Oklahoma Standards
Oklahoma 3rd Grade ELA Standards
All 60 Oklahoma English language arts standards for 3rd grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is one click away under each one.
60 standards
Listening and Speaking: Listening
2 standardsStudents will develop and apply effective communication skills through active listening.
3.1.L.1
Follow the class rules for talking together, like waiting your turn and looking at whoever is speaking.
Official wording
Students will actively listen using agreed-upon discussion rules.
3.1.L.2
Listen closely to work out what a speaker means, then ask questions to learn why they are telling you.
Official wording
Students will actively listen and interpret a speaker’s verbal messages and ask questions to clarify the speaker’s purpose.
Listening and Speaking: Speaking
3 standardsStudents will develop and apply effective communication skills to share ideas through speaking.
3.1.S.1
Do your fair share in a group project and notice and thank each classmate for the part they added.
Official wording
Students will work effectively and respectfully in diverse groups by sharing responsibility for collaborative work and recognizing individual contributions made by each group member.
3.1.S.2
Talk about books and your own writing with a partner, a small group or the whole class, sharing ideas clearly.
Official wording
Students will engage in collaborative discussions about what they are reading and writing, expressing their own ideas clearly in pairs, diverse groups, and whole-class settings.
3.1.S.3
Tell a story, share an experience or report on a topic or book alone or with a group, using facts and vivid details in a loud, clear voice.
Official wording
Students will report in a group or individually on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with relevant facts, descriptive details, speaking audibly and clearly in coherent sentences.
Reading and Writing Foundations: Phonological Awareness
1 standardStudents will recognize, count, and manipulate the parts of spoken words, including syllables, onset/rimes, and phonemes without using text.
3.2.PA
Change spoken words by adding, removing, swapping or flipping sounds, like turning rain into brain or safe into face.
Official wording
Students will add, delete, substitute, and reverse phonemes in spoken words (e.g., add /g/ to the beginning of listen to say glisten; delete the /b/ in bridges to say ridges; substitute the /f/ in frighten with /b/ to say brighten; reverse the initial and final sounds in safe to say face).
Reading and Writing Foundations: Print Concepts
1 standardStudents will demonstrate their understanding of the organization and basic features of print.
3.2.PC
Write words neatly in both print and cursive, leaving even spaces between letters, words and sentences.
Official wording
Students will correctly form words in print and cursive and use appropriate spacing for letters, words, and sentences.
Reading and Writing Foundations: Phonics and Word Study
3 standardsStudents will decode words by applying phonics and word analysis skills in context and isolation.
3.2.PWS.1
Sound out long words using vowel teams like oi and ou plus every main syllable type, such as open, closed, silent e and r-controlled.
Official wording
Students will decode multisyllabic words using their knowledge of the following phonics skills:•vowel diphthongs•all major syllable types (i.e., closed, consonant +le, open, vowel digraphs, vowel silent e, r-controlled)
3.2.PWS.2
Break words into parts to read them, like contractions, abbreviations such as Dr., and roots with prefixes and suffixes like un- and -ful.
Official wording
Students will decode words by applying knowledge of structural analysis:•contractions•abbreviations•common roots and related prefixes and suffixes•morphology
3.2.PWS.3
Figure out new and longer words in a story by sounding them out and checking that they make sense in the sentence.
Official wording
Students will use decoding skills and semantics in context when reading new words in a text, including multisyllabic words.
Reading and Writing Foundations: Spelling/Encoding
3 standardsStudents will encode and write words in context and isolation by applying phonics, spelling patterns, and structural analysis skills.
3.2.SE.1
Spell tricky sounds correctly, like oi and ow, the lazy vowel in about, silent letters in knee, and soft and hard c and g.
Official wording
Students will use correct spelling when writing the following sounds in words:•diphthongs•schwa (i.e., /ə/)•silent letter combinations (e.g., knew, could, ghost)•hard/soft c, g (e.g., cover, celebrate, gorilla, general)
3.2.SE.2
Spell short and long words with vowel teams like ea and oa and with endings like -ble and -tle.
Official wording
Students will use correct spelling when writing the following syllable types in single-syllable and multisyllabic words:•vowel digraphs•consonant + -le
3.2.SE.3
Spell words with common prefixes and suffixes, following rules like changing y to i in cried or doubling the t in hopping.
Official wording
Students will use structural analysis to correctly spell the following parts of words:•common prefixes•common suffixes•common spelling rules related to adding prefixes and suffixes (e.g., changing y to i, doubling a consonant)
Reading and Writing Foundations: Fluency
2 standardsStudents will read grade-level text smoothly and accurately, with appropriate expression.
3.2.F.1
Build a bigger bank of words you know on sight, including odd spellings like said and once, and read them faster each time.
Official wording
Students will expand their sight word vocabulary by reading regularly- and irregularly-spelled words in isolation and context with increasing automaticity.
3.2.F.2
Read third grade books aloud smoothly and correctly, using a voice that shows you understand the story.
Official wording
Students will orally and accurately read grade-level text at a smooth rate with expression that connotes comprehension.
Reading and Writing Process: Reading
4 standardsStudents will read and comprehend inclusive, diverse, and increasingly complex literary and informational texts.
3.2.R.1
Tell what a text is mostly about and point to the details that back up that big idea.
Official wording
Students will determine the main idea and supporting details of a text.
3.2.R.2
Spot the features that mark a text as fiction, poetry or nonfiction, like rhyme in a poem or facts in an article.
Official wording
Students will identify elements of various genres in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction texts.
3.2.R.3
Retell the key events of a story in the order they happened, keeping only the parts that matter most.
Official wording
Students will summarize and sequence the important events of a story.
3.2.R.4
Sum up the key facts and details from a nonfiction text, like an article about how bees make honey.
Official wording
Students will summarize facts and details from an informational text.
Reading and Writing Process: Writing
4 standardsStudents will engage in a recursive process that may include prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing.
3.2.W.1
Plan, organize and write first drafts of stories, reports and opinion pieces, splitting ideas into paragraphs.
Official wording
Students will routinely use a recursive process to prewrite, organize, and develop narrative, informative, and opinion drafts that display evidence of paragraphing.
3.2.W.2
Reread and improve a draft so it is clear and in a sensible order, adding linking words like first, next and finally.
Official wording
Students will routinely use a recursive process to revise content for clarity, coherence, and organization (e.g., logical order and transitions).
3.2.W.3
Proofread drafts to fix capitals, punctuation and spelling of third grade words, checking a dictionary or word wall when needed.
Official wording
Students will routinely and recursively edit drafts for punctuation, capitalization, and correctly-spelled grade-level words, using resources as needed.
3.2.W.4
Share finished writing with real readers, like reading it to the class, posting it online or entering a contest.
Official wording
Students will routinely use a recursive process to publish final drafts for an authentic audience (e.g., reading aloud, posting on blog, displaying, entering contest).
Critical Reading and Writing: Reading
7 standardsStudents will analyze, interpret, and evaluate increasingly complex literary and informational texts that include a wide range of historical, cultural, ethnic, and global perspectives from a variety of genres.
3.3.R.1
Decide whether an author wrote a text to entertain, to inform or to persuade readers.
Official wording
Students will determine if the author’s purpose is to entertain, inform, or persuade.
3.3.R.2
Tell whether a story is told by a character using I or by an outside narrator using he and she.
Official wording
Students will determine whether a grade-level literary text is narrated in first- or third-person point of view.
3.3.R.3
Find the setting, plot and characters in a story, plus the clues that show what a character is like.
Official wording
Students will find examples of literary elements:•setting•plot•characters•characterization
3.3.R.4
Find figurative language in texts, like personification, exaggeration, similes, repeated first sounds and sound words like buzz.
Official wording
Students will find examples of literary devices:•personification•hyperbole•simile•alliteration•onomatopoeia
3.3.R.5
Answer questions whose answers are hinted at rather than stated, pointing to parts of the text as proof.
Official wording
Students will answer inferential questions, using a text to support answers.
3.3.R.6
Sort statements in a nonfiction text into facts that can be checked and opinions that tell what someone thinks.
Official wording
Students will distinguish fact from opinion in an informational text.
3.3.R.7
Tell how a nonfiction text is organized, such as problem and solution, description or steps in order.
Official wording
Students will describe the structure of an informational text:•problem/solution•description•sequential
Critical Reading and Writing: Writing
3 standardsStudents will thoughtfully and intentionally write, addressing a range of modes, purposes, and audiences.
3.3.W.1
Write stories with a clear setting, a plot and characters whose words and actions show what they are like.
Official wording
Students will write narratives incorporating:•setting•plot•characters•characterization
3.3.W.2
Write several paragraphs of facts on a topic, each with a main idea and details, joined by words like also and another.
Official wording
Students will write facts about a subject, including a main idea with supporting details, in multiple paragraphs with transitional words and phrases.
3.3.W.3
Write several paragraphs giving your opinion on a topic with reasons that back it up, linked by words like because and for example.
Official wording
Students will write an opinion about a topic and provide relevant evidence as support in multiple paragraphs with transitional words and phrases.
Vocabulary: Reading
5 standardsStudents will expand their grade-level vocabularies through reading, word study, and class discussion.
3.4.R.1
Show how words connect, like synonyms, antonyms, sound-alike words like pair and pear, and same-spelling words like bat.
Official wording
Students will identify relationships among words, including synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and homographs.
3.4.R.2
Use the words and sentences around an unknown word to figure out what it means.
Official wording
Students will use context clues to clarify the meaning of words.
3.4.R.3
Use prefixes, suffixes, roots and stems to work out new words, like unhelpful means not helpful.
Official wording
Students will use word parts (e.g., affixes, Anglo-Saxon roots, stems) to define and determine the meaning of new words.
3.4.R.4
Look up words in a dictionary, glossary or thesaurus to understand what you are reading.
Official wording
Students will consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses) to comprehend the words in a text.
3.4.R.5
Learn new third grade words, link them to words you already know, and use them when talking and writing.
Official wording
Students will acquire new grade-level vocabulary, relate new words to prior knowledge, and apply vocabulary in various contexts.
Vocabulary: Writing
2 standardsStudents will apply knowledge of vocabulary to speak and write effectively.
3.4.W.1
Choose third grade words that make your ideas clear to a reader.
Official wording
Students will use grade-level vocabulary in writing to clearly communicate ideas.
3.4.W.2
Pick exact words that fit your type of writing and the effect you want, like sprinted instead of ran.
Official wording
Students will use precise vocabulary in writing for the intended mode and effect on the audience.
Language: Reading
2 standardsStudents will expand and apply knowledge of grammar, usage, mechanics, and style to comprehend, analyze, and/or evaluate a variety of texts.
3.5.R.1
Tell apart simple sentences and compound sentences made of two sentences joined by a word like and or but.
Official wording
Students will recognize simple and compound sentences.
3.5.R.2
Name the parts of speech in a sentence, such as kinds of nouns and verbs, subjects and predicates, possessives, prepositional phrases, joining words like and, and adverbs like always.
Official wording
Students will recognize parts of speech in sentences:•concrete, abstract, and possessive nouns•different types of verbs (i.e., action, linking, helping) and their roles in a sentence•the complete subject and complete predicate of a sentence•possessive adjectives•prepositional phrases•possessive pronouns and the nouns they replace•coordinating conjunctions (i.e., for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)•adverbs of frequency (e.g., always, often, never)
Language: Writing
8 standardsStudents will expand and apply knowledge of grammar, usage, mechanics, and style to speak and write effectively, demonstrating standard usage when appropriate.
3.5.W.1
Write simple and compound statements, questions, commands and exclamations, fixing any sentence that is missing a part.
Official wording
Students will compose simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences, avoiding and correcting fragments.
3.5.W.2
Use nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions and adverbs to make writing clearer and more interesting.
Official wording
Students will use nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, and adverbs to add clarity and variety to their writing.
3.5.W.3
Use capital letters and correct punctuation for titles like Dr., the words in book titles, and place names like Tulsa.
Official wording
Students will capitalize and punctuate titles of respect, words in titles, and geographical names.
3.5.W.4
End statements and commands with a period, questions with a question mark and strong feelings with an exclamation point.
Official wording
Students will use periods with declarative and imperative sentences, question marks with interrogative sentences, and exclamation points with exclamatory sentences.
3.5.W.5
Use apostrophes in contractions like won't and should've and to show ownership, like the dog's bowl.
Official wording
Students will use apostrophes to form complex contractions (e.g., should’ve, won’t, y’all) and to show possession.
3.5.W.6
Use commas between items in a list and before words like and or but that join two sentences.
Official wording
Students will use commas before a coordinating conjunction and to separate individual words in a series.
3.5.W.7
Use a colon between the hour and minutes when writing a time, like 3:15.
Official wording
Students will use a colon to indicate time.
3.5.W.8
Put quotation marks around the exact words a character says.
Official wording
Students will use quotation marks to indicate dialogue.
Research: Reading
3 standardsStudents will gather, comprehend, evaluate, and synthesize researched information to acquire and refine knowledge.
3.6.R.1
Research to answer questions, including ones you came up with yourself, and learn more about a topic.
Official wording
Students will conduct research to answer questions, including self-generated questions, and to build knowledge.
3.6.R.2
Use text features like captions, headings, charts, tables and map keys to understand nonfiction.
Official wording
Students will identify and use text features (e.g., graphics, captions, subheadings, italics, charts, tables, legends) to comprehend informational texts.
3.6.R.3
Start deciding whether the facts you found actually help answer your research question.
Official wording
Students will begin to determine the relevance of the information gathered.
Research: Writing
3 standardsStudents will synthesize information ethically through speaking and writing.
3.6.W.1
Pick a topic you care about and write a few questions you want your research to answer.
Official wording
Students will choose a topic of interest and generate several questions about it for research.
3.6.W.2
Start sorting your research notes and list each source with its author, title and year.
Official wording
Students will begin to organize information found during research, following a modified citation style (i.e., author, title, publication year).
3.6.W.3
Write a short report in one or two sessions that groups facts about a topic from one source.
Official wording
Students will write informative texts independently for short timeframes (e.g., a single sitting or a day or two) that organize related information about a topic and convey details from a single source.
Multimodal Literacies: Reading
1 standardStudents will comprehend and evaluate multimodal content.
3.7.R
Find and use facts from words, audio, pictures, maps and gestures to compare different views on a topic.
Official wording
Students will locate and use information from a variety of alphabetic, aural, visual, spatial, and/or gestural content to compare perspectives about ideas and topics.
Multimodal Literacies: Writing
1 standardStudents will create multimodal content to communicate effectively.
3.7.W
Share ideas and feelings by mixing at least two kinds of content, like writing with pictures, sound or movement.
Official wording
Students will communicate their ideas, thoughts, and feelings by combining two or more kinds of content:•writing/alphabetic•sound, visual, and/or spatial•movement
Independent Reading and Writing: Reading
1 standardStudents will read self-selected texts independently, choosing genres to suit and expand their personal preferences and purposes.
3.8.R
Choose books on your own and read for short and long stretches, trying new genres as well as favorites.
Official wording
Students will read selected texts independently and for various lengths of time, choosing genres to suit and expand their personal preferences and purposes.
Independent Reading and Writing: Writing
1 standardStudents will write independently, intentionally selecting modes, purposes, and audiences.
3.8.W
Write on your own by hand, in cursive or by typing for short and long stretches, picking a form that suits your reader and purpose.
Official wording
Students will write independently using print, cursive, and/or typing for various lengths of time, choosing modes and genres to suit their audience and purpose.
The official Oklahoma documents
- Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts, 2021 · adopted 2021 · assessed since spring 2024
Oklahoma Academic Standards for English Language Arts, Oklahoma State Department of Education.
The plain-English lines are EMStudio's own explanations, shown beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.