Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

By the end of third grade, your child should have developed the following skill set.

Listening Skills

  • Listens well in groups and group settings
  • Understands what’s being taught in class

Talking Skills

  • Asks and answers posed questions
  • Uses words taught in subjects such as science, math and social studies
  • Stays on topic and introduces new or related topics
  • Paraphrases a story correctly
  • Talks about what he or she learned in school
  • Knows how to talk appropriately in different places (such as using a “quiet” voice in the library versus an “outside” voice on the playground

Reading Skills

  • Sounds out new words
  • Reads third-grade-level fiction and nonfiction books with ease
  • Reads smoothly without excessive pausing
  • Reads words consistently and makes corrections if needed
  • Uses story clues and supporting words to figure out what new words mean
  • Predicts what will happen next in a story
  • Asks and answers questions about books
  • Uses what he or she knows to understand new material

Writing Skills

  • Writes stories, letters, simple explanations and short reports
  • Plans and edits what he or she writes
  • Uses details in writing
  • Spells basic words correctly
  • Corrects most spelling mistakes and uses a dictionary or online resource when needed
  • Writes in cursive (although this can vary based on state curriculums)
  • Uses a computer for writing and can search for letters on the keyboard

If your child has not established the skills listed, you may want to make an appointment for a speech-language evaluation.