States · IN
Indiana Grade 3 standards crosswalk
How each national third grade standard lines up with Indiana's own standards.
How to read this
Each row takes one national third grade standard and shows the Indiana standard that covers it. Same: the state standard says the same thing. Close: the same skill with small wording differences. Partly: the state covers only part of it in Grade 3. Not in Grade 3: the state has no Grade 3 standard for it (the note says where it sits, when the state says). Third Grade teaches every national standard listed here; the notes tell you what, if anything, to adjust for Indiana.
Checked 2026-10-08 against official Indiana documents. This is an unofficial guide; your state's own documents are the authority.
Math
Indiana Academic Standards for Mathematics (2023)
How Indiana writes its codes: Grade, a domain abbreviation (NS, CA, G, M, DA) and a number, joined by periods, for example 3.CA.7; "(E)" after the text marks an essential standard.
State-written standards · adopted 2023
9 same · 20 close · 4 partly · 4 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Indiana code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.OA.A.1 Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 × 7 as the total number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 × 7. | 3.CA.3 | Indiana asks children to model multiplication with equal groups, arrays, area models and number lines, and adds the properties of 0 and 1. | |
| 3.OA.A.2 Interpret whole-number quotients of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 56 ÷ 8 as the number of objects in each share when 56 objects are partitioned equally into 8 shares, or as a number of shares when 56 objects are partitioned into equal shares of 8 objects each. For example, describe a context in which a number of shares or a number of groups can be expressed as 56 ÷ 8. | 3.CA.4 | Indiana asks children to model division as partitioning, sharing and the inverse of multiplication, and adds the properties of 0 and 1. | |
| 3.OA.A.3 Use multiplication and division within 100 to solve word problems in situations involving equal groups, arrays, and measurement quantities, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. | 3.CA.7 | Same | |
| 3.OA.A.4 Determine the unknown whole number in a multiplication or division equation relating three whole numbers. For example, determine the unknown number that makes the equation true in each of the equations 8 × ? = 48, 5 = □ ÷ 3, 6 × 6 = ?. | 3.CA.7 | Partly | Indiana dropped its separate unknown-number standard in 2023; a symbol for the unknown appears only inside word problems. The state comparison lists no match. |
| 3.OA.B.5 Apply properties of operations as strategies to multiply and divide. | 3.CA.5 | Properties of operations appear as one strategy for multiplying and dividing within 100, not as a separate standard. | |
| 3.OA.B.6 Understand division as an unknown-factor problem. For example, find 32 ÷ 8 by finding the number that makes 32 when multiplied by 8. | 3.CA.4 | Covered as modeling division as the inverse of multiplication. | |
| 3.OA.C.7 Fluently multiply and divide within 100, using strategies such as the relationship between multiplication and division (e.g., knowing that 8 × 5 = 40, one knows 40 ÷ 5 = 8) or properties of operations. By the end of Grade 3, know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers. | 3.CA.5, 3.CA.6 | Split in two: strategies within 100 (3.CA.5) and mastery of multiplication and matching division facts of 0 to 10 (3.CA.6). | |
| 3.OA.D.8 Solve two-step word problems using the four operations. Represent these problems using equations with a letter standing for the unknown quantity. Assess the reasonableness of answers using mental computation and estimation strategies including rounding. | 3.CA.2 | Partly | Indiana covers real-world addition and subtraction problems only; its two-step, four-operation standard was dropped in 2023. Checking reasonableness is not stated. |
| 3.OA.D.9 Identify arithmetic patterns (including patterns in the addition table or multiplication table), and explain them using properties of operations. For example, observe that 4 times a number is always even, and explain why 4 times a number can be decomposed into two equal addends. | 3.CA.8 | Indiana asks children to create, extend and give a rule for number patterns within 100; explaining patterns with properties is not stated. | |
| 3.NBT.A.1 Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100. | 3.NS.6 | Same | |
| 3.NBT.A.2 Fluently add and subtract within 1000 using strategies and algorithms based on place value, properties of operations, and/or the relationship between addition and subtraction. | 3.CA.1 | Indiana says multi-digit whole numbers, with no limit of 1,000. | |
| 3.NBT.A.3 Multiply one-digit whole numbers by multiples of 10 in the range 10—90 (e.g., 9 × 80, 5 × 60) using strategies based on place value and properties of operations. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on multiplying one-digit numbers by multiples of 10; the grade where Indiana places it was not seen. |
| 3.NF.A.1 Understand a fraction 1/b as the quantity formed by 1 part when a whole is partitioned into b equal parts; understand a fraction a/b as the quantity formed by a parts of size 1/b. | 3.NS.2 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.2 Understand a fraction as a number on the number line; represent fractions on a number line diagram. | 3.NS.3 | Indiana has one number-line standard, written for non-unit fractions. | |
| 3.NF.A.2.a Represent a fraction 1/b on a number line diagram by defining the interval from 0 to 1 as the whole and partitioning it into b equal parts. Recognize that each part has size 1/b and that the endpoint of the part based at 0 locates the number 1/b on the number line. | 3.NS.3 | Partly | Indiana dropped its separate unit-fraction number-line standard in 2023; 3.NS.3 still has children name each equal part as a unit fraction. |
| 3.NF.A.2.b Represent a fraction a/b on a number line diagram by marking off a lengths 1/b from 0. Recognize that the resulting interval has size a/b and that its endpoint locates the number a/b on the number line. | 3.NS.3 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. | 3.NS.4, 3.NS.5 | Equivalent fractions (3.NS.4) and comparing fractions (3.NS.5) are covered; whole numbers as fractions are not stated. | |
| 3.NF.A.3.a Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line. | 3.NS.4 | Indiana shows equivalence with fraction models (number and size of parts); the same point on a number line was dropped in 2023. | |
| 3.NF.A.3.b Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3). Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. | 3.NS.4 | Same | |
| 3.NF.A.3.c Express whole numbers as fractions, and recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole numbers. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on writing whole numbers as fractions; Indiana places it in Grade 4 (4.NS.2). |
| 3.NF.A.3.d Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. | 3.NS.5 | Same | |
| 3.MD.A.1 Tell and write time to the nearest minute and measure time intervals in minutes. Solve word problems involving addition and subtraction of time intervals in minutes, e.g., by representing the problem on a number line diagram. | 3.M.3 | Same | |
| 3.MD.A.2 Measure and estimate liquid volumes and masses of objects using standard units of grams (g), kilograms (kg), and liters (l). Add, subtract, multiply, or divide to solve one-step word problems involving masses or volumes that are given in the same units, e.g., by using drawings (such as a beaker with a measurement scale) to represent the problem. | 3.M.1 | Indiana adds quarts and gallons to liters, grams and kilograms. | |
| 3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. For example, draw a bar graph in which each square in the bar graph might represent 5 pets. | 3.DA.1 | Indiana has children collect their own data for scaled bar graphs and pictographs; how-many-more and how-many-less problems are not named. | |
| 3.MD.B.4 Generate measurement data by measuring lengths using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Show the data by making a line plot, where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units— whole numbers, halves, or quarters. | 3.M.2 | Partly | Measuring length to a quarter inch is in 3.M.2; Indiana dropped its Grade 3 line plot standard in 2023 and teaches line plots in Grade 4 (4.DA.1, 4.DA.2). |
| 3.MD.C.5 Recognize area as an attribute of plane figures and understand concepts of area measurement. | 3.M.5 | Indiana has one area standard; the idea of area is covered within it. | |
| 3.MD.C.5.a A square with side length 1 unit, called "a unit square," is said to have "one square unit" of area, and can be used to measure area. | 3.M.5 | Unit squares are used in 3.M.5; there is no separate statement defining a unit square. | |
| 3.MD.C.5.b A plane figure which can be covered without gaps or overlaps by n unit squares is said to have an area of n square units. | 3.M.5 | Covering a rectangle with unit squares is used in 3.M.5; not stated separately. | |
| 3.MD.C.6 Measure areas by counting unit squares (square cm, square m, square in, square ft, and improvised units). | 3.M.5 | Covered as modeling area with unit squares; specific units (square cm, square in) are not listed. | |
| 3.MD.C.7 Relate area to the operations of multiplication and addition. | 3.M.5 | Area is related to multiplication in 3.M.5; the link to addition is not stated. | |
| 3.MD.C.7.a Find the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths by tiling it, and show that the area is the same as would be found by multiplying the side lengths. | 3.M.5 | Same | |
| 3.MD.C.7.b Multiply side lengths to find areas of rectangles with whole-number side lengths in the context of solving real world and mathematical problems, and represent whole-number products as rectangular areas in mathematical reasoning. | 3.M.5 | Indiana shows that area equals the product of the side lengths; its real-world area problem standard was dropped in 2023. | |
| 3.MD.C.7.c Use tiling to show in a concrete case that the area of a rectangle with whole-number side lengths a and b + c is the sum of a × b and a × c. Use area models to represent the distributive property in mathematical reasoning. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on using area models to show the distributive property. |
| 3.MD.C.7.d Recognize area as additive. Find areas of rectilinear figures by decomposing them into non-overlapping rectangles and adding the areas of the non-overlapping parts, applying this technique to solve real world problems. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on the area of shapes made of several rectangles; Indiana places it in Grade 4 (4.M.4). |
| 3.MD.D.8 Solve real world and mathematical problems involving perimeters of polygons, including finding the perimeter given the side lengths, finding an unknown side length, and exhibiting rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas or with the same area and different perimeters. | 3.M.6, 3.M.5 | Split in two: perimeters and unknown sides (3.M.6); rectangles with the same perimeter and different areas (3.M.5). Real-world problems are not stated. | |
| 3.G.A.1 Understand that shapes in different categories (e.g., rhombuses, rectangles, and others) may share attributes (e.g., having four sides), and that the shared attributes can define a larger category (e.g., quadrilaterals). Recognize rhombuses, rectangles, and squares as examples of quadrilaterals, and draw examples of quadrilaterals that do not belong to any of these subcategories. | 3.G.1 | Indiana asks children to define, classify and draw examples and non-examples of quadrilaterals; shared attributes across shape categories are not spelled out. | |
| 3.G.A.2 Partition shapes into parts with equal areas. Express the area of each part as a unit fraction of the whole. For example, partition a shape into 4 parts with equal area, and describe the area of each part as 1/4 of the area of the shape. | 3.G.3 | Same |
In Indiana's Grade 3 standards, not in the national list
| Code | What it asks | In Third Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3.NS.1 | Read and write whole numbers up to 10,000 using words, models, standard form and expanded form. | not taught |
| 3.G.2 | Identify, describe and draw points, lines and line segments with tools such as a ruler, and use these words to describe flat shapes. | not taught |
| 3.M.4 | Find the value of any set of coins and bills, write amounts with cent and dollar signs, and decide whether there is enough money to buy something. | not taught |
English Language Arts
Indiana Academic Standards for English/Language Arts (2023)
How Indiana writes its codes: Grade, a domain abbreviation (RF, RC, W, CC) and a number, joined by periods, for example 3.RC.5; lettered parts (a, b, c) sit inside a standard's text and are not separate codes.
State-written standards · adopted 2023
33 same · 33 close · 8 partly · 16 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Indiana code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. | 3.RC.1 | Same | |
| RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. | 3.RC.2 | Indiana names folktales, fables and tall tales and asks for themes; myths and explaining the message through key details are not stated. | |
| RL.3.3 Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events. | 3.RC.3 | Same | |
| RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. | 3.RC.11 | Partly | Indiana covers context clues for unknown words (3.RC.11); telling literal from nonliteral language is not stated. The state comparison lists no match. |
| RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on chapters, scenes and stanzas or how parts of a story build on each other. |
| RL.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. | 3.RC.4 | Same | |
| RL.3.7 Explain how specific aspects of a text's illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on how illustrations add to a story; 3.RC.7 treats illustrations as text features for finding information. |
| RL.3.9 Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on comparing stories by the same author. |
| RL.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Indiana has no separate text-complexity standard; 3.RF.5 asks for fluent oral reading of grade-level texts. |
| RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. | 3.RC.1 | Same | |
| RI.3.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. | 3.RC.5 | Same | |
| RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. | 3.RC.6 | Same | |
| RI.3.4 Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. | 3.RC.11 | Partly | Indiana covers unknown words through context clues and text features; academic and subject-area words are not named. The state comparison lists no match. |
| RI.3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. | 3.RC.7 | Indiana covers text features such as maps, charts and formatting; search tools such as key words and hyperlinks are not named. | |
| RI.3.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on telling the reader's point of view from the author's; 3.RC.4 covers narrators and characters only. |
| RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). | 3.RC.7 | Covered as using text features such as maps and illustrations to gain meaning from a text. | |
| RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). | 3.RC.8 | Indiana asks how nonfiction is structured (problem and solution, time order) instead of connections between particular sentences and paragraphs. | |
| RI.3.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic. | 3.RC.10 | Same | |
| RI.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2—3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. | — | Not in Grade 3 | Indiana has no separate text-complexity standard for informational reading. |
| RF.3.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. | 3.RF.1, 3.RF.2, 3.RF.3, 3.RF.4 | Indiana lists specific phonics skills instead: six syllable patterns, blends and spelling patterns, harder word families, and multisyllabic words. | |
| RF.3.3.a Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes. | 3.RF.4 | Indiana has children read multisyllabic words made of roots, prefixes and suffixes; knowing what the prefixes and suffixes mean is not stated. | |
| RF.3.3.b Decode words with common Latin suffixes. | 3.RF.4 | Covered as reading words built from roots, prefixes and suffixes; Latin suffixes are not named. | |
| RF.3.3.c Decode multisyllable words. | 3.RF.1, 3.RF.4 | Covered by the six syllable patterns (3.RF.1) and reading multisyllabic words (3.RF.4). | |
| RF.3.3.d Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. | 3.RF.3, 3.RF.4 | The state comparison pairs this with harder word families such as -ight (3.RF.3); 3.RF.4 adds irregular contractions and possessives. | |
| RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. | 3.RF.5 | Indiana has one fluency standard, for oral reading. | |
| RF.3.4.a Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding. | 3.RF.5 | Covered within 3.RF.5 (reading with expression that shows comprehension); not stated separately. | |
| RF.3.4.b Read grade-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings | 3.RF.5 | Indiana says grade-level or higher texts, read smoothly and accurately with expression; prose, poetry and repeated readings are not named. | |
| RF.3.4.c Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on using context to self-correct word reading; 3.RC.11 uses context clues for word meanings only. |
| W.3.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. | 3.W.2 | Same | |
| W.3.1.a Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons. | 3.W.2 | Same | |
| W.3.1.b Provide reasons that support the opinion. | 3.W.2 | Same | |
| W.3.1.c Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons. | 3.W.2 | Same | |
| W.3.1.d Provide a concluding statement or section. | 3.W.2 | Same | |
| W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. | 3.W.3 | Same | |
| W.3.2.a Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension. | 3.W.3 | Same | |
| W.3.2.b Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details. | 3.W.3 | Indiana says facts and details; definitions are not named. | |
| W.3.2.c Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information. | 3.W.3 | Same | |
| W.3.2.d Provide a concluding statement or section. | 3.W.3 | Same | |
| W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. | 3.W.4 | Same | |
| W.3.3.a Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. | 3.W.4 | Same | |
| 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. | 3.W.4 | Indiana asks for dialogue and specific descriptive details; describing actions, thoughts and feelings is not spelled out. | |
| W.3.3.c Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order. | 3.W.4 | Same | |
| W.3.3.d Provide a sense of closure. | 3.W.4 | Same | |
| W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. | 3.W.5 | Covered within the writing-process standard (organizing ideas to fit topic, purpose and genre); not a separate standard. | |
| W.3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. | 3.W.5 | Same draft, revise and edit process; help from peers and adults is not mentioned. | |
| W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others. | 3.W.5 | Indiana asks children to use technology to produce and publish; keyboarding and working with others online are not named. | |
| W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. | 3.W.6 | Same | |
| W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. | 3.W.6 | Indiana asks children to find information and record it in their own words; sorting evidence into categories is not named. Indiana adds judging source reliability. | |
| W.3.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on writing routinely over short and long time frames. |
| SL.3.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. | 3.CC.1 | Same | |
| SL.3.1.a Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. | 3.CC.2 | Indiana asks children to draw on readings and other information in discussion; coming prepared is not stated. | |
| SL.3.1.b Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard states rules for discussions. |
| SL.3.1.c Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others. | 3.CC.3 | Same | |
| SL.3.1.d Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. | 3.CC.1 | covered within the parent standard (expressing personal ideas clearly). | |
| SL.3.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. | 3.CC.4 | Indiana asks children to retell, paraphrase and explain the main ideas and details. | |
| SL.3.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail. | 3.CC.5 | Same | |
| SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. | 3.CC.6 | Indiana asks for a report or a narrative organized in time order, with appropriate language. | |
| SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. | 3.CC.7 | Partly | Indiana covers oral presentations that use media to stress facts or details; audio recordings of stories or poems are not named. |
| SL.3.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on speaking in complete sentences. |
| L.3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. | 3.W.7 | Indiana places grammar in the writing strand and lists four focus areas; speaking is not mentioned. | |
| L.3.1.a Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences. | 3.W.7 | Partly | Indiana asks children to explain the function of adjectives and adverbs only (part c), not all five parts of speech. |
| L.3.1.b Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns. | 3.W.7 | Partly | The state comparison pairs this with 3.W.7 (command of grammar and usage), but its wording does not name regular or irregular plural nouns. |
| L.3.1.c Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood). | 3.W.7 | Same | |
| L.3.1.d Form and use regular and irregular verbs. | 3.W.7 | Same | |
| L.3.1.e Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses. | 3.W.7 | Same | |
| L.3.1.f Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement. | 3.W.7 | Partly | The state comparison pairs this with 3.W.7 (command of grammar and usage), but its wording does not name subject-verb or pronoun agreement. |
| L.3.1.g Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. | 3.W.7 | Same | |
| L.3.1.h Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions. | 3.W.7 | Same | |
| L.3.1.i Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences. | 3.W.7 | Indiana adds writing declarative, interrogative, imperative and exclamatory sentences. | |
| L.3.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. | 3.W.8 | Same | |
| L.3.2.a Capitalize appropriate words in titles. | 3.W.8 | Indiana adds capitalizing historical periods, company names, product names and special events. | |
| L.3.2.b Use commas in addresses. | 3.W.8 | Indiana adds commas in locations and between coordinating adjectives (a small, red bicycle). | |
| L.3.2.c Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue. | 3.W.8 | Same | |
| L.3.2.d Form and use possessives. | 3.W.8 | Indiana names apostrophes for singular and plural possessives and adds contractions. | |
| L.3.2.e Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). | 3.W.8 | Indiana names irregularly spelled words (said, does, gone), other studied words and adding affixes to base words. | |
| L.3.2.f Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words. | 3.W.8 | Indiana adds homophones and homographs to the spelling patterns. | |
| L.3.2.g Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings. | 3.W.5 | Covered as using reference materials while revising and editing; dictionaries for checking spelling are not named. | |
| L.3.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. | 3.W.5 | Partly | Only word choice in revising (3.W.5) touches this; no separate standard on language conventions across speaking, reading and listening. |
| L.3.3.a Choose words and phrases for effect. | 3.W.5 | Covered as revising for word choice in the writing-process standard. | |
| L.3.3.b Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on differences between spoken and written English. |
| L.3.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. | 3.RC.11, 3.RC.12, 3.RC.13 | Indiana places vocabulary in the reading strand: context clues, word relationships, and roots and affixes. | |
| L.3.4.a Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. | 3.RC.11 | Same | |
| L.3.4.b Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat). | 3.RC.13 | Indiana asks children to identify when an affix is added to a known root word; working out the new meaning is implied. | |
| L.3.4.c Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion). | 3.RC.13 | Same | |
| L.3.4.d Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases. | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on using glossaries or dictionaries to find word meanings. |
| L.3.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. | 3.RC.12 | Partly | Indiana covers word relationships (synonyms, antonyms, homographs, homonyms, multiple-meaning words); nuances and nonliteral meanings are not stated. |
| L.3.5.a Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on literal and nonliteral meanings. |
| L.3.5.b Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on real-life connections between words and their use. |
| L.3.5.c Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on shades of meaning; 3.RC.12 covers synonyms and antonyms. |
| L.3.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them). | — | Not in Grade 3 | No Grade 3 Indiana standard on acquiring and using academic and subject-area vocabulary. |
In Indiana's Grade 3 standards, not in the national list
| Code | What it asks | In Third Grade |
|---|---|---|
| 3.RC.9 | Tell fact from opinion, and explain how an author uses reasons and facts to support points in a text. | not taught |
| 3.W.1 | Write legibly in print or cursive, with proper spacing between letters, words and the edges of the paper. | not taught |
| 3.CC.8 | Tell apart the purposes of media messages: to inform, entertain, persuade, interpret events or pass on culture. | not taught |
Science
Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023)
How Indiana writes its codes: The national performance-expectation codes unchanged: grade, discipline and core idea, then a number, joined by hyphens, for example 3-LS4-1; engineering is 3-5-ETS1-1.
Uses the national codes · adopted 2023
18 same · 0 close · 0 partly · 0 not in Grade 3
| National standard | Indiana code(s) | Match | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. | 3-PS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. | 3-PS2-2 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-3 Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. | 3-PS2-3 | Same | |
| 3-PS2-4 Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets. | 3-PS2-4 | Same | |
| 3-LS1-1 Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. | 3-LS1-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. | 3-LS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms. | 3-LS3-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. | 3-LS3-2 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. | 3-LS4-1 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-2 Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. | 3-LS4-2 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. | 3-LS4-3 | Same | |
| 3-LS4-4 Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. | 3-LS4-4 | Same | |
| 3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. | 3-ESS2-1 | Same | |
| 3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world. | 3-ESS2-2 | Same | |
| 3-ESS3-1 Make a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. | 3-ESS3-1 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. | 3-5-ETS1-1 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-2 Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. | 3-5-ETS1-2 | Same | |
| 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. | 3-5-ETS1-3 | Same |
Social Studies
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: Grade 3 Social Studies
How Indiana writes its codes: Grade, a domain letter (H, C, G, E) and a number, joined by periods, for example 3.G.2; "(E)" after the text marks an essential standard.
adopted 2026
Grade 3 focus in Indiana: Grade 3 is about the child's own community and its region: how it was shaped, how it is governed, where it sits in Indiana and the Midwest, and how local people trade and choose.
In Indiana's Grade 3 social studies standards, not covered by a unit