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
Multiplication Colour By Number Worksheet Pack
Use this set of multiplication colour-by-number worksheets to help your students learn these important number facts.
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Unit Fraction Colouring Sheet
Crack the colour code and practise unit fractions all while colouring in fun images.
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Expanded Form Worksheet Pack
Practise expanding 2-digit to 6-digit numbers with this set of 5 worksheets.
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Main Idea and Details in Nonfiction Text - Teaching PowerPoint
Build skills in identifying the main idea and details in nonfiction texts with this teaching PowerPoint
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3-Digit Addition and Subtraction with Regrouping - Anchor Charts
Break down the steps to use regrouping to find a solution with an addition and a subtraction poster.
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Jump Strategy for Subtraction – PowerPoint
Teach your students to subtract two-digit numbers using the jump strategy with an instructional teaching presentation.
- Free Plan
Representations of Unit Fractions Poster
Display this free poster in your classroom showing representations of common unit fractions.
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Koala Mindful Colouring Sheet
A koala mindful colouring in sheet.
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Elapsed Time – Worksheet
A worksheet for students to practise calculating elapsed time.
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Biography Poster With Annotations
Use this biography poster to introduce your students to the structure and language features of biography writing through an annotated example.
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Number Line Addition Worksheet
Practise adding two-digit numbers with regrouping using a number line and the jump strategy with a printable number line worksheet.
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2D Shape Activity Sheets
A set of nine worksheets where students demonstrate their understanding of various 2D shapes.
- Free Plan
Number Talks - Place Value Task Cards
Build number sense skills in 3-digit skills with this set of 24 task cards.
- Free Plan
World Map with Countries - Black and White
Teach your students about the continents and countries of the world with this black-and-white world map.
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Acknowledgement of Country Poster
A simple Acknowledgement of Country poster to display in your classroom.
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Distinguish Between Fact and Opinion Worksheets
Help students distinguish between fact and opinion with this engaging zebra-themed comprehension task designed to strengthen critical thinking and reading skills.
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Rounding to Estimate Worksheet Set
Use our rounding to estimate worksheet set to sharpen number sense and mental maths skills.
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Visual Text Techniques Teaching Slides
Teach your students about visual text techniques with this engaging presentation, which features elements like layout, gaze, salience, angle and shot.
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NAPLAN Spelling Reference List
Prepare your students for NAPLAN Language Conventions assessments with a printable NAPLAN Spelling Reference List.
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Rounding Numbers PPT — Rounding Roller Coaster Method
Present this roller coaster-themed rounding numbers PPT to your students to teach or review how to round large numbers.
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Developing Narrative Writing Skills PowerPoint - Year 3 and Year 4
Teach your students about the structure and language features of narrative texts with an engaging interactive Narrative Writing Teaching Slide Presentation.
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Life Cycle of a Butterfly Craft - Concertina Template
Re-create the life cycle of a butterfly with a printable butterfly life cycle concertina craft.
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Kandinsky Circles Colouring Pages
Introduce your students to the circle art style of Wassily Kandinsky with a set of fun International Dot Day colouring in sheets.
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Subtraction Using the Split Strategy - Teaching Slides
Demonstrate using the split strategy for subtraction with an instructional slide presentation.
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Happy Mother's Day - Printable Card
Gift Mum a special handmade Mother's Day card with a printable card template.
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Daily Vocabulary Dive - Synonyms and Antonyms Worksheet
Give your students a daily dose of synonym and antonym review with a 5-day vocabulary warm-up worksheet.
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Differentiated Number Pattern Worksheets for Year 3 and 4
Use this differentiated year 3 maths worksheet to allow students to practise completing number patterns and determining their rules.
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Multiplication and Division Speed Drill Worksheets – Facts of 3
A set of worksheets to help students develop fast and accurate recall of the three times tables.
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Anzac Day Word Search – Lower
An Anzac Day-themed word search.
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Hundreds Board
A hundreds chart that can be used for a variety of activities.
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National Numeracy Learning Progression Trackers - Number Sense and Algebra
Individual student and whole class trackers using the Number Sense and Algebra National Numeracy Learning Progression indicators.
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What's the Word? Mother's Day Descriptive Words
Describe the amazing mums in your students' lives with the help of a printable list of Mother's Day words.