ARM 10.53.418. ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS AND LITERACY STANDARDS FOR THIRD GRADE

(1) Foundational reading standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) demonstrate decoding skills by: (i) decoding two- and three-syllable words comprised of all syllable types; (ii) decoding two- and three-syllable words with common roots and affixes; and (b) demonstrate encoding skills by: (i) encoding multisyllabic words including words with common affixes; (ii) encoding two-syllable words comprised of different syllable types that follow regular spelling patterns; and (iii) encoding words with common prefixes and suffixes, including words that require a spelling change to the root when adding an inflectional ending. (2) Vocabulary standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) develop and apply expanding word knowledge and morphological awareness through shared reading, independent reading, and classroom conversation; and (b) determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text, including those with cultural significance to Montana Indigenous Peoples. (3) Fluency standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) read grade-appropriate texts with sufficient accuracy, rate, and expression to support comprehension. (4) Reading comprehension standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as a basis for the answers, including those by and about Montana Indigenous Peoples; (b) paraphrase a text; (c) identify and explain a stated central idea or theme and how it is developed with key details in a text, including those by and about Montana Indigenous Peoples; (d) describe how elements within a fictional story contribute to the sequence of events and describe the sequence of events, steps, and or/ideas within nonfiction texts; (e) identify figurative language; (f) compare and contrast the structure and features of different types of texts; and (g) distinguish their own point of view from that of the writer or those of the characters, including texts by and about Montana Indigenous Peoples. (5) Writing standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) write an opinion piece including an introduction, supporting reasons, linking words and phrases, and a conclusion; (b) write an informative piece that includes an introduction, facts, definitions, details, and a conclusion; (c) write a narrative about real or imagined experiences or events using descriptive details and clear sequences; (d) develop and strengthen writing by using a writing process including planning, drafting, revising, implementing feedback, and editing; (e) form and expand simple and compound sentences to write a paragraph; and (f) demonstrate grade-level appropriate command of the conventions of standard English grammar, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. (6) Research and inquiry standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) conduct short, guided research projects that build knowledge about a topic, referencing at least one source; (b) recall information from experiences, gather information from multiple sources on a topic, and organize information into logical categories; and (c) conduct short, guided research projects, using grade-appropriate fiction and nonfiction sources from diverse cultural perspectives, acknowledging the role of story and oral tradition in the histories, values, and beliefs of Montana Indigenous Peoples. (7) Speaking and listening standards for third grade are that each student will be able to: (a) engage in collaborative discussions with a variety of partners on topics and texts, clearly expressing ideas and building on the ideas of others; (b) recount the main ideas and supporting details of a text or portion of a text read aloud or presented through a variety of media formats; and (c) report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience.