Language Standards

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences

Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns

Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood)

Form and use regular and irregular verbs

Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses

Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.

Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified

Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions

Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing

Capitalize appropriate words in titles

Use commas in addresses

Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue

Form and use possessives

Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness)

Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts) in writing words

Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening

Choose words and phrases for effect.

Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.

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

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase

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).

Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion)

Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.

Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings

Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps)

Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful)

Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected, heard, wondered).

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).