a text, imagining what's happening, or asking questions, to help them understand what they are reading and to check if they've understood it correctly.

Your child will be able to connect what they read to their own life, other books they've read, and the world around them.

Your child will be able to find the main message of a story or article and understand how important details fit together in order.

Your child will be able to explain how using different reading strategies, like picturing the story in their mind, guessing what might happen next, or thinking about their own experiences, helps them understand what they read.

Your child will be able to recognize literary devices like metaphors (comparing two unlike things without using "like" or "as") and assonance (repeating vowel sounds in words) and understand how they help to share a message.

Your child will be able to make educated guesses about what they are reading, using both information that is directly stated and clues that are hinted at in the text.

Your child will be able to understand different kinds of stories and articles by finding the main message, remembering the order of events, and seeing how things are alike or different.

Your child will be able to recognize cultural elements like symbols (objects that represent ideas), language, and values in stories and other texts. They will also be able to ask questions and share their thoughts about how these elements help create the meaning of the text.

Your child will be able to find and explain the obvious and hidden messages or opinions in stories and other texts, and understand how these might affect the reader.

Your child will be able to share their own thoughts and feelings about the ideas they read in stories and other texts, especially ideas about how people are different (diversity), how everyone should be included, and how things can be made easier for everyone to use (accessibility).

Your child will understand how stories and other writings from First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people share information about their past and culture. They will also learn how these stories connect to what people experience today.

Your child will be able to recognize the thinking skills they used to help them understand different stories and articles better.

Your child will be able to figure out the main idea, reason, and who their writing is for, and understand how choosing a certain type of writing (like a story or a letter) will help them get their message across.

Your child will be able to come up with and develop ideas for their writing, using different strategies and resources like their own experiences and what they've learned in other subjects.

Your child will be able to find information for a topic from at least three different places.

Your child will be able to organize their thoughts and information in a logical order, using different methods and tools, depending on the type of writing they are doing.

Your child will be able to explain the different ways they come up with ideas for their writing and how they organize those ideas.

Your child will be able to write short stories, convincing arguments, and informative pieces using different tools and methods.

Your child will begin to write in cursive, which is a style of handwriting where letters are joined together in a flowing way. They will learn to form the letters correctly, making sure they are the right size, in the right place on the line, and have the proper space between them.

Your child will be able to share their own thoughts, feelings, and opinions in their writing, using interesting words and different kinds of sentences to make their voice clear.

Your child will be able to tell if a story is told by one of the characters (first person) or by an outside narrator (third person).

Your child will be able to make changes to their writing, like swapping out words or adding sentences, to make it clearer and more interesting, using suggestions from others.

Your child will be able to make their writing better by checking for mistakes in spelling, punctuation (like commas and periods), and grammar (how words are used correctly). They will also learn to improve the overall style of their writing.

Your child will be able to use simple writing techniques to make their stories and other writing more interesting and effective.

Your child will be able to share their writing with others, including reading it aloud with feeling and expression.

Your child will be able to explain what writing strategies they used to help them clearly share their ideas, and how those strategies made their writing better.