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Your third grader and reading
In third grade, students shift their focus from learning to read to reading to learn.
By GreatSchools Staff
Doing research
Third-graders improve on their beginning research skills by reading books on different subjects and answering questions about a topic. Third-graders should be able to use the index, glossary, title page, introduction, preface, and appendix of a book to find information. Using encyclopedias, informational books, and the Internet may be part of a research project.
"Reading informational text is critical for second- and third-graders," says Thompson. "Most of the federally mandated tests contain a great deal of nonfiction reading. Children need to learn to read nonfiction for understanding and need to be taught how to use all of the conventions of nonfiction to assist with understanding. These include the table of contents, index, glossary, captions, illustrations, bold print, diagrams, charts, and graphs."
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