Maine 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

Maine standards

Math

Maine Learning Results: Mathematics

Common Core · adopted 2020

Maine Learning Results: Mathematics, adopted July 2020, keep the Common Core codes, written like 3.NF.A.3d. Of the 37 Grade 3 expectations, 35 match the national standards word for word, so Grade 3 math fits Third Grade; 3.OA.B.5 leaves out the words "and divide" and 3.MD.A.1 adds analog and digital clocks.

Official standards

English Language Arts

Maine Learning Results: English Language Arts (2020)

State's own standards · adopted 2020

The 2020 Maine ELA standards are state-written, with their own codes such as R.4.3 (Reading standard 4, Grade 3). Grade 3 has 25 standards. Reading of stories and of informational text is combined, and one writing standard (W.3.3) covers all kinds of writing.

Official standards

Science

Maine Learning Results: Science, Technology, and Engineering

National science standards · adopted 2019

Maine's Science, Technology, and Engineering standards became law on April 19, 2019. The 18 Grade 3 expectations use the national codes and wording, for example 3-LS4-1, so Grade 3 science matches Third Grade. A 2023 revision was not authorized, so the 2019 standards remain.

Official standards

Social Studies

Maine Learning Results: Social Studies

State's own standards

Maine Learning Results for Social Studies (revised 2019) give separate expectations for each grade from K to 5, labeled by strand and number, for example "History 1". A proposed revision that adds Wabanaki studies and other topics was resubmitted to the Legislature; no outcome is posted and the 2019 standards are still listed as current.

Official standards

Grade 3 differences

1. In Maine

   Social studies: Grade 3 students study major eras in the history of their community, Maine and the United States, using primary and secondary sources (History 1).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 8 (how our community began): add a Maine timeline built from old photos, maps or letters, and use the Week 17 state project for Maine.

2. In Maine

   Social studies: Maine Native American communities are named across Grade 3: unity and diversity in the community, the state and the nation (History 2) and how geographic features affect the daily life of various cultures (Geography 2).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Weeks 6 and 12 (Native peoples; Native nations across regions): focus on the Wabanaki Nations of Maine (Maliseet, Mi'kmaq, Passamaquoddy and Penobscot). In Week 4 (landforms, water and resources), talk about how Maine's coast, rivers and forests shape their daily life.

3. In Maine

   Social studies: Maine first names the legislative, executive and judicial branches in Grade 4. Grade 3 covers how governments are organized, how leaders are elected and how laws are made (Civics & Government 1 and 2).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Social Studies Week 20 (three branches): treat it as a preview, and spend more of Weeks 19-20 on how leaders are elected and how laws are made, using your town and Maine as examples.

4. In Maine

   ELA: Maine has one writing standard for all kinds of writing (W.3.3) instead of separate opinion, informative and narrative standards. It adds using precise vocabulary and word choice (W.3.3.d), and developing keyboarding skills is its own item under W.2.3.

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   ELA Week 13 (revise and edit): add a pass where your child swaps vague words for precise ones. ELA Week 31 (publishing): have your child type the final copy to practice keyboarding.

5. In Maine

   ELA: Maine asks how an author or a character uses reasons and evidence to support a claim (R.10.3), where the national standard asks how sentences and paragraphs connect.

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   ELA Week 24 (author's purpose and point of view): ask what the author or character claims, then list the reasons and evidence given for it.

6. In Maine

   Math: Maine's time standard says time is measured using analog and digital clocks (3.MD.A.1).

   Suggested swap in Third Grade

   Math Week 25 (time): read and write times to the minute from both an analog clock and a digital clock.

Grade 3 public-school test

Maine Educational Assessments (MEA) in math and ELA/literacy, part of the Maine Comprehensive Assessment System

Check the department page for the Grade 3 test currently in use.

About this test

Shown for context. Homeschool testing rules are separate; see below.

Homeschool rules

Check your state's current homeschool rules with its education department. Maine homeschool page

Sources

• Mathematics Standards · Maine Department of Education
• Maine Learning Results: Mathematics, Childhood (K-5) standards (2.18.2020) · Maine Department of Education
• ELA/Literacy Standards Review · Maine Department of Education
• 2020 Maine ELA Standards: ELA in Common Format (Word) · Maine Department of Education
• Science Standards Review · Maine Department of Education
• Science, Technology, and Engineering Standards (2019) · Maine Department of Education
• Social Studies Standards Review · Maine Department of Education
• Maine Learning Results for Social Studies (Revised 2019), full document · Maine Department of Education
• Maine Comprehensive Assessment System · Maine Department of Education
• Home Instruction · Maine Department of Education

Verified 2026-10-08