Third-graders can:

• Read fluently and enjoy reading
• Use a range of strategies when drawing meaning from the text
• Use word identification strategies appropriately and automatically when encountering unknown words
• Recognize and discuss elements of different text structures
• Make critical connections between texts
• Write expressively in many different forms (stories, poems, reports)
• Use a rich variety of vocabulary and sentences appropriate to text forms
• Revise and edit their own writing during and after composing
• Spell words correctly in final writing drafts

What teachers do:

• Provide opportunities daily for children to read, examine, and critically evaluate narrative and expository texts
• Continue to create a climate that fosters critical reading and personal response
• Teach children to examine ideas in texts
• Encourage children to use writing as a tool for thinking and learning
• Extend children's knowledge of the correct use of writing conventions
• Emphasize the importance of correct spelling in finished written products
• Create a climate that engages all children as a community of literacy learners

What parents and family members can do:

• Continue to support children's learning and interest by visiting the library and bookstores with them
• Find ways to highlight children's progress in reading and writing
• Stay in regular contact with your child's teachers about activities and progress in reading and writing
• Encourage children to use and enjoy print for many purposes (such as recipes, directions, games, and sports)
• Build a love of language in all its forms and engage children in conversation