Third Grade Block Rotation
Block Main Lesson Blocks
Number &
Length
First Week Creation Stories
Paint the seven days of creation
First Block Math Block 1: Measurement
3 weeks Introduce time and linear measurement,
story problems using these skills, place
value to billions, composing math story
problems, estimation for problem solving
Second Language Block 1: Grammar
Block Introduce adjectives and adverbs,
4 weeks past/present/future tense, imperatives,
listing commas; ongoing phonics skills
instruction** and spelling
Third Block Math Block 2: Measurement
3 weeks Introduce volume measurement (liquid
and dry), how to increase or decrease
measurements for a recipe, basic metric
system–base ten, identify square
numbers, story problems using these
skills
Fourth Language Block 2: Composition
Block Introduce how to write a paragraph
4 weeks (summary of a story or an event), thank
you notes, and book report; ongoing
phonics skills instruction and spelling
Fifth Block Math Block 3
4 weeks Introduce multiple digit multiplication,
multiply by 10, 100, 1000, 10,000, long
division, money story problems; practical
applications of skills
Sixth Block Language Block 3: Grammar
3 weeks Introduce possessive nouns, being and
helping verbs, simple quotations,
additional use of capitalization with
proper nouns, contractions; ongoing
phonics skills instruction and spelling
Collated by Janet Langley and Patti Connolly
Practice Blocks
Academic Practice: 3-5 Periods/Week
Reading: 2-3 Periods/Week
Assess current math and language arts
skills
Language Arts Block 1
Review 2nd Grade skills (focus on
homophones), initiate spelling
program, reading groups*; introduce
subject/predicate
Math Block 1
Multiplication tables memorization out
of order (1-12), expand and contract
numbers
Language Block 2: Grammar
Ongoing phonics skills instruction,
reading, and spelling
Math Block 2
Ongoing practice of all four processes
and new concepts; multiplication tables
memorization (1-12)
Language Block 3: Composition
Ongoing phonics skills instruction,
reading, and spelling
Math Block 3
Ongoing practice of all four processes
and new concepts; multiplication tables
memorization (1-12); introduce
displaying data on a simple graph
1
 Seventh Math Block 4
Block Introduce factor pairs of composite
4 weeks numbers; identify and name shapes
(squares, circles, triangles, rectangles,
hexagons, cubes, cones, cylinders,
spheres); introduce perimeter, square
area
Eighth Language Block 4
Block Read and write non-fiction; continuation
4 weeks of writing skills development; introduce
synonyms, antonyms; ongoing phonics
skills instruction and spelling
Ninth Block Home Surroundings
4 weeks Introduce practical occupations of
school’s locale; continuation of writing
skills development; non-fiction reading;
spelling
Language Block 4: Grammar
Ongoing phonics skills instruction,
reading, and spelling
Math Block 4
Ongoing practice of all four processes
and new concepts; multiplication tables
memorization (1-12)
Skills Block 5
Review and assess skills in both
Language and Math for end of year
reports.

*Reading Practice:
• Schedule 2-3 periods/week for skill-level reading group and independent reading classes
outside of main lesson.
• These periods are separate from the Academic Practice Block classes which are held 3-5 times
a week to practice the skill (language arts or math) that is currently not the focus of main
lesson.
• Some type of reading practice should occur daily.

**Ongoing phonics skills curriculum is not assigned to particular blocks, but rather you continue the
instruction from one skill to the next such that you cover all the skills below by the end of 3rd Grade.
Once 80% of your class can decode correctly using a particular skill (80% of the time), begin to
introduce the next phonics skill in the following list. Continue to practice the ‘old’ skill until all know
it.
The following Phonics Skills for 3rd Grade is from Chapter 4.3 of The Roadmap to Literacy:
Rule 22: Multi-syllable Decoding and Encoding Process
Rule 23: Open and Closed Syllables
Rule 24: The Big Four Prefixes
Rule 25: Consonant –LE Syllables
Rule 26: The Big Four Suffixes
Rule 27: Suffixes Beginning with Consonants
Rule28: Suffixes Beginning with Vowels
Rule 29: When to Change Y to I
Rule 30: Tricky Vowel Junctions
Rule 31: The Schwa
Rule 32: The Ending Grid
Rule 33: Six Syllable Types: Review

Collated by Janet Langley and Patti Connolly 2