3rd Grade Math Lesson Plans

For third-grade Math Lesson Plans 3 things are important:

• a consistent structure
• lots of practice
• and fluency games

Third-grade Math Lesson Plans

I keep our structure consistent so each day the outline of our math lesson is the same:

• Warm-up 
• Learn new concepts & skills together (related to the math practice for the day)
• Practice new skills with a math game or activity
• Practice skills independently (with guidance as needed)
• Closing activity, discussion or try exit tickets

Here’s an example for place value:

• Warm-up: dot cards (arrays & scattered dots)
• Game or activity: Place value mats with dice to the thousands of place
• New math skill: worksheet (Hyperlink to the landing page when we have one)
• Closing activity review with two-step word problems

We would continue to practice using different ways to reference building the larger numbers for the remainder of the week. Use a number line, and continue to use the place value mats with base 10 blocks, 3rd graders need a lot of hands-on practice with this.

Continue to use this lesson plan outline as a template. Students practicing multiplication facts can use a multiplication table to check their work while sorting equal groups to demonstrate repeated addition/multiplication.

New math concepts should be related to prior knowledge and pre-requisite skills that are required to complete the lesson independently.

Place Value Game

The Roll & Add game for place value is a great third-grade math game! (This game can be played with any grade, however, for 3rd grade you need work up to a place value mat with space for 4-digit numbers. Students who are below grade level can start with 2 or 3 digit place value mats. Students roll one-digit numbers with 2 dice and add them on each turn.

For example;

I roll 2 sixes. That is 6+6 so my total is now 12.

The place value mat works like a graphic organizer. Build that number on the mat by adding a base 10 block and 2 ones.

On my next turn, I roll 6+4. I add that total (in base 10 blocks) to the new number I just rolled (using base 10 blocks and whiteboards) 12+10=22.

Keep rolling to see how high of a total I can get to. Then I record my final score and try to beat that the next time I play.

This helps kids build fluency in math so they can sort and process larger numbers more quickly. This game incorporates visual models and hands-on experience using 1,2 and 3-digit numbers (eventually combing that 4th digit).

To get some extra practice in make your own place value mats for kids at home!

DIY place value mats- a math game for (second or) third graders

Materials:

• 9×12 construction paper
• Sharpie
• Base 10 blocks or use something on hand that can represent the base 10 blocks. I made our COVID shutdown set using a flat post it (and wrote 100 on it), skinny sticks broken into a similar size as the base 10 sticks & small pebbles for 1’s.

How to make your own place value mats:

1. Draw place value lines on the construction paper with the sharpie. 3-digit number. Draw 2 lines to create 3 sections for the 100’s mats or 3 lines to create 4 sections for the 1,000’s place is appropriate for 3rd graders)
2. Label 1,000’s, 100’s, 1’s on the mat as a header
3. Gather your base 10 blocks (or a homemade set of base 10 blocks)
4. Store small loose items in a pencil pouch for storage
5. Enjoy!

Third Grade Math Lesson for Equivalent Fractions

Warm Up: compare whole numbers on a number line,

INTRO: begin discussion of equivalent fractions; which is more 1/2 or 3/6?

Classroom teachers- direct students to think pair share

Use Tape  diagrams  to work the problems ( or 1 inch paper strips by coloring and comparing the paper strips in 1/2 & 3/6 partitions).

Number Strips Activity: continue to use number strips to find equivalent fractions. 

To make number strips- pre-cut 1 inch strips of construction paper for kids to partition into equal parts, color and compare.

Classroom teachers first model  1-2 examples with the whole group then put students into groups & discuss the number of groups as it relates to the whole and how to solve for equivalency.