how to write a story 3rd grade

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Narrative Writing for Grade 3

Telling stories.

These worksheets and writing prompts help students develop their narrative writing abilities. 

Writing Hooks : Write sentences to grab a reader's attention.

Setting : Brainstorm details for the place and time of a story

Character development: Outline a character's traits.

Writing dialogue : Create conversations with speech bubbles.

Show, don't tell! : Use descriptive details to show the reader what is happening.

Writing personal narratives : Write personal narratives starting with a prompt and organizer.

Narrative writing practice :  Write stories from a prompt, checklist & organizer.

Narrative writing prompts :  Write stories from these prompts.

Grade 3 Narrative Writing Worksheet

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108 Engaging Creative Writing Prompts for 3rd Grade

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Creative writing is the perfect way to get kids interested in writing. Students’ imaginations are bursting with ideas and they’re usually still willing to share them at this age. The more we can get them writing poems, songs, stories, and paragraphs now, the more they’ll start to see themselves as writers with valuable original thoughts worth expressing. For those times when imaginations are running dry and kids need a little inspiration, or when you want them to practice a specific writing skill, these 108 creative writing prompts for 3rd grade are here to spark creativity. Enjoy!

Story Starters and Other Narrative Writing Prompts

Writing stories—fictional or real—gives children a chance to develop several creative writing skills. They practice writing dialogue, developing characters, and fashioning situations that ignite their creativity and send them gallivanting down rabbit trails. 

Although 3rd-grade students are still relatively new writers and most won’t produce complete narratives yet, practicing story writing is the best way to introduce concepts like plot, character, conflict, and setting. 

Choose one of these concepts to focus on for several lessons and select third-grade writing prompts that lend themselves well to highlighting these aspects of writing. For example, you might ask students to spend a day or two focusing on their descriptions of the characters in their stories and another few days trying out different types of conflict. 

Later, they might choose to take the parts they like best from these various assignments and put them together to form a larger narrative. 

These story starters are fun writing prompts designed to push kids out of their comfort zones and put their imaginations to work. 

Instructions for students

• These storytelling prompts are written in a few different styles. Some of them offer you the first line of a story. For these prompts, copy the first line onto your page and continue writing from there. 
• Other prompts give you a specific situation and then ask you to think about what you might do or say in that situation. They could also ask you to take the idea as a starting point and expand it to make it more your own. Don’t feel like you need to answer the questions directly. They are there to give you more ideas to think about as you develop your story idea. You can write your story as answers to the questions if you like, but you can also just use them as inspiration. 
• When you see an ellipsis (three dots) at the end of a writing prompt, that means the sentence is incomplete and your version of the sentence should replace the three dots with your own words. 

24 Story Starters and Creative Writing Prompts for Third Graders

• Imagine you have the ability to become characters in video games. Write a short story that shows how you would use this power.
• Do you have a best friend? If so, write the story of how you met and became friends. (You can write what really happened or make up your own version of events to show how two people might become best friends).
• Write a story about a group of friends who build or discover a time machine. What time period do they travel to? Describe what they see, hear, smell, and eat.
• You and your friends are kayaking on a lake when you discover a hidden island. Describe what it looks like, how you explore it, and what you find there. 
• It’s the hottest day of the year. You turn on your air conditioner and, instead of giving you an icy blast, it transports you to a snow-covered tundra. You see a small cottage with lights on and knock on the door. Who greets you and how do they help you get back home?
• Your doorbell rings. You answer the door, but there’s nobody there. Then you look down and see two lizards talking on cell phones. “We need to talk,” the smaller one says to you. What do they tell you? How do you respond?
• You just learned that your good friend has special powers she’s kept secret forever. All she needs is a cup of sand, three fish scales, and a splash of mud and she can make the most incredible thing happen. Write about what happens when she shows you her secret talent. 
• There’s a big windstorm one night. The lights flicker and the power goes out. A few minutes later, it comes back on and your favorite character from the last book you read is sitting at your table. Who is it, what are they doing, and how do you make them feel welcome?
• Think about a fairy tale you know well, such as The Three Little Pigs or Little Red Riding Hood. Write your own version of the story with a few key details changed. For example, instead of The Three Little Pigs, you could write about The Three Shy Turtles or The Three Little Pigs and Their Big Sister. 
• You go to watch a play at a theater, but when the curtains open, something unexpected happens. What is it and how do you respond?
• Write about a day in which time moves backward from night to morning. 
• Write a story about two characters who don’t seem like they should be friends but somehow are. For example, you could write about a cat and a mouse, or an old woman and a little boy. What brought them together and in what ways does their friendship help them?
• You’re playing hide-and-seek with a friend and you hide in the attic. It takes her a while to find you and, while you are waiting, you start looking through some old boxes up there. You find letters written to a family member a long time ago. Who are they from? What do they say? Imagine you learn about a family secret while reading them. What could it be? 
• Write a story that happens completely in one small space like a closet or a car. Include at least two characters. 
• A young cat finds itself alone in the forest. How did it get there? What does it do? Who does it meet? Does it find its way home or stay there? Tell its story using lots of descriptive words. 
• “It’s not all your fault,” my mom said. “There’s something you don’t know.” 
• One day, everybody brings their favorite stuffie to class. A mix up happens and all the stuffies go home with the wrong kids to the wrong houses. What happens that night? Try to write from more than one perspective. For example, you could write a paragraph or two from the perspective of one of the students and then a paragraph or two from the point of view of a stuffie. You could also have a paragraph that quickly highlights the action at several houses. (“Kimmy’s little sister cried all night. Panda freaked out when he missed his dinner and tried to eat the toilet paper. Leah wanted to call the police but her mom wouldn’t give her the phone.”
• Your aunt shows up at your house with a box of glazed donuts and a canoe strapped to the roof of her car. “Time for a little trip,” she says. 
• Write a story that’s told entirely in letters between two friends. They might write about the last time they saw each other, the upcoming summer break, or some of their favorite book characters. Tell us as much as you can about the characters and their friendship without writing  about  them. Let everything come out through the letters they send. 
• What if you could invent a new planet? What sounds, sights, and smells would it have? Would people live there or some other kind of creatures? After you write down the details of your planet, write a short story that takes place there. You might write about how it was discovered or you could write a scene that shows what life is like there. 
• You’re walking through the park with your family. You come around a curve in the path and spot a fox sitting under a tree writing in a notebook. What do you do? Do you talk to it? Does it speak? What is it writing?
• You’re sitting on the sofa watching a TV show when your sister, who is an artist, comes into the room. She has taken all your favorite toys and used them in her art project. Describe what you see, the conversation you have with her, and the lengths you’ll go to to recover your treasured toys. 
• “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Alex. “If the owl hadn’t climbed the treehouse and eaten the fish…”
• The school year ended. You were supposed to be on holidays. Then your parents signed you up for summer school without telling you. It might have been okay if it weren’t for… 

For another take on third-grade writing prompts, check out  70 Picture Prompts for Creative Writing . 

Poetry Writing Prompts for Third-Grade Students

Another great way to introduce 3rd graders to creative writing is to get them writing free verse poetry. …

Students should be encouraged to brainstorm their own topics, as the ones they come up with will likely be the most inspiring for them. However, if they’re stuck for ideas or you want to give them a list of things to write about, have them pick one of the topics below. They may also find it helpful to use a brainstorming sheet to flesh out their ideas. 

• Make a list of three things that happened to you this week. Choose one of them and draft a poem that tells what happened and how you felt about it.
• Write a poem about a special tradition from your favorite holiday. 
• Write an ode that celebrates your favorite subject in school. For example, “The Joys of Math” or “Ode to Art Class.”
• Write a poem describing the best pet you can imagine.
• Write a poem from the perspective of an animal.
• Write a poem that tells about an imaginary being. Try to convey details about its size, appearance, feelings, problems, abilities, and lifestyle. 
• Write a haiku about your favorite summer activity.
• Write a poem detailing the first time you tried your favorite food. If you don’t remember that experience, feel free to make it up. How do you imagine it would be tasting that amazing dish for the first time?
• Write about a poem that describes a time when you lost something important. 
• Write a poem about your favorite place without naming the place. Use lots of details that help the reader see this place in their minds. 
• Write a poem about a recent dream you had. Try not to mention that it was a dream. 
• Choose one of the four seasons and write a poem describing what makes it special. 
• Write a poem about something that’s really special to you but that seems ordinary to everyone else such as an old t-shirt or a craft you made out of recycled materials. Try to help your reader understand why it’s so important to you. 
• Write a poem describing a day when everything goes wrong. 
• Write a poem about your favorite person. Include details about why they’re so important to you. Consider giving your poem to them as a gift. 
• Write a poem about a secret place (real or imagined) that only you know about. 
• Write a poem about all the things you love to do outside. 
• Write a poem that introduces your city or town to a visitor who has never been there. 
• Write a poem about a game you love playing such as Hide and Seek, Pictionary, or Charades. 
• Write a poem that includes dialogue. You could write the whole poem as a conversation or sprinkle dialogue throughout. 
• Write a funny poem listing everything you think about when you can’t fall asleep at night. 
• Write a poem that imagines something about your future. It could be a single event such as “When I Finally Go to Disneyland” or it could be a more general description of what you’d like your future life to be like such as “What I’ll Eat When I Grow Up.”
• Write a poem that explains how to do a simple task such as one of your favorite (or least favorite) household chores.
• Write a poem that uses as many sound words as possible such as bang, splash, chirp, and buzz. 

For more poetic inspiration, check out  100 Inspiring Poetry Writing Prompts for Kids . 

Journal Writing Prompts

Kids can also stretch their creative muscles through journal writing. Journaling is a precursor to memoir writing and storytelling is the heart of memoir. While journal entries can sometimes gravitate toward a mundane recitation of chronological events, they’re also an opportunity to challenge kids to become better writers. 

A nice thing about journalling is that you don’t have to invent completely original material from scratch. You are taking events from your life and making an interesting story out of them, playing with language and sentence structure, and experimenting with what to include and exclude until you end up with something enjoyable to read. 

Challenge kids to keep a running list of things that have happened to them in their writing journals so they always have a creative writing topic ready. Remind them that writing topics don’t have to be sensational (the birth of a new sibling, say). Simple events that might otherwise be overlooked—the sighting of the first blue jay to return in the spring, for example—can form the basis of strong pieces of writing when we take the time to reflect on the event and make connections. 

Continuing with the blue jay example, such an experience might lead curious children to think about the changes that come with the season and, perhaps, the seasons of their own young lives thus far. Or they might ponder the bird and wonder what she’s been up to since she last visited the backyard. Maybe they’ll see two birds competing for a choice tree and reflect on an argument they had with a sibling. The more we can get them thinking about, reflecting on, and making connections between their experiences, the more we’ll see these themes emerge in their writing. 

Here are some ideas to get them thinking about what to write in their journals:

• A trip you’ve taken
• Your feelings about a situation (losing an important toy, having to share a bedroom, or passing a swimming test, for example)
• How you spent a recent birthday or holiday
• A new skill you’ve just mastered
• A skill you wish you had but haven’t learned yet
• A food you tried but didn’t like
• A walk you’ve taken in nature
• A change in one of your friendships
• Something that scared you until you worked up the courage to try and then enjoyed doing
• A time when you really wanted something and finally got it
• A time when you really wanted something and didn’t get it
• A time when someone made you feel good
• Something you saw that turned out not to be what you expected it to be
• A time when you did something that scared you
• The way your favorite song makes you feel
• Something you’ve learned about recently that you wish you’d known sooner
• Describe your perfect day
• The toy or special thing you treasure the most and why it’s so special to you
• Your earliest memory
• A gift you received that meant a lot to you
• A time when you laughed until your belly hurt
• A teacher you’ve enjoyed learning from
• A book you’ve read over and over again
• Three things you love about your family

Need journal prompts for older kids? Check out these  60 Creative Journal Prompts for Teens

Songwriting Prompts

Writing songs is another fun way for kids to practice their creative thinking skills while also processing their emotions and experiences. Coming up with the lyrics to a song can provide stress relief for kids and give them an opportunity to express their emotions safely. 

For some kids, coming up with lyrics and a melody to a song may be too challenging. Encourage them to choose a song, jingle, or nursery rhyme they already know and write new lyrics to the same tune. Examples of simple songs they might start with include: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Baa-Baa Black Sheep, London Bridge is Falling Down, Rock-A-Bye Baby, and Waltzing Matilda. You can find more kid-friendly songs in this  playlist for kids . 

As an extra challenge, kids may want to initially write their lyrics to fit an existing tune and then come up with a new tune once they have their lyrics down. This would be a good extension activity for kids who finish their lyric writing early. 

• Write a song about your favorite animal.
• Think about three or four possessions (things you own) that are important to you. Write a song that celebrates the special role these items play in your life. 
• Think about the last time you got angry. What made you angry? How did you feel? What did you want to do about it? What did you actually do? Write a song that helps someone else understand how you felt and why. 
• What is your favorite show or movie? Choose a main character from that story and write a song inspired by them. It could be about them or it might be from their point of view. Think about what’s important to them and what they might want people to know. 
• Write a song that describes your dream day. What would you do if you could do anything you wanted? Who would be with you? Make the details as specific as possible. 
• Think about someone in your family who has an annoying habit. For example, your little brother who tells your parents everything you do wrong. Write a song that reimagines that annoying habit as a good thing. (“He must love me to pay so much attention to me…”)
• Write a song that is meant to be sung by a whole class of students. 
• Write a song about someone you look up to. 
• Write a song about something that most people seem to like but that you hate. Try to convince them they’re wrong about the thing and that it’s truly awful. 
• Write a song about someone you don’t see anymore such as an old neighbor or a friend who moved away. What do you miss about the times you had with that person?
• Think about something you loved doing when you were younger but haven’t done in a while. Write a song that shares your memories of that activity. 
• Write a song about something you hope for or would like to see happen. 

Descriptive Writing Prompts

Descriptive writing adds color and texture to many forms of writing including travel writing, poetry, fiction, and memoirs. One of our challenges as teachers is ensuring kids know how to write effective descriptions while also helping them learn how to balance descriptive prose with other written elements such as dialogue and action. A written work too heavy in descriptive writing might help the reader create vivid pictures in their minds without ever telling them anything. 

In third grade, these young writers are generally too young to discern this delicate balance between showing and telling, but it’s still a great time to develop their use of descriptive words. 

Before giving them these writing prompts, introduce them to the importance of using specific nouns and vivid verbs and adjectives in their writing. This is a wonderful time to instill thesaurus skills and show them how to choose the most appropriate words for each situation. 

When assigning prompts from this section, tell students their goal is to paint a picture with their words. If they read their work to a classmate who closes their eyes, can the classmate picture the scene clearly? If not, where do they need to add or change details?

• Write about the most memorable dream you’ve ever had. Describe it in as much detail as possible. Where did it take place? What did you see, hear, and smell? Who was there? What did they look like? What did they do?
• Choose a room in your house and describe its most important features.
• Go outside and find a tree, flower, or other plant that intrigues you. Describe it in detail: what does it look like? How big is it? What does it feel like? If one of your friends took your description and went to the same outdoor area, could they find your plant based on your description?
• If you could decorate your bedroom any way you wanted with no limits, what would it look like?
• Imagine the coziest outfit you can. Describe how it looks and feels. How do you feel when you put it on?
• Describe your mom or another woman you know well. What does she look like? What does her voice sound like? Does she have wear a certain perfume? How do you feel when she gives you a hug or puts her arm around you?
• Describe a regular tradition you have with your family, such as having a large pancake breakfast on Saturdays. Help your reader feel like they’re living the memory with you by painting a detailed picture of the scene. 
• Write about the inside of your family’s car. What does it smell like? How many seats are there? What would you find if you looked between or underneath the seats? Describe the music you listen to in the car and the kinds of conversations you have there. 
• Describe a store you go to frequently. If possible, try to visit the store before you write about it and make notes about the things you notice there using your five senses. Tell about what you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel. 
• Describe your writing process, that is, what you do when you write. Do you sharpen pencils and put an eraser nearby? Do you start writing right away or do you make an outline or brainstorm ideas first? Do you write single-spaced or double-spaced? Is your writing neat or messy? How do you feel when you write?
• What is the best thing about being you? Maybe it’s your sense of humor, your Lego-building skills, or the way you ride your bike fearlessly down hills. Maybe you live in a really cool city with lots of fun things to do. Whatever makes your life special, write about that and describe why you love it.
• What’s your favorite thing to do on a Sunday morning? Describe what you do, who does it with you, and how you do it.  

Other Creative Writing Prompts for 3rd-Grade Students

• Write a scene where a famous person from another time period shows up in your classroom. 
• Write a diary entry from the perspective of a Disney character or a character from a book you’ve read. 
• Think about a scene you didn’t love in your favorite movie. Rewrite the scene to make it more enjoyable. 
• Write a letter to your favorite author and tell them what you love about their book(s).
• Invent a new country with its own language, customs, and history. Write about how your country came to be and what makes it special. If you want, you can draw a map to go with your writing.
• Write a scene from the point of view of an object in your house such as a toaster, the dining table, or a video game console. 
• Write a story or poem in which each sentence starts with the next letter in the alphabet. In other words, the first sentence or line starts with A, the second with B, the third with C, and so on. 
• Write about a lost object that was found after many years. 
• Pick a city you’ve visited and make a travel brochure about it. Include a section in which you describe the city and another in which you talk about your experience there.
• Write a comic book* based on your favorite book or story. Try to include both dialogue (in speech bubbles) and descriptions of what’s happening. 
• On a big piece of paper, draw a picture of the inside of a really cool house with loads of interesting rooms. Then write a short story about the people who live there and what life is like inside their amazing house.
• Write an imaginary interview with a character from a book or movie. Pretend you’re asking them questions to publish in a magazine or newspaper and invent their answers.  

Comic book templates are available in our post,  10 Fun Writing Activities for Kids . 

Privacy Overview

How to write a story

Common Core Standards: Grade 2 Reading: Literature , Grade 2 Writing , Grade 3 Reading: Literature , Grade 3 Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.9, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.2.10, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.3, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.2.8, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.10, CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3

This worksheet originally published in English Made Easy Key Stage 2 for ages 7 to 8 by © Dorling Kindersley Limited .

Related worksheets

Writing a letter, writing practice: alternatives to "said", writing a book review, poems: shape poems.

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The Guide to 3rd Grade: Reading and Writing

Review reading and writing curricula for third grade, including what to expect and how to support learning..

Your child has mastered the fundamentals in 1st grade and 2nd grade , and is now ready to thrive through 3rd grade! But it’s not just another year: This grade is a very important time in your child’s education, because it’s when students transition from what are often known as the “lower grades” to the “upper grades.” It is a crucial period in students’ learning as they become more independent and mature learners.

In 3rd grade, students progress from practicing basic skills to mastering them, and move on to develop more complex skills. 

Read on for what to expect this year, and shop all books and resources for third grade at The Scholastic Store . 

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Reading in 3rd Grade 

After mastering literacy skills in earlier grades, 3rd graders become better and more independent readers. Third grade reading focuses on teaching kids how to think and talk about what they read in deeper and more detailed ways. Students read longer texts, and most read fictional chapter books .

Many reading lessons in 3rd grade are dedicated to writing and talking about the meanings, lessons, and important ideas in texts. Third graders are encouraged to develop their own points of view about books they read, and to discuss their ideas about a text or characters.  Series books are important in 3rd grade, because they allow students to make connections between different books and talk about how certain characters develop. As 3rd graders explore a greater range of books and longer texts, they become more fluent readers and learn to read, define, and pronounce complex words.

To build reading skills, your 3rd grader :

• Reads multi-syllable and grade-appropriate, irregularly spelled words (ask your child’s teacher for a list of these words).
• Reads grade-level text with appropriate pace, accuracy, expression, and understanding.
• Self-corrects mistakes and re-reads when necessary.
• Talks about and answers questions about a text using specific examples from the text and connects different parts of a text.
• Reads a variety of texts including, fiction, non-fiction, fables, and poetry, and understands and talks about their main ideas and lessons.
• Begins to understand the difference between literal and non-literal text such as metaphors and analogies.
• Uses the text and context to determine the meaning of words.
• Is able to express their own point of view about characters or a text.
• Makes comparisons between books written by the same author and books in series that are about the same characters.

Third Grade Reading Activities

Get Serious About Series : Find a series that interests your child and begin to read it together. You can read to your child, your child can read to you, or they can read a chapter independently. You can even interview each other as you read — ask about main ideas, events, and thoughts you each have about the books and characters.

Look It Up : When your child encounters a word they don’t know the meaning of, look up the meaning together. Use a grade-appropriate tool like the Scholastic Children’s Dictionary  — or you can even keep your own family dictionary, recording words and their definitions. Use the word yourself, or encourage your child to use that word in a sentence sometime during the day.

Learn About an Author : As your child develops favorite authors, look online for that author’s website. They can email or write a letter to the author (under your supervision).

Writing in 3rd Grade

Third graders continue to practice writing the pieces they learned to do in 2nd grade, but now also write longer ones with more detail. What’s more, 3rd graders learn increasingly sophisticated language, using phrases and terms to provide examples and make connections within their writing.

More time is spent on planning, revising, and editing texts in 3 rd grade — and as a result, your child learns the “writing process” authors go through. Students may spend a long period of time (say, a few weeks) working on one piece. They also practice writing pieces in shorter periods of time in class and through homework. Third graders continue to use and become comfortable with technology as they employ computers for writing pieces and doing research.

To build writing skills, your 3rd grader :

• Opinion Pieces : Students introduce their opinions, note the reasons for those opinions, and provide a conclusion.
• Narrative Pieces : Students write about an event, using descriptive details, feelings, and proper order — and ultimately provide a conclusion.
• Informative/Explanatory Pieces : Students introduce a topic and use facts, definitions, and, if helpful, illustrations to further explain the topic, eventually leading to a conclusion.  
• Uses terms such as:  because ,  since, for example, also, another , and  but  to elaborate on and make connections in their writing. 
• Plans, revises, and edits their writing, going through the same process that most writers do.
• Uses digital tools (under the guidance of the teacher) to publish their writing and interact and communicate with others.
• Begins to take notes and do research for short research projects.
• Spends various amounts of time writing a piece, ranging from a short period of time (such as 30 minutes) to working on one piece over the course of a few weeks.

Third Grade Writing Activities

Write About Your Lives : When your family experiences an enjoyable or important moment, you and your child can write about it together in a narrative piece. Describe the events that occurred using details and emotion, then send the piece to family members or friends to share the event and the writing.

Get Technical : Help your child use a computer to research a topic or communicate with friends and family. Your third grader can also use the computer to write their own pieces or pieces you write together.

Learn How to Do Something New : Pick something fun you and your child want to learn how to do, like drawing cartoons. Research the topic online or in a book together and create an informative piece, explaining the subject. You can then do the project yourselves or teach another family member or friend using the piece you and your child wrote.  

Shop the best resources for second grade below! You can find all books and activities at  The Scholastic Store . 

Explore other grade guides: 

• Kindergarten
• First Grade
• Second Grade
• Fourth Grade  
• Fifth Grade
• Sixth Grade
• Seventh Grade
• Eighth Grade

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Teaching Plot to 3rd Graders: 9 Tips to Help Them Master It

Forty percent of my students failed the plot assessment.

I stared wide-eyed at the grade book with a lump in my throat, fighting back the tears. I had taught the story elements to these 3rd graders all week. What happened?

After some reflection, I realized I had made a fatal mistake.

I had taught the story elements in isolation.

Sure, they could name the parts of the plot structure and could even identify them in the stories we read, but they had virtually no understanding of how they all fit together or their significance to the development of the plot. I needed to make some big changes in my approach to teaching plot to 3rd graders.

Thankfully, the kids had much better scores once I implemented these changes.

And every class I’ve taught since owes a debt of gratitude to those first 40 third-grade guinea pigs I taught back in 2011. Poor things. We all learned a lot that year.

Use these tips to learn from my mistakes and help your students achieve mastery – without you needing to reteach an entire week of instruction.

1. Buckle Up to Ride the Plot Roller Coaster

How much longer until lunch? When’s recess? Why’s the man across the street mowing the lawn with his shirt off?

We’ve got a lot to compete with when it comes to the things weighing on the minds of eight and nine-year-olds. The introduction to our plot lesson needs to grab their attention quickly or we’ll lose them to whatever’s going on outside the window.

Feed their desire for excitement by leaning into the plot roller coaster.

This relatable and exhilarating adventure helps paint a picture of how all the pieces work together to create one magnificent experience.

The plot roller coaster is such a simple and engaging introduction when teaching plot to 3rd graders.

Here’s how you connect it to plot:

Pretend you’re all going on a roller coaster ride. Go through the ride piece by piece with them. Don’t be afraid to ham it up. The more you get into it, the more engaged they’ll be.

• Setting: First, describe your surroundings – the cold metal of the seat against your skin, the clicking sound of the seat belt, the view of the giant track reaching into the sky.
• Characters: Then talk about looking around at the other people on the ride with you, their excited & terrified faces, their trembling voices as they talk to those around them.
• Rising Action & Problem: As the roller coaster rolls forward, you realize how high the track rises and a bead of sweat drips down your forehead. The tension builds. Your heart pounds harder with every click of the cars. The people around you are anxiously moaning and groaning. How much further is the top?
• Climax: You reach the top of the roller coaster, and for a moment your car seems to come to a stop, allowing you to look for the end of the roller coaster. Your heart still pounding, you think, “Here we gooo!” This is the turning point.
• Falling Action & Resolution: You feel the tension release as the roller coaster goes downhill. You put your hands in the air and enjoy the ride down. You realize the roller coaster will come to an end and you’re going to survive.
• Conclusion: Finally, the roller coaster comes to a stop at the bottom. The seat belt releases, and the ride ends.
• Pull it all together: That roller coaster wouldn’t work without the giant rise before the fall. Just like all those pieces create the full experience of being on a roller coaster, all the story elements work together to build the plot structure. You can’t have a resolution without a problem.

An Important Note About the Shape of the Plot Roller Coaster:

Give some thought to the shape of your roller coaster. Mental models help students understand and remember important skills and topics, but they can do harm if they send the wrong message.

The symmetrical witch’s hat and/or roller coaster shape gives students the wrong picture of how the plot develops throughout the story. The climax is almost never in the middle. Rather, the author spends a great deal of time developing rich characters and building their problem(s) with mounting tension, leading to the inevitable moment when the tension breaks and a resolution is born.

Shaping the mental model correctly gives your students a clearer picture of how the story elements work together to develop the plot.

2. Let Hollywood Lend a Helping Hand

No, I don’t mean show movies during class time. Don’t we all wish?

Instead, map out or discuss the story structure of a movie your kids have already seen. This will help solidify their understanding of the elements of the plot.

Plus, they’ll be crazy engaged. Anyone who’s ever listened to the “and thens” of an eight-year-old’s retelling of Moana can tell you kids love talking about movies they’ve seen.

Not sure if there’s a movie all your students have seen?

Use a picture book you’ve previously read as a class. The point is to use a story the kids already understand.

I know, you’re short on time, and this doesn’t involve actually reading a text. It may seem like an added step that wastes time.

But it’s not. Hear me out.

Mapping out the plot structure of a story your students already know helps them focus on understanding the concept since it takes away the stress of having to read and understand the text first. Solidifying this understanding helps students identify and analyze the plot structure of texts they will read in the future.

It also takes less than five minutes.

Trust me, those are five minutes well spent because they help prevent the days of reteaching that’ll be necessary if you don’t help your students develop a solid understanding of the story elements and plot structure.

3. Set Students Up for Success with This Effortless Step

Knowing the dress code at a social event helps you walk into the room more confidently. Knowing the dietary needs of your dinner guests helps you find a recipe you can be certain will please everyone. And knowing what you’re looking for before you read something helps you locate the answers more easily.

Like adults, kids go into things more confidently and find themselves more capable when they know what to expect. We can set them up for success by helping them predict the genre and anticipate the structure of the texts we read.

After you teach the story elements and plot structure, you can begin teaching the students to mentally prepare to read fiction.

Before we read anything in our classroom, we preview the text and predict the genre. Once we identify the text as a fiction story, we “prepare a space in our brains” for the story.

I ask the students what kinds of things they can expect to find when reading the story. I usually hear a few of the plot elements shouted out and use those pieces to lead them to the plot structure. We then physically move our hands in front of our brains to form the (realistic) shape of the plot structure.

This helps the students prepare to analyze how the author uses the story elements and events to develop the plot.

4. My Favorite Tool for Teaching Plot to 3rd Graders

The walls are covered in anchor charts. There isn’t room for one more to be put up. And your students aren’t using them as a reference the way you want. They’ve become wallpaper .

Poorly drawn wallpaper. (I’m no artist.)

Now, of course, I’m not suggesting we do away with anchor charts. They serve an important purpose in our instruction.

And they best serve that purpose when we make them interactive.

Enter the Reading Interactive Notebook –

My favorite tool for making anchor charts interactive and reading lessons engaging.

Plot Interactive Anchor Charts

I love having the kids can create their own mini anchor charts in their interactive notebooks along with me. It also serves as a resource the students can continue to reference as needed throughout the year. – No more wallpaper.

I still make the larger one.

But it doesn’t have to be the size of the full chart paper since the kids won’t have to strain their eyes (and probably their necks) to reference it. Instead, they’ll have their own at their fingertips. And if they do want to look at the one on the wall, it will mean more to them since they shared the experience of creating it.

Here’s what I do:

• I plan out what I want my anchor chart to look like ahead of time.
• Then I create an outline of sorts, leaving keywords and big ideas blank for the kids to fill in as we create our charts. Minimize the amount of writing/copying they’ll need to do so this doesn’t end up taking forever.
• Most times, we use this framework with a mentor text during the lesson. Sometimes it serves as more of a notetaking page for them to learn and understand the academic vocabulary being introduced. Take the plot structure page shown on the left. This page can be used for both purposes.

Practice with Interactive Notebooks

Using interactive notebooks to practice identifying the story elements and examining their importance and influence on the plot gives students a central place to share and store their thinking.

The best interactive notebook pages create valuable visual representations and involve memorable activities. Incorporating interactive notebooks takes careful selection in the pages you’ll use. They shouldn’t be a cute, but pointless “craftivity” or involve a bunch of cutting and pasting of unrelated clipart. That’s a waste of time. And I am not about wasted time in the classroom.

These interactive notebook pages for fiction help you get your kids thinking about how the story elements work together to develop the plot. They can be used throughout your fiction unit, from how the setting influences the plot to how character relationships change throughout the story.

5. The Lesson That Made the Most Impact with My 3rd Graders

After they’ve mastered sequencing, help them dig deeper by analyzing how those main events influence each other and the plot structure.

This is probably the lesson that made the most impact on my students’ understanding. A hands-on activity, perfect for your observation.

And, it’s surprisingly simple.

• Start with sentence strips of main events from the story arranged in sequential order. Bonus points if they’re the same one you used during your sequencing lesson.
• Remove an event and ask, “How would the story be different if this event never happened?” They’ll easily see how all the following events depended on the missing one.
• Then discuss how that event led to the problem, resolution, lesson, etc. Explain how this shows the event’s influence on the plot.
• Replace the event in the sequence and remove a different one. This time have the students discuss how that event infuences the plot with their partner or table group.
• Come back together as a class to share their thinking and review how author’s use the plot elements and events to build the plot structure of their stories.

6. Get Your Students to Share and Expand Their Thinking

Reading responses encourage higher-order thinking and give students a place to comfortably and confidently share their thinking about the text. You can provide differentiation with varying levels of text and questioning.

Use these reading response prompts for read alouds, buddy reading, and independent reading. Whether you choose to house these responses in reading response journals or use them as exit tickets, you’ll get good insight into your student’s level of understanding.

Grab the free printable with plot structure questions for reading responses. I’ve separated them into easy-to-cut strips to be glued into your students’ notebooks for your convenience.

You can also retype the questions on post-its for a quick check at the guided reading table. See how to print on post-it notes in this video from We Are Teachers.

7. Learn from My Biggest Mistake with Graphic Organizers

One of my biggest mistakes that first year? Not selecting an appropriate graphic organizer. I copied a flipbook that I found with a quick Pinterest search because it had all the plot elements stored in an organized way. More honestly, I thought it was cute.

So, my students and I went on our merry way making our brightly colored flipbook, recording the story elements as we read. And they did a great job! Bursting with pride, I hung them all up on the wall outside our classroom.

Those perfectly created flipbooks caused the biggest punch to the gut when I saw their scores for the weekly assessment. How could the same kids who showed their understanding so well do so poorly on the test?

I pulled one of my higher readers who failed the test aside and quizzed him. After only a few questions, I realized what went wrong for him. He could tell me all the story elements from the passage but didn’t even understand the question when I asked about how an event influenced the plot.

He didn’t get the bigger picture because I hadn’t taught him how to see it.

The flipbooks and I taught the kids how to identify the pieces of the plot, not how they all fit together. Not to say flipbooks are always bad or that I hate them or anything. They just didn’t serve the right purpose for teaching plot to 3rd graders.

I saw the best results with the graphic organizer shaped like the roller coaster from the introduction lesson. It breaks apart the elements of the plot into smaller pieces while still illustrating how they all fit together. So simple, yet so effective.

Whatever graphic organizer you choose, be sure it visually represents the concept and isn’t too busy or overwhelming.

8. Increase Engagement from Everyone in a Class with a Wide Range of Reading Abilities

I love using wordless picture books to build literacy and comprehension skills. They’re a great tool for talking about plot structure with reluctant and struggling readers because they’re accessible to everyone. Wordless picture books increase engagement and bring all your students into the discussion.

My favorite wordless picture books for teaching plot structure are Journey , Quest , and Return all by Aaron Becker. We’ve had some incredible discussions about how the events build on each other and develop the story with these books. And since they’re accessible to everyone, everyone gets involved in the discussion.

Never read a wordless picture book with your students? Check out Aaron Becker’s Wordless Picture Book Guide for some great tips. You can find it on his website here .

Side note: Wordless picture books are also perfect books to put in your stations after you’ve read them as a class!

9. Help Them Develop the Plot in Their Own Writing

Remember the graphic organizer I mentioned earlier? Use it as a planning page for your students’ fiction writing. Writing their own fiction stories helps them develop a deeper understanding of how all the plot elements work together to develop the story structure.

Be sure to ask similar questions about your students’ stories during writing conferences as you do when analyzing the plot structure of a text during your reading lessons. This helps them develop the structure of their work while solidifying their overall understanding of the story elements.

Download this cheat sheet for questions to ask about the structure of your students’ fiction writing.

The 9 Effective Tips for Teaching Plot to 3rd Graders

• Use a mental model – the roller coaster.
• Teach your students to anticipate the structure of the text.
• Practice with movies and familiar texts.
• Use interactive notebooks!
• Have discussions about how the events influence the development of the plot structure.
• Use reading responses for independent reading and/or as exit tickets.
• Use graphic organizers that visually represent the plot structure.
• Discuss the story elements and plot structure of wordless picture books.
• Connect it to their writing!

Help your students put it all together and avoid the mistakes I made with my poor third-grade guinea pigs.

Want your plot lesson plans done for you?

Grab my 5-day plot unit here! It includes your reading, vocabulary, and mentor sentence lessons for the week. Teaching plot to 3rd graders just got easier!

This 5-day TEKS and Common Core aligned plot structure unit will help you teach your students to identify, sequence, and understand how the main plot points work together and influence each other to develop the plot structure of the story.

This plot unit covers several components of your ELA instruction: read aloud, detailed reading lessons, vocabulary, and grammar (using mentor sentences). There is also a connection to writing with response to text and writing station prompts!

These plot structure interactive notebook pages include 4 interactive notebook pages, a book list, and lesson ideas. They are sold separately and inside the year-long Reading Interactive Notebook .

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Terrific Teaching Tactics

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Third Grade Writing – Personal Narratives

Are you struggling to teach writing to your 3rd graders? Perhaps you just don’t know where to start. You’re constantly googling, ‘how do you teach writing to 3rd graders?’ or ‘how can I help my 3rd graders with writing?’ You’re tearing your hair out with frustration.

Maybe it’s because your school doesn’t provide you with a writing curriculum. So, you’re spending your precious evenings and weekends looking on Pinterest for lesson ideas. Or worse, a curriculum is provided…but it’s just downright terrible. You can’t make sense of it and your students hate it.

Perhaps your students just hate writing in general and roll their eyes at the thought of it.

Well, here’s the thing. Teaching writing ‘aint easy. In fact, it can be straight up tricky, I get it!

But don’t worry friend, I’ve got you covered.

Introducing Terrific Writing

Terrific Writing is a comprehensive writing curriculum for Third Grade. This curriculum is standards based (to the common core) and genre based. But best of all, it’s actually easy to teach and engaging for students!

In this curriculum, your students will develop a love of writing. The graphic organizers, interactive notebooks, and final craft will engage students much more than a blank piece of paper. The final writing piece asks students to write about a special day that they have chosen! After all, students love to write about things that they are interested in.

Writing doesn’t have to be dull and students definitely shouldn’t hate writing!

In Unit 1 ‘Personal Narratives’, students learn how to write engaging personal narratives about their lives.

Are you short on time?

This  5 week  unit has EVERYTHING you need, because let’s be honest, teachers are time poor.

So, let’s get your evenings and weekends back, my friend! Take a break from lesson planning and searching for engaging materials. It’s all right here.

Are you ready? I’m going to share some of the awesome things about it!

What’s included in this third grade writing – personal narratives unit?

First up, there are a bunch of teacher docs. Unit contents, common core standards, and teacher directions? Check.

To begin, there’s some suggested mentor texts (with links to Amazon and YouTube). Also, a scope is included which shows the 25 lessons that feature in this unit and the third grade common core standards that are relevant.

Also, there is a unit at-a-glance calendar, as well as a table which tells you what materials you will need for each lesson. Basically, I’ve tried to make this unit super easy to implement. It has everything you need!

Next, there’s some suggested lesson times. To clarify, it doesn’t matter how long your writing block is, this unit can be adapted to suit it!

A lot of teachers struggle with finding the time to teach writing. If this is you, you’re not alone!

Then, there’s the 25 scripted (and step-by-step) lesson plans. The lessons follow a simple format of mini lesson, think and share, and independent writing time. There’s a lesson focus to guide you and all of the required materials are listed with numbers. For example, you’ll know exactly which posters and printables you need.

Subsequently, there’s a video that comes with this unit. This will help you organize and implement everything.

Wondering how to assess your student’s writing? Don’t sweat it!

There’s an assessment document for this unit too. It includes a rubric to help you grade your student’s writing.

However, I’m not just throwing you to the sharks here! Rubrics can sometimes be generic or difficult to decipher. That’s why I’ve made a comprehensive document with teacher directions, as well as elaborations and examples. Moreover, there’s a video to help you understand the rubric.

Personal narrative mentor texts

I do give a list of suggested mentor texts that you can source, but in addition, I provide two original mentor texts for this unit! These come in PDF and PowerPoint versions (as well as color and black and white). You can print them in any size or just display them on an interactive whiteboard.

The great thing about these original mentor texts is that they include all of the features of a personal narrative that are taught in the unit. For example, students will see examples of dialogue, paragraphing, and hooks.

Personal Narrative Posters

This unit comes with 25 posters that you can reference to! Each lesson corresponds to them. Most importantly, they are great for giving writing ideas and reinforcing the narrative structure.

You can print them in color and laminate them. They are great for displaying in the classroom. However, you can also display these posters digitally (if you have limited printing options).

Already interested in this third grade writing personal narratives unit? Grab it here !

Personal narrative printables

There are student workbook covers that you can print. There are three options, ‘My Writing Folder’, ‘My Writing Notebook’, and ‘My Writing Journal’. Your students can glue these covers onto their folders or books. The covers come in color and black and white (there are also boy and girl versions).

Let’s now take a look at the writing prompts, worksheets, interactive notebooks and graphic organizers!

Small Moments

In the first few lessons, students complete a pre-assessment and then an interactive notebook where they brainstorm narrative ideas based off things they love.

Students then learn about zooming in on a small moment. They are introduced to the concept of ‘big idea, smaller topic, and small moment’.

Next, they think about happy and sad moments in their lives.

The Elements of a narrative

They then learn about the importance of characters, setting, problems, and solutions in narrative writing.

The Structure of a narrative

Later, students learn about how narratives have a beginning, middle and end. After that, they start planning their final narrative.

Writing a strong lead

Students learn about the importance of writing a hook and a strong introduction. This aligns well with the common core standard –

W.3.3.A – Establish a situation and introduce characters.

Features of a good narrative

There are a few lessons about concepts such as dialogue and paragraphing. Likewise, students learn about making their writing more descriptive by stretching their sentences and doing ‘show, don’t tell’.

This aligns well with the common core standard –

W.3.3.B – Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.

The conclusion to a narrative

Later, there’s a lesson about adding transition words. Students also learn about how to write a strong ending to their narrative. These lessons align well with the following common core standards –

W.3.3.C – Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.

W.3.3.D – Provide a sense of closure.

narrative Checklists

After students have written their first draft, they use two checklists to proofread their work. One checklist grades narrative structure and the other is a more generic checklist for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

The students do a self check, peer check, and adult check.

narrative Writing craft

Finally, students create a cute flipbook craft for their final writing piece. They write about their special day. For instance, a birthday, holiday, celebration, or fun day out.

It’s a flipbook, so they can add as many pages underneath as they need! This craft is great for a bulletin baord display.

Personal narrative Task Cards

I think it’s super imortant to have purposeful early finisher tasks and extension activities during writing lessons. Above all, we should be challenging our advanced writers. That’s why this unit also includes task cards for writing personal narratives.

Here’s an overview, with some more information about the unit –

What’s included in this unit?

• 25 step-by-step scripted lesson plans
• 20 graphic organizers / worksheets
• 2 interactive notebooks and 1 writing craft
• 2 original mentor texts (PowerPoint versions and PDF in color and b&w)
• 24 tasks cards extension activities (2 versions – b&w, color)
• 1 assessment rubric

Here’s everything else that’s included in this unit –

• Video overview to help organize and implement the unit
• List of common core standards that align with this unit
• Teacher directions for the lesson plans
• Suggestions for differentiation and lesson times
• List of recommended mentor texts (with links)
• Unit scope and at-a-glance calendar
• Lesson materials list
• Student book/folder cover (3 versions – journal, notebook, or folder)
• 1 writing prompt pre-assessment
• 4 lined pages (for first drafts and crafts)
• 2 checklists
• 1 set of compliment notes (2 versions – b&w, color)
• 1 certificate (2 versions – b&w, color)
• Teacher directions, examples, and elaborations for the rubric
• Video with tips for using the rubric

Here’s a breakdown of the lessons –

In the first 11 lessons, students develop an understanding of what a personal narrative is. They also learn about small moments and choosing a writing topic. Then, they start learning about the structure of a narrative.

• Lesson 1 – What is a personal narrative?
• What can I write about?
• What is a small moment?
• My small moment
• Positive memorable moments
• Negative memorable moments
• What is the structure of a narrative?
• Personal narratives need characters
• Personal narratives need a setting
• Narratives have problems
• Narratives have solutions

For the next part of the unit, students begin planning and writing their final writing piece.

• What will my narrative be about?
• Let’s plan a narrative
• Start with a hook
• Writing an introduction
• Show, don’t tell
• Stretching sentences
• Using dialogue
• Powerful paragraphs
• Transition words
• Writing an ending
• Putting it all together
• Revise and edit
• Final draft and illustrations
• Publishing party

Click here to see a video that shows everything in the unit.

Want to try a free sample?

Yep, you can try one of the lessons, graphic organizers, and posters for free! Click here to grab the free sample.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about this third grade writing personal narratives unit!

Click here to grab the full unit!

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Raise the Bar Reading

A Reading Teacher's Blog

Teaching Narrative Writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Grade

When teaching narrative writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, there are so many writing skills to cover. They range from creating a sequence of events (beginning, middle, and end) to more difficult skills like building strong characterization. With a class full of students at such varying levels of writing, it can be overwhelming to think of where to start with your narrative writing unit.  

Narrative writing can be one of the most motivational types of writing for students since the topics can be something they feel connected to in their own lives.  Personal narratives allow them to talk about their own experiences they want to share, and fictional narratives let students create a story about absolutely anything that they want!  

As you can see in the chart below, students are expected to do a little bit more with narrative writing as they grow as writers from 1 st to 3 rd grade.    

So, 1 st grade focuses on developing sequenced events (beginning, middle, end).   With 2 nd and 3 rd grade, the focus is creating a hook/opening, events (beginning, middle, end), and a closing. In 2 nd and 3 rd grade students also need to begin to develop characterization.

For young writers learning such a new, specific format of writing, it is really important to break it up into small, clear steps. 

Below is how I tackle narrative writing step by step:

INTRODUCE NARRATIVE WRITING:

First, I explain what a narrative is with visuals and examples.  I go through a pre-written narrative writing example.  These examples will differ depending on whether we are working on writing fictional narratives or personal narratives.

We identify and discuss each part of the piece of writing.  For first graders that means the beginning, middle, and end.  For second and third graders, that means an opening, events (beginning, middle and end), and closing.

GUIDED WHOLE GROUP PRACTICE:

I like to model the actual process of writing a narrative as well.  With modeling a personal narrative, I like to pick an experience we have had in school that year so that it is easy for students to participate.  I keep this model basic and clear so that students are not overwhelmed in what they need to produce in their first piece of narrative writing.  While modeling, I refer to the prewritten example that I provided earlier.  I also display sentence starters and transitions to use as a guide.   

INDEPENDENT NARRATIVE WRITING PRACTICE:

First, students can practice the narrative format by using picture prompts for beginning, middle, and end.  They use the visuals to describe what happens from the beginning to the end of their story.

Next, it’s time for students to begin fictional narrative or personal narrative writing from scratch!  At first, I usually provide a writing prompt for the entire class that is easily relatable.  The prompts will vary depending on if we are working on writing personal narratives (“Tell about a time when…”) or fictional narratives (“Write a story about…”).  However, you could also give multiple options or have students develop their own individual topics.  

During the prewriting phase of the writing process, students brainstorm using graphic organizers. 

I like give students two graphic organizers – one for them to first brainstorm ideas for their drafts, and then one to organize their ideas into a narrative writing format.

While writing their drafts, students can refer to sentence starters to help guide them in writing their stories.  

After writing their drafts, I give students an editing checklist to use as a reference.  This makes it easier for them to make sure they have included each part of a piece of narrative writing.  

TARGET NARRATIVE WRITING SKILLS:

As students are ready, I target specific narrative writing skills either as a whole class, or with just a small group that is ready for taking their writing to the next level. 

To introduce a particular narrative writing skill (i.e. writing narrative hooks), I display a poster that is student-friendly with visuals and examples.  Then, I have graphic organizers or practice pages that students can use to work through each strategy on their own.  

Most students will need help with the following narrative skills:

Writing a Strong Narrative Hook:

Breaking narrative hooks down by hook types is so helpful for giving them some tools for creating their own leads.  Grab the posters below and a couple practice writing pages for free here .

Writing a Strong Narrative Ending:

Similar to writing hooks, breaking down narrative endings by type is also a helpful way for students to try out different closings for their piece of writing.

Small Moments Writing:

So often, personal narratives can just turn into a list of moments in order. By teaching and practicing small moments writing , students can see how much more powerful their writing becomes when they zoom in on the most important moment in their story.

Describing Characters:

When teaching narrative writing in 2 nd grade, students need to learn to describe characters by their actions, thoughts, and feelings.  By 3 rd grade, the Common Core asks that students also use dialogue to develop characterization in their writing.

Describing Character Feelings

You can display a poster of different ways to describe similar feelings to build stronger word choice in their writing.  Students can use this poster to go through and edit their word choice in their own piece of writing. 

Using Fiction Story Elements:

You can have students prewrite with story elements graphic organizers to ensure they hit each element in their own writing.

ONGOING NARRATIVE WRITING PRACTICE:

I love using fictional narrative and personal narrative journals to provide students with tons of ongoing practice!  I use them as informal free-writes just for continual practice, but some or all of the entries could be used for writing pieces that go through the writing process (prewriting, drafting, editing, revising, and publishing) as well.  

All of the materials shown in this blog post for teaching narrative writing in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade can be found in the Narrative Writing Unit in my TpT shop!

Next: Teaching Opinion Writing in the Primary Grades

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100 Fun Third-Grade Writing Prompts for Kids: Journal Prompts

• Journal Writing Prompts
• Funny Writing Prompts
• Narrative Essay Writing Prompts
• Fiction Writing Prompts
• Poetry Writing Prompts 
• Informative Essay Writing Prompts
• Opinion Writing Prompts
• Animal Writing Prompts
• Descriptive Writing Prompts
• Emotion Writing Prompts

The power of stories is immense. It not only unlocks the imagination but also improves creativity and vocabulary. For kids as young as third graders , writing prompts can be beneficial to kick-start their writing spree. It is a great way to build various genres of writing skills in kids- from narrative and informative to poetic and funny.

Stick to this blog to track down century options of 3rd grade writing prompts for kids .

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Here are more educational resources to get your third grader learning!

6 Reasons To Give Your 3rd Graders a Writing Prompt?

When it comes to keeping your students busy with something beneficial, writing prompts are a wonderful tool. Here are a few major ways in which 3rd grade journal prompts can help children.

• Allows children to think around creatively
• Enhances a sense of expression
• Eliminates the dread of writing
• Improves story-telling
• Boosts self-confidence in children
• Refines grammar, spelling, and handwriting with practice

While they get busy writing the best out of their imagination, you can enjoy a sip of hot coffee (a bonus, you know!).

100 Fun Third-Grade Writing Prompts for Kids

10 journal writing prompts.

The habit of journaling must be inculcated in kids from a young age. Wondering why? Well, it goes a long way in developing the ‘writer-like’ mindset in them. Moreover, journaling is known to be a stress reliever in teens and adults alike. Whether they make it a daily or alternate habit later, here are ten examples of 3rd grade journal topics that can be perfect for giving them a needed push.

1. What has been your favorite memory of 2nd grade ?

2. On a rainy day, would you rather be inside or outside? Why?

3. How did you meet your best friend?

4. What flavor of chips do you like the most and why?

5. Who is the favorite cousin in the family?

6. When was the last time you had your favorite dinner outside?

7. Do you have someone who makes you feel special? Who and How?

8. Which school period do you like the most and why?

9. What are you most thankful for in life and why?

10. What is your favorite cartoon character?

10 Funny Writing Prompts

This is every child’s favorite! Funny Writing prompts can help develop an expression of humor sense in young children. Moreover, it will allow the classroom to have a light moment together when each of them will read their chucklesome experiences aloud. We can already hear the giggles!

Check out these fun writing prompts for 3rd grade kids.

1. If your pencil boxes could talk to each other, what would they be?

2. What if you were an Easter egg?

3. Imagine if cows gave ‘Skittles’ instead of milk. What would the world be like?

4. What makes you laugh?

5. What was the best joke that your best friend cracked recently? How can you make it funnier?

6. What would happen if it did rain cats and dogs?

7. Imagine there’s a kangaroo in the classroom. How did it reach there, and what would the scenario be like?

8. Would you rather wear a swimming suit in a snowstorm or wear a snowsuit to the beach? Which kind of silly will you be and why?

9. Write a review of the animated movie for kids that you have seen recently.

10. Imagine you and your best friend switch families for a day. What would the day be like?

10 Narrative Essay Writing Prompts

Narrative essay prompts can sow seeds for a future author of an American best-seller. One of the most favored writing prompts by teachers, 3rd grade narrative writing prompts expect students to tell a story based on their imagination or actual incidents. They could either build their story on dialogues or use descriptive writing. Let’s head to the list.

1. If your shoe could speak, what story would it tell?

2. One fine morning, you woke up with wings. Narrate the day.

3. If you are allowed to make classroom rules , which new rule would you make and why?

4. Make a story about where thunder comes from.

5. Imagine a boy who only eats oranges to survive. Narrate the story of his life.

6. Describe your last vacation. Where did you go, and what did you do?

7. What is the most interesting story that your family member has told you about?

8. You are given $200 to spread kindness around your city. How will you spend it?

9. If you could fly wherever you would want to, what places would you go and why?

10. What is one thing you do very well? Describe it in detail.

10 Fiction Writing Prompts

Here’s another set of 3rd grade writing prompts that will make the creative juices flow in the students. Fiction writing prompts are a great stimulus for young minds to develop their characters, work on a plot line and narrate a story. 

They not only allow expand their imagination in children but gives them an opportunity to enjoy the writing process. Have a look at writing ideas for 3rd grade students:

1. What story does a camera want to tell the world?

2. A princess is trapped in a castle that is guarded by a beast. Instead of waiting for her prince charming to save her, she uses the resources and tools from inside the castle to build her escape plan. What all would she use and how? Write her escape story.

3. ‘There was a knock on the door. I opened it and saw a cat sitting there and,….’. Finish the story.

4. You had a chance to take over your father’s job for a day. Write a story narrating all your day’s events.

5. ‘On a vacation to paradise, something unexpected happens.’ Continue with the story.

6. There was a butterfly in Ohio who needed to earn the colors for herself. She could only earn five colors for herself. What would she do to earn colors, and how?

7. One day, you woke up and realize that you have a magic pen next to you. Narrate the events that followed it.

8. Imagine you get to choose how you would want to live your next 50 years. What would you choose? Who will be the people with you?

9. Your balloon just blew away! Write the story from the balloon’s perspective.

10. You ate a brownie, and now you are 20 feet tall. What do you do next?

10 Poetry Writing Prompts 

With Tik Toks and Reels throwing rubbish in the name of poems for kids , now is the time to introduce young minds to the real essence of poetry. They must be taught the power of syllables, rhymes, apostrophes, punctuation, and word choice to recognize the poetry. 

Poetry Writing Prompts can give good practice to 3rd graders to improve their phrasing ideas and, ultimately, the poetry sense! Whether it’s a limerick or haiku, here’s the suggestion list that you shouldn’t miss.

1. ‘Whenever I sing a silly song,

Whenever I daydream for too long..’ Continue the poem.

2. ‘Within the wrapping paper brown,

the smallest gift I’ve found. Write a poem to talk about the gift.

3. ‘Dear Friend,’. Write a short poem for your best friend.

4. Challenge yourself to write a poem that is no longer than 25 words.

5. Imagine you came from another planet, lost on Earth, and longing for home. Write short poetry to express yourself.

6. ‘Look at the stars and name them all….’ Continue an interesting poem.

7. ‘Through the trees, I go…’ Write a few lines of a Haiku poem.

8. Write a poem about your grandparents.

9. ‘It was quite a big day for me.’ Write a limerick using this line.

10. ‘I met a funny little woman,

As I walked along one day…’ Write a silly poem using this starter.

10 Informative Essay Writing Prompts

A highly beneficial writing exercise for all ages, informative writing prompts are about informing the reader without persuading or making an opinion to it. For 3rd graders, these essays could be a powerful tool to enable them to write from what they already know. It advances their memorization, learning, and reflective ability in them.

Check out the ideas that can be used as writing topics for 3rd graders.

1. Write a process to build a birdhouse in your backyard.

2. If you could meet any famous person in the world, who would it be and what conversion would you have with them?

3. Why is it important to preserve the environment around us? How can you help with it?

4. Do you have a pet? If yes, how do you take care of it?

5. Describe what all do you see on your way to school.

6. How do you prepare for a test? Share some tips with your friends.

7. Write the importance of a healthy diet in our lives. How can we make our diet healthier?

8. Describe life in the coldest cities of the world. Would you live in such places?

9. Doctors, Firefighters, Policemen, Delivery boys, etc., are all heroes. Write about their selfless contribution to our lives.

10. Why do leaves change color during autumn?

10 Opinion Writing Prompts

We all have opinions, and so do the little ones! Teaching young kids to form an opinion can be rewarding for their future goals and personality development. 

It is important to familiarize them with understanding their mind and heart and strike a balance between the two. Opinion writing prompts for 3rd graders can be instrumental in getting them moving in that direction.

To ease the writing process, you can teach the kids about the OREO framework.

O – Opinions

E – Examples

O – Opinion (restated in a concluding note)

Let’s dive into some interesting topics for 3rd grade writing prompts.

1. Do you think teachers should give homework to students?

2. What are some important rules that must be followed in life?

3. How to become a kind human being?

4. What do you do when you are angry? Write some ways to calm yourself down.

5. How to make yourself happy when you are sad? Write from your experience.

6. What is the best restaurant in your city, and why?

7. Should 10-year-olds have their mobile phone? Why or why not?

8. Why should children not eat chocolates very frequently? How should they practice control?

9. Should everyone wear school uniforms in school? Why or why not?

10. If there could only be one season throughout the year, which one would you choose and why?

10 Animal Writing Prompts

If animals bring so much joy to us just by existing, how joyful it’d be to write about them? There are so many reasons to ask children to write about animals. It can be a wonderful way to enhance their creativity, fascination, attention to detail, and of course, writing skills. 

Here’s a list of animal writing prompts for 3rd graders.

1. Which animal would you like to meet and why?

2. Would you rather have a rabbit or a penguin as a pet? Why?

3. If you had a chance to become one farm animal, which one would it be and why?

4. If I were a turtle, I would…

5. Imagine waking up in the morning and seeing your favorite animal getting ready for school. What would the scenario be like?

6. Write how the world would be if humans could talk to animals.

7. You can choose either an animal or a human as your best friend. Which one would you pick and why?

8. If you could choose a different name for ‘Cow,’ what would it be? Why?

9. What I know about chickens is that….

10. A fish took a solo trip to London. Narrate the story.

10 Descriptive Writing Prompts

What do you do when you want your students to go into the tiniest details while writing? Try Descriptive writing prompts for 3rd graders. Whether they write a story or a personal experience, ignite the spark of description with these writing prompts.

1. What is your favorite math game ? Why do you like it? Also, write the steps to play.

2. Imagine you are traveling on a ship in the ocean. What does your ship look like? And, why would you like the best about your ship? Describe your journey.

3. Describe your favorite activity in the mall.

4. Which is better, winter or summer? Support your take with reasons.

5. Share a memorable experience at the park. What made it so memorable? Would you like to relive it?

6. Describe a beautiful scene from nature.

7. Alice gets to visit Wonderland in the movie ‘Alice in Wonderland.’ Describe all that you can think about Wonderland- the location, the environment, the colors, the people, etc.

8. What is a perfect day for you? Include the weather, your clothes, your friends, what you eat, and your activities.

9. Write a description of a trip to the zoo.

10. Who is your favorite teacher, and why? Describe him/her.

10 Emotion Writing Prompts

School is not limited to books and assignments. It’s also about preparing students to reflect on their feelings and being able to jot them down. Guess what? Emotion prompts can be the right choice here as well! They inspire creativity in kids and aid them in connecting with their feelings and emotions. Few third-grade emotion prompts that you shouldn’t miss.

1. My biggest dream is…

2. My favorite thing about myself…

3. What do you do when you make a mistake? How do you feel?

4. When was the last time you helped someone? What was it about?

5. Write about the happiest day of your life.

6. If you could have any special talent, what would it be and why?

7. What five things do you love about your family?

8. I feel sad when…

9. Imagine your friend is feeling scared. What would you do to calm him/her down?

10. Write a list of 10 things you are grateful for.

Now that you know 100 writing prompts for 3rd grade, there’s nothing that can stop your students shape into brilliant writers. However, a little something that we would like you to know- make writing as much fun as possible for these young minds. Look at a few tips which will help you chart out easy ways to teach writing to 3rd graders.

5 Steps To Help 3rd Graders With Writing

Step 1: sentence-formation.

If students struggle with understanding and forming sentences, they must be taught sentences as a single complete thought. Reading sentences aloud with necessary pauses will bring more clarity to them about the nature of a sentence. Let the children practice in small groups to make the instructions more effective.

 Step 2: Paragraph Writing

The next step will be to familiarize the children with writing small paragraphs. Don’t go throwing the list of 3rd grade writing prompts in one go. Instead, focus on strengthening the core concepts of writing. Introduce children to the parts of a paragraph-head, body, and conclusion.

Step 3: The ‘Sandwich’ Rule

It is a great way to simplify the writing process for third-graders. Teach the children that writing a paragraph is similar to making a sandwich. 

It begins with a piece of bread, i.e., the topic sentence, followed by adding some ingredients in the middle, i.e., the transition sentences, and finally, fishing it with another piece of bread, i.e., the concluding sentences. 

The rule can also be practiced in small groups to enjoy the maximum benefits.

Step 4: Additional Cues

Besides creative writing prompts for 3rd graders, emphasis must be made on using words like ‘because,’ ‘since,’ ‘for example,’ ‘another,’ ‘also,’ etc., to make meaningful connections while writing. Set 30 minutes initially for most pieces. Once they have had enough practice, you can reduce the time accordingly.

Step 5: Technical Cues

In the age of digitization, you cannot fathom eliminating the aid of digital tools to help children write. Teachers must pick something fun and let the students research about them on the internet. Noting down the point will help them build a story or idea smoothly.

Get, Set, Writing!

Writing prompts are not the end but the beginning of a brilliant writing spree for your students. Nonetheless, encouragement and support from your side are imperative to build their confidence. We hope the class will enjoy these 3rd grade writing prompts as much as we enjoyed curating them.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How should i motivate my child to write at home.

Before introducing them to prompts, the most important way you can help your child with writing is to give them a journal, a storybook, a pencil, and an eraser. Keep a separate basket for their stationary supplies so that they can instantly grab them whenever they are in the mood to write.

What can be the first set of prompts that I should begin with?

Children are most closely knit to their parents. Giving them writing prompts to recount a happy family vacation or their favorite family members can be an ideal beginning. Moreover, in the classroom, teachers can use prompts related to their best friend, learning environment, and favorite school activity.

How many writing prompts can I use in one go?

Depends on the length of the class period. However, it is recommended to use one prompt in each class to preserve the class’s interest. Otherwise, children often feel burnout and pressure from having too many topics to write on in a single class.

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Writing for 3rd Grade Readers — Syntactic Stats

• Fluency : 3rd graders are expected to read with more fluency—this means reading at a good pace, with expression, and without many hesitations or errors. They can read 90-115 words per minute .
• Comprehension : They can understand what they read, connect their own experiences, and ask questions about the text. They can explain what happened in the beginning, middle, and end, and even guess what might happen next.
• Vocabulary : 3rd graders are expanding their vocabulary. They’ll begin to understand words from context clues. They’ll know around 3,000-4,000 words and can decode new words by looking at how the sentence uses them.
• Complex Text : They begin to read more complex texts, including chapter books, and can follow intricate plotlines. Their reading materials may include non-fiction texts that require them to comprehend and interpret information. They can read chapter books 30-50 pages long . These books include harder words and detailed plots. They can write different types of sentences, like statements, questions, and exclamations. They might write, “The cat is cute. Why is it hiding? Wow, look at it jump!”
• Writing Responses : Many 3rd graders can respond to what they read in writing—they can summarize a story, explain a character’s actions, or predict what might happen next.
• Descriptive Language : They use descriptive words and details in their sentences. Instead of “The car is big,” they might write, “The enormous red car has shiny wheels.”
• Word Decoding : By 3rd grade, students know phonics and can decode multisyllable words. They can break down bigger words into parts and sound them out. For example, they can read words like “playground” or “basketball.”
• Parts of Speech : They know nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. They might write, “The fluffy dog (adjective) quickly (adverb) ran (verb) to its bowl (noun).”
• Grammar and Sentence Structure : They are likely to understand complex sentences and the basic rules of grammar. For example, “He runs” instead of “He run.”
• Critical Thinking : Students start thinking more critically about what they read, including making inferences and understanding cause and effect.

WORD LENGTH

The average word length is 3 to 5 letters . Here’s why this average word length is appropriate:

• Familiarity : Many common 3rd grade words fall within this length, including high-frequency sight words .
• Decoding Skills : Third graders decode words of this length, especially if they follow common phonetic patterns.
• Introducing Complexity : This word length allows for some complexity without being overly challenging. They can include plurals, simple prefixes or suffixes, and common multi-syllable words.
• Content Alignment : This word length aligns with common content and themes, such as simple narratives, non-fiction texts about animals, science, or history, and early chapter books.
• Balance with Longer Words : Texts for 3rd graders should still include longer, more complex words.

A 3rd grader has a vocabulary size of 2,000 to 3,000 words . This includes:

• High-Frequency Words : Common words in the English language ( 50-60% of the text) in both reading and speaking.
• Content-Specific Vocabulary : Words in specific subjects such as science, social studies, or mathematics.
• Academic Vocabulary : Words used in educational settings but not in everyday conversation. Words like “compare,” “analyze,” or “evidence.”
• Literary Vocabulary : Words related to reading literature, such as “character,” “plot,” “setting,” etc.

READING RATES

• Beginning of 3rd Grade : Students start the year reading around 90-110 WPM .
• Middle of 3rd Grade : Many students progress to reading 100-120 WPM .
• End of 3rd Grade : By the end of 3rd grade, students read 110-130 WPM .

These rates apply to reading aloud. Silent reading rates may inflate, as reading aloud requires more processing for pronunciation and expression.

• Simple Sentences : Most sentences are simple, about 60-70% of sentences ranging from 6 to 8 words in length.
• Compound Sentences : 20-30% of sentences are compound sentences in the 9 to 12-word range . These will use conjunctions like “and,” “but,” “or.”
• Complex Sentences : A smaller portion, around 10% of sentences, are complex, with 13 or more words . These include subordinating conjunctions, relative clauses, etc.

SENTENCE COMPLEXITY

• Simple Sentences : 50-60% of the sentences.
• Compound Sentences : 25-30% of the sentences.
• Complex Sentences : 10-15% of the sentences, with clear subordinate clauses.
• 1-Syllable Words : These high-frequency words make up 50-60% of the words.
• 2-Syllable Words : Two-syllable words are common and add complexity. Two-syllable words make up 25-30% .
• 3-Syllable Words : Many 3rd graders find three-syllable words accessible, though they can be more challenging. These words comprise 10-15% of the text.
• 4-or-More Syllable Words : You can include longer words with four or more syllables in moderation, around 5% of the text.

REPEAT WORDS vs. UNIQUE WORDS

When writing text for 3rd-grade readers, consider the percentages of repeat words and unique words.

• Repeat words can reinforce learning, especially for new vocabulary. Repeated words comprise 20-30% of the total word count.  Examples : high-frequency words, sight words, or newly introduced vocabulary.
• Unique words add variety and interest. They help build vocabulary and enhance the reader’s language skills. 70-80% of the text consists of unique words, enriching the reading experience. Examples : content-specific terms, synonyms, and words that challenge the reader.

For example, a story about a family picnic will repeat the word “picnic” to emphasize the theme, while descriptive words (like “sunny,” “delicious,” “laughter”) will paint a vivid picture without repetition.

PASSIVE VS. ACTIVE VOICE

The choice between passive and active voice impacts readability and comprehension.

• 3rd grade readers prefer active voice , about 70-80% (or more) of the text.
• Passive voice makes up 20-30% of the text, used in specific contexts where it adds value or is contextually appropriate.

Active voice promotes better comprehension because of its clear and direct sentence structure.

PARAGRAPH LENGTH

• Short Paragraphs : 2-5 sentences per paragraph. Short paragraphs help maintain interest and make the text look less confusing.
• Moderate Paragraphs : 6-8 sentences is suitable for complex ideas or detailed descriptions.

Short and well-structured paragraphs align with the attention span and comprehension level of 3rd graders.

PARTS OF SPEECH

Third graders learn parts 0f speech to create more complex sentences and to understand different sentence structures. Their texts usually include the following percentages:

• Nouns : 20-25% of the words. Includes proper, common, and abstract nouns.
• Pronouns : 5-10% of the words. Such as personal, possessive, and reflexive pronouns.
• Verbs : 15-20% of the words. Includes action verbs, linking verbs, and helping verbs in various tenses.
• Adjectives : 5-10% of the words. Descriptive words, including comparative and superlative forms.
• Adverbs : 4-6% of the words. Describing how, when, or where an action occurs.
• Prepositions : 8-12% of the words. Words that show location, direction, or time.
• Conjunctions : 2-5% of the words. Includes coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
• Interjections : Less than 1% . Expressive words used sparingly.

PUNCTUATION

• Periods : 60-70% of sentences to denote the end of a statement.
• Commas : 30-40% of sentences, often for listing or separating clauses.
• Question Marks : 5-10% of sentences, depending on the text’s nature (e.g., more in an instructional or interactive text).
• Exclamation Points : 2-5% of sentences might end with an exclamation point to convey excitement or emphasis.
• Quotation Marks : 10-20% of a narrative text to indicate dialogue.
• Apostrophes : 5-10% of words might include apostrophes for contractions or possessive forms.
• Colons and Semi-Colons : Rare in 3rd-grade texts, less than 1% , and usually introduced with explanations.
• Hyphens and Dashes : Used sparingly, 1-2% in compound words or for emphasis.

Writing for 3rd-grade readers is a rewarding and engaging experience. This age group is curious, imaginative, and beginning to develop more complex reading skills.

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A Simple Way to Teach Third Graders How to Write a Simple Paragraph

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By third grade, many children understand how to create an idea or choose a topic for a story, use punctuation appropriately and spell most sight words correctly. Third-grade students can use these skills to recognize parts of paragraphs and write their own simple paragraphs. There are many components to a paragraph and coherent writing in general, but if you break these parts into simple steps, third-graders can grasp the concepts needed for writing.

Sentences as Complete Thoughts

Before you dive headfirst into teaching your third graders how to write a paragraph, review how to write a sentence. Third graders should understand that one sentence is just like one complete thought, according to Readingrockets.org. Read sentences aloud to your third graders, and pause at periods to allow these students to hear the natural pauses in between sentences, so they can hear a clear beginning, middle and end. Practice writing complete sentences as a group, and review grammatical concepts, such as capitalizing the first letter of a sentence and adding punctuation.

Identifying Parts of a Paragraph

Now that your third graders understand how to write sentences, explain that a paragraph is just a collection of sentences focused on one idea. Tell your third graders that in order to write a paragraph, they have to understand the parts, as suggested by Melissa Packer, author of "Write On! Step by Step Paragraph and Report Writing." A paragraph usually starts with a topic sentence, which is the main idea of the paragraph. The next part of the paragraph, called the transition, tells the readers what you want them to know about the topic. The final part of the paragraph, the conclusion, restates your topic sentence but should not be exactly the same. Practice identifying these parts by reading paragraphs as a group.

Making a Sandwich

One way to teach third graders something new is to compare the new thing to something these students already know. Tell your third graders that writing a paragraph is a lot like making a sandwich; you start with a piece of bread, also called your topic sentence, add some ingredients to the middle, which are like your transition sentences, and finish the sandwich with another piece of bread, or the conclusion sentence. Give your students an outline drawing of a sandwich with at least three ingredients, and ask them to write a sentence in each section. Share some paragraphs with everyone and analyze them by asking if the topic sentences were clear and if each transition sentence related to the topic.

Starting With Outlines

Another way to simplify writing a paragraph is to start with an outline. On a piece of paper, write the names of the parts of a paragraph: Topic Sentence, Transition 1, Transition 2, Transition 3 and Conclusion. Ask your third graders what they want to write about -- write the topic, such as “birthdays,” next to the words “Topic Sentence.” Prompt your third graders to come up with details about your topic; your students might come up with “birthday cake,” “candles,” “parties” or “presents” for the birthday topic. Write these words by the “Transition” words. Next to “Conclusion,” rewrite the word “birthdays” to remind your students to restate the topic. Now write a paragraph using this outline.

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Cara Batema is a musician, teacher and writer who specializes in early childhood, special needs and psychology. Since 2010, Batema has been an active writer in the fields of education, parenting, science and health. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and creative writing.

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60 Best 3rd Grade Books in a Series

W hat are the best 3rd grade books in a series for 8 year olds? Here are good book series that are just right for third graders and that they’ll LOVE to read.

As young readers gain more confidence and independence, they’ll be interested in books about real life (true stories), finding a good informational book about a topic of interest, reading book series like the ones on this list, binging favorite best selling books like Dog Man, and may start noticing books that are award winning books.

Often by 3rd grade, some students become reluctant readers for a variety of reasons — technology could be interfering, or a learning difference might need to be addressed. I urge you to do everything you can to find solutions and answers — because the longer a young reader goes without success or efficacy, the harder it is to reengage these 3rd grade readers with reading.

(For those of you not in the U.S., third grade is generally about 8 years old.)

–> ALL book recommendations for 8-year-olds (3rd graders) here .

SHOP this booklist.

3rd Grade Books in a Series (Kids Will Love to Read)

Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable, illustrated by Stephanie Yue

ADVENTURE GRAPHIC NOVEL

Katie desperately wants to join her friends at their summer camp to earn money, she gets a job for her neighbor Madeline catsitting 217 super-smart cats with destructive behaviors and powerful abilities. Then she discovers that her neighbor might be the supervillain, Moustress. Then, when the Moustress gets captured, Katie decides she and the cats must save their friend.

Sparks  by Ian Boothby, illustrated by Nina Matsumoto

After escaping the evil laboratory, cats August and Charlie help others in a “Super Dog” dog disguise.  But their evil scientist nemesis, a diaper-wearing baby named Princess, will stop at nothing to recapture the escaped cats…and conquer the entire world. Filled with adventure, friendship, and humor!

Jax is a young boy staying with an irascible old lady named Ma who helps magical animals travel between worlds. In this case, three dragons. She accidentally travels back in time instead of to the world of magic, and gets stuck there. Now it’s up to Jax to rescue Ma and deliver the dragons to where they belong. But one of the dragons is missing!

I adore this book about encouraging kids to write comics! Plus, it’s totally hilarious. Cat Kid teaches a class for the tadpoles about making their own comic books…which doesn’t go well until the tadpoles get excited about failure and get started writing and drawing. If you like a lot of silliness (including potty humor) with great messages about writing , creativity, and persistence, read this book next.

Dragon Kindom of Wrenly: The Coldfire Curse  by Jordan Quinn

When Cinder’s father crashes, it’s clear that he’s sick from the dreaded “cold curse”  so Cinder must ask the king for help. Cinder meets a red  dragon  named Ruskin, the pet of the human king. Cinder, Ruskin, and their friend Groth travel to the fairies in order to get the ingredients to cure the curse. It’s a fast-paced and excellent story with a hook that will keep you reading the series!

Pizazz by Sophy Henn

SUPERHERO Not only is Pizazz embarrassed by her name, but she’s also embarrassed about her superpower. Pizazz grumbles that her superhero duties of saving the world are inconvenient. At school, she is assigned the job of eco-monitor, which she doesn’t like until a classmate helps her see that they might be able to save the park…without superhero powers. 100% fun, relatable, and entertaining.

Love Puppies: Best Friends Furever  by JaNay Brown Wood

MAGICAL REALISM

The magical Crystal Bone calls the pups to help a lonely girl named Meiko. The Love Puppies plan turns to disaster. How will the puppies accomplish their mission? Warmhearted and sweet, you’ll love these caring puppies and the kids they help. I know this  book series  will be a hit with 2nd and 3rd graders!

P.I. Butterfly Gone Guppy Case #1  by Karen Kilpatrick, illustrated by German Blanco ( GRAPHIC NOVEL )

Fabulous, funny, and entertaining! P.I. Butterfly is a girl who loves butterflies and mysteries. When she discovers the family guppy is missing from the fish bowl, she’s determined to discover what happened. But who did it? Was it her sister? Her mother? Her cat? She searches for clues and interviews suspects. She puts together the evidence, follows the trail of clues, and tries to get a confession–and with hard work and persistence, solves the case! Not only is this a delightful story, but it’s filled with problem-solving, critical thinking, and deductive reasoning.

Legends of Lotus Island: The Guardian Test  by Christina Soontornvat, illustrated by Kevin Hong

Plum loves the garden worms and plants where she lives with her grandparents.  Even so, she’s thrilled with the opportunity to go to a Guardian school where she hopes she’ll turn into a Guardian to protect the natural world.  At the Guardian Academy, Plum struggles to focus; she worries that she’ll never get her animal bond like the other students. But she learns how to fight and talk to animals, and hopes she can prove herself. Readers will love the cool world-building, the captivating illustrations, and the engaging story!

Bad Kitty Supercat  by Nick Bruel 

HUMOR   GRAPHIC NOVEL

Bad Kitty’s owner tells Bad Kitty to get off screens and play with some other cats.  But Bad Kitty isn’t happy about having playdates. Eventually, Playdate Candidate #4 (Strange Kitty) brings imagination and comic books and Strange Kitty helps Bad Kitty find his  superhero  persona –just in time to meet the supervillain! Playful, imaginative, and hilarious–this is my new favorite Bad Kitty book and his first graphic novel.

The A to Z Mysteries books are the best! None of the books need to be read in any particular order, each has a self-contained mystery. (I think my kids read most of the books in this series more than once; they are that good.) In this story, the famous writer coming to the bookstore doesn’t show up. Dink and his friends Josh and Ruth Rose must find out what happened to the missing author. Box set here .

Reading Journal for Kids

102 pages of fun!

Write reviews for books! Draw, imagine, and write more about the books you read. This is a wonderful journal to get kids excited about what they read!

Mythics: Marina and the Kraken  written by Lauren Magaziner, illustrated by Mirelle Ortega

What an exciting start to what is sure to be a smash-hit series of adventure, girl power, and  mythical creatures !  When Marina doesn’t get matched with a familiar like the other kids, she and four other 10-year-old girls discover their familiars aren’t everyday animals but mythical creatures and together, they’re destined to save Terrafamiliar. The girls start their search by boat to look for Marian’s familiar. But they’re chased by a golden jumpsuit lady who wants to steal their mythical powers. As they evade their pursuer, Marina discovers that her familiar is a kraken– a kraken who accidentally capsizes their ship. Now she and her kraken must save her friends from drowning and escape the sinister lady.

Tally Tuttle Turns into a Turtle by Kathryn Holmes

REALISTIC ish

Tally’s nervous about her new school and when the other students make fun of her name, she wants to hide in a shell. That’s when it happens- -she turns into a turtle! As a turtle, Tally meets helpful and kind animals who help her see that if she can make friends with them, she can make friends with people, too. When she decides she’s ready to be a girl again, she transforms back into a kid.

FUNNY BOOK In a word: hilarious. Kids think Bad Kitty is very naughty but, oh so funny. These books are addictive to read and fun to reread. Illustrated with minimal text on every page. Bad Kitty has an attitude. She makes life difficult for her owner, Uncle Murry, puppy, and so on and so forth. Boxed set here .

Zita the Spacegirl  by Ben Hatke

HUMOR / GRAPHIC NOVEL

The Zita books rock — they’re full of adventure, humor, and fantastic characters!! Zita is a young girl who is a courageous, problem-solving heroine who accidentally gets stuck in space while trying to save her friend from kidnappers and save the universe.

Dragonbreath  by Ursula Vernon

Hysterical! I couldn’t stop laughing! This is a fantastic chapter book series for 3rd grade kids about Danny Dragonbreath and the crazy adventures he has with his friends. Boxed Set HERE.

Ninja Kid: From Nerd to Ninja by Anh Do

Nelson is a nerdy and likable main character who wakes up on his 10th birthday with perfect vision and… ninja moves! (How cool is that?) His mum and grandma explain that, like his missing fisherman dad before him, Nelson is the LAST ninja in the world — and he’s destined to SAVE the world. Action-packed, funny, appealing illustrations, and likable characters, this book has it all. You won’t want to stop with book one either because there’s a bit of a cliffhanger…

Cat Ninja  by Matthew Cody, illustrated by Yehudi Mercado

At night, this pet turns into Cat Ninja, Metro City’s protector! His nemesis is Leon’s sister’s evil hamster, Master Hamster.  Learn the Cat Ninja’s origin story, then follow his perilous, exciting, and humorous adventures! This graphic novel will appeal to reluctant readers.

First in one of the BEST Minecraft book series published, this adventure follows five players who are transported inside the game– and it’s real! They’ll have to use all their survival and problem-solving skills to stay alive. BOXED SET of Books 1 – 4 HERE .

Ivy Lost and Found  by Cynthia Lord, illustrated by Stephanie Graegin

An old doll gets a new life as a book buddy!  Ivy’s been in the attic for years until her girl, now an adult, donates Ivy to the Book Buddy’s shelf at the library. That’s when a lonely girl named Fern borrows Ivy. Fern is visiting her dad and his new family, and she needs a friend like Ivy. Then, when Ivy gets left outside in the rain, she has a surprise adventure of her own and makes friends with two other Book Buddies. Eventually, Fern feels better about her new blended family and returns her to the library.

Who Would Win? Whale vs. Giant Squid

Teachers say that their 3rd grade students can’t get enough of the Who Would Win? books. This particular title pits two ocean carnivores against each other. First, you’ll learn facts about a sperm whale, then you’ll learn about the giant squid. Finally, read what happens when these two creatures face-off.  Can you predict who will win? See all the addicting informational books in the Who Would Win series .

Unicorn Academy: Sophia and Rainbow

Well-written and charming, this unicorn book series is sure to entrance many young readers. In this story, Sophia arrives at Unicorn Academy and is paired with the lovely Rainbow. But, she feels guilty for making a new friend and leaving her best pony, Clover, back at home. On top of that, the unicorns’ magic is wonky because the lake is being poisoned. When someone accuses Sophia, she and her new friends decide to investigate.

Whatever After  by Sarah MlynowskiFANTASY / HUMOR

Once upon a time, a regular girl and her brother accidentally are transported into a fairy tale story. And mess it all up. (Whoops.) Now they have to fix the story before the ending gets changed. My kids and I love all the books in this series!

Dog Man by Dav Pinkey

GRAPHIC NOVEL / HUMOR

Weird. Quirky. Funny. I think all three describe this new graphic novel from the creator of Captain Underpants. In the first story, a police officer and a dog are joined together — the top from the dog, the bottom from the officer to make: Dog Man . Dog Man solves crimes and has adventures, the likes of which will entertain 8-year-old readers for hours.

First Cat in Space  by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Shawn Harris ( GRAPHIC NOVEL )

Absurdly hysterical, this is a bizarrely perfect adventure in space! When rats eat a slice of the moon, the world’s leaders send their secret weapon– a cat and a stowaway toenail-clipping robot.  The two adventurers travel to the moon where they meet the Queen of Moonopolis. Their journey is bizarre and hilarious. But the spaceship’s computer joins the Rat King’s evil side, and when the heroes arrive at the Rat King’s, they GET CAPTURED. Don’t worry– somehow they’ll escape. Right?

Get to Work, Hercules! (Myth-O-Mania)   by Kate McMullanHUMOR / MYTHOLOGYHades narrates the “TRUE” stories of the Greek Myths with panache and humor. Apparently, his younger brother Zeus is a big fat liar and edited all the myths to make himself look good. In this updated myth, Hades watches over his young, not-too-smart nephew, Hercules, whom Hera has it out for. Your kids are going to LOVE these books! My library can’t keep them on the shelves.

My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish  by Mo O’Hara

Hysterical and totally believable, right? Find out what happens if your goldfish dies and you bring him back to life. Only you messed it up and your goldfish becomes a zombie that can mesmerize you with his powerful eyes, making you do anything he wants. Aaaah!

HISTORICAL FICTION

Your kids will zip through these short, fast-paced adventures. The I Survived stories always are about a young person trying to survive the historically important, life-changing event such as the Titanic, Hurricane Katrina, Pearl Harbor, Nazi Invasion, and the Hindenburg crash. You’ll probably want to get a box set so your kids can immerse themselves in this excellent series.

The Haunted Library  by Dori Hillestad Butler

My 3rd-grade daughter and I loved this entertaining mystery series about a boy ghost, Kaz, who is blown away from his family and into a new haunt — a library. In this first story, he and his new friend, Claire, decide to be detectives. They want to discover the secret of the other ghost haunting the library plus find his missing family.

FRACTURED FAIRY TALE

Princess Harriet is the COOLEST heroine in this Sleeping Beauty 2.0. She’s thrilled to know she’ll fall into a deep sleep when she’s twelve because that means she can do anything crazy and dangerous without dying. In fact, she searches out danger and the results are hilariously entertaining. The other books in this fairy tale series with a twist series are just as remarkable. You’ll love the quirky humor.

Ivy and Bean   by Annie Barrows, illustrated by Sophie Blackall

HUMORGet ready to laugh along with these charming young friends who won’t stop until they find the best way to solve their perplexing troubles, no matter how many ideas they must try. A fantastic series for third graders. Boxed Set HERE .

The funny plots are about Nate’s life at home and school are totally relatable to any kid, especially boys. Some, like this one, are written in a combo of text and comics while others are straight graphic novels like Big Nate Welcome to My World . Box set here .

Siblings Maddie and Atticus can’t figure out who is dumping trash everywhere. And when they rescue a baby dolphin entangled in trash, they know they must get to the bottom of this mystery. Full-color photographs with information about dolphins, marine life, and more add in bonus  nonfiction information  for readers.

INTERACTIVE SCI-FI

These books invite YOU the reader to help solve the mysteries with your own bravery, heroism, and imaginative drawing. Yes, drawing. For example, in this story, you’ll make sure (by drawing) that you’ve got a spacesuit, you’ve packed everything you need to bring, the rocket design is perfect plus has some silly (bandages!?) extras, and lots more as the adventure ensues. It may sound contrived but it’s a fun, engaging adventure that any kid, artist or not, will love. And there is MORE in the series! Also read: The Pursuit of the Pesky Pizza Pirate! and  The Rise of Rusty-Robo-Cat! .

Trapped in a Video Game

Gamers and nongamers alike who love exciting and dangerous stories won’t want to miss this excellent series. Jesse’s friend gets an early release of a video game — and it sucks in both boys. They’re literally trapped. Inside the game, they meet a classmate who has been missing for weeks, now a grown-up man in the game. Because there’s no way out.

The Year of the Book  by Andrea Chang

Growing up is challenging and in the first novel, The Year of the Book , Anna turns to books for company while she learns how to make friendships in real life. The subsequent books in the series are just as realistic and well-written. I highly recommend them & love the diversity of the main character.

REALISTIC / STEM

Jada starts the school year hoping to find new friends, hopefully, ones that love rocks like she does. She misses her best friend but feels excited when her class studies geology. Unfortunately, one bossy girl in Jada’s group project makes fun of Jada’s interest in rocks. This is a well-written STEM story that shows the challenges of getting along with others and staying true to yourself.

Little Guides to Great Lives Nelson Mandela

This is another new biography series that I highly recommend for elementary-age readers. Written like a narrative story, these little books are fast-paced and informative. This particular title is about one of the world’s most admired activists and leaders, Nelson Mandela. Little Guides to Great Lives series  contain perfect text to picture ratio, captivating illustrations, informative content, and just-right pacing. Plus, they’re very well-written.

Franny K. Stein

HUMOR / SCI-FI

Franny is not a normal kid but a mad scientist. We love these stories that are wacky and laugh-out-loud funny sharing the many unfortunate antics of Franny.

by Herobrine Books

Short sentences with witty observations on life from the perspective of a Minecraft zombie will crack you up. These diaries are entertaining, funny reads. Nothing scary and perfect for any Minecraft enthusiasts. 

Two-Headed Chicken  by Tom Angleberger 

Hilarious!!  If you like wacky, bizarre humor, then this is your next favorite read.  This is a story about the multiverse in which you are a two-headed chicken being chased by a moose…and it’s probably one of the top five funniest books I’ve ever read. (And I’ve read a lot of books.) Add in funny quizzes, a fish with deep feelings, and lawyers…Needless to say, I laughed out loud throughout this funny book, perfect for kids in  2nd ,  3rd , or  4th grade .

SCI-FI / HUMOR

Engaging from the first page, this is a relatable (and funny) graphic novel adventure story about a young boy, Roan, who dreams of becoming a pilot . . . but gets into Jedi school instead. He’s the oldest new student because the other kids started long before he did. Roan has ups and downs, as one does at a new school, but finds his place at the school with new friends.

MYSTERY / STEM

Ada moves to a new neighborhood where she observes everything that happens out her window. She and a new friend notice a distraught neighbor whose dog is missing and they determine to solve the mystery.  Along with another neighbor boy, they use science and technology to solve the mystery of the missing dog.

Bad Guys  is a hysterical book and a favorite series for many boys especially.  Mr. Wolf invites other bad guys to a meeting in hopes they will join him in being good. Lots of drawings and minimal text make this a sure bet for beginning readers who like irony and humor. ( Note: If you don’t like potty humor, this is not the book for you. I will admit, after a few books, I was DONE with it. )

Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Old school humor at its best! These goofy books describe a wacky school with crazy teachers and even crazier events. Be ready to laugh.

Mrs. Frogbottom’s Field Trips I Want My Mummy by Nancy Krulik

Welcome to 4th grade with a teacher who isn’t like any other teachers…mostly because of her magic map that transports the entire class all over the world. In this story, Mrs. Frogbottom takes the class to Egypt — and our narrator, Tony, does not like it one bit, not the black cat following them, not that his friend Sofia disappears and not that Aiden wanders into a tomb where the friends get trapped! Camels, too much sand, pyramids, tombs, and an actual mummy make this terrified student very glad to go back home. This educational adventure series is off to a great start. Next stop, Scotland. 

Lunch Lady and the Cyborg Substitute  

If you haven’t read these addictive and hilarious graphic novels, they are a must for anyone who has eaten lunch at school. BOX SET

Jasmine Toguchi Mochi Queen by Debbi Michiko Florence, illustrated by Eliazbet Vukovic

Jasmine is so jealous that the older kids in her family have important jobs on the mochi making day — she wants to do what the older boys and men are doing, pound the mochi rice. Her understanding father figures out a way for Jasmine to join in. And even though it didn’t work out how she wanted, her family is proud of her and decide it’s okay to break some rules like who gets to pound the rice. Not only is the story’s message sweet, Jasmine’s Japanese-American culture and warm family community shine through.

The Story of Olympic Swimmer Duke Kahanamoku

Kids will love learning about cool but lesser-known people like Duke, a famous Hawaiian who is known for his dominance of the sport of surfing as well as being an Olympic swimmer. Helpful informational insets give readers background on topics covered in the biography such as how surfboards are made. Love it.

Amelia Bedelia Unleashed

I’ve been enjoying these updated Amelia chapter books by the original author’s son. In this story, Amelia searches for the perfect puppy in her charming, Amelia Bedelia way.

Fancy Nancy: Nancy Clancy, Secret Admirer  

Another enjoyable book in the Nancy Clancy series. In this book, Nancy and her best friend, Bree, decide to play matchmaker for Nancy’s babysitter, Annie, and her guitar teacher, Andy. Funny and fun!  BOX SET

If you like non-stop action, potty humor, space adventures, zombie aliens, mutant worm wrestling, a misunderstood evil princess, good friends, video games, and a diabolical, hunting-them-down evil queen, then this series is for you. Plus, it has loads of cartoon illustrations throughout and hilarious writing with a kazillion exclamation marks!!!! (If you like this, you’ll want to read book 2,  The Weiner Strikes Back. )

Written in letters, drawings, newspaper articles, and other unique texts, accompanied by illustrations, you’ll find this is a mesmerizing series about an old man named Ignatius B. Grumply and the ghosts that live in his home. Surprisingly not scary and quite punny, this was a favorite series for my 3rd grader.

If you like kooky books, this book fits the bill. Olga finds an unusual, unknown creature whom she names “MEH” after the sound that it makes. She uses her deductive reasoning to figure out what it is (something new!) and what it likes to eat (olives)! But what will she do when Meh disappears? Here’s what I love about this book… One, the illustrations rock! Two, the narrator’s voice is believable and funny. Three, the plot includes mean girls who aren’t so mean after all.

Kristy’s Great Idea Babysitter’s Club #1

REALISTIC / GRAPHIC NOVEL

We’re loving these updated Babysitter’s Club graphic novels by the uber-talented Raina Telegemeier who wrote the highly-acclaimed  Smile  and  Sister . I recommend starting with book one since the stories are told in a specific order with details from previous stories. These are funny and fun to read, maybe even more than once. BOX SET HERE.

Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab

MYSTERY/ STEM

Siblings Nick and Tesla are shipped off to live with their mad-scientist Uncle Newt for the summer while their parents are . . . doing something with soybeans in Uzbekistan. When left to fend for themselves, they discover something very suspicious happening at the old mansion down the street, more than just losing their rocket in that yard. If you like science, technology, and adventure, this is the series for you. (Also read: STEAM and STEM Chapter Books for Kids )

ENTREPRENEUR

A warm-hearted, sweet story about a Latinx girl who’s an entrepreneur and devoted daughter and granddaughter. When her grandpa (tata) tells Sarai Gonzalez that his rental house is being sold, she determines to help by selling more cupcakes than ever. Even her sisters join in to help and so do her cousins. A darling start to a new series inspired by Sarai’s own life!

Hank’s brain freezes up when he talks to people  — and also when he tries out for his class play. That’s why he gets the bookmark role. But, when the lead actor flubs his lines, Hank jumps in to save the play from disaster. I love Hank’s relatable character to whom learning doesn’t come easily

Stick Dog is hilarious. Why is he called Stick Dog? Because our author/narrator can’t draw. And also, because he likes sticks. The funny cartoonish illustrations make this story of stray dogs easy to read and very entertaining series for kids.

3rd grader Beatrice is a divergent problem solver. So when her best friend Lenny comes back from camp a changed girl and seems to have a new best friend that is NOT Beatrice, Beatrice decides to get her friend back. Kids will be cheering Beatrice on as she tried to figure out how to reconnect with her former best friend. Cute!

If you like mythical creatures, independent thinkers, and mysteries, you’ll love this first book in the Pip Bartlett series as much as me. Pip’s world is just like ours except for one significant difference —  magical creatures exist and often are pets!

Judy Moody Was in a Mood

Want to get your kids reading a great series? Try Judy Moody. She’s a relatable third grader with a big personality, an annoying little brother, and humorous antics.

Secrets of the Manor:  Claire’s Story, 1910  by Adele Whitby

HISTORICAL MYSTERY

This is a captivating story about an orphan girl who moves to France to live with friends of her family. She befriends a servant girl and the duo realizes there are mysteries that must be answered — like what happened to the daughter of the manor and why did her parents send her to this family. An excellent first book in a new series for 3rd graders.

You Might Also Like:

Best Read Aloud Books for 3rd Grade

All book recommendations for 8-year olds

Nonfiction Book Recommendations for 3rd G raders

Best Boxed Book Sets for Kids

Card Games for Kids

Funny Books

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