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Back Year 3 · usually aged 7 or 8 · Phase 1

Year 3 maths and English

Maths, reading and writing lessons for Year 3, matched to the 2026 New Zealand Curriculum. Your child starts where they are, follows a short daily plan, and you see how they're going.

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What Year 3 learns

The big ideas this year.

  • Maths

    Fast facts to 20, adding and subtracting with three-digit numbers, the 3, 4, 5 and 10 times tables, unit fractions, money and telling the time.

  • English

    Reading between the lines, writing stories and persuasive pieces, nouns, verbs and paragraphs, and spelling with syllables, prefixes and suffixes.

Not sure which year your child is in? NZ year levels and ages explains it.

The lessons

Every Year 3 lesson in Study Compass.

Maths

Number and algebra (11)

  • Odd and even numbers
  • Fast facts to 20
  • Fact families
  • Adding and subtracting two- and three-digit numbers
  • Tables: 3, 4, 5 and 10
  • Multiplying and dividing with arrays and groups
  • Unit fractions
  • Estimate and check
  • Money
  • Word problems
  • Following number steps (algorithms)

Measurement (5)

  • Choosing metric units
  • Reading scales
  • Units of time
  • Telling the time
  • Angles as turns

Space (1)

  • Maps and finding places

Statistics (3)

  • Collecting data
  • Graphs
  • A small survey of their own

English

Reading (7)

  • Kinds of text
  • Finding the answer
  • Reading between the lines
  • Headings and pictures
  • Characters and settings
  • Rhyme and rhythm
  • Reading smoothly

Writing (5)

  • Writing a story
  • Writing to persuade
  • Same topic, different readers
  • Checking and fixing their writing
  • Talking about books (at home)

Grammar and punctuation (9)

  • Subject and verb agree
  • Kinds of verbs
  • Tense and time words
  • Paragraphs
  • Words with two meanings
  • Strong and soft words (evaluative language)
  • Nouns: naming words
  • Pronouns
  • Longer sentences

Spelling (4)

  • Syllables
  • Prefixes and suffixes
  • Tricky letter patterns
  • Homophones

Each lesson has a short explainer, a quiz and five levels of practice. New lessons are added each term.

Spelling

Year 3 spelling.

  • Syllables: to clap syllables and spell long words one chunk at a time.
  • Prefixes and suffixes: base words with prefixes (un-, re-, dis-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -ed, -ing, -er), including dropping the e (hope → hoping) and doubling (run → running).
  • Tricky letter patterns: less common patterns: -igh (night), -ough (though), ph (phone), -tion (station), -dge (bridge).
  • Homophones: high-frequency words (because, friend, said, people) and homophones (there/their/they're, to/too/two, hear/here).
At home

Three ways to help a Year 3 child.

  • Let them work out the change when you pay with a $5 note.

  • Ask what time it will be in half an hour, on a clock with hands.

  • After a story, ask why a character did what they did.

Year 3 · Year 4 · Year 5 · Year 6 · Year 7 · Year 8

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Matched to the New Zealand Curriculum. Shaped around your child.

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