Year 3 Teaching Resources
Explore printable worksheets, digital activities, games and more Year 3 resources, all aligned to the Australian curriculum! The teacher-created resources have all been designed with primary teachers and students in mind to meet the special needs of children as they transition into the middle years of their primary school education.
Carefully curated and thoroughly reviewed by the expert teachers of the Teach Starter team to ensure they're classroom-ready, our Year 3 resources can save you lesson planning time this school year with editable and differentiated options at the ready.
Teach Starter’s Year 3 resources utilise a vast array of resource types and have something for every learning area. Here's just a taste of what you'll find for your classroom!
- Spelling words and English worksheets
- Fractions activities and Maths worksheets
- Social and emotional learning activities
- Narrative writing stimuli
- Language conventions practice
- And so much more!
Are you new to teaching Year 3? Here's a look at what this year of primary school is all about!
What Is Year 3 in Australia?
Year 3 sits right in the middle of primary school for most students in Australia as the fourth year of compulsory education.
How Old Are Kids in Year 3?
The exact age of students will vary slightly by state (and birthday!), but most children in your Year 3 class will be 8 to 9 years old.
What Do Students Learn in Year 3?
Year 3 is a big one for Australian students. Many will sit the NAPLAN tests, and more than a few will hit double digits before the year is through. This is a big year for Maths between the introduction of more complex fractions and formal multiplication, as well as even more skill-building in other learning areas.
Exactly what they're expected to learn will depend to some degree on the state or territory where you are teaching, but here's a look at what your students can expect to encounter in the key areas of the curriculum!
English
Year 3 students continue to develop their reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in their English lessons. Reading will involve more complex texts, including longer novels, non-fiction texts, and poetry.
Students will also be expected to analyse these texts more deeply, examining themes, character development, and literary techniques. Comprehension skill-building will require deeper analysis of texts and drawing inferences from what is read.
While Year 2 instruction focuses on basic writing skills such as sentence structure and punctuation, this older group of students will move toward more advanced writing skills such as paragraphing, using descriptive language, and organising ideas in a logical way.
Grammar and spelling will also become a greater focus this year, with an emphasis on understanding and applying more complex grammar rules and spelling patterns.
Maths
Fractions feature front and centre of the Year 3 Maths curriculum. Students will learn to identify, compare, and order unit fractions (those being fractions with a numerator of 1), as well as use them in simple problem-solving contexts.
We already alluded to this being a big year for multiplication, and is it ever! Year 3 students learn the basic multiplication facts — such as 2 x 2 = 4 and 3 x 3 = 9 — and they begin to use these facts to solve multiplication and division problems. They also learn to interpret and create simple multiplication and division problems.
Students will have the chance to build upon their understanding of measurement concepts from Year 2, including length, mass, and capacity. They'll learn to measure and estimate using standard units, plus how to compare and order measurements.
Maths students will expand their knowledge of 2D shapes this year, and they will begin to learn about three-dimensional shapes and their properties.
Place value is still a big part of maths, of course. Year 3 students expand their understanding of place value to include numbers up to 10,000, and they learn to read, write, and compare four-digit numbers. They also learn to use place value to solve addition and subtraction problems.
Science
Science instruction in Year 3 is more focused on building a deeper understanding of scientific concepts and their applications, as compared to Year 2. It also emphasises the development of scientific inquiry skills that will help kids become more proficient in conducting scientific investigations and communicating their findings.
Students in Year 3 learn to ask questions, plan and conduct investigations, collect and record data, and communicate their findings as part of their development of science inquiry skills. They spend a portion of the year learning about the characteristics of living things, including plants and animals. Year 3 students will have the chance to explore the life cycles of plants and animals, as well as learning about the needs of living things and their habitats.
While they're learning about things that live on Earth, they're also learning about the planet itself, exploring geological features such as rocks, soil, and minerals. They also explore heat energy and how it can be transferred from one object to another.
Last, but certainly not least, Year 3 students learn about the properties and states of matter, including solids and liquids (gasses are explored later on in primary school).
Humanities and Social Sciences
Building on the foundation set in Year 2, Year 3 HAAS lessons build a deeper understanding of historical events and concepts, as well as exploring the social and economic systems that underpin Australian society.
Students learn about the historical events, people, and places that have shaped Australia's history. They explore the concept of change and continuity over time and learn to use historical sources to investigate the past. Students also study significant cultural events celebrated in our country and how they contribute to Australia's diversity and identity.
Geography instruction will guide students as they learn about the physical and cultural characteristics of places and regions. They'll learn more about the representation of Australia as states and territories, and as Countries/Places of First Nations Australians. Students will also begin exploring Australia's neighbours such as New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia.
Civics instruction sees Year 3 students strengthening their understanding of what it means to live in a democratic society. They will draw upon their own personal experiences to examine why rules are important and to discuss how they can be active participants in the communities to which they belong.
Health and Physical Education
With their bodies rapidly changing, Year 3 students learn about the factors that influence their health and wellbeing, including the importance of good nutrition, hygiene, and sleep. They also learn about social and emotional health, including how to manage their feelings, develop positive relationships, and make safe and healthy choices.
In Year 3, there are a number of different types of safety on tap in lessons, including road safety, water safety, and personal safety. They develop an understanding of risk and learn strategies for staying safe in different situations.
Year 3 students also learn about the importance of being active and informed citizens in their community. They learn about the benefits of volunteering and begin to develop an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of individuals in society.
The Arts
In Year 3, students develop more advanced skills in drawing, painting, and other visual arts techniques. This includes studying the elements of art — such as line, shape, colour, and texture — and beginning to use these to create more complex artworks.
In music class, these children are learning all about musical notation and how to read and write simple music, while drama instruction explores different forms of drama, including role-playing, improvisation, and scripted performance. Students get the chance to learn about the elements of drama, such as character, plot, and setting, and begin to use these to create their own dramatic works.
- Plus Plan
Soldier Silhouette Art Templates
Use this craft template when creating Anzac Day or Remembrance Day inspired solider artworks.
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Poppy Craft - Anzac Day Art Template
Create unique Remembrance Day poppy crafts with a printable roll-a-design poppy art activity.
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Anzac Day Assembly PowerPoint
A 10-slide editable PowerPoint template that provides an overview of Anzac Day.
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Red Poppy Template
Use a paper poppy craft template to make a poppy for Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.
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'Lest We Forget' Poppy Wreath Template
Create a beautiful poppy wreath with a printable Anzac Day craft template.
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Anzac Day Flip Book Template
Learn about the importance of Anzac Day with this engaging flipbook template.
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ANZAC Colouring Pages
Colour in these Anzac Day colouring pages when learning about this commemoration.
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ANZAC Slouch Hat Craft and Write
Learn about the slouch hat and Anzac Day with this paper craft and write activity.
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Information Report Text Type Poster With Annotations
A poster about the information report text type, including an annotated example.
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3D Poppy Class Wreath Template
Create a beautiful whole class wreath with this Anzac Day printable wreath template.
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Writing An Information Report Poster
Display this poster in your room as a visual reminder of the structure of an information report.
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Developing Informative Writing Skills PowerPoint
A 19 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching your students about the structure and language features of informative texts.
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Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences Worksheets
Use this set of five grammar worksheets to teach about the structures of simple, compound and complex sentences.
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Shape Worksheet Sets (Foundation to Grade 6 Level)
Use these levelled worksheets sets with your primary school students to explore 2D shapes and 3D objects!
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Comprehension Task Cards - Finding The Main Idea
A set of comprehension task cards to help students find the main idea when reading.
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Let's Research! Information Report Templates
Conduct, organise, and display research about books, people, planets, animals, states, and countries with a versatile set of report writing templates.
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Anzac Day Word Search – Lower
An Anzac Day-themed word search.
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Anzac Day Multiple Choice Quiz – PowerPoint
An interactive multiple choice quiz to prompt thoughtful discussion about Anzac Day.
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Anzac Day Wristbands
Create a wearable Anzac Day craft with these printable wristbands.
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Applying Reading Comprehension Strategies Worksheets
A collection of worksheets to enable students to apply reading comprehension strategies.
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Nouns, Proper Nouns, Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs and Conjunctions Posters
Enhance student understanding of the 8 parts of speech with these colourful, informative and easily-referenced grammar wall posters.
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Dominate the Dragon – Mental Maths Worksheets
Capture your students' interest in maths drills for all four operations with these fun dragon-themed differentiated maths worksheets.
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Simple, Compound and Complex Sentences PowerPoint
A 23 slide editable PowerPoint template which introduces the attributes of simple, compound and complex sentences.
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Persuasive Devices Teaching Slides
Explore persuasive language devices with your students using this detailed and age-appropriate slideshow perfect for your persuasive writing unit.
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Remembrance Day Art Project - Poppy Quilt
Use this Remembrance Day craft template to create a poppy art collaborative quilt display.
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Number of the Day Worksheet
Explore 4, 5, and 6-digit numbers using this number of the day worksheet with your students.
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Anzac Biscuit Recipe
A simple recipe to follow when baking Anzac biscuits.
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Poppies and Soldier Agamograph
Use this printable colouring template for a poppy- and soldier-themed agamograph to be used on Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.
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Mosaic Poppy Art Activity
Print a creative poppy art activity to use when commemorating ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day in the classroom or to teach students about mosaics!
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Animal Research Project - Informative Writing Booklet
Use a printable animal research organiser booklet for students to record facts about animals when learning to write informative texts.
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Anzac Day Symbols Poster Set
Learn about the different symbols of Anzac Day with this poster set.
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Introduction to Personal Recounts PowerPoint
An 18 slide editable PowerPoint template to use when teaching younger students about the structure and language features of personal recounts.