Skip to main content
Minnesota Standards

Minnesota 3rd Grade ELA Standards

All 43 Minnesota English language arts standards for 3rd grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in Minnesota Department of Education's document, linked at the end of this page.

43 standards

Reading

21 standards
3.1.1.2
Say the main sound of each consonant, know the long and short sounds of a, e, i, o and u, and read common sight words like the, of and you.
Common Core RF.K.3
3.1.1.3
Read grade 3 texts smoothly and accurately at a steady pace with natural expression, so the meaning is clear.
3.1.2.1
Read grade 3 texts alone and fix confusion by rereading earlier parts or reading ahead, plus strategies from past grades.
3.1.2.2
Select grade 3 texts for schoolwork and read them with full understanding, like an article on the water cycle for science.
3.1.2.3
Find, choose and read books on a favorite topic, using award lists and curated book lists to help pick, like a list of prize-winning novels.
3.1.3.1
Select books that fit a purpose, like research or enjoyment, and feature Dakota and Anishinaabe people and perspectives in history and today.
3.1.4.1
Ask and answer questions about literal and figurative language in a text, pointing to the text for answers, then summarize it.
3.1.4.2
Find the main idea or argument of a fable, folktale or myth, explain how key details support it and how those details connect.
3.1.4.3
Describe how details of the characters, setting, problem, its solution and the events combine to shape a story's plot.
3.1.4.4
Describe how events, ideas or steps in a nonfiction text relate, using time, order and cause and effect words, like first, then and because.
3.1.5.1
Use features of stories, plays and poems, like figurative language, point of view, verse, rhythm and meter, to understand them.
3.1.5.2
Use nonfiction text features, like captions, subheadings, glossaries, indexes and interactive images, to find information on a topic.
3.1.5.3
Interpret the ideas shown in illustrations, graphics and audio or video parts of a text, like what a chart or map reveals.
3.1.6.1
Compare and contrast one's own views and identity with an author's or storyteller's, including Dakota and Anishinaabe authors, using clues from the text.
3.1.6.2
Find when a text was published or posted and explain when that time shapes its meaning, content or style, like old-fashioned words or pictures.
3.1.6.3
Decide if a text is fiction or nonfiction and prove it with evidence, like real photos and facts or invented characters and events.
3.1.7.1
Name an author's argument and back it up with details from the text, like the reasons an article gives for saving bees.
3.1.8.1
Show understanding of figurative language and how it gives genres their style, like similes in poems or exaggeration in tall tales.
3.1.8.2
Work out what academic words and subject words mean in nonfiction texts, like analyze in any class or erosion in science.
3.1.9.1
Pull information from at least two sources on a chosen or assigned topic, like an article, a video and a library book.
3.1.9.2
Show understanding of whether a source fits the topic and can be trusted, like choosing a museum website over a random post.

Writing

16 standards
3.2.1.1
Use correct punctuation, including commas in a list and apostrophes, plus spelling, capitals and grammar in one's own writing.
3.2.1.2
Spell longer words with several syllables, like basketball, and common sight words correctly by applying spelling patterns and rules in everyday writing.
3.2.1.3
Write simple and compound sentences using nouns like flock and mice, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions and pronouns like himself, she or they.
3.2.2.1
Write regularly for many tasks, reasons and readers, like a book review for fun, a journal entry or a science summary.
3.2.2.2
Write to compare one's own views and identity with those of a story character or a real person in a nonfiction text.
3.2.3.1
Take writing from plan to draft to revision, then edit and publish it, reflecting on it and using help from classmates and teachers.
3.2.3.2
Choose words and phrases for effect, and know how written English differs from everyday speech, like going to instead of gonna.
3.2.4.1
Write an argument with organized evidence for each point, tied together with linking words like because, therefore and for example.
3.2.4.2
Write to convince readers by mixing an opinion with facts that support it, like why the school should start a garden.
3.2.5.1
Write to inform or explain by choosing and organizing relevant details that show understanding of a topic, like a report on Minnesota's lakes.
3.2.5.2
Write about what story characters think and feel, like why a character felt left out and what that shows.
3.2.6.1
Write a story that shows characters' thoughts and feelings as they face a problem, like a nervous first day at a new school.
3.2.6.2
Add dialogue and describing words to stories, poems and other creative writing, like a character's exact words.
3.2.7.1
Ask useful questions that help tell facts apart from opinions, like asking how a claim could be checked.
3.2.7.2
Follow a detailed plan to research a topic, use online sources with care for one's digital footprint, and write up what was found.
3.2.8.1
Use and credit two or more sources on a topic, quoting some parts and summarizing others, without copying others' work as one's own.

Listening, Speaking, Viewing and Exchanging Ideas

6 standards
3.3.1.1
Exchange ideas in stories and teamwork that weigh Dakota, Anishinaabe and other views, recapping others' main points, linking one's own ideas and setting roles and goals.
3.3.1.2
Ask and answer questions in a discussion to check understanding of ideas and opinions and to clear up confusion.
3.3.1.3
Take feedback and self-reflect to improve work, and give helpful feedback on classmates' work with adult support.
3.3.2.1
Pick words for effect and manage volume, tone, pace, pauses, stress and gestures when speaking in social and school settings.
3.3.3.1
Present what one knows through writing, speech or digital media, backed by relevant facts and descriptive details, like a slideshow or a short report.
3.3.3.2
Make and share work with digital tools one chooses, judging how well the tool fit the task, purpose and audience, and showing care for one's digital footprint.

The official Minnesota documents

The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of Minnesota's standards, not the official wording, which Minnesota Department of Education publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.