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    Missouri 3rd Grade Curriculum & Standards Guide

    How Missouri's third grade standards line up with Third Grade.

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    Missouri standards

    Math

    Missouri Learning Standards: Mathematics

    State's own standards · adopted 2016

    State-written standards approved April 19, 2016, with their own codes such as 3.RA.C.7. Most Grade 3 content lines up with the Third Grade math plan, but Missouri also asks children to read and write whole numbers up to 100,000 (3.NBT.A.2) and to make frequency tables (3.DS.A.1).

    Official standards

    English Language Arts

    Missouri Learning Standards: English Language Arts

    State's own standards · adopted 2016

    State-written standards approved April 19, 2016, with their own codes such as 3.R.1.A.b. Grade 3 adds cursive, media literacy and telling fact from opinion. Missouri places conjunctions in Grade 4 (4.L.1.A.g) and complex sentences in Grade 5 (5.L.1.A.e), later than the program does.

    Official standards

    Science

    Missouri Learning Standards: Science

    Based on the national science framework · adopted 2016

    State-written expectations approved in 2016 and modeled on the national K-12 science framework, with codes such as 3.LS1.B.1. Grade 3 has 14 expectations: forces and motion and fossils are placed in Grade 4, and two expectations on matter are added. The state science test is given in Grades 5 and 8.

    Official standards

    Social Studies

    Missouri Learning Standards: Social Studies

    State's own standards

    Approved April 19, 2016. Grade 3 is a Missouri year: the state's government and constitution, its history from Native peoples through the Civil War, and its economy, geography, regions and culture. Codes are written like 3.H.3.A.b.

    Official standards

    Standard-by-standard crosswalk

    See every national third grade standard matched to Missouri's own codes.

    • Math: 21 same · 14 close · 2 partly · 0 not in Grade 3
    • English Language Arts: 33 same · 42 close · 7 partly · 8 not in Grade 3
    • Science: 6 same · 6 close · 1 partly · 5 not in Grade 3
    Open the Missouri crosswalk

    Grade 3 differences

    1. In Missouri

      Social studies: Grade 3 is a Missouri history year: Native American migration to Missouri, exploration and early settlement, why African peoples were enslaved and brought to Missouri, the Louisiana Purchase and Lewis and Clark, statehood, the Dred Scott decision and the Civil War (3.H.3.A.a, 3.H.3.A.b, 3.H.3.A.c, 3.H.3.F.a, 3.H.3.F.c, 3.H.3.E.a, 3.H.3.G.a, 3.H.3.G.b).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Weeks 6-8 (Native peoples; explorers and settlers; how our community began): make these Missouri history weeks, from Native nations such as the Osage and early French settlement to the Louisiana Purchase, statehood, slavery and Dred Scott, and Missouri as a border state in the Civil War. Use Flex Week 14 if you need more time.

    2. In Missouri

      Social studies: children explain the purposes of the Missouri Constitution and the three branches of Missouri's state government (3.PC.1.B.b, 3.GS.2.D.a).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 20 (three branches): use Missouri's state government as the example (governor, legislature and state courts) and talk about what the Missouri Constitution is for.

    3. In Missouri

      Science: Missouri's Grade 3 list has no forces-and-motion expectations (they are in Grade 4: 4.PS2.A.1, 4.PS2.A.2) and adds two on matter: how water freezes, melts, evaporates and condenses (3.PS1.A.1) and changes from heating or cooling that can or cannot be reversed (3.PS1.B.1).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Science Weeks 1-2 and 6 (pushes and pulls; balanced and unbalanced forces; motion patterns): these are Grade 4 topics in Missouri, so you can shorten them. Use the time saved, or Science Week 5 (flex week), to investigate ice, water and steam and to sort changes that can be undone (melting) from changes that cannot (cooking an egg).

    4. In Missouri

      Math: children read, write and identify whole numbers up to 100,000 in numerals, number names and expanded form (3.NBT.A.2), and create frequency tables along with scaled picture graphs and bar graphs (3.DS.A.1).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Math Week 1 (place value and rounding): extend reading and writing numbers to 100,000, including expanded form. Math Week 35 (scaled picture and bar graphs): make a frequency table before drawing each graph.

    5. In Missouri

      ELA: Grade 3 expects legible writing in print and cursive (3.L.1.B.a), digital and media literacy (3.R.4.A.a to 3.R.4.A.d), telling a biography from an autobiography (3.R.3.B.a) and telling fact from opinion (3.R.3.B.b).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      ELA Week 6 (informational text features): add the features of a web page and compare a biography with an autobiography. ELA Week 8 (opinion writing): sort facts from opinions. Add a few minutes of cursive practice daily, all year.

    6. In Missouri

      Social studies: children name and locate Missouri's major cities, rivers, regions and border states (3.EG.5.B.a).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 10 (U.S. geography): add a Missouri map day with the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers, major cities and the eight border states.

    7. In Missouri

      Social studies: children explain the significance of Missouri symbols, such as the Gateway Arch and the official state symbols (3.PC.1.F.b), identify Missourians who contributed to the state's and nation's heritage (3.H.3.C.a) and research stories and songs about Missouri's cultural history (3.RI.6.C.a).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 17 (state project): choose Missouri and include its symbols. ELA Week 17 (research basics): research a famous Missourian and share one song or story from the state.

    8. In Missouri

      Social studies: children explain past and present factors that change Missouri's economy (3.E.4.D.a), supply and demand (3.E.4.A.d) and what taxes are and how they are used (3.E.4.C.a).

      Suggested swap in Third Grade

      Social Studies Week 26 (scarcity and markets): add supply and demand. Week 28 (interdependence): compare a Missouri industry of the past with one today. Week 30 (earning, banks and budgets): add what taxes are and what they pay for.

    Grade 3 public-school test

    Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) Grade-Level Assessments, Grade 3 ELA and mathematics

    ELA and math are given in Grades 3-8; science is given in Grades 5 and 8.

    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. Missouri homeschool page

    Sources

    Verified 2026-10-08