Purposeful Design Language Arts: Grade 3 Reading Skills Student Edition

Language arts programs listed in this section cover most areas of language arts (reading/literature, writing, grammar, spelling and handwriting) in one curriculum, although some skill areas may be covered with less intensity than a focused, stand-alone course.

This impressively strong language arts program covers all aspects of language arts and has a lot to offer. It includes solid instruction, a biblical worldview, and colorful and engaging student materials, along with well-organized and user-friendly teacher resources. A major focus is on developing traits that lead toward effective, literature-based writing skills. While the lower grades emphasize systematic phonics instruction, all levels of Language/Writing instruction integrate a phonics review for strengthening fluency while also developing speaking/listening, grammar, and writing skills. Reading/Literature studies feature a variety of genres and include a refreshing of phonics skills, reading comprehension and reading skills, vocabulary, spelling, and listening comprehension. This series meets or exceeds national standards and was developed following the guidelines of The Fountas & Pinnell Literacy™ Continuum.

Program materials are bright, colorful, and engaging. Texts are varied and provide opportunities for discussion and interaction. Students and teachers talk about the texts, share thoughts, and seek to better understand the main ideas. The classroom-oriented teacher materials are still user-friendly for homeschools (daily lessons plans are limited to a two-page spread). The general pace of instruction is robust and challenging, but not overwhelming. All materials are written with a Christian worldview, with biblical principles embedded throughout. Content is interactive, culturally relevant, and inspirational. Teaching approaches are innovative as well as spiritually motivated. The systematic reading instruction provides instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics rules, reading fluency, vocabulary, and reading comprehension. In the lower grades, students begin with decodable and leveled readers, eventually working toward reading whole age-appropriate novels in the upper grades. All grade levels intertwine suggested read-alouds with literature guides, steering student engagement with discussion build right in.

Course components vary as the program progresses through the grades, with a distinctive change occurring at Grade 3. Grades K-2 employ a Teacher Edition (available either in print or as an e-book), a Student Edition, Student Spelling Workbooks (1st and 2nd grade only), Decodable Readers (K and 1st grade), Leveled Readers (1st and 2nd grade), and printable Teacher Resources (available at Purposeful Design’s website for purchasers of either the Teacher’s Edition or the Teacher e-book). These courses each have eleven units per year, with each unit highlighting a character quality or topical theme (i.e. courage, inventions) with an accompanying Scripture verse. There are three chapters per unit (five daily lessons per weekly chapter), for a total of 33 weeks of instruction. These levels mention an optional language arts manipulative kit (includes common phonics manipulatives such as small & large magnetic letters, sandpaper letters, letter tiles, alpha cards and placemats, mini alpha cards, and beginning blends). These items are not available in kit form at Rainbow Resource Center but can be purchased individually.

From Grade 3 on, course components diverge into the two main strands of Language Arts: Language/Writing and Reading Skills. For a complete language arts program, you’ll need the Student and Teacher texts for each strand (4 books in total). Each weekly lesson (30 weeks total) in the Language and Writing texts incorporates grammar, writing, spelling, speaking/listening skills, and vocabulary. The Reading and Literature texts review phonics weekly and focus on different reading comprehension skills, context clues, listening comprehension, and genre. These grades intentionally weave a biblical worldview in all program components. Student materials are consumable (perforated pages) and the teacher materials can be purchased as a spiral-bound softcover/hardcover combo or as digital e-books. The Teacher e-book contains the same content as the print edition. An email with access information will be sent in 1-2 business days after your order is processed. Please note, the Teacher e-book cannot be printed and is not refundable. Also starting at Grade 3, the program transitions away from publisher-written reading books to carefully selected, classic read-aloud Literature (recommended) and Readers (required). These lists are found in the TEs and on our website. The Reading and Literature TG provides extremely detailed, pick-up-and-go Literature Guides and Reader Guides. These resources give you as teacher a wealth of support for engaging with the literature in vocabulary, discussing comprehension, building fluency, and for literature discussion.

Purchase of either the print Teacher Edition or the Teacher e-book includes access to additional PDF Supplemental Resources available for free at the publisher's website. Access instructions are included with either the print Teacher’s Edition or the Teacher e-book. These resources include blackline masters (BLMs) of notes, handouts, spelling tests, reviews of high-frequency words, phonics, and grammar, as well as digital masters (lesson display items). ~ Ruth

It covers whole books! This is the remarkable characteristic of this 3rd grade language arts course and one that sets it apart from other grade-level programs from Christian publishers. It's also comprehensive in its overall language arts coverage: phonics refresh, reading skills, grammar (includes diagramming), writing, speaking/listening skills, vocabulary, and spelling in addition to its literature studies.

Language Arts is covered in two workbooks: one for reading and literature and one for language and writing. Each workbook has its own teacher guide with detailed lesson plans and reduced copies of student pages. Individual Reading Guides or Literature Guides are included for each of the Read-Aloud and Student Reader Books. Downloadable/printable resource sheets are also available.

Suggested Read-Aloud List: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt; Alexander Graham Bell Answers the Call; Who Would Win? Killer Whale vs Great White Shark; Minnow and Rose: An Oregon Trail Story; Charlotte's Web; The Year of the Garden; I Survived the Great Chicago Fire, 1871; In the Garden with Dr. Carver; The Scarlet Stocking Spy; The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees; Keep On! The Story of Matthew Henson, Co-discoverer of the North Pole; The Year of Miss Agnes; Strongheart: Wonder Dog of the Silver Screen; The Cricket in Times Square; and 104 Poems of Whimsy and Wisdom.

Student Reader Books: Carver Chronicles: Dog Days; The Chicken Squad: The First Misadventure; McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm; In Grandma's Attic; Yang, the Youngest and His Terrible Ear; A Lion to Guard Us; Mr. Popper's Penguins; Stella Diaz Has Something to Say; Snow Treasure; and How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis and Clark.

The leveled readers and decodable readers from Grade 2 are suggested for students in need of additional reading practice before tackling the books at this level.