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3rd Grade Math Concepts or Skills



Find here many important 3rd grade math concepts taught in 3rd grade. Teachers, parents, and math tutors can also use them as a guideline to illustrate a math lesson or to teach important skills that kids are supposed to know in 3rd grade math.

Segment
A segment is a portion of a line and it has 2 endpoints.

3rd Grade Math Concepts or Skills

Identity property of addition
Any number plus zero is equal to the number

5 + 0 = 5
2 + 0 = 2

Parallel lines
Parallel lines never meet no matter how long you extend the lines

Parallel lines

1 inch
1 inch is about the size of a quarter.
1 foot = 12 inches

1 inch

Division
12  ÷  3
Share 12 soccer balls with 3 friends equally.
Just make 3 equal groups with 12.
The number of balls in each group is the answer.

12 divided by 3

Gram/ kilogram
1 gram is about the mass of 1 paperclip.
1000 grams  = 1 kg
About 1000 paperclips will be equivalent to 1 kg.
1 large book could also have a mass of 1 kg.

mass of a paperclip is about 1 gram

Expanded form
The expanded form shows the place value of each digit. 

478 = 400  + 70 + 8

Divisor
The number that is used to divide. For example if 6 is used to divide 48, 6 is the divisor.

Divisor

Factors
A factor is a number that is multiplied by one or more numbers. For example, in 3 × 5, 5 is a factor since 5 is multiplied by 3. By the same token, 3 is also a factor since it is multiplied by 5.

factors

Area
The amount of space inside a 2-dimensional object.

Area

Word form of numbers

For example, the word form of 24652 is  “twenty four thousand, six hundred fifty-two”

Addition algorithm

Addition algorithm

Commutative property of multiplication
The order in which two numbers are multiplied in a multiplication problem does not matter.
6 × 2 = 2 × 6

Commutative property of multiplication

Identity property of multiplication
Any number multiplied by one is equal to the number.

5 × 1 = 5
2 × 1 = 2

Commutative property of addition.
The order in which two numbers are added in an addition problem does not matter.

1  + 2   =   2 + 1 
       =     3

Illustration of the commutative property

More important 3rd grade math concepts

Perimeter
The perimeter is the distance around a closed figure.
Perimeter = 2 cm + 2 cm + 4 cm + 3 cm
                  = 4 cm + 4 cm + 3 cm
                  = 8 cm + 3 cm
                  = 11 cm

Perimeter of a trapezoid

Fact family
A group of 3 numbers that are related in a special way. Doing math with 2 numbers always give the last number.

Fact family

Pattern:
What is the next shape? The next shape is the green heart.

      ☺ 

Pentagon
A figure that has 5 sides is called a pentagon.

Pentagon

Dividend
The number that will be divided is the dividend. For example, if 48 is divided by 6, 48 is the dividend.

Dividend

Point
A point is an exact location on a piece of paper represented with a single dot 

              •

Standard form
The standard form is the base 10 numeration system or the usual way of writing numbers.

24577

Unit fraction
A fraction whose numerator is equal to 1. The denominator can be equal to any number.

Unit fractions

Round a number

28 is closer to 30, so the nearest 10 is 30.
28 rounded to the nearest 10 is 30.

23 is closer to 20, so the nearest 10 is 20.
23 rounded to the nearest 10 is 20

Nearest 10 for 28

Product
The answer to a multiplication problem. For example, the product of 3 times 5 is 15.

Product

Fraction
Divide a rectangle into 4 equal smaller rectangles.
Take 1 rectangle out of 4. The fraction is 1/4.

1 out of 4

Quotient
The answer to a division problem. For example, when you divide 48 by 6, the answer is 8. So 8 is the quotient.

Quotient

Evaluate
Find the value of an expression.

Evaluate 2n + 5 when n = 3

2 × 3 + 5 =  6 + 5 = 11     

Equivalent fractions.
Equivalent fractions are fractions that have the same value, but have different numerators and denominators.

Equivalent fractions

Order of operations
The proper way to do the math or rule to follow when a math problem has a combination of different operators (+, -, 
×, etc.). 

Order of operations

Three fourths
The circle has 4 parts. 3 parts of the circle are shaded.
The numerator is 3 and the denominator is 4.

Three fourths

Algorithm for adding 28 and 14

Algorithm for adding  28 and 14


Things to keep in mind about the 3th grade math concepts on this page

1. Make sure that students understand most of the 3rd grade math concepts above taught in 3th grade math. If you would like to measure their understanding of these math skills taught in 3th grade math, please check this 3rd grade math test.

2. These 3th grade math concepts are in line with 3th grade math common core state standards.

By the end of 3rd grade, students are expected to know and have memorized the multiplication facts (also known as times tables) up to 10. They must also understand multiplication as repeated addition, commutative property of multiplication, and the inverse relationship between multiplication and division.

3rd grade math focuses on the following topics:

  • Adding and subtracting often up to 1,000
  • Learning multiplication facts (times tables) from 1 to 10
  • Division as an inverse operation of multiplication
  • Understanding simple fractions such as halves, thirds, and fourths
  • Identifying and describing 2D and 3D shapes
  • Understanding the meaning of perimeter
  • Understanding and using standard units of measurement for length, weight, and volume
  • Word problems involving all four operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division)
  • Learn how to read time to the nearest minute on analog and digital clocks

Yes, a 3rd grader can learn basic concepts of algebra such as understanding the meaning of variables, using symbols to represent unknown numbers, and balancing one-step equations.





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