Grade 3 ELA Alaska Standards

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

Use nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs appropriate to function and purpose in order to apply the conventions of English.

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 spelling.

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

Determine the meaning of a 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 (e.g., words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty, such as knew, believed ).

Acquire and accurately use 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).

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.

Alaska Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening

Comprehension and Collaboration

Conventions of Standard English

Alaska Anchor Standards Reading

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Production and Distribution of Writing

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Range of Writing

Writing Standards

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Comprehension and Collaboration

Language Standards

Alaska Anchor Standards for Language

Craft and Structure

Key Ideas and Details

Conventions of Standard English

Craft and Structure

Phonics and Word Recognition

Key Ideas and Details

Craft and Structure

Text Types and Purposes

Vocabulary Acquisition and Use

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

Speaking and Listening Standards

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Fluency

Reading Standards for Informational Text

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Knowledge of Language

Key Ideas and Details

Alaska Anchor Standards for Writing

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills

Range of Writing

Knowledge of Language

Text Types and Purposes

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

Production and Distribution of Writing

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas

Range of Reading and Level of Complexity

Reading Standards for Literature

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.

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.

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.

Read and comprehend a range of complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.

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, (e.g., explaining what the texts says explicitly, making basic inferences and predictions), referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend a range of informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts within a complexity band appropriate to grade 3 (from upper grade 2 to grade 4), with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Determine the main idea of a text and locate details that support the main idea; paraphrase or summarize main ideas or events in a multi-paragraph text, including correct sequence and details that support the main idea.

Describe the relationship or connection among 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., table of contents, index, key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Determine author's purpose; distinguish 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 or related topics.

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text (e.g., making basic inferences and predictions), referring explicitly to details from the text as the basis for the answers.

By the end of the year, read and comprehend a range of literature from a variety of cultures, within a complexity band appropriate to grade 3 (from upper grade 2 to grade 4), with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Determine the author's purpose, message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text; summarize stories in correct sequence, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures.

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

Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal meanings from use of figurative language (e.g., exaggeration in tall tales).

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 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).

(Not applicable to literature)

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.

After learning a protocol (e.g., Socratic method), 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 or explanations 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 audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; use techniques that engage the listener (e.g., inflection, different voices); and 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. (See grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations.)

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 that 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 opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with fact- or text-based reasons (e.g., I like large dogs better than small dogs because they can pull a sled and run for a longer time than small dogs can).

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

Provide reasons that support the opinion.

Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example).

Provide a concluding statement or section that reinforces or restates the opinion.

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.

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

Introduce a topic and group related information together; include labeled or captioned visuals when useful to aiding comprehension.

Develop the topic with facts, definitions, details, and explanations that support the focus.

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 that paraphrases the focus of the text.

Use narrative writing to develop real or imagined characters, experiences, or events using effective narrative techniques (dialogue, description, elaboration, problem-solution, figurative language), and clear event sequences (chronology).

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

Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, description and elaboration, and concrete and sensory details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings and to develop experiences and events showing the response of characters to situations or problems.

Use transitional words and phrases to signal event sequences (e.g., later, soon after).

Provide a sense of closure (e.g., how a problem was solved or how the event ended).

With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3.)

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 and to locate information about topics.

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.

(Begins in grade 4)

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

Use narrative writing 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.

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