English Language Arts

About this course

Third grade is where word study stops being phonics and becomes vocabulary. Your student learns to break long words apart by syllable type, then meets Greek roots (graph, phon, bio, geo) and Latin roots (port, dict, rupt, struct) as tools for guessing at unfamiliar words, along with prefixes, the -tion and -sion suffix families, and the homophones that trip up writers. Vocabulary work adds denotation and connotation, similes, metaphors, idioms, and thesaurus use. Grammar covers the whole sentence: abstract and collective nouns, action, linking, and helping verbs, the three tenses, subject-verb agreement, subject and object pronouns, comparative and superlative adjectives, adverbs, prepositional phrases, coordinating and subordinating conjunctions, and compound and complex sentences. Writing runs from topic sentences and supporting details through descriptive, narrative, opinion, and expository pieces, including a lesson on punctuating dialogue correctly and one on revising a draft rather than just fixing spelling. Comprehension is taught as named strategies and then pushed further in a second pass, including a lesson on the literal, inferential, and evaluative levels of reading. The literature unit covers character, plot, theme, conflict, poetry, biography, and a candid lesson comparing Greek, Norse, and Egyptian myths with the Genesis account. There is also a full research unit that ends in a finished report with an outline, introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion, and citations.

The course is 216 lessons across 16 units. Fifteen units hold 12 lessons of about 45 minutes; the sixteenth is a 36-week spelling sequence of 12 words each, 432 words in all, running from blends such as swift and crisp through suffix families, homophone pairs like flour and flower, and finishing the year on words such as knowledge, persevere, and thousand. A typical lesson is a short explanation written directly to your student, often with a table or a weak-versus-strong comparison, one or two questions to answer, a KJV verse connected to the topic, and a hands-on activity. Every regular lesson ends with a ten-question multiple-choice quiz that grades itself. Spelling weeks are typed instead: a sentence with a word missing and a box to spell it into.

This is the first year the lessons address your student rather than you, so a fluent third-grade reader can work through much of it alone, with you nearby for the writing activities. Coming in, your student should be able to read a paragraph without sounding out most words, write a complete sentence with correct capitalization, and know the basic parts of speech. Units 9 through 15 are a deliberate second pass over the same seven strands with mostly new lessons, so phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, grammar, writing, literature, and research each come around twice. A handful of individual lessons in that second pass do repeat a title from earlier in the year.

What the course covers

• Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes
• Syllable types, multisyllabic decoding, and reading fluency
• Similes, metaphors, idioms, and connotation
• Literal, inferential, and evaluative levels of comprehension
• The eight parts of speech and compound and complex sentences
• Paragraph structure, narrative dialogue, opinion, and expository writing
• Character, plot, theme, conflict, and point of view
• Poetry, biography, and myths compared with Genesis
• Research: sources, paraphrasing, outlining, and citations
• 36 weekly typed spelling quizzes, twelve words each

What your student will be able to do

• Work out an unfamiliar word from its Greek or Latin root
• Explain a passage at the literal, inferential, and evaluative level
• Identify every part of speech and build compound and complex sentences
• Write and punctuate dialogue between two characters correctly
• Plan, draft, revise, and proofread a multi-paragraph piece
• Take notes from sources, outline a report, and credit where information came from

Scope and sequence

All 16 units of English Language Arts for Grade 3, in the order they are taught.

Inside the course

These photographs appear in the lessons themselves, not just on this page. Every one is freely licensed and credited to its photographer at the foot of this page.

Every lesson, by title

All 216 lesson titles are listed here — nothing is withheld until you download. Open a unit to read its contents.

One whole lesson, exactly as it comes

This is a real lesson taken from the middle of the course — the teaching text, the practice, the homework, and the first three quiz questions with their answers. It is not a marketing excerpt.

Unit 9: Phonics and Reading · Lesson 4

Phonics and Reading - Lesson 4

45 minutesPencilPaperEraser

What this lesson is for

• Students will practice reading skills related to Phonics and Reading - Lesson 4
• Students will develop writing and language skills

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.

Proverbs 4:7

Silent Letters in English

English has a tricky habit: sometimes letters appear in words but are NOT pronounced. These are called silent letters — and they appear more often than you might think!

Common silent letters:

K before N: know, knight, kneel, knife, knot, knock The k is completely silent. You say "noh" not "kuh-noh."

W before R: wrap, wrist, wrong, write, wreath The w disappears. You say "rap" not "wuh-rap."

Silent G before N: gn at the start or in the middle gnome, gnat, sign, design

Silent H at the start: honest, hour, heir You say "onest" and "our" and "air."

Silent B at the end: lamb, climb, thumb, dumb, numb, crumb

Silent T in the middle: listen, castle, often, soften Sometimes t hides between consonants.

Why do silent letters exist? English borrowed words from other languages and changed the way they sound but not how we spell them! The k in knife used to be pronounced in Old English hundreds of years ago.

When you read an unfamiliar word with these patterns, remember: some letters are just watching — they do not make a sound!

Fill in the blank: In the word wrap, which letter is silent? How do you know?

Activity: Find three words with silent letters. Write the word and circle the silent letter. Practice saying it correctly to a friend or parent.

Bible Connection: Psalm 34:11 — "Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD." Notice the h at the start of hearken is NOT silent!

Homework

Complete the reading response or writing assignment for Phonics and Reading - Lesson 4.

Note for the parent

Today's lesson covers Phonics and Reading - Lesson 4. Estimated time: 45 minutes. Encourage independent work but be available for questions.

The first three of this lesson's 10 questions

What is a SILENT LETTER?

1. A letter that appears in a word but is not pronounced
2. A letter that is always quiet in tone
3. A letter that is only silent at the beginning of a word
4. A letter that nobody understands

Show the answer

Answer: A letter that appears in a word but is not pronounced

In the word 'know,' which letter is silent?

1. k
2. n
3. o
4. w

Show the answer

Answer: k

Which of these words has a silent W?

1. window
2. water
3. went
4. wrist

Show the answer

Answer: wrist

Another 7 questions follow in the lesson itself, each one graded the moment it is answered.

What you will need

Drawn from the materials named across all 216 lessons of this course. Most families already own most of it.