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Free 3rd grade reading worksheets

Written by Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — a dad of three who built this curriculum for his own kids.

50 questions with the answers, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. Each question sits with the short passage it is about, so every sheet works on its own. Comprehension, detail, inference and vocabulary.

Enjoy them. If you want more, or something we do not have yet, write to support@uponlylearning.com and ask — we read it.

Reading — Grade 3

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Sequoias, the Giant Trees

Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada. A single sequoia can live for more than two thousand years. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds. The shallow roots spread wide instead of digging deep.

  1. 1. Where do giant sequoias grow?
    1. A. A single sequoia can live for more than two thousand years.
    2. B. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    3. C. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire.
    4. D. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada. ← Answer
  2. 2. How long can one sequoia live?
    1. A. A single sequoia can live for more than two thousand years. ← Answer
    2. B. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    3. C. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    4. D. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire.
  3. 3. How thick does sequoia bark get?
    1. A. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    2. B. The shallow roots spread wide instead of digging deep.
    3. C. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire. ← Answer
    4. D. A single sequoia can live for more than two thousand years.
  4. 4. What makes sequoia cones open?
    1. A. The shallow roots spread wide instead of digging deep.
    2. B. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds. ← Answer
    3. C. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    4. D. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
  5. 5. How do sequoia roots grow?
    1. A. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    2. B. The shallow roots spread wide instead of digging deep. ← Answer
    3. C. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    4. D. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
  6. 6. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire.
    2. B. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
    3. C. Sequoias grow in the dry desert east of the mountains. ← Answer
    4. D. The shallow roots spread wide instead of digging deep.
  7. 7. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire.
    2. B. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    3. C. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
    4. D. A sequoia's roots dig deep instead of spreading out wide. ← Answer
  8. 8. Which line would you quote to answer this question: How long can one sequoia live?
    1. A. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
    2. B. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    3. C. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    4. D. A single sequoia can live for more than two thousand years. ← Answer
  9. 9. Which line would you quote to answer this question: How thick does sequoia bark get?
    1. A. A giant sequoia dies in the first forest fire it meets.
    2. B. Sequoia cones need the heat of a fire to open and drop seeds.
    3. C. Giant sequoias grow on the western slopes of California's Sierra Nevada.
    4. D. Its bark grows up to two feet thick and resists fire. ← Answer

How a Hummingbird Hovers

A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.

  1. 10. How fast does a hummingbird beat its wings?
    1. A. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    2. B. A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second. ← Answer
    3. C. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do.
    4. D. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.
  2. 11. What shape do the wings trace?
    1. A. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap. ← Answer
    2. B. A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second.
    3. C. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.
    4. D. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
  3. 12. What lets the bird hold still at a flower?
    1. A. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    2. B. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower. ← Answer
    3. C. A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second.
    4. D. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.
  4. 13. What can a hummingbird do that few birds can?
    1. A. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap.
    2. B. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    3. C. A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second.
    4. D. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do. ← Answer
  5. 14. What does a hummingbird eat?
    1. A. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    2. B. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects. ← Answer
    3. C. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap.
    4. D. A hummingbird beats its wings dozens of times each second.
  6. 15. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do.
    2. B. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower.
    3. C. A hummingbird's main food is the seeds it finds on plants. ← Answer
    4. D. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap.
  7. 16. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.
    2. B. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower.
    3. C. The hummingbird glides on steady wings instead of flapping. ← Answer
    4. D. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do.
  8. 17. Which line would you quote to answer this question: What shape do the wings trace?
    1. A. The wings trace a figure eight instead of a simple flap. ← Answer
    2. B. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower.
    3. C. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    4. D. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do.
  9. 18. Which line would you quote to answer this question: What lets the bird hold still at a flower?
    1. A. That motion lets the bird hold still in the air at a flower. ← Answer
    2. B. A hummingbird can also fly backward, which few birds can do.
    3. C. A hummingbird folds its wings and rests on a petal to eat.
    4. D. Its main food is nectar, and it also catches small insects.

The Sled Dogs of the Serum Run

In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles. Twenty drivers passed the package from team to team in a relay. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.

  1. 19. What did Nome need in 1925?
    1. A. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.
    2. B. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    3. C. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in.
    4. D. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly. ← Answer
  2. 20. Why could no ship reach Nome?
    1. A. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in. ← Answer
    2. B. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    3. C. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles.
    4. D. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.
  3. 21. How far did the dog teams carry the medicine?
    1. A. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in.
    2. B. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    3. C. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles. ← Answer
    4. D. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
  4. 22. How was the package moved?
    1. A. Twenty drivers passed the package from team to team in a relay. ← Answer
    2. B. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.
    3. C. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in.
    4. D. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
  5. 23. What was the weather like at the end?
    1. A. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
    2. B. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    3. C. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm. ← Answer
    4. D. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in.
  6. 24. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Twenty drivers passed the package from team to team in a relay.
    2. B. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles.
    3. C. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
    4. D. A single team of dogs carried the medicine the whole way to Nome. ← Answer
  7. 25. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. A ship carried the medicine into the harbor at Nome in 1925. ← Answer
    2. B. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
    3. C. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles.
    4. D. Twenty drivers passed the package from team to team in a relay.
  8. 26. Which line would you quote to answer this question: Why could no ship reach Nome?
    1. A. Ice had closed the harbor, so no ship could bring it in. ← Answer
    2. B. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    3. C. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.
    4. D. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
  9. 27. Which line would you quote to answer this question: How far did the dog teams carry the medicine?
    1. A. In 1925 the town of Nome, Alaska, needed medicine quickly.
    2. B. Teams of sled dogs carried the medicine more than six hundred miles. ← Answer
    3. C. An airplane flew the medicine into Nome and landed there.
    4. D. The last team reached Nome in a blinding storm.

Braille: Reading With Fingertips

Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns. Different patterns of those dots stand for letters and numbers. Braille is still printed on signs, menus and elevator buttons.

  1. 28. What happened to Louis Braille as a boy?
    1. A. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
    2. B. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
    3. C. Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France. ← Answer
    4. D. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
  2. 29. What did he invent?
    1. A. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
    2. B. Different patterns of those dots stand for letters and numbers.
    3. C. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel. ← Answer
    4. D. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
  3. 30. How many dot positions are in one cell?
    1. A. Different patterns of those dots stand for letters and numbers.
    2. B. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns. ← Answer
    3. C. Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France.
    4. D. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
  4. 31. What do the dot patterns stand for?
    1. A. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
    2. B. Braille is still printed on signs, menus and elevator buttons.
    3. C. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
    4. D. Different patterns of those dots stand for letters and numbers. ← Answer
  5. 32. Where is braille found today?
    1. A. Braille is still printed on signs, menus and elevator buttons. ← Answer
    2. B. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
    3. C. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
    4. D. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
  6. 33. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Braille is still printed on signs, menus and elevator buttons.
    2. B. Each braille cell holds ten dot positions, arranged in one column. ← Answer
    3. C. Different patterns of those dots stand for letters and numbers.
    4. D. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
  7. 34. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France.
    2. B. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
    3. C. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
    4. D. Braille uses raised shapes of the printed letters themselves. ← Answer
  8. 35. Which line would you quote to answer this question: What did he invent?
    1. A. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel. ← Answer
    2. B. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns.
    3. C. Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France.
    4. D. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
  9. 36. Which line would you quote to answer this question: How many dot positions are in one cell?
    1. A. Louis Braille lost his sight as a young boy in France.
    2. B. He invented a code of raised dots that fingers can feel.
    3. C. Braille was invented by a teacher who wanted a secret code.
    4. D. Each braille cell holds six dot positions, arranged in two columns. ← Answer

Beavers Build a Pond

A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam. The blocked water spreads out and becomes a quiet pond. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.

  1. 37. What can a beaver's front teeth do?
    1. A. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    2. B. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam.
    3. C. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree. ← Answer
    4. D. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door.
  2. 38. What does a beaver use to build a dam?
    1. A. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.
    2. B. The blocked water spreads out and becomes a quiet pond.
    3. C. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree.
    4. D. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam. ← Answer
  3. 39. What happens to the blocked water?
    1. A. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree.
    2. B. The blocked water spreads out and becomes a quiet pond. ← Answer
    3. C. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    4. D. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.
  4. 40. What is special about the lodge door?
    1. A. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree.
    2. B. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    3. C. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door. ← Answer
    4. D. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.
  5. 41. Which animals move into the pond?
    1. A. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door.
    2. B. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam.
    3. C. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    4. D. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too. ← Answer
  6. 42. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. The beavers enter their lodge from above the water. ← Answer
    2. B. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.
    3. C. The blocked water spreads out and becomes a quiet pond.
    4. D. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door.
  7. 43. Which statement does the text NOT support?
    1. A. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam.
    2. B. Frogs, fish and birds move into the new pond too.
    3. C. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door.
    4. D. Beavers dig the pond out of the ground with their paws. ← Answer
  8. 44. Which line would you quote to answer this question: What does a beaver use to build a dam?
    1. A. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    2. B. In the pond the beavers build a lodge with an underwater door.
    3. C. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree.
    4. D. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam. ← Answer
  9. 45. Which line would you quote to answer this question: What happens to the blocked water?
    1. A. A beaver's strong front teeth can cut through a small tree.
    2. B. The blocked water spreads out and becomes a quiet pond. ← Answer
    3. C. A beaver carries stones from the hill to build its dam.
    4. D. Beavers pile branches and mud across a stream to make a dam.

Why the Moon Has Phases

The moon makes no light of its own. It shines because it reflects light from the sun. Half of the moon is always lit, and half is always dark. As the moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of the lit half. The whole cycle of phases takes about a month.

  1. 46. Does the moon make its own light?
    1. A. A cloud of dust covers part of the moon each night.
    2. B. As the moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of the lit half.
    3. C. Half of the moon is always lit, and half is always dark.
    4. D. The moon makes no light of its own. ← Answer
  2. 47. Why does the moon shine?
    1. A. It shines because it reflects light from the sun. ← Answer
    2. B. The whole cycle of phases takes about a month.
    3. C. The moon makes no light of its own.
    4. D. A cloud of dust covers part of the moon each night.
  3. 48. How much of the moon is lit at a time?
    1. A. The whole cycle of phases takes about a month.
    2. B. As the moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of the lit half.
    3. C. A cloud of dust covers part of the moon each night.
    4. D. Half of the moon is always lit, and half is always dark. ← Answer
  4. 49. Why do we see different phases?
    1. A. A cloud of dust covers part of the moon each night.
    2. B. The moon makes no light of its own.
    3. C. It shines because it reflects light from the sun.
    4. D. As the moon orbits Earth, we see different amounts of the lit half. ← Answer
  5. 50. How long is the cycle of phases?
    1. A. It shines because it reflects light from the sun.
    2. B. A cloud of dust covers part of the moon each night.
    3. C. The whole cycle of phases takes about a month. ← Answer
    4. D. Half of the moon is always lit, and half is always dark.
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · free to print and photocopy for your own studentsReading — Grade 3
UpOnly Learning · uponlylearning.com · Reading Grade 3
From the workbook

A real page of Reading · Grade 3

Word Builders: Prefixes, Suffixes and Long Words

The child will read words with common prefixes (un-, re-, pre-, dis-, mis-) and suffixes (-ful, -less, -ly, -able, -ment) and decode multisyllable words by splitting them into parts. · 40 min

Warm-up — say this

“Today we are word builders. Little word parts can snap onto words and change what they mean.”

Worked example

Read the word unpacked. What are its parts and what does it mean?

Answer: un + pack + ed. The base word is pack, un- means not or the opposite, and -ed shows it already happened. Unpacked means took things out of a bag or box.

A mistake students make

Any word that starts with re- or un- has a prefix, like in read or under.

How the book fixes it

Cover the letters and check if what is left is a real base word. In read, ad is not a word, and in under, der is not a word, so there is no prefix there. In redo, do is a word, so re- is a prefix.

Note to the parent

When your child gets stuck on a long word while reading, cover the ending with your finger instead of saying the word for them. Uncovering one part at a time builds confidence and independence.

That is one topic of many. The free questions above check a skill; this is the part that teaches it.

Practice is not teaching. Reading · Grade 3 is the part that teaches.

These questions check a skill your student has already met. They do not explain anything, and they are not meant to — that is what the workbook is for, and it is the whole difference between the two.

  1. It teaches.Each topic is a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, in order: a five-minute warm-up, twelve minutes of teaching, ten minutes guided, ten minutes on their own, three minutes to close. Written for a parent who has never taught.
  2. It explains.Two worked examples per topic, and the two mistakes students actually make on that exact skill — named, with how to correct each one. When a student is stuck, the book already knows why.
  3. It reviews.Every answer comes with a short explanation, not just a key. And every topic has its own question bank, so a student who needs another go gets different questions rather than the same page again.
  4. It is a plan, not a pile.Every topic names the standard it addresses, in teaching order, so you can see the whole year before you start.
$9.99 Buy Reading · Grade 3 — $9.99 Read a free sample first Everything else we give away

Not sure which grade to start in? Write to support@uponlylearning.com and tell us about your student. We will tell you honestly, including if the answer is a grade below the one they are in.

Why this exists

I was spending thousands a month on tutors, and when I asked about enrolling a second or third child the answer was the same everywhere: that will be double. So I built the thing I could not find — nine subjects, kindergarten through grade 5, every topic in the order a student should actually meet it.

Dr. Evan J. Hasson, DC — Founder · Read the whole story

Other grades

KindergartenFree kindergarten reading questionsGrade 1Free 1st grade reading questionsGrade 2Free 2nd grade reading questionsGrade 4Free 4th grade reading questionsGrade 5Free 5th grade reading questions

Grade 3, other subjects

MathFree 3rd grade math questionsScienceFree 3rd grade science questionsWritingFree 3rd grade writing and grammar questions

Further reading

Reads the Words but Not the MeaningYour student can read but doesn't comprehend. Why decoding and comprehension are different skills, how to tell which one is missing, and what to do weekly.

Questions parents ask

Are these reading worksheets really free?

Yes. All 50 questions and their answers are on this page, free to print and free to photocopy for your own students. There is no account, no email address and no card.

Can a teacher or a tutor use these with a class?

Yes. Print and photocopy them for the students you teach. The only thing we ask is that you do not republish them as your own or sell them.

Where are the answers?

Marked beside each question on this page, so it prints as its own answer key. If you want a clean copy for a student, print it and cover the answer column, or use the sample workbook instead.

What grade are these for?

Grade 3. Every other grade from kindergarten to grade 5 has its own page, linked at the foot of this one. If your student finds these hard, try the grade below — that is normal and it is not a problem.

What do the paid workbooks add?

These questions check a skill. The workbook teaches it: a forty-minute lesson that tells you what to say, two worked examples, the two mistakes students actually make on that skill and how to correct each one, and an explanation beside every answer rather than a bare key.