Third Grade Language Arts

Family Literacy & Skills

We have been working hard as a team to revamp our CGA Family Literacy based on your suggestions and input. The Family Literacy will be available to all our families on the curriculum tab in Ally and NOW will provide a complete Language Arts program! This will provide a more rich and engaging learning experience for your family to coincide with our EPIC Day Program.

We have taken all the guesswork out of Language Arts and simply offer lesson plans that are effective, efficient and fun. Our CGA program provides activities families can do together along with specific grade-level appropriate material that cover all the academic needs.

Family Literacy and Skills Overview of Program:
Week 1: Homepage with Links to the First Lesson for grades K-3. The welcome Letter is in Red which has an explanation of the Family Literacy and Skills Program.

Language Smarts

Level D  This colorful, fun, 352-page book teaches reading, writing, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and thinking skills students are expected to learn in third grade and several skills and concepts normally taught in fourth grade. Language Smarts™ can serve as a complete curriculum for language arts or as a supplemental resource. Improve your students’ language arts skills while you develop their critical thinking skills with these easy-to-use lessons and activities.   Teaching and practicing language arts skills and concepts has never been easier! No lesson preparation needed! Each section introduces a specific topic, followed by appropriate practice and application activities. These engaging and colorful lessons develop critical thinking and language arts skills through a variety of activities and different genres: parts of speech, punctuation, sentences, and paragraphs, homophones and homographs, fact or inferences, writing, and more!  Learn More

Notes: Covers all language arts skills and doesn’t need much parent involvement. Colorful pages.

Logic of English

Foundations teaches children age 4-7 to read real books without guessing or memorizing sight words while developing their writing, spelling, and language skills.   In Foundations students gain phonemic awareness, learn to read and write the 74 basic phonograms and increase reading fluency through structured but playful activities. The innovative Rhythm of Handwriting™ method aids students in developing fluid handwriting. Step by step, students grow as readers, moving from phrases to sentences to paragraphs to books.  Using evidence-based reading instruction methods, Foundations combines multi-sensory learning with the latest in linguistic research to provide students the best possible foundation for education: strong reading and writing skills.  lLearn More

Comes with: Level A Teachers Manual and Student Workbook,  Doodling Dragons,  Phonogram and Spelling Rule Quick Reference (cursive or manuscript), Rhythm of Handwriting Quick Reference Chart (for cursive only), Rhythm of Handwriting Tactile Cards, (cursive or manuscript, optional for K only), Phonogram Game Cards-2 sets,
Basic Phonogram Flash Cards, Phonogram Game Tiles, Spelling Analysis Card

Notes: Logic of English is a very solid phonics foundation that is multi-sensory in nature.  It is parent intensive. Help Me Choose link

Shurley English

This program is highly structured. Lessons are taught with continual teacher-student interaction. Students then complete worksheets or writing assignments from their workbooks. CD’s present jingles and the question and answer flow for different types of sentences. The teacher’s manual explains the methodology and offers useful teaching tips and some creative ideas. Learn More

Notes: Because the methodology and concepts are repeated from year to year. You can begin to use this program at any level—you need not go back to level 1.

Moving Beyond The Page

There is a total of 12 literature units that accompany the Age 7-9 level. They are each designed to accompany one of the 12 science / social studies units that make up the year-long curriculum package. All units are broken down into daily lesson plans. When you begin lesson 1 of a science / social studies unit, you will also begin the first day of the corresponding literature unit. Even though they are designed to complement each individual unit, they can also be implemented as a stand-alone literature unit.  Learn More

Comes with: Each Concept comes with a variety of  Literature, Manipulatives, a Teachers Manual and Student Activity book.

Notes: Moving Beyond The Page is a literature based curriculum.  It does become overwhelming with so many activities.  Our favorite way to use it is to pick and choose between activities and not become bogged down by doing all of them. link to Placement Test

See all the Moving Beyond The Page materials available for children ages 7-9

All About Reading

Your student will learn exciting new concepts, including the jobs of Silent E, new phonograms, and methods for decoding multi-syllable words – and continue to establish a firm foundation for a lifetime of learning. Every component of reading is taught: decoding (phonics and structural analysis), vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Below is a sampling in each area. Learn More

Needs: Teacher Manual,  Student Activity Packet, 2 Readers, Interactive kit.

Notes: All About Reading is great for struggling readers, but it can be too repetitive for quick learners.  Placement Test

Explode The Code

Content provides research-based, multisensory instruction best for beginning and struggling readers.  Reinforcement for every skill in the “1/2 books” series allows for extra practice. Consistent exercise formats with simple directions and concrete examples allow students to work and learn independently. Learn More

Needs: Semester 1- Book 5,  Semester 2- Book 6 (1/2 books are available only if extra practice is needed)

Notes: Great for the child who is beginning to read but needs practice.

Reading Eggs (Online)

Makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities. Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.  Learn More

Headsprout(Online)

Headsprout from Reading A-Z is an online reading program that teaches K-5 students critical reading fundamentals and comprehension strategies. The program’s adaptive sequencing automatically adjusts its early reading instruction to meet the needs and learning pace of every student. Learn More

Spelling You See – Americana

In Americana, students will read nonfiction stories about American history and culture while learning to spell new words in an interesting context.  Americana utilizes the three core activities of Spelling You See:  chunking – which provides hands-on experience with English’s many irregular letter patterns, copy work – which requires the brain to pay attention to details in print and dictation – which gives an opportunity for the student to demonstrate decoding and encoding in a meaningful context. Learn More

Needs: Instructors Handbook and Student Pack.

Soaring with Spelling

Each lesson contains 10 list words. List words are slightly more complex single-syllable and two-syllable words. Lessons contain games such as crossword puzzles, word search, definition matching, unscrambling words, identifying misspelled list words in a paragraph, alphabetizing words, complete the sentences, match the picture to the list word, and identifying words that make certain sounds.  Learn More

Comes with: Workbook and Answer Key.

All About Spelling

In Level 2, your student will continue to learn encoding skills, reliable spelling rules, and multisensory strategies for spelling, along with exciting new concepts including 11 new phonograms, vowel teams, syllable division rules, Silent E and Vowel-Consonant-E words, blends, and R-controlled syllables. Phonological awareness and encoding skills are taught throughout Level 2. Learn More

Spelling Workout C

Spelling Workout has all the components you need to lead students from simple sound-letter relationships to more complex spelling patterns.  Students learn spelling skills based on phonics through unique, cross-curricular reading passages, practice, and high-interest writing activities. Packed with flexible lessons, motivating activities, including fun riddles and puzzles, this dynamic program leads students to spelling success! Learn More

Notes: My personal favorite Spelling program as it is phonics based and includes writing and editing.

Writing with Ease

Level 3 – Provides easy-to-use materials for introducing this comprehensive writing approach to young students; an approach that understands the need for one-on-one instruction and focuses on copy work (putting words on paper) and narration (putting ideas into words). Learn More

Comes with: This is a stand alone book.

Four Square Writing

Teach writing skills using this innovative new approach. The Four Square method can be used with all forms of writing and will fit any reading or language arts program. This step-by-step approach is built around a simple graphic organizer that first shows students how to collect ideas and then helps them use those ideas to create clear and polished prose. Open-ended reproducibles make the technique accessible to writers of all ability ranges. Learn More

Notes: A writing method that is easy to teach and understand

Winning with Writing

This level covers introduction to sentences, different types of sentences, organizing your thoughts for writing, main topics, details, detail sentences, choppy sentences, rambling and run-on sentences, creative writing, and how-to writing, among other things.  Learn More

Comes with: Workbook and Answer Key.

IEW Writing

Recorded live with Mr. Andrew Pudewa, this four-DVD writing course for elementary students new to IEW lays a solid foundation of writing skills. Over the course of 15–30 weeks, students will learn how to effectively use a wide range of structural models and stylistic techniques in their compositions, as they write on a variety of enjoyable fiction and non-fiction topics. Included with the student handouts are complete teacher’s notes, source texts, assignments, and checklists. (Grades 3-5) Learn More

Comes with: Student Notebook and Instructional DVDs.

Brave Writer

The joy of writing without requiring your child to lift a pencil!

You will act as secretary and transcriptionist, giving your child’s young, quirky, brilliant voice access to the world of print. Your little bundle will discover that a writer already lives inside. These ten engaging writing projects include word play, photography, teatimes, body art, and fairy tales, to name a few!

The Jot it Down! program product:

  • Developmentally appropriate writing projects
  • Step-by-step instructions
  • A weekly and monthly plan

Jot It Down! is visually engaging, easy to use (open-and-go), and lasts an entire school year.

The projects are equally valuable to Charlotte Mason fans, classical homeschoolers, and unschoolers alike! How you home educate will be supported by both the specific, helpful instructions and the wide open space to interpret the projects individually. Adapt this product for older students by handing the pencil to them. Learn More

First Language Lessons

The Level 3 Student Workbook (Grades 2-4) for First Language Lessons, used alongside the teacher’s Level 3 Instructor Guide, gives teachers everything they need to spend more time teaching their students―and less time preparing lessons, making copies, or gathering supplies. It’s all right here: inside this book, you’ll find poems for memorization, empty sentence diagram frames, and blank lines perfectly sized for young students’ copywork, dictation, and narration.  Level 3 is a complete grammar and writing text that covers a wide range of topics―including parts of speech, sentence diagrams, and skills in beginning writing, storytelling, and narration. Learn More

Comes with: Teacher Edition and Student Workbook.

Growing with Grammar

Practicing with sentences, practice with subjects and predicates, joining sentences, capitalization, plural nouns, irregular nouns, object and subject pronouns, using I, me, we, and us, action verbs, subject-verb agreement, past and future tense verbs, irregular verbs, linking verbs, using a, an, the, using do, does and did, using has, have and had, contractions, adjectives that compare, commas, using a dictionary, writing a friendly letter. Learn More Comes with: Workbook and Answer Key.

Editor in Chief

Beginning 1 (grade 2-3) Improves students’ grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and attention to detail using a standards-based thinking approach rather than drill and practice. This effective method teaches students to carefully analyze and edit stories. This book includes 16 lessons in grammar and mechanics. Students identify and circle errors in each story and write their correction. The grammatical and mechanical errors in the paragraphs are based on general instructional guidelines for specific grade levels; the content level, however, is ungraded, allowing usage of these materials at many instructional levels. Writing styles and content are varied to sustain interest and to broaden the students’ exposure to different writing formats, such as letters, stories, and dialogue. The illustrations integrated into the context of the activities further spark student interest. The skills developed can be applied to the students’ own writing. Detailed answers are also included. Learn More

Reading Detective

Beginning (grade 3-4) The standards-based critical thinking activities of Reading Detective® develop the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional reading comprehension. The activities are especially effective at helping students understand more challenging reading concepts such as drawing inferences, making conclusions, determining cause-and-effect, and using context clues to define vocabulary. Students read and analyze short literature passages and stories that include fiction and nonfiction genres. Then they answer multiple-choice and short-response questions, citing sentence evidence to support their answers. Learn More

Word Roots Beginning

Beginning 1 (grades 3-4) Students learn the meaning and spelling of roots, prefixes, and suffixes commonly used in English. Learning these word elements dramatically improves spelling and the ability to decode unfamiliar words. The activities focus on using these words in context to help students incorporate each word into their vocabulary and retain the correct spelling. There are periodic reviews to make sure students retain what is taught in the lessons. Word Roots books will add hundreds of words to your students’ vocabulary and  greater depth to their thinking and writing. Learn More

Zaner-Bloser

Zaner-Bloser Handwriting is a complete handwriting program that can be taught in as little as 15 minutes a day! The Zaner-Bloser style teaches a cursive alphabet that is made up of four basic strokes: the undercurve, downcurve, overcurve, and slant. This homeschool bundle includes both the student edition as well as the teacher’s edition.

The third grade cursive workbook focuses on a review of manuscript writing and the transition to cursive. Colorful and engaging exercises include how to read cursive; tracing and writing individual letters, words, sentences, and numbers; and original writing exercises. Review and application exercises are included throughout. Students will think about shape, size, spacing and slant as the keys to legibility. Learn More

D’Nealian

D’Nealian Handwriting is the original continuous stroke handwriting program! It’s based on a few simple connecting strokes that children then use to write in cursive. Learn More

The workbook includes four units:

Unit 1-Getting Ready to Write

Unit 2-Reviewing the Manuscript

Unit 3-Writing Lowercase Cursive Letters

Unit 4-Writing Capital Cursive Letters

Handwriting Skills Simplified – C

Handwriting skills are needed in every facet of life, not just in the classroom! Children will be taught legible handwriting through practice and more practice! Handwriting Skills Simplified provides a direct, easyto do, “trace and write” method. Each page provides tracing and writing practice for each letter of the alphabet, along with individual words and sentences. Curve, paper positioning, slant, loops, spacing and other aspects of cursive are also addressed. Soon your students will have achieved legible cursive handwriting! 64 pages, reproducible for classroom use. Grade 3, cursive. This book features the new simplified Zaner-Bloser alphabet models. Learn More