Grade 3 ELA Connecticut Standards

Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems.

Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text.

Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing.

Construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text.

Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions.

Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing.

Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics.

Make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade appropriate speech and writing.

Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases by using context clues, analyzing meaningful word parts, and consulting general and specialized reference materials, as appropriate.

Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.

Acquire and use accurately a range of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when encountering an unknown term important to comprehension or expression.

Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.

Analyze how and why individuals, events, and ideas develop and interact over the course of a text.

Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.

Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.

Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Present information, findings, and supporting evidence such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Make strategic use of digital media and visual displays of data to express information and enhance understanding of presentations.

Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and communicative tasks, demonstrating command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach.

Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.

Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.

Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified.

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.

Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

Capitalize appropriate words in titles.

Use commas in addresses.

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.

Form and use possessives.

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness).

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words.

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

Choose words and phrases for effect.

Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).

Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

Decode multisyllable words.

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings

Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.

Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).

Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence).

Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.

Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.

Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.

Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).

Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series).

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.

Provide reasons that support the opinion.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.

Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.

Provide a concluding statement or section.

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.

Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.

Provide a sense of closure.

With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.

With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing.

With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.

Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Comprehension and Collaboration

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Writing

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Craft and Structure

Craft and Structure

Craft and Structure

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Fluency

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Production and Distribution of Writing

College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Language

Knowledge of Language

Production and Distribution of Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Conventions of Standard English

Writing Standards

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Writing

Key Ideas and Details

Key Ideas and Details

Language Standards

Range of Writing

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Phonics and Word Recognition

Conventions of Standard English

Text Types and Purposes

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Text Types and Purposes

(Begins in grade 4)

Speaking and Listening Standards

(Not applicable to literature)

Comprehension and Collaboration

Reading Standards for Literature

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Key Ideas and Details

Knowledge of Language

An EL can construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing.

An EL can make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing.

An EL can participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions.

An EL can speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics.

An EL can construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence.

An EL can conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems.

An EL can analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing.

An EL can adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing.

An EL can determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text.

An EL can create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text.

with prompting and supports, understand and use a small number of frequently occurring nouns and verbs and respond to simple yes/no questions about familiar topics

with prompting and supports, communicate basic information about an event or topic and use a narrow range of vocabulary and syntactically simple sentences acquired from conversations, reading, and being read to

relying on visual aids, context, and knowledge of morphology in the native language, recognize the meaning of a few frequently occurring words, phrases, and formulaic expressions in simple oral discourse, readalouds, and written texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events

with prompting and supports, repeat and use frequently occurring words and phrases and recognize the meaning of high frequency words learned through conversations, reading, and being read to

with prompting and supports, use a few frequently occurring words and phrases to identify a point an author or a speaker makes

with prompting and supports, conduct short individual or shared research projects to answer a question and gather information from provided sources and label information

with prompting and supports, verbally or nonverbally express an opinion using words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to about familiar topics or experiences

with prompting and supports, communicate basic information using a limited number of words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about familiar texts, topics, experiences, events, or objects in the environment

with prompting and supports, actively listen to others and occasionally participate in short conversations using a limited number of words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words and respond verbally and nonverbally to yes/no and some wh- questions about familiar topics

with prompting and supports, use a very limited set of strategies to: Identify a few key words and phrases from read-alouds, simple written texts, and oral presentations

with prompting and supports, recognize and use some frequently occurring collective nouns (e.g. group) and frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g. children) and recognize and use some frequently occurring verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions and produce simple sentences in response to prompts about familiar topics

with prompting and supports, communicate basic information about a topic and retell a short sequence of events or familiar story and use frequently occurring linking words (e.g., and, then)

using context, visual aids, and knowledge of morphology in the native language, ask and answer simple questions about the meaning of frequently occurring words, phrases, and formulaic expressions in simple oral discourse, readalouds, and written texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events

with prompting and supports, recognize and use some words learned through conversations, reading, and being read to and recognize the meaning and context of words to demonstrate awareness of the difference between social language and language for the classroom

with prompting and supports, identify the main point of an author or speaker and identify a reason an author or a speaker gives to support the main point

with prompting and supports, conduct short individual or shared research projects to answer a question and recall information from experience and gather information from provided sources and label information and record some information/observations in simple notes

with prompting and supports, express an opinion and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about familiar topics, experiences, or events

with prompting and supports, deliver basic oral presentations and compose short written texts with drawings or illustrations and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about familiar texts, topics, experiences, or events

with prompting and supports, actively listen to others and participate in short conversations, discussions, and simple written exchanges using words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words and take turns and respond to yes/no and wh-questions about familiar topics

with prompting and supports, use an emerging set of strategies to: identify some key words and phrases and identify the main topic or message/lesson from read-alouds, simple written texts, and oral presentations

with guidance and supports, use some collective nouns and use the past tense of some frequently occurring irregular verbs and use some frequently occurring adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions and produce and expand simple and some compound sentences

with guidance and supports, present information about a topic and retell a short sequence of events from experience or a story, or explain a process, description, or comparison and contrast and use common linking words (e.g., and, but, next, after) to connect ideas or events

using context, some visual aids, reference materials, and a developing knowledge of English morphology, determine the meaning of less-frequently occurring words and phrases, content-specific words, and some idiomatic expressions in oral discourse, readalouds, and written texts about familiar topics, experiences, or events

with guidance and supports, demonstrate awareness of differences between social language and language appropriate to the classroom and (at Grade 3) use high frequency general academic and content-specific words in conversations and discussions

with guidance and supports, identify the main point of an author or speaker and tell how one or two reasons support the main point an author or a speaker makes

with guidance and supports, conduct short individual or shared research projects to answer a question and recall information from experience and gather information from provided sources and label and sort information into provided categories and record information/ observations in orderly notes. and present findings to a peer or small group in an oral or written text using drawings or illustrations, when useful

with guidance and supports, express an opinion and give one or more reasons for the opinion and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about familiar texts, experiences, or events

with guidance and supports, deliver short oral presentations and compose written narratives with drawings or illustrations and compose informational texts with drawings and illustrations and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about familiar texts, topics, experiences, or events

with guidance and supports, participate in short conversations, discussions, and written exchanges using words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words and follow the rules for discussion and ask questions to gain information or clarify understanding and respond to the comments of others and contribute his or her own comments about familiar topics and texts

with guidance and supports, use a developing set of strategies to: identify the main topic or message and answer questions and retell some key details from read-alouds, simple written texts, and oral presentations

use collective nouns and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs and use an increasing number of adjectives, adverbs, and conjunctions and (at Grade 3) use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs and produce and expand simple, compound, and (at Grade 3) a few complex sentences

introduce an informational topic and present facts about the topic and recount a sequence of events, using temporal words (before, after, soon) including key details, or explain a process, description, or comparison and contrast and use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect ideas or events and provide some sense of closure

using context, some visual aids, reference materials, and an increasing knowledge of morphology (root words, some prefixes),  determine the meaning of less-frequently occurring words and phrases and some idiomatic expressions and (at Grade 3) determine the meaning of some general academic and contentspecific vocabulary in oral discourse, readalouds, and written texts about a variety of topics, experiences, or events

adapt language choices, as appropriate, to formal and social contexts and (at Grade 3), use general academic and content-specific words in conversations and discussions

identify the main point of an author or speaker and tell how one or two reasons support the specific points an author or a speaker makes

conduct short individual or shared research projects to answer a question and recall information from experience and gather information from multiple print and digital sources and sort evidence into provided categories. and record information/ observations in orderly notes. and present findings to a small or large group in an oral or written text using drawings or illustrations, when useful

introduce a topic and express opinions and give several reasons for the opinions and provide a concluding statement and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about a variety of texts topics, experiences, and events

including key details, deliver short oral presentations and compose written narratives and compose informational texts and use illustrations, when useful and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about a variety of texts, topics, experiences, or events

participate in discussions, conversations, and written exchanges using words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words and follow the rules for discussion and ask and answer questions to gain information or clarify understanding • build on the ideas of others and contribute his or her own ideas about a variety of topics and texts

use an increasing range of strategies to: determine the main idea or message and identify or answer questions about some key details that support the main idea/message and retell a variety of stories from read-alouds, written texts, and oral presentations

use collective and commonly occurring abstract nouns (e.g. childhood) and reflexive pronouns and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs and use coordinating and commonly used subordinating conjunctions, adjectives, and adverbs and (at Grade 3) use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs and produce and expand simple, compound, and (at Grade 3) some complex sentences

introduce an informational topic and present facts about the topic and use temporal words to recount a coherent and detailed sequence of events, or explain a process, description, or comparison and contrast and use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect ideas and events and provide a concluding statement about the topic

using context, reference materials, and morphology (e.g., root words, simple inflectional endings such as -ed, -ing, and some common prefixes and suffixes), determine the meaning of words, phrases, and idiomatic expressions and (at Grade 3) determine the meaning of some general academic and contentspecific vocabulary in oral presentations and written texts about a variety of topics, experiences, or events

adapt language choices, as appropriate, to formal and social contexts and (at Grade 3), use a wide variety of general and content-specific academic words and phrases in conversations or in short written texts

identify the main point of an author or speaker and describe how reasons support the specific points an author or a speaker makes

conduct short individual or shared research projects to answer a question and recall information from experience and gather information from multiple print and digital sources and sort evidence into categories. and record key information/ observations in orderly notes. and present findings to a small or large group in an oral or written text using drawings or illustrations, when useful

introduce a topic and express opinions and create an organizational structure and give several reasons for the opinions and provide a concluding statement and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about a variety of texts, topics, experiences, or events

including relevant general and specific details, deliver oral presentations and compose written narratives and compose informational texts and use illustrations, when useful and use words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words about a variety of texts, topics, experiences, or events

participate in extended discussions, conversations, and written exchanges using words and phrases acquired in conversations, reading, and being read to, and (at grade 3) academic and domain specific words and follow the rules for discussion and ask and answer questions to gain information or clarify understanding and build on the ideas of others and express his or her own ideas about a variety of topics and texts

use a wide range of strategies to: determine the main idea or message and tell how key details support the main idea and retell a variety of stories from read-alouds, written texts, and oral communications