Your third grader and writing Third graders move from invented
to conventional spelling. By GreatSchools Staff Third-graders
should be writing daily, whether they’re writing stories,
answers to word problems, personal narratives, journal entries,
scientific observations, or responses to the books they read.
Some students even try their hands at science fiction or
detective stories. Third-graders should learn how to use a
variety of literary techniques, including dialogue, point of
view, and figurative language (similes, metaphors). They should
be taught how to write a paragraph with a topic sentence,
supporting details, and a conclusion. Children also learn to
write more complex sentences by using transitional phrases — “in
the meantime,” “afterward,” etc. — to create a sense of sequence
and flow. And they should be able to edit their own writing for
grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and sentence
structure. Third-graders should be familiar with the following
steps in the writing process: This pr