Hello and welcome to the TampaRead's 3rd Grade Reading files download section.  Whether you're a home school parent or an elementary school teacher, these 4 files use a combination of unique memorizing strategies that will dramatically improve the speed at which your student(s) learn new reading vocabulary words.  At the end of the reading file descriptions below, you will be able to download and access all four files including:

* Grade 3 National Reading Vocabulary List
Grade 3 Classroom Reading Wall Lists
* Grade 3 Student Reading Wall Lists
* Grade 3 Vocabulary Building Worksheets (144 total)

File #1

3rd Grade Reading Vocabulary List

This 14 page list contains the 800+ "new" Vocabulary words which students must have memorized by the end of the 3rd Grade.  These are the identical words used in our Reading Walls and Vocabulary Building Worksheets.  Students who master 95% of these words typically score in the top 10-25% on Grade 3 standardized reading tests such as the SAT and CTBS.  This "professional" word list is presented in a layout that makes it excellent for either "one-on-one" testing (to pinpoint unknown words) - designing additional reading activities - or used in student/teacher conferences.  To make viewing easier, words have been written using slightly larger letter size and wider letter spacing and are placed with three weeks of words per page.

Words used in the 3rd Grade list were selected because they are the next -
"most frequently used words" following words used in our 1st and 2nd Grade Vocabulary lists.  We've also researched standardized tests to include words commonly seen on the FCAT - SAT - and CTBS.  Words are presented from the "most common" at the beginning to the "lesser common" toward the end, thereby providing the most logical and efficient order for instruction throughout the year. 

File #2

The Classroom Reading Wall
The first step to use when teaching new words to a class

As in 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade students need to master about 850 new words to stay on grade level.  The main difference here is that third grade words are considerably more difficult than second grade words.  To keep progress right on track, our Classroom Reading Wall introduces 7 words per day (28 per week).  While other vocabulary programs would teach all 28 words simultaneously for the entire week, we have found it much more efficient to teach only 7 words a day - commit these to memory - and then introduce the next 7 - etc. for a total of 28 for the week.  Friday is used for a review and test day.    Use the Classroom Reading Wall after your morning announcements and morning business as your first step for efficiently introducing new reading words to a class of 7 or more students (use the Student Reading Wall below for classes of 6 or less).  The 3rd Grade teacher begins each day's reading vocabulary lesson by posting the day's new reading words at the front of the classroom (as seen in the picture at right with TampaRead's developer, Richard Pressinger).  Our goal here is to place these words into the child's short term memory and demonstrate the steps to use when decoding (sounding-out) the words.   How do we do that?  Just follow the 8 easy steps listed at the top of each Classroom Reading Wall list.  

8 Steps to Accelerated Memorization
of the New Reading Words

1)  Vowel Sound Practice - Discuss the sound made by the "colored" vowel in each word.  Using the picture at left as an example, the teacher would point to the red "a" in each word and say "ah" (short a sound).  The teacher then points to the red "a" in each word again and the class says the sound.
2)  Stop at the Vowel Sound - The next step is to show students how to sound out the word "up-to" the colored vowel sound - "ah" - "sa" - "ha" - "ba" - "ha." (this technique is immensely effective for helping students decode words !!).
3)  Read Words to the Class - Once you're sure the class can do the "Stop at the Vowel Sound technique" - then read the words to the class slowly - stressing each individual sound.
4)  Teacher/Student "Call-Out" - In this step the teacher says the sound up to the colored vowel and the students (as a group) call out the entire word. Teacher says "ah" - Students say "ask" - Teacher says "sa" - Students say "sad" - etc.
5)  Copy Cat Exercise - This is guaranteed to wake up your class and bring smiles from even the grumpiest students.  In this step the students copy every single word  - phrase - syllable - sound - noise - etc. said by the teacher.  (I personally begin by saying - "Copy Cat" (pause) - "Hello" - and the class knows immediately to say "Hello."  I then might say the following phrases of which they repeat exactly - "short a says ah" (students repeat) - I say "sa says sah" (students repeat) - I say "ha says hah" (students repeat) - I say "Hey" (students repeat) - I say "Did you hear me?"  (students repeat) - I say "wake up" (students repeat) - I say "I like pizza"  (students repeat smiling...) - I say "I said" (students repeat) - I say "short a says ahhhhhhhh." (students repeat) - I say "OK" (students repeat) - I say "stop at the vowel sound" (students repeat) - I say "is the key" (students repeat) - I say "short a ah" (students repeat) - I say "sa sah" (students repeat) - I say "ha hah" (students repeat) - I say "ba bah" (students repeat) - I say "ha hah" (students repeat) - Then I point to the first word on the Reading Wall and say - "a..s..k (students repeat) - "spells ask" (students repeat) - "s..a..d" (students repeat) - "spells sad" (students repeat) - etc.  As you can see, this is not only a fun exercise for everyone, but is extremely effective for setting important information into the student's short term memory.
6)  Boo-Boo-Catcher - Another fun activity.  Students begin by putting both hands on their desk.  The teacher then says the words in order from top to bottom - however, the teacher makes an intentional mistake when saying one or two of the words.  When the students hear the mistake they raise their hand immediately.  Call on one of the students and they must say the correct word.  By challenging the students to "look for the error" - every child is giving maximum concentration to the activity.  To increase concentration further, I begin by pointing to the word, but wait 5-10 seconds before saying the word.  This gives students time to decode and say the word in their minds.
7)  Timed Reading - Ask the class who thinks they can say the list of words in under 8 seconds.  Call on a student and get out your stop watch (or use the second hand on the classroom clock).  Say - "On your mark - get set - go!!."  Write the child's name on the board and put their time next to their name.   Do this with 4-5 students for a little exciting mild competition.
8)  Review the Word of the Day - The last word on each list contains what we call the "Word of the Day" - These words are notorious for short circuiting student comprehension while reading paragraphs because they are typically common words that have a high error rate for students. The reason they are so difficult to learn is because they do not follow basic phonics or reading rule guidelines.  For example, in a test I recently gave to approximately 100 Grade 1 students at the end of the school year, the following words were read incorrectly by more than half the students!!! - don't - doesn't - where - were - want - won't - does.  As you can see, these are very common words that are typically used in average Grade 1 reading books and test questions.  Knowing this certainly helps explain why beginning readers typically have trouble comprehending what they have read.  It is not because they can't remember what was read, but rather, a poor reading vocabulary prevented them from fluently reading the passage which is, of course, essential for deriving meaning from the passage.   In order to enable memorization of the "Word of the Day," it must receive at least 5-10 times more exposure and practice than the other list words.

This completes the initial introduction of words into the child's short term memory and usually requires about 15-20 minutes to complete.  The next step is to further solidify the words into memory by engaging the child with a challenging vocabulary building worksheet that reviews these same words.  It is important to do this immediately following the above word introduction period so the words are not "lost" from the child's short term memory. 

File #3

3rd Grade Student Reading Wall

The Student Reading Wall is a highly efficient tool for increasing the rate in which any child learns new reading words.  It is especially helpful for children who have experienced difficulty with the typical "learning-to-read" process in the past.  Each Student Reading Wall column is made by taping the two  8x11 "Level" papers together.  These are then placed along the wall at the back of a classroom - in the school hallway - or on any wall at home.  There are 36 "Levels" which correspond to the 36 weeks in a school year.  Each Level has four column "Lessons" A-B-C-D.  Level A is taught Monday - B is taught Tuesday - C is taught Wednesday and D is taught Thursday (Friday is used as a review day).  This works out to a total of 144 columns and 1,108 words.  About 250 words are a review of the "most difficult" 2nd Grade words.  Each column Level includes 7 words (6 phonics words and 1 difficult "Word of the Day" which typically has phonics inconsistencies).  Also included is the Reading Wall Time Card which is placed directly above each "Level" to visually record the number of seconds it takes the student to say the list.

File #4

144 Vocabulary Building Worksheets

After practicing the Student Reading Wall described above, it is important to further solidify the words into the child's memory.  To accomplish this we have developed a series of "intelligent" vocabulary building worksheets.  Each "Lesson" worksheet parallels the identical words used in each "Level" of the 3rd Grade Vocabulary List and Reading Wall.    It incorporates unique strategies known as "recognition" and "delayed" memory which greatly enhance memorization.  There are 4 worksheets per Level, and to remain on schedule, your student(s) should successfully master the vocabulary words listed in one worksheet daily.   The layout below shows how the 3rd Grade Worksheet Index is organized for Levels 1-9.  This corresponds to what children should learn during the first 9 weeks of Grade 1.  Click any button below to view the worksheet.  Press <PRINT> at the top of your browser for a copy for one student or photocopy as many as you need for an entire class.  In our 3rd Grade Reading Package (which can be downloaded below) you will have access to all 144 Worksheets making up Lessons 1-36.

These are the 4 files in our Grade 3 Reading Vocabulary Building Program.  Upon using these strategies for 30 minutes per day you will immediately notice a large improvement in how quickly your student(s) master new reading words.  The materials are designed to be used by either the classroom teacher,  teacher assistant or home school parent and are a perfect compliment to whatever reading program you are currently using.   If you would like to download these materials from our TampaRead's web site they can be ordered below for only $12.95 or $40.00 (depending on the amount of time you would like access to our Grade 3 Index).   

30 DAY READING GUARANTEE - TampaReads offers the best reading guarantee anywhere: If you are dissatisfied for any reason, just contact me and I will provide you with a complete refund within 30 days of purchase. As you can see, this demonstrates the confidence in quality and effectiveness we have in our TampaReads/ReadingKey materials.

- Select a download option below -

$12.95 for six month access to the Grade 3 Reading File Index
This should give you ample time to download and print all 3rd Grade Materials.

$40.00 for complete school year access to our Grade 3 Reading File Index
Your passwords will remain active from now until the end of the next school year (July 2004).
 With this option you can simply use TampaReads as your organized "Filing Cabinet" 
No need to immediately download all materials - just return to the Grade 3 Index
anytime you would like to access the exact materials you need.
This option also grants generous copyright permission for installation on all computers
in up to five Grade 3 Classrooms, thereby making for an excellent 3rd Grade Value.
Talk to your other 3rd Grade teachers and they'll most likely agree
that our $40 Option 2 would be a worthwhile addition to any Grade 3 Program.
New 3rd Grade materials can also be downloaded whenever they become available.

Choose your access time option and payment method below.
Click the order button and after payment verification (about 30 seconds)
you'll be given a password to immediately begin accessing all
3rd Grade Reading Support files.

GRADE 3 Reading Vocabulary Building Download Options
from TampaReads - ReadingKey

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