01443-3-Sampler

GRADE 3
E
rd G R A D
3
13224BEP
Multi-Subject
Critical Thinking
Activity Sampler
Mind-Building Activities From Our Award-Winning, Best-Selling Books
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E
rd G R A D
3 Multi-Subject
Critical Thinking
Activity Sampler
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3rd Grade Sample Thinking Activities eBook
Table of Contents
Language Smarts™ Level D - Language Arts (Gr. 3)�� 1

This fun, colorful 352-page book can be used as a textbook or a
comprehensive workbook with your textbook to teach reading, writing,
grammar, and punctuation skills and concepts that students are expected
to know in third grade. They also develop critical thinking, vocabulary, and
several other skills and concepts normally taught in fourth grade.
Mind Benders® Level 3 - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3-6) �� 5

This 48-page book contains several of our best-selling deductive thinking
puzzles. It develops the logic, reading comprehension, and mental
organization skills vital to achieving higher grades and top test scores in all
subjects. These award-winning, fun puzzles are also great for developing
real-life, problem-solving skills!
Reading Detective® Beginning - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4)�� 6

These highly-effective, literature-based critical thinking activities develop
the analysis, synthesis, and vocabulary skills students need for exceptional
reading comprehension. This 192-page book is especially effective at helping
students understand challenging critical reading concepts such as making
inferences, drawing conclusions, determining cause and effect, using context
clues to define vocabulary, and making predictions and generalizations.
Word Roots Beginning - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4)�� 8

This 112-page book teaches students the meaning and spelling of roots,
prefixes, and suffixes that are the elements used to form words in English.
Learning these word elements dramatically improves spelling and the ability
to decode unfamiliar words. The activities focus on using these words in
context to help students incorporate each word into their vocabulary and
retain the correct spelling. Word Roots will add hundreds of words to your
students’ vocabulary and greater depth to their thinking and writing.
ii © 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849

Math Detective® Beginning - Mathematics (Gr. 3-4)��11
This 110-page book uses topics and skills drawn from national math
standards to prepare your students for advanced math courses and
assessments that measure reasoning, reading comprehension, and writing in
math. Students read a short story that includes a chart, table, or graph. Next
they answer critical thinking questions to improve their understanding of the
math concept and develop their critical thinking (comprehension) skills.
Thinking Skills for Tests: Upper Elementary - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3-5)�� 13
All standardized tests measure the ability to think carefully and critically. This
easy-to-use, fun 220-page book teaches students how to use highly-effective
critical thinking skills and other strategic test-taking skills to improve their test
scores. Unlike most practice tests that lack vital instruction in test-taking skills,
Thinking Skills for Tests teaches and provides essential practice with thinking
skills that form the base of both verbal and nonverbal reasoning and logic.
Science Detective® Beginning - Science (Gr. 3-4)�� 17

Unlock the world of science for 3rd and 4th graders with our 112-page book.
Through engaging passages, students build reading comprehension while
discovering clues to solve science questions, aligned with state and national
standards. This resource prepares them for advanced courses, assessing
reasoning, and scientific writing. Dive into lessons rich with charts and graphs,
boosting their grasp of science concepts and nurturing critical thinking skills.
Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3-4)�� 19

This engaging 320-page book develops the critical thinking skills necessary
for success in reading, writing, math, science, social studies, and
standardized tests. The Building Thinking Skills® series is the bestselling
thinking skills program in the world! Students also learn important academic
vocabulary, concepts, and skills as they analyze relationships between
objects, between words, and between objects and words.
Balance Benders™ Beginning - Mathematics (Gr. 2-6)�� 23

Move over Sudoku, here come Balance Benders! You can use these
activities as quick, fun logic problems or as stepping stones to success in
algebra. Students develop problem-solving skills and pre-algebra skills as
they solve balance puzzles that are more fun and addictive than Sudoku
puzzles! Students must analyze each balance to identify the clues, and then
synthesize the information to solve the puzzle. Try one—and then try to stop!
© 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 iii

Mathematical Reasoning™ Level D - Mathematics (Gr. 3)�� 24
This fun, colorful 384-page book uses engaging lessons with easy-to-follow
explanations, examples, and charts to make third grade mathematical
concepts easy to understand. It teaches the math skills and concepts
that students are expected to know in third grade—and several concepts
normally taught in fourth grade. This book emphasizes problem-solving and
computation to build for success in higher-level math and math assessments.
Think Analogies® A1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5) �� 28

This 56-page book is easy-to-understand way to teach analogies with plenty
of practice teaching students how to analyze and classify analogies by
relationship, category, and structure. Students who learn strategies to make
and complete analogies sharpen their reasoning skills as they analyze the
subtleties of language and relationship presented in analogies.
Inference Jones Beginning 2 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4) �� 29

This 48-page book provides short, fun, and easy-to-use reading
comprehension activities that improve critical reading and higher-order
thinking skills. The activities focus on developing the student’s ability to
draw inferences and to evaluate details that at first seem insignificant but
are actually meaningful! These activities develop a depth of analysis that
guarantees success with grades and higher test scores!
Editor in Chief® Beginning 2 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4) �� 31

This fun, highly-effective 152-page book teaches students grammar,
punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and critical reading in a standards-based
thinking approach instead of the usual drill and practice found in competing
products. Students carefully analyze and edit stories, letters, or articles that
contain mechanical errors covered in the lesson allowing students to gain
mastery over concepts that will translate into their own writing.
Writing Detective® Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-6)�� 33

The fun, mystery-based activities in this colorful 64-page book develop
writing, reading, higher-order thinking, and organization skills. Students act
as investigative reporters writing articles for a local newspaper. To write the
article, students must use higher-order thinking skills to synthesize clues they
identify in the story to solve the mystery. Every activity requires students to
put clues together, and then evaluate the evidence to infer or deduce what
happened in the story.
iv © 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849
Pattern Explorer Beginning - Mathematics (Gr. 3-4)�� 36
Mathematics and science can be thought of as a search for patterns and
structure. This 88-page book provides rich and diverse collections of pattern
problems for students to explore, investigate, discover, and create. The five
different types of pattern problems found in this book are Pattern Predictor,
Equality Explorer, Sequence Sleuth, Number Ninja, and Function Finder.
Building Writing Skills Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5)�� 39

Unlock your young learner’s writing skills with this 96-page guide to narrative,
opinion, and informative/explanatory writing. Through a carefully crafted
5-Step Process — Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, and Publishing
— your budding authors will refine their skills by separating the big tasks of
writing into smaller tasks that are more manageable.
Critical Thinking Detective™ Beginning - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3+) �� 43

This colorful 32-page book offers a collection of fun, easy-to-use detective
cases that develop critical thinking skills by requiring students to carefully
read to determine what information is legitimate evidence, and what is just
opinion or irrelevant information. The focus of these activities is to teach
students to identify and evaluate evidence--the very heart of critical thinking.
Understanding Fractions - Mathematics (Gr. 2-4)�� 45

This 64-page book uses fun, step-by-step lessons to provide a thorough
foundation in understanding fractions. The book begins with the meaning of
fractions and their many uses and ends with the simple math of comparing,
adding, and subtracting fractions both visually and numerically. These easy-
to-understand, hands-on, thinking activities build confidence by providing an
understanding of fractions that is relatable to daily life.
Critical Thinking for Reading Comprehension - Language Arts (Gr. 1-5) �� 49
Supercharge reading comprehension and analysis skills with this 64-page
language arts resource designed for ages 7-11. Critical Thinking for Reading
Comprehension teaches the identification and evaluation of text and image-
based evidence using short, high-interest activities. Embark on an enriching
journey that will empower young minds to excel!
Answers�� 55
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© 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 v
From: Language Smarts™ Level D Grade 3 Sample Activities
ReadingWriting
and Writing for ®Evidence
Detective
Read the story. Then answer the questions.
Money Mystery Solved
Rosie had been saving her allowance for weeks, and today, her
1
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mother was taking her to the bank to open a savings account. 2She opened
the drawer where she kept her allowance, but almost all of the money was
gone!
3
“I know I had several dollars in here,” Rosie thought to herself. 4But
now, the box held only a few coins.
5
Just yesterday, she had opened that drawer in her room when her
little brother, Adam, had begged to borrow a dollar to get a comic book. 6He
always spent his money as fast as he got it. 7He had promised to pay her
back when he got his allowance in a week.
8
Last night, Rosie had seen him reading in his room, and he had at
least a dozen new comic books!
9
Suddenly, Rosie had an idea. 10“Adam!” she yelled. 11“You come here
right now!”
Reading Questions
1. What sentence tells you how much money was left in the drawer? _____
2. What sentence tells you the last time Rosie saw her money? _____
3. Where do you think Rosie’s money went? __________________________
_____________________________________________________________
What sentence is the best evidence for your answer? _____
4. Number the events from 1—5 in the order they happened in the story.
_____ Adam asks to borrow a dollar.
_____ Rosie goes to get her money to go to the bank.
_____ Adam is reading a bunch of new comic books.
_____ Rosie has an idea where her money went.
_____ Adam promises to pay Rosie back.
© 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 1

Editor in Chief®
Writing Corrections
Circle the errors in each story and

write the corrections above the errors.
Double Trouble

4 possessive nouns, 2 spelling
Williams watch had stopped and he wasn’t sure what time it was. The
watch was his grandfathers gift to him and it had been working just fine.
William looked up at the clock on the wall and saw it was neerly 6 o’clock.
He had to hurry! But there was more bad news. Williams bike had a flat
tire. He grabbed his sisters bike and hurried to the ball field for practise.
Quiet! Dog Sleeping
4 possessive nouns, 1 spelling
Dillon was a lazy dog. Dillons idea of a great day was to lie in the sun
and snooze. One day as he was dozing under the appel tree, a bumblebee
landed on Dillons nose. The bees soft buzzing didn’t bother Dillon, but the
little bee tickled Dillons nose. He lifted his paw and took a lazy swipe at the
bee without even opening an eye, and then fell back to sleep.
2 © 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849

Adjectives
An adjective is a word that describes (modifies) a noun
or pronoun. It gives more information about the noun
or pronoun.
The tiny bird flew away from the two cats.

Circle the adjectives and underline the nouns they describe.
2 1. The angry man hollered at the frightened boy.
3 2. On the large table, Dusty found six peaches and a rotten apple.
3 3. Two hours ago, Samantha put the yellow folder in the middle cabinet.
3 4. Six elephants and one hippo lumbered down the dusty trail.
2 5. Sam and his two friends climbed the tallest tree in the yard.
2 6. The cute baby was chewing on his chubby fist.
Write three adjectives to describe each picture.
________________ __________________ _________________
________________ __________________ _________________
________________ __________________ _________________

Colons
A colon (:) is used to mark a division in a sentence.
When you see it, you know more information will follow.
Use a colon:
• to introduce a list.

These are fruits: apples, pears, and plums
• to separate numbers that represent different times.
He arrived at 9:30 p.m.
• to follow the greeting in a business letter.
Dear Ms. Whipple:
• to introduce important ideas.
Warning: Do not enter
Write a sentence with a colon about each picture.
My brother will be here at 5:30.

1. ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
2. ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
3. ___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________

From: Mind Benders® Level 3 Grade 3 Sample Activities
Name the Animals

A cat, a small dog, a goat, and a horse are named Angel, Beauty, King, and Rover.
Read the clues to find each animal’s name.
1. King is smaller than both the dog and Rover.

2. The horse is younger than Angel.
3. Beauty is the oldest and is a good friend of the dog.

Angel Beauty King Rover
cat
dog
goat
horse

From: Reading Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
2. Why Dogs Wag Their Tails by David White
A 1In the early days of the animals, the dog was trying to show his
happiness but did not know how. 2He decided to ask his friends for help.
B 3The dog went to the cat. 4“You should try purring,” the cat said,
purring.
C 5
“You’re no help,” said the dog sadly.

D 6The dog went to the hyena. 7“You should try laughing,” the hyena
said, laughing. 8“Look at me. 9I’m happy when I laugh.”
E 10
“You’re no help,” said the dog sadly.
F 11The dog went to the chimp. 12“You should try smiling,” she said with
a grin. 13The dog tried to smile. 14The chimp tried not to laugh. 15“You’re right,
my friend,” she said. 16“I thought it would help, but you don’t look happy.”
G 17The dog hung his head and walked away. 18Then he had an idea. 19He
would go see the lion. 20The lion was wise.
H 21
“King of the beasts, please tell me how to look happy,” the dog said.
I 22
The lion yawned and said, “Think
of something happy.”
J 23The dog thought for a long while.

24
finally, the dog thought how lucky he was
to have friends like the cat, the hyena, and
the chimp. 25The dog’s tail twitched.
K 26“Aha,” the lion said. 27“I wondered

how your happy feeling would show.”
L 28“I felt it,” the dog said excitedly. 29The tail moved even more.
30
“Wow!” the dog cried. 31“My tail shows how happy I am! 32Thank you, lion!”
M 33The dog bounded off. 34He couldn’t wait to show his other friends!
35
As he ran along, his lively tail wagged after him.

From: Reading Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
DirectionS: Circle the letter next to the correct answer or write the answer
on the lines given. When asked, write the number of the sentence or the letter
of the paragraph that is the best evidence.
1. Why did the dog tell the cat, 4. In sentence 22, why did the lion
“You’re no help”? tell the dog to think of something
happy?
_______________________________
_______________________________

_______________________________
_______________________________
Which sentence is the best
evidence? ____ _______________________________

2. Why did the hyena suggest that
evidence? ____
the dog should laugh?
a. He wanted to make fun of the
dog. 5. What does the last paragraph
B. Laughing made the hyena suggest about how the dog felt
happy. when he left the lion?
c. Purring made the dog sound _______________________________
silly.
D. He was worried about the
_______________________________
dog.
Which sentence is the best Which sentence is the best
evidence? ____ evidence? ____
3. What did the chimp think would

happen if the dog smiled? The
dog would
a. look happy.
B. say he was sorry.
c. stop looking for friends.
D. become the chimp’s friend.
evidence? ____

From: Word Roots Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
Lesson 12–Prefxes, Roots, and Suffxes

Prefix Meaning Root Suffix Meaning
out, away, -ary that which
e-
from dict -ate to make, to act; one
pre- before who, that which
say, speak
-ion an action or process

Activity A
Underline the prefixes and suffixes, and circle the roots in the choice
box below. Then write the correct word for each definition.
predict prediction diction

edict dictionary dictate
1. A reference book that contains

an alphabetical list of words with
information about them:
2. A public statement from an official

(usually government related):
3. The process or manner in which one

speaks:
4. A statement of what a person or group

thinks will happen before it actually
does:
5. To speak as one in complete authority,

making rules and decisions for others to
follow:
6. To say that a thing will happen before it

actually does:


Activity B
Write the correct word to complete the sentences below.
1. The weatherman failed to make the ________________ that a
snowstorm would ruin our picnic plans. edict-prediction
2. Before his speech, Liam practiced his ________________.

diction-dictate
3. A ________________ is the best source for accurate meanings
prediction-dictionary
of words.
4. The ________________ proclaimed by the leader required that
prediction-edict
all women cover their faces.
5. One can never ________________ what a clown will do.
predict-edict
6. Jan is so bossy she wants to ________________ rules for the

class to follow. dictate-predict
7. If you don’t use good ________________, your phone

dictionary-diction
messages could sound garbled.
8. A ________________ provides valuable information about

dictionary-prediction
word pronunciations.
9. Long ago, a king would give an ________________ that his
countrymen had to follow. prediction-edict
10. Kyle tried to ________________ that his school’s soccer team

predict-dictate
would win the final game.
11. It’s uncanny, but Danielle’s ________________ actually came
diction-prediction
true.
12. “You can’t ________________ what I can or can’t do,” Haley
dictate-predict
told her mother angrily.


Activity C
Choose the best word from the choice box below to complete each
sentence and write it in the space.
predict prediction diction

edict dictionary dictate

1. Scientists _____________ that global warming will change our
planet.
2. Contestants were judged on both their _____________ and

speech content.
3. In the 15th century, a Japanese government _____________

prohibited people from wearing gold or silver bracelets.
4. The conqueror was the only one who could _____________ the
terms of surrender.
5. The actor was told to improve his _____________.
6. We always use a _____________ when we play Scrabble.
7. We didn’t believe the weatherman’s _____________ that a

blizzard was heading our way.
8. I _____________ that it will rain tomorrow.
9. The child tried to _____________ to his parents what he

wanted to do.
10. The dictator’s _____________ forbids speaking against the

regime.
11. The teacher told Lana to look the word up in the ___________.
12. Don’t ask me to make a _____________ about tomorrow’s

meeting.

From: Math Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
10—The Family Tree
All over the world, many

1 8
Joe’s parents were called Mary
families keep records of their and Tom. 9Emma’s mother and
ancestors. 2Ancestors are family father were called Sofía and
members that came before your Antonio. 10They died when Tammy
parents, like your grandparents, was a little girl.
great-grandparents, etc. 3Tammy
Andy’s parents are Angela
11
asked Grandma Emma to help her
and Camilo. 12Angela’s mother was

make a family tree. 4With her
named Ana. 13Angela’s father is
grandmother’s help, Tammy was
still alive and they call him Great
lucky enough to get the names of
Grampa Mario. 14Camilo’s mother
three generations of her family. 5A
was Elena, and Camilo’s father was
generation is a set of people about
named Peter.
the same age. third
generation
second
back
Tammy’s parents are Teresa
6 generation
back
and Andy. 7Teresa’s mother and
father are called Emma and Joe. first
generation
back
Teresa
Questions
1. Finish Tammy’s family tree:
Tammy
Andy
2. Did Tammy get any help making her family tree,

and if so, from whom? Use a complete sentence to answer.
Write the numbers of the two sentences that give the best evidence for
the answer. ______, ______
From: Math Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
3. How many generations, not counting Tammy ’s generation, are shown on the
family tree? ______
4. Who died when Tammy was a little girl? _____________________
Write the numbers of the two sentences that give the best evidence for
the answer. _____, _____
5. Which of Tammy’s great-grandparents do you know for sure is still living?

______________________
Write the number of the sentence that gives the best evidence for the
answer. ______
6. Who were Teresa’s grandparents on her father’s side?
_________________________________________________________
7. Who is Ana’s and Mario’s grandchild? ______________________
8. Continue to fill out the chart below.

1 2 3 4 5
generation generations generations generations generations
back back back back back
Tammy’s Tammy’s Tammy’s Great

Tammy Parents Grandparents Grandparents etc. etc.
1 2 4
Describe the pattern, using a complete sentence.
9. Tammy found one picture of each of the people in the chart above, starting
with herself and going back five generations. How many pictures did she
find? ______ Show your work.

From: Thinking Skills for Tests: Upper Elementary Grade 3 Sample Activities
V. Use Clues to Infer Answers

When you answer questions about what you have read on a test, many times you will find the
answers directly in the passage. So far, that’s what you’ve been practicing in this book.
However, there are times you will not find answers directly in the passage. Instead, you will have
to infer the answers. To infer is to draw your own conclusions from clues in the passage in order
to answer the questions.
This exercise will show you the difference between finding answers directly in the passage and
inferring answers by using clues.

Step 1: Read the questions (1 and 2 that are below the passage).
Step 2: Read the passage once to understand the main idea. Underline important details.
Exercise 1
Women in Space
In 1961, an astronaut from Russia named Yuri Gagarin
was the first person to travel in outer space. People
around the world were amazed when they learned that
a person traveled in outer space. One ten year old
girl from America who heard this news was Sally Ride.
This news made Sally wish that she could become an
astronaut one day. Just as space travel is amazing, it
also is amazing when children grow up to accomplish
their dreams.
Step 3: Reread the underlined details to help you answer the questions.
1. Write the year that the first person traveled in outer space. _________________________
To answer question 1, you can look at the passage and find the answer directly. You may already
have underlined the answer. The correct answer is 1961.
2. What did Sally Ride probably do when she grew up?
________________________________________________________________________
a. Restate the question.

b. Then add specific information from the passage.

To answer question 2, you cannot find the answer directly in the passage. You need to infer the
answer using clues from the passage.
There are three clues in the passage. Here’s how to use those clues to infer the answer:
Clue: “This news made Sally wish that she could become an astronaut one day.”
Inference: When Sally was a child, she wanted to become an astronaut.

Clue: “Just as space travel is amazing, it also is amazing when children grow up to
accomplish their dreams.”
Inference: Sally may have grown up to become an astronaut.
Clue: Look at the photo next to the passage.
Inference: The woman in the photo is dressed like a NASA astronaut. Maybe that’s Sally Ride.
Using clues from the passage, you can infer the answer. The best answer is:
When Sally Ride grew up, she probably became an astronaut.

___________________________________________________________________________
Some kids are nervous when they need to infer answers. Here’s what one student (Scott) said
about inferring answers:
“I make inferences about what will happen when I read for fun. Now when I
take a test I know I can use clues from the passage to infer the best answer.”
To answer some questions, you must infer answers because you may not find those answers directly in
the passage. To infer, you need to find clues, put those clues together, and decide on the best answer.

Guided Practice
Follow the steps below to practice making inferences.
Step 1: Read the questions (3, 4, and 5 on the next page).

Step 2: Read the passage once to understand the main idea. Underline important details.
Step 3: Reread the underlined details to help you answer the questions.
Exercise 2
Kwan’s Birthday Wish

The candles on Kwan’s birthday cake were lit. Kwan knew that he
would have to make a wish soon. He thought that he might wish
for a new video game. However, he really did not want a new video
game. He wondered if there was something else that could be his
wish. To help him think of another wish that might be better than a
video game, he said to his guests, “Help me out by telling me things
that you want for your birthdays.”
Kwan’s mother said, “That is very kind of you, but it is your birthday, and your wish.”
“Yeah mom,” explained Kwan, “it’s my wish, but I’m not sure what to wish, and if I hear more
choices, maybe then I can make a really good wish.”
Kwan’s friend Jason said, “You should wish for a longer lunch time in school because you never
finish your lunch.”
Kwan laughed and said, “Is that what you would wish for on your birthday Jason?”
“No,” answered Jason, “I would wish for a kitten.”
“But I already have a cat!” exclaimed Kwan, who was looking at the candles burning and losing his
patience.
Abe, another friend from school suggested, “Just wish for a super power, like being able to fly.”
“No way,” argued Kwan. “Even though I’m not happy with the wish I’m thinking of, at least it’s a
wish that can come true,” and blew out his candles before it was too late.

3. What did Kwan’s mother probably think that Kwan was going to do when he asked, “Help me
out by telling me things that you want for your birthdays.”
a. She thought that Kwan would give his birthday wish to someone else.
b. She thought that Kwan would wish for a video game.
c. She thought that Kwan would wish for a kitten. Cross out wrong answers, and
d. She thought that Kwan didn’t want to make a wish. then choose the best answer.
Clue: “Kwan’s mother said, ‘That is very kind of you, but it is your birthday, and your wish.’ ”
4. Why did Kwan ask to hear other kids’ wishes?

a. Because he didn’t have any wishes of his own.
b. Because he did not like his own wish, and he thought that someone else’s wish would
be something that he would want for himself.
c. Because he wanted to know if other kids also wanted a video game.
d. Because it was not really his birthday.
Clue: “He thought that he might wish for a new video game. However, he really did not want a
new video game. He wondered if there was something else that could be his wish. To help him
think of another wish that might be better than a video game, he said to his guests, ‘Help me out
by telling me things that you want for your birthdays.’ ”
5. In the end, just before he blew out the candles, what was probably Kwan’s wish?
a. a kitten
b. a super power
c. a video game
d. the ability to fly
Clue: “He thought that he might wish for a new video game. However, he really did not want a
new video game. He wondered if there was something else that could be his wish.”
Clue: “ ‘But I already have a cat!’ said Kwan, who was looking at the candles burning and losing
his patience.”
Clue: “‘ No way,’ said Kwan. ‘Even though I’m not happy with the wish I’m thinking of, at least it’s
a wish that can come true,’ and blew out his candles before it was too late.”

From: Science Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
26. Food Chains and Food Webs
A 1Every organism needs food. 2Food G On the other hand, one kind of
19
provides energy, and an organism will animal may eat more than one kind of
die if it does not get enough energy. consumer. 20A lion eats both zebra and
3
Plants get energy from sunlight and antelope. 21Where would you draw two
use it to make their food. 4Animals get arrows to show the flow of energy in
their energy by eating plants or by the flow chart below?
eating animals that eat plants.

B 5Because plants make their own
food, they are called food producers.
6
Animals cannot produce food—they
must consume plants or other animals
to get food. 7Animals are called
consumers.
H It is easier to use names instead
22
C Without producers, consumers

8
of drawing pictures in a flow chart.
would not live long. 9That’s because 23
How would you read this flow chart?
animals eat plants or other animals
that eat plants. 10If plants disappeared,
animals would run out of food and die. Grass Zebra Lion
D A special type of diagram is
11
I A single food chain does not tell
24
used to show what-eats-what in an how all the organisms in an ecosystem

ecosystem. 12This diagram is called a relate to one another. 25We can learn
food chain. 13A food chain is a kind of a lot about an ecosystem by putting
flow chart. several food chains in one diagram. 26A
diagram that combines more than one
food chain is called a food web. 27Think
about the food web below.
E In a food chain, each organism

14
is called a link. 15Arrows show the

direction energy flows between links.
16
Each arrow means “is eaten by.” 17For
example, means “grass is
eaten by a zebra.”
F Different animals may eat the
18
same kind of consumer.

From: Science Detective® Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
1. For each statement, circle T 5. Using the food web in the lesson,
or F for true or false. In the complete the following food chains
blanks, write the number(s) of the of the owl and the cougar.
SENTENCE(s) that gives the best
evidence for the answer.
ant
a. An animal can be a producer.
T F ___
mouse cougar
b. A mouse is a consumer.
T F ___ 6. Write the names of the following

c. Producers get energy from the organisms in the correct order in
sun. T F ___, ___ the flow chart below:
d. Consumers can survive without fish, sea grass, shark, and shrimp.
producers. T F ___
2. What is the most likely meaning of

consume as it is used in sentence
6? 7. Look again at the food web in
a. change into c. feed the lesson. Then complete the
diagram below by adding names and
b. take in d. become
connecting them with arrows.
3. Why is the sun part of a food

chain? Use complete sentences to mountain
explain the answer. lion
deer
Write the number of the sentence

that gives the best evidence for
ants
the answer. ___
4. If plants disappeared, could

animals continue to survive? ___
Use complete sentences to explain

why or why not.

From: Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 Grade 3 Sample Activities
DESCRIBING POSITION
DIRECTIONS: Complete the sentences with the correct words from the choice box.
Draw a shape as directed. Choices may be used more than once.
Choice Box
center circle left hexagon right square triangle
A-57:

The shape near the upper ___________________
corner is a red circle. Near the lower right corner is a
___________________.
Draw a white triangle near the upper right corner.
A-58:
The shape in the center is a __________________.
Near the lower ___________________ corner is a
green trapezoid.
Draw a white triangle near the upper left corner.
A-59:
corner is a green square. Near the lower
___________________ corner is a blue
___________________.
Draw a black circle near the lower left corner.

RECOGNIZING SIMILAR CHANGES
DIRECTIONS: Decide how the shapes in the first row were changed. The shapes in
the second row are changed the same way. Circle the missing shape.
B-70:
a. b. c. d.

?
B-71:
a. b. c. d.
?
B-72:
a. b. c. d.
?
WHICH FIGURE COMES NEXT?
DIRECTIONS: Circle the figure that comes next.
EXAMPLE: a. b.
c. d.

C-49: a. b.
c. d.
C-50: a. b.
c. d.
C-51: a. b.
c. d.

OVERLAPPING GROUPS
DIRECTIONS: Darken the part of the diagram where each figure belongs.
TRIANGLES SMALL SHAPES

D-108:
D-109: D-110:
D-111: D-112:

From: Balance Benders™ Beginning
Beginning – Algebraic Reasoning
Grade 3 Sample
Puzzles
Activities
Balance
Benders™

Circle the three answers that will always be true.
a. =
b. =
c. =
d. =
e. =
f. =
From: Mathematical Reasoning™ Level D Grade 3 Sample Activities
Metric Units
Celsius Degrees (°C) are units of temperature.
Water boils at 100°C. 300° Human body temperature

is about 37°C.

250°
200°
150°
100°
Room temperature is
about 20°C. Water freezes at 0°C.
50°
0°
Circle the best estimated temperature for the activity.
1. Swimming 1°C 32°C
2. Playing in the snow 1°C 35°C
3. Flu season 10°C 38°C
4. Cooking in the oven 38°C 180°C
5. Refrigerator 3°C 27°C

Write a multiplication sentence and solve. Check your answer.
1. How many ears do twenty cats have? ________
2. How many wheels do three ATVs have? ________

3. How many toes do four people have? ________
4. This dog found the same number of bones as Fido and

Spot found. Together, how many have they found? ________
5. If Bob makes $145 a week,

how much does he make in five weeks? _________
6. A company makes 350 brooms a week, how

many brooms can be made in 8 weeks? _________

Find the quotient and write the letter of each answer to solve
the riddle below.
t l d r
3 54 4 252 5 175 8 344

y a e s
6 510 7 364 9 495 8 752
Where can you buy a ruler that is 3 feet long?

For
Sale
___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
52 18 52 85 52 43 35 94 52 63 55

Circle the mixed number that matches the picture.

2 2
1. 1
= 7 32 8 4
2. 1 3 1 3
= 2 4 2 4 9 34

3. 2 3 2 2
= 3 17 3 5 17 35
4. 1 2 5
= 16 15
1
16
17
Circle the fraction that does not belong.

3 5 1
a 1
3 5 2
b 1 3 4 2
2 6 8 1
1 4 2 3
c
3 8 6 9
2 4 1 3
d 8 10 4 12

From: Think Analogies A1 Grade 3 Sample Activities
Classifying Analogies
DIRECTIONS: Read the analogy and decide how each word
pair is related. Then choose the correct type of analogy from
the box below, and write the letter on the line.
a. part of b. synonym c. antonym d. someone who

1. polite : rude :: considerate : insulting
2. lobby : hotel :: entry : house
3. droop : sag :: lift : raise
4. nose : plane :: prow : ship
5. waiter : serves :: maid : cleans
6. pitcher : throws :: batter : hits

From: Inference Jones Beginning 2 Grade 3 Sample Activities
5. The Old House

1
Everyone always stayed away from the old, red and yellow
house on the corner of our block. 2
Some people said that a
mean, old woman lived there. 3
Others said that they had seen a
man on the porch surrounded by hundreds of cats. Sometimes
4
on the way home from school, my best friend Jason would sneak
up to the house, ring the doorbell, and run. 5
Well, one windy

day, Jason quietly tiptoed up to the front door and accidentally stepped on a squeaky
board on the front porch. 6
He stopped, looked at me, and then took a few more steps
toward the doorbell. 7
SWOOSH!!! The screen to the front door swung open and
8
slammed hard against the front wall of the house. 9

Jason froze; he didn’t move a
muscle. 10
The rest of us ran down the street as fast as our feet could take us.
Circle T if you are certain this sentence is true. Circle F if you are certain it is
false. Circle U if it is unknown because you need more information. Add the
sentence number(s) on the line that best supports your true or false answer.
1. Jason saw the mean, old woman. T ___, F ___, or U
2. It was a windy day. T ___, F ___, or U
3. The old house is not blue. T ___, F ___, or U
Write the answer on the lines given or circle the letter next to the correct answer(s).
4. Give at least 2 reasons why the door could have swung open.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
5. Which two words best describe Jason’s character?

a. furious
b. disrespectful
c. polite
d. uncaring

From: Inference Jones Beginning 2 Grade 3 Sample Activities
6. In sentence 9 infer what “froze” means.

a. He stopped.
b. He got cold.
c. He turned into an ice cube.
d. none of the above
7. Which best describes the kind of story this is?

a. non-fiction
b. fairy tale

c. comedy
d. mystery/suspense
Circle PT for probably true or PF for probably false. Be sure to supply the best
evidence that supports your answer: sentence number(s) and/or personal knowledge.
8. The group of kids didn’t get scared when the door swung open.
PT or PF Sentence ____
Personal knowledge: ___________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
9. This story happened on a Saturday morning.
PT or PF Sentence ____
Personal knowledge: ___________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________

From: Editor in Chief® Beginning 2 Grade 3 Sample Activities
Lesson 6. Singular and Plural Nouns

1. To change a noun from singular (one)
to plural (more than one), add -s to
the end of most words. ……………………………. boat - boats
flower - flowers
2. To change nouns that end in s, ss, sh,

ch, x, and sometimes o, from singular (one)
to plural (more than one), add -es. …………….. gas - gases

boss - bosses
dish - dishes
bunch - bunches
box - boxes
tomato - tomatoes
3. To change nouns that end in a

consonant and y from singular to
plural, change the y to i and add -es. …………. baby - babies
strawberry - strawberries
4. To change nouns that end in a vowel

and y from singular to plural, add -s. ………….. donkey - donkeys
monkey - monkeys
5. Some nouns change completely

when they become plural. ………………………… man - men
tooth - teeth
mouse - mice
foot - feet
child - children
wife - wives
life - lives
6. Some nouns don’t change at all

from singular to plural. …………………………... fish - fish
deer - deer
sheep - sheep

From: Editor in Chief® Beginning 2 Grade 3 Sample Activities
Read the paragraphs and correct the singular/plural noun errors.
33. Come Paragliding! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Singular/Plural
Do you want to fly without a planes? Try paragliding.
To take off, you get on your foot on a hill and then run as
fast as you can. When you leave the ground, you sit below
a sail made of cloths. A paraglider is portable so you can

pack it up in a boxes and take it with you. Paragliding is
fun for men, women, and child. Just imagine soaring alone
up in the skies over a farm and looking down on sheeps!
34. Brave Dolley Madison 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Singular/Plural
Dolley Madison was the wives of James Madison, the
fourth presidents of the United States. Dolley was known
as a wonderful hostess, who made all guest feel welcome.
She especially liked to have party and held many lunch.
Her tables were always set with beautiful dish. There was
more to Dolley than just being a hostess. During the War
of 1812, the British invaded Washington, D.C. Everyone
was fleeing, but Dolley stayed behind to help save lots of
thing from the White House, including a famous portrait of
George Washington.

From: Writing Detective® Level 1 Grade 3 Sample Activities
Read the story below and then answer the outline questions. All the
statements in the story are true.
The Skateboard Thief
Today, the city of Billings arrested one of the four boys shown below for
1
stealing Greg Sabin’s skateboard. 2The theft took place yesterday. 3Sabin had
his skateboard stolen just before noon outside a bicycle store in Billings where
he had gone to buy a part for his bicycle. 4Sabin said that after he bought the
bicycle part, he went outside for his skateboard, but it was gone. 5He looked

around and saw a boy skating away down the street on his skateboard. 6Sabin
said the boy looked to be about five feet tall with darkish brown or black
hair, a bright colored short sleeve shirt, and a watch. 7Police found Sabin’s
skateboard in the home where the arrest was made. 8A spokesperson for the
police said they were happy to catch the thief since they don’t get a lot of
skateboard thefts in Montana.
The Four Suspects
Ian Bream Taylor Helm Bryce Edwards Raul Cabrera

“I was in Billings “I was in Billings “I was in Billings “I was in town
yesterday for today sometime today until 10:30 today around
basketball around noon, a.m. I’m about lunchtime.”
practice. The but I don’t know 60 inches tall.”
coach loves my exactly when
6’2 height!” because my shirt
sleeve covers my
watch.”

Outline
Fill out the writing outline to help you write a short article for the newspaper
explaining what happened in the story. Your article must identify who was the
thief, but it doesn’t have to explain how you figured it out.
1. When did this story happen? __________________________________

__________________________________________________________
2. Where did this story happen? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________
3. Who are the important characters in this story? ___________________
__________________________________________________________
4. What happened to these important characters in this story? _________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
5. Explain why or how this happened to the characters. ______________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________

Article
Remember, people reading your article have never read the story so be sure to
include all the key information from your outline.
(Your Headline)

(By)
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

From: Pattern Explorer Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
2. Equality
2. 2. Equality
Equality Explorer
Explorer
Explorer 11 1
2. Equality
2. Equality
Explorer
Explorer
1 1
Each Each
2D shape
2D shape
represents
represents
a different
a different
wholewhole
number.
number.
Use the
Useequations
the equations
to findtotheir
find their
Each 2D shape represents a different whole number. Use the equations to find their value.
value.value.
Each Each
2D shape
2D shape
represents
represents
a different
a different
wholewhole
number.
number.
Use the
Useequations
the equations
to findtotheir
find their
value.value.
1. 1.
18 18 2. 2.
19 19
1. 1.
18 18 2. 2.
19 19
7 7 20 20 24 24
7 7 20 20 24 24

3. 3. 4. 4.
15 1525 25
3. 3. 4. 4.
15 1525 25
7 7 19 19 11 11
7 7 19 19 11 11
5. 5. 10 10 24 246. 6.
29 29
5. 5. 10 10 24 246. 6.
29 29
9 9 34 34
9 9 34 34
20 20 13 13 28 28
20 20 13 13 28 28
3 3
3 3

14. Number Ninja 3
14. Number Ninja 3
14. Number Ninja 3
The top circle’s number equals the product of the numbers 28
The topincircle’s number
the squares: 28equals theThe
= 4 x 7. product
bottomof circle’s
the numbers
number equals
The top circle’s
in the squares:
number
28 = 4 x
equals
7. The
the product
bottom
of the numbers
circle’s number equals
28
4 7
in the squares: 28 = 4 x 7. The bottom circle’s number+ equals
the sum of the numbers in the squares: 11 = 4 7.
the sum of the numbers in the squares: 11 = 4 + 7.
the sum of the numbers in the squares: 11 = 4 + 7.
4 7
11
11
Fill in all missing numbers. When both squares are empty, put the larger of the two
Fill in all missing
missing
Fill in all missing numbers.
numbers When
in the
numbers. both
rightboth
When squares are
square.
squares are empty,
empty, put
put the
the larger of the
larger of the two
two missing
numbers in the right square.
missing numbers in the right square.
1. 2. 3. 4.

42
1. 2. 3. 4.
5 9 3 10 42
6 8
5 9 3 10 6 8
10
10
5. 15 6. 40 7. 8.
12 8
5. 15 6. 40 7. 8.
12 8
8 13 7 6
8 13 7 6
9. 75 10. 11. 36 12.

60
9. 75 10. 11. 12.
25 7 36 60
25 7 15 12 19
15 12 19
13. 48 14. 49 15. 16.

63
13. 48 14. 49 15. 16.
63
3 9
14 14 3 9
17
14 14 17
17. 81 18. 48 19. 20.

100 14
17. 81 18. 48 19. 20.
100 14
18 16 25 15
18 16 25 15
17
17

16. 16.
Pattern
PatternPredictor
Predictor4 4
16.16.
16. Pattern
Pattern
Pattern Predictor
Predictor
Predictor 44 4
The shapes below are made with toothpicks and gumdrops.
The shapes below are made with toothpicks and gumdrops. For example, stage
For example, 2 has
stage 2 has
5 The shapes
toothpicks
5shapes and
toothpicks below
4 are made
gumdrops.
and 4made
gumdrops. with toothpicks and gumdrops. For example, stage 2 has
The
Theshapes below
below are
are madewith
withtoothpicks
toothpicksandandgumdrops.
gumdrops.For Forexample,
example,stage
stage22has has
5 toothpicks and 4 gumdrops.
55toothpicks
toothpicksand and44gumdrops.
gumdrops.
1. Look
1. Look at pattern
at the and and
the pattern thenthen
drawdraw
stage 5. For
stage laterlater
5. For stages, make
stages, a drawing
make if it helps
a drawing you
if it helps
1.you
Look
answer at
the the pattern
questions. and then draw stage 5. For later stages, make a drawing if it helps
Lookatanswer
1.1.Look atthe the questions.
thepattern
pattern and
andthen
thendraw
drawstage
stage5.5.For
Forlater
laterstages,
stages,make
makeaadrawing
drawingififitithelps
helps
you answer the questions.
you
youanswer
answerthe thequestions.
questions.

stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4 stage 5
stage 2
stage 1 stage stage 3 stage 4 stage 5
stage 1
stage 1 stage22 stage
stage33 stage
stage44 stage
stage55
2. How many toothpicks 3. How many gumdrops

2.are
How many
there at toothpicks
stage 5? 3.are
How many
there at gumdrops
stage 5?
2.2.How
Howmany
How manytoothpicks
many toothpicks
toothpicks 3.3.How3. many
How How gumdrops
manymany gumdrops
gumdrops
are there at stage 5? are there at stage 5?
are
are there
arethereatatstage
there at 5?
stage
stage 5?5? are
arethere atatthere
are
there stage 5?
stageat stage 5?
5?
4. How many toothpicks and gumdrops are there at stage 6?

4.4.How
4. Howmany
How manytoothpicks
many toothpicksand
toothpicks andgumdrops
and gumdropsare
gumdrops arethere
are thereat
there atstage
at stage6?
stage 6?
6?
• toothpicks: _____
• •toothpicks:
toothpicks: _____
_____
• gumdrops: _____
• gumdrops: _____
• •gumdrops:
gumdrops:_____
_____
5. Complete the table to show the number of toothpicks and gumdrops for stages 1
5.through
Complete the table to show the number of toothpicks and gumdrops for stages 1
8.thetable
5.5.Complete
Completethe tabletotoshow
showthe
thenumber
numberofoftoothpicks
toothpicksand
andgumdrops
gumdropsfor
forstages
stages11
through 8.the table to show the number of toothpicks and gumdrops for stages 1 through 8.
5. Complete
through
through8.8.
stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
stage
stage
number of toothpicks11 22 5 3 3 44 55 66 77 88
number of toothpicks 5
number
number ofoftoothpicks
toothpicks 55
number of gumdrops 4
number of gumdrops 4
number
numberofofgumdrops
gumdrops 44

6. 6. How
How manymany toothpicks
toothpicks andand gumdrops
gumdrops are are there
there at at stage
stage 12?12?
6.6.How
Howmanymanytoothpicks
toothpicksand
andgumdrops
gumdropsare
arethere
thereat
atstage
stage12?
12?
• •toothpicks:
toothpicks: _____
_____
• gumdrops: _____
• gumdrops: _____
• •gumdrops:
gumdrops:__________
19
19
1919

From: Building Writing Skills Level 1 Grade 3 Sample Activities
1. Prewriting → Brainstorming
A personal narrative is a true story about an event or experience of the writer. Most personal
narratives are told in the first person because the author is writing about himself or herself or a
group that includes him or her.
First Person Pronouns
I, we, me, us, mine, our, ours

Write a personal narrative about an event or experience from your life or choose from the writing
prompts on page 20. Refer to the Writing Process on pages 1 and 2 for information about writing
a personal narrative. For an example of writing a personal narrative, see pages 3-11.
Brainstorm ideas for a topic for your personal narrative. Then circle the topic you have chosen.
What will the topic be for my personal narrative?
Write the topic you chose on the blank line below. Brainstorm ideas you have about your topic
and write them below your topic.
_____________________________________

1. Prewriting → Planning
Planning is the process of organizing thoughts and ideas for writing.
Use the graphic organizer below to make a plan for writing your personal narrative.

Title ________________________________________________________
Beginning/Introduction → What? Who? When? Where? Why?

What happened? _______________________________________________________
Who did what? _______________________________________________________
When did it take place? _______________________________________________________
Where did it take place? _______________________________________________________
Why did it happen? _______________________________________________________
Middle
End/Conclusion

3. Revising Checklist
Authors revise the text to make their writing better.
Read the first draft of your personal narrative. Ask yourself the following questions and circle
your answers. Use the information you gather from these questions to revise your writing.
Write changes on your first draft using arrows (^) to show where to add words or sentences.
Draw a line through words or sentences you’ve decided to remove.
sheets of white construction paper

The windows looked like four white rectangles.
^
1. Does my title make the reader want to read my writing? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Does my first sentence capture the reader’s interest? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. Is my writing organized with a beginning, a middle, and an end? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. Does it make sense? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. Do I need to add more details? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

6. Do I need to remove or add any words or sentences? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
7. Does the writing have my voice, the voice I use when I talk to my family and friends?
Yes No Maybe

Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
8. Do I have my story separated into paragraphs? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
9. Did I write dialogue in its own paragraph? Yes No Maybe
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Ask a friend or a family member to read your personal narrative and answer the following
questions. Write the answers below the questions.
1. Is there anything you’d like to know more about?
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. Is there anything you don’t understand?
Notes: _____________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

From: Critical Thinking Detective™ Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
Read the case below to find evidence to identify the innocent and guilty suspects.
Remember, the story and witnesses’ statements are true.
The Stinging Insect

1
On Monday, June 6, around 4 p.m., Debbie James was playing in the living room of her
house when she was stung by a flying insect. 2Her two brothers, Greg and Tim, and her
friend, Stephanie Boyce, were in the living room with her. 3All the children heard Debbie
scream and shout that she had been stung on the arm by an insect.

4
Debbie and her brother, Tim, got a very good look at the stinging insect. 5Stephanie
saw an insect fly by her after Debbie screamed, but she wasn’t certain it was the bug
that stung Debbie. 6The four children then went into the kitchen to get fly swatters, so
they could kill the stinging insect that they believed was still somewhere in the living
room. 7The children swatted away at the insects in the room and collected the four bugs
below. 8Then they talked about what they had seen. 9After listening to each other, they
all agreed that one of the four insects below was the stinging insect.
Insect A Insect B Insect C Insect D
Stephanie Boyce
10
The scary-looking bug with white wings flew into my face right after Debbie screamed.
11
I turned and watched it fly into a window after that. 12After looking at all four insects, I’m
certain it was Insect D.
Debbie James
13
I felt the sting and then saw an insect that had a black and either yellow or orange body
fly off my arm.
Greg James
I looked at Debbie right after I heard her scream. 15I saw an insect fly off her leg to
14
a living room window to try to escape to the backyard. 16It was yellow or orange, but
not black.
Tim James
17
The insect I saw fly from where Debbie was standing had an orange and black, or yellow
and black body. 18The yellow and black insect with the longest antennae was dead on the
window sill before Debbie was stung.
From: Critical Thinking Detective™ Beginning Grade 3 Sample Activities
The Innocent
Fill in the blanks, then use complete sentences and sentence numbers to describe the
best evidence for your conclusions.
Sentence _____ is the best evidence that Insect C is not the stinging insect.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
Sentences 13 and _____ are the best evidence that Insect B is not the stinging insect.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Sentences _____ and 17 are the best evidence that __________________ is not the
stinging insect.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The Stinging Insect
Sentences _____ and _____ are the best evidence that the stinging insect was black
and either yellow or orange. Only Insects _____ and _____ fit this description. Sentence
_____ tells us that Insect _____ was dead before Debbie was stung, so this means the
stinging insect is Insect _____.

From: Understanding Fractions Grade 3 Sample Activities
What Fraction?
silver
penny nickel dime quarter half-dollar $1 bill $2 bill
dollar
1¢ 5¢ 10 ¢ 25 ¢ 50 ¢ 100 ¢ 100 ¢ 200 ¢

Use the pictures above to answer the questions.
1. What fraction of these are made of metal?
2. What fraction of these are non-metallic?
3. What fraction of these is worth more than 5 dimes?
4. What fraction of these are less than $1 but more than a quarter?
5. A penny is 1 of a dollar. What fraction of a dollar is a nickel?

100
6. What fraction of the coins has a value that is an even number?
7. What fraction of the coins is larger (in size) than a penny?
8. What fraction of the coins is worth less than 12 nickels?
9. A bust is a drawing or sculpture of a head and neck. What fraction have a bust?
10. What fraction of these have a penny value that is an odd number?
11. What fraction of $2, do all the coins make?
12. What fraction of these, if they were doubled, would equal another coin or bill?

What fraction is shaded? Circle the best answer.
Remember that a fraction is written: part

total
2 parts shaded out of 4 total parts is 2
4
1. 4 3 1
1 4 4

2. 1 2 1
2 1 4
3.
♥♥ ♥♥ 1
4
4
8
4
4
4. 11 1 1
12 4 12
5. 5 4 9
9 9 4
6. 1 2 3
4 4 8
7. 2 2 2
6 12 7
8. 1 1 2
8 4 8
9. 1 1 1
4 7 16
10. 3 5 2
4 12 4
11. 2 3 5 5
3 8 9 18

What’s the New Word?

Follow the directions and write the answer in the blank.
1. Add the first half of the word “made” with the last half of the word “path”. The new
word is .

2. Take the second half of “camper” and then add the last half of “lesson”. The new word
is .
3. Put the first 2 of the word “third” with the last 3 of the word “wink”. The new word is
5 4
.
4. Take the first 1 of the word, “kindergarten” and add to it, the last half of “weakness”.
3
The new word is .
5. To the first 2 of the word “police,” add the middle 1 of the word “intend”. The new
3 3
word is .
6. Take the first 1 of the word “freedoms” and add on 7 of the word “actions”. The new
4 7
word is .
7. Take the first 1 of the word “construction”, add on the final 2 of “inside”, followed by
4 3
the middle 4 of “crater”. The new word is .
6
8. Use these letters from left to right to find the word. The letter M position is 1 .
12
MLSFOPRLUEHB
11 5 1 1 1 3 2
12 6 6 2 3 4 3

Review – Final
In the blank next to the problem, write the letter for the correct answer. Then complete the
“check yourself” exercise below. An answer may be used more than once. It may help to
draw or use your fraction circles.
1 u 1
____ 1. of 10 2
4
1 1 t 2
____ 2. of 3
3 3
e 4

____ 3. 1 of 2 12
3
r 5
____ 4. 1 = 12
3
2 e 22
____ 5. of 4 3
3
18 l 21
____ 6. = 2
9
1 t 1
____ 7. = so = 9
2
1 h 1
____ 8. = so = 8
2
11 a 11
____ 9. 8
4
1 1 f 1
____ 10. + = 6
2 3
16 y 5
____ 11. Reduce 6
32
u 1
____ 12. 3 – 1 4
4 3
1 1 1 1 z 3
____ 13. + + + = ? (Common denominator of 12.) 3
3 4 6 12
b 23
____ 14. 3 of 1 1 4
4 2
t 2
____ 15. 1 of 1 of 1 of 24 1
2 3 4
Check yourself: Write the letter for each problem in the numbered spaces below to answer
the riddle.
How do butterflies move?
6 7 4 10 8 1 11 2 3 5 12 9 13

From: Critical Thinking for Reading Comprehension Grade 3 Sample Activities
Evidence Lesson
Evidence is information that leads you to believe or know something.
Read the sentences below and look at the picture. Explain the
evidence that helps you answer each question.

1
Blas and his son Alex left these tracks on the beach right after Alex got out of
the water. 2Blas wanted to eat lunch after Alex was dry and dressed.
1. Which tracks belong to Alex?
The first sentence tells us that tracks were made right after Alex got out of
the water. The second sentence tells us Blass is waiting for Alex to get dry
and dressed. This evidence tells us the bare footprints belong to Alex.
2. Were these tracks made in the early morning?
The second sentence tells us Blass is waiting for Alex to get dry and dressed
so they can go to lunch. This evidence tells us the tracks were made after
the morning, around lunch time.

1. Fishing
Observation and Reading for Evidence – Deduction
1
Tom, his son, and his brother are fishing. 2
Each of them caught one fish.
3
Tom’s brother caught the largest fish.

Answer each question and then explain the evidence for your answer.
1. The picture is Tom and his son. True False Unknown
2. Tom’s son did not catch a fish. True False Unknown
3. Tom’s son is in the picture. True False Unknown
4. Tom’s son’s fish is smaller than his brother’s. True False Unknown
5. Tom and his son both caught small fish. True False Unknown

9.9.
Deductive Thinking
Mind Benders ®
Reading
Reading forforEvidence
Evidence–– Deduction
Deduction
DIRECTIONS: Fill in the chart using + for yes or – for no as you solve
the puzzle. Be sure to mark all the – (no) answers from each clue to
help find all the + (yes) answers.

girl man boy girl
slow
fast
faster
fastest
Four bikers have a race. Find out how fast each person rode.
1. The man with the beard rode faster than the girl without the helmet,
but finished right behind the boy.
2. The girl with the helmet always rides faster than both males.

11. Three Shapes
Observing and Reading for Evidence – Deduction
Read each description and then mark the picture it describes.

1. A square that is in front of a black shape and a green shape.
2. A red shape above and to the left and a black shape in the right bottom
corner.
3. A green circle hiding part of a triangle that is to the right of a black
triangle.

4. A triangle that is to the right of a square which is in the upper left corner.
5. A green shape that is to the right of a black shape and to the left of a red
shape.
6. A green shape that is partly covered by a square which is below and to
the left of a three-sided shape.

12. Pets
Observing and Reading for Evidence – Deduction
1
The Randle family has three pets. 2Two of their pets are dogs. 3Both dogs are
larger than the other pet who is the youngest. 4The Randle’s pets’ names are
Whiskers, Happy, and Bob. 5The largest dog is Whiskers. 6Two of the Randle’s
pets are pictured below.

Answer each question and then explain the evidence for your answer.
1. The dog in the picture is the youngest pet. True False Unknown
2. The largest pet is in the picture. True False Unknown
3. The cat’s name is Happy or Bob. True False Unknown
4. Whiskers is larger than the cat and the other dog.

True False Unknown
5. The dog in the picture is older than one or two of the other pets.
True False Unknown

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Answers
Page 1 Page 5
1. 4 ANIMAL NAME
2. 5
3. Her brother, Adam, took it. 8 cat King
4. 2, 1, 4, 5, 3
dog Angel
Page 2 goat Beauty

Double Trouble
William’s watch had stopped and he wasn’t horse Rover
sure what time it was. The watch was his

grandfather’s gift to him and it had been King is smaller than the small dog (1), so King isn’t

working just fine. William looked up at the the goat or the horse (or the dog). Then King is
clock on the wall and saw it was nearly 6 the cat. The dog is not Rover (1) or Beauty (3),
o’clock. He had to hurry! But there was so it is Angel. The horse is not the oldest (2),
more bad news. William’s bike had a flat but Beauty is the oldest (3), so Beauty is not the
tire. He grabbed his sister’s bike and horse. Then the horse is Rover, and Beauty is the
hurried to the ball field for practice. goat.
Quiet! Dog Sleeping Page 7

Dillon was a lazy dog. Dillon’s idea of a WHY DOGS WAG THEIR TAILS
great day was to lie in the sun and snooze.
One day as he was dozing under the apple 1. Why did the dog tell the cat, “You’re
tree, a bumblebee landed on Dillon’s nose. no help”?
The bee’s soft buzzing didn’t bother Dillon,
but the little bee tickled Dillon’s nose. He The cat told the dog to purr. The
lifted his paw and took a lazy swipe at the dog probably could not purr.
bee without even opening an eye, and then
fell back to sleep. Best evidence sentence: 4
Page 3 2. Why did the hyena suggest that the

1. angry man, frightened boy dog should laugh?
2. large table, six peaches, rotten
apple A. He wanted to make fun of the
3. Two hours, yellow folder, middle dog.
cabinet B. Laughing made the hyena
4. Six elephants, one hippo, dusty happy.
trail C. Purring made the dog sound
5. two friends, tallest tree silly.
6. cute baby, chubby fist D. He was worried about the dog.
Adjectives will vary. Best evidence sentence: 9
Page 4 3. What did the chimp think would
Sentences will vary.
happen if the dog smiled? The dog
would:
A. look happy.
B. say he was sorry.
C. stop looking for friends.
D. become the chimp’s friend.
Best evidence sentence: 16
4. In sentence 22, why did the lion Page 10
tell the dog to think of something Activity C
happy? 1. predict
2. diction
The lion wanted to see how the 3. edict
dog would show his happiness. 4. dictate
Best evidence sentence: 27 5. diction
6. dictionary
5. What does the last paragraph 7. prediction
suggest about how the dog felt 8. predict
when he left the lion? 9. dictate

10. edict
He was happy. 11. dictionary
12. prediction
His wagging tail meant that the
dog was happy.
Pages 11-12
Best evidence sentence: 35 10—The Family Tree
1. (Note: spouses can be given in reversed order as
Page 8 long as each person remains with the correct parent
Activity A and/or child.) third
generation
second
back
generation
1. dict ion ary back

Sofia
2. e dict first
generation
Emma
3. dict ion
back Antonio
Teresa
4. pre dict ion
Mary
5. dict ate Joe
6. pre dict Tom
Tammy
Page 9 Ana
Angela
Activity B
Mario
1. prediction Andy
2. diction Elena
3. dictionary Camilo
4. edict Peter

5. predict
6. dictate
2. Yes, her grandmother Emma helped her. Sentences
7. diction 3 and 4
8. dictionary 3. 3
9. edict 4. Emma’s mother and father OR Sofia and Antonio,
10. predict Sentences 9 and 10
11. prediction 5. Great Grampa Mario, Sentence 13
12. dictate 6. Mary and Tom (See sentences 7 and 8.)
7. Andy
8. 8, 16, 32, Each number is doubled from the one
before.
9. 63, 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 = 63

Pages 13-16 Page 19
Building Thinking Skills® — Level 1 Describing Shapes
3. a; This is a tough choice between “a” and “d.” DESCRIBING POSITION
Choice “a” is the best answer. Giving up DIRECTIONS: Complete the sentences with the correct words from the choice box.
Draw a shape as directed. Choices may be used more than once.
his birthday wish to someone else would Choice Box
have been a kind thing to do, but his mother center circle left hexagon right square triangle
wanted Kwan to have his birthday wish for

A-57:
left
himself. corner is a red circle. Near the lower right corner is a
4. b square
___________________.
5. c
Draw a white triangle near the upper right corner.
A-58:
hexagon
Page 18
The shape in the center is a __________________.
right
Near the lower ___________________ corner is a

1. a. F 6; b. T 7; c. T 3, 5; d. F 8 green trapezoid.
2. b
Draw a white triangle near the upper left corner.
3. Plants get their energy from sunlight. A-59:

left
Without the sun, plants would die. 3 corner is a green square. Near the lower
4. No. Animals get energy from eating plants. right

___________________ corner is a blue
They also get energy from eating animals triangle

___________________.
Draw a black circle near the lower left corner.

that eat plants. Without plants, animals © 2022 The Critical Thinking Co.™• www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 13
cannot get energy.

Page 20
5.
Building Thinking Skills® — Level 1 Similarities and Differences in Shapes
RECOGNIZING SIMILAR CHANGES
ant beetle owl DIRECTIONS: Decide how the shapes in the first row were changed. The shapes in
the second row are changed the same way. Circle the missing shape.
B-70:
nuts mouse cougar

a. b. c. d.
6.
sea
?
grass shrimp fish shark
B-71:
7. a. b. c. d.
mountain
lion
owl deer
?
B-72:
beetle mouse a. b. c. d.
ants grass nuts & ?

berries
© 2022 The Critical Thinking Co.™• www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 51

Page 21
Building Thinking Skills® — Level 1 Sequences of Shapes Page 24
WHICH FIGURE COMES NEXT?
DIRECTIONS: Circle the figure that comes next.

1. 32°C
EXAMPLE: a. b. 2. 1°C
c. d.
3. 10°C
4. 180°C
C-49: a. b. 5. 3°C
c. d.
Page 25
1. 40 ears
C-50:
2. 12 wheels
a. b.

c. d. 3. 40 toes
4. 12 bones
C-51: a. b.
5. $725
c. d. 6. 2,800 brooms
74 © 2022 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 Page 26

t. 18
Page 22
Building Thinking Skills® — Level 1 Classifying Shapes
OVERLAPPING GROUPS l. 63
DIRECTIONS: Darken the part of the diagram where each figure belongs.
d. 35
TRIANGLES SMALL SHAPES r. 43
y. 85
a. 52
e. 55
D-108:
s. 94
at a yard sale
D-109: D-110:
Page 27
1
2. 2 4
2
3. 3 5
D-111: D-112:
5
4. 1 6
1
a. 2
© 2022 The Critical Thinking Co.™• www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 117
2
b. 2
Page 23 4
c. 8
c, d, e
4
c. Remove from both pans. (Tip 4)
d. 10
d. Add to both pans and reverse. (Tips 3 and 1)
e. Divide = in half so = . (Tip 6)

Page 28 Page 32
1. c Come Paragliding!
2. a Do you want to fly without a plane1? Try
3. b paragliding. To take off, you get on your feet2 on
4. a a hill and then run as fast as you can. When you
5. d leave the ground, you sit below a sail made of
6. d cloth3. A paraglider is portable so you can pack it
up in a box4 and take it with you. Paragliding is
Pages 29-30 fun for men, women, and children5. Just imagine
1. U; There is no evidence in the story that soaring alone up in the sky6 over a farm and
Jason ever saw the mean, old woman; in looking down on sheep7!

fact, there is no evidence that she even
lived at the old house.
1. plane – Singular/Plural Nouns: It
2. T; 5
3. T; 1 should be a singular noun, so drop –s.
4. The wind, the old woman, or the man 2. feet – Singular/Plural Nouns: Some
could have opened the door. (Other nouns change completely when they
answers with logical explanations are become plural.
acceptable.)
5. b; 4
3. cloth – Singular/Plural Nouns: It should
6. a be a singular noun, so drop –s.
7. d 4. box – Singular/Plural Nouns: It should
8. PF; 10 be a singular noun, so drop –es.
9. PF; 4; While we do not know for sure
5. children – Singular/Plural Nouns: Some
whether or not this story happened on
Saturday, it probably did not. Sentence nouns change completely when they
4 explains that sometimes after school, become plural.
Jason would ring the doorbell of the old 6. sky – Singular/Plural Nouns: It should
house. Sentences 6 and 10 indicate be a singular noun, so do not change
he was on the porch about to ring the
doorbell when the front door swung the y to i and add –es.
open, and everyone ran away. It is 7. sheep – Singular/Plural Nouns: Some
probably true then that this happened on nouns don’t change at all from singular
a school day. to plural.

Brave Dolley Madison Pages 34-35
The Skateboard Thief
Dolley Madison was the wife1 of James
Use the Scoring Rubric for the outline answers
Madison, the fourth president2 of the United and the article.
States. Dolley was known as a wonderful Outline
hostess, who made all guests3 feel welcome. When: The skateboard was stolen yesterday
She especially liked to have parties4 and held and the arrest was made today.
Where: Billings, Montana
many lunches.5 Her tables were always set
Who: Greg Sabin and Raul Cabrera (Ian
with beautiful dishes6. There was more to Bream, Taylor Helm, Bryce Edwards, and the
Dolley than just being a hostess. During the Billings police is optional.)
War of 1812, the British invaded Washington, What: Greg Sabin had his skateboard stolen
D.C. Everyone was fleeing, but Dolley stayed by Raul Cabrera.

Why/How: Sabin went to a bicycle shop
behind to help save lots of things7 from the
to buy a part for his bicycle and left the
White House, including a famous portrait of skateboard outside when he entered the shop.
George Washington. Raul Cabrera stole the skateboard while Sabin
was inside and skated away down the street,
1. wife – Singular/Plural Nouns: It but he was seen by Sabin, who described him
to police.
should be a singular noun.
2. president – Singular/Plural Nouns: It Sample Article
should be a singular noun, so drop Skateboard Thief Caught!
-s. Yesterday in Billings, Montana, Greg Sabin
3. guests – Singular/Plural Nouns: It had his skateboard stolen outside a bicycle store.
Sabin left his skateboard by the store’s entrance
should be a plural noun, so add –s.
when he went into the store to buy a part for
4. parties – Singular/Plural Nouns: It his bicycle. Raul Cabrera stole the skateboard
should be a plural noun, so change from the entrance and then used it to escape
the y to i and add –es. down the street. When Sabin left the store, he
5. lunches – Singular/Plural Nouns: It discovered his skateboard had been stolen and
saw the thief skating away on it down the street.
should be a plural noun, so add –es.
Sabin described the thief to the Billings police who
6. dishes – Singular/Plural Nouns: It arrested Raul Cabrera today. The police found
should be a plural noun, so add -es. Sabin’s skateboard at Cabrera’s house.
7. things – Singular/Plural Nouns: It
should be a plural noun, so add –s.

• unshaded: 24
• shaded: 25 number of unshaded circles 14 16 18 20 22 24
number of shaded circles 15 17 19 21 23 25
Page 36
2. Equality Explorer 1
1. 9 13 2. 8 11 3. 6 12
9 + 9 = 18 8 + 11 = 19 6 + 6 = 12
13 + 7 = 20 8 + 8 + 8 = 24 12 + 7 = 19
5. Last 3 times in sequence: 6. Last 2 times in sequence:
4. 7:16 pm
5 3 pm5.
7:34 2 pm 7
7:52 18 116.
12
1 11 124 1
15 10
10 2 10 2
5 + 5 + 15 = 25 7 + 10 + 7 = 24 9 34 + 15 9+ 10 = 29 3

In sequence 5, the times increase by2 + 7 = 9
3 + 3 + 5 = 11 8 4 15 + 4 +8 15 = 344
18 + 2 = 20 7 6 5 15 + 137 6 5
= 28
18 minutes. In sequence 6, the times
increase by 2 hours and 10 minutes. 9:30 am 11:40 am
3. Sequence
Page 37 Sleuth 1
14. Number Ninja 3
1a. 1b. 1c. 1d.
1. 2. 8
45 7 shape
shape 30 shape3.10 42shape 144. shape 18 5.
16 15
5 9 3 10 6 7 2 8 3 5
14 13 13 10 8
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18
6. 40 7. 12 8. 8 9. 75 10. 56
5
2a. 8 2b.3 4 22c. 4 32d. 25 7 8
13 7 6 28 15
shape 9 shape 10 shape 13 shape 17
11. 36 12. 60 13. 48 14. 49 15. 63
6 6 4 15 6 8 7 7 3 21
1 2 12 3 4 5 19
6 7 8 914 10 11 12 1413 14 15 16
24 17 18
16. 72 17. 81 18. 48 2 19. 100 20. 14

8 9 9 9 4 12 5 20 1 14
17 18 16 25 15
15. Function Finder 3

1. The output is 53. 2. The input is 74.
The output is 53 since 47 + 6 = 53. The input is 74 since 74 + 6 = 80.
3a. 3b. 3c. 3d. 3e. 3f.

in out in out in out in out in out in out
3 15 4 12 14 5 12 3 5 22 2 12
9 21 7 21 22 13 20 5 13 30 5 30
18 30 11 33 34 25 28 7 19 36 8 48
32 44 15 45 50 41 48 12 31 48 10 60
37 49 20 60 67 58 60 15
© 2023 The Critical Thinking Co.™ • www.CriticalThinking.com • 800-458-4849 46 63 12 72 61
88 100 30 90 93 84 88 22 76 93 16 96
Page 38
16. Pattern Predictor 4
1. 2. Stage 5 has 11 toothpicks.
3. Stage 5 has 7 gumdrops.
4. Stage 6 has:
• 13 toothpicks stage 6
• 8 gumdrops stage 7

stage 5
stage 8
5. stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
number of toothpicks 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17
number of gumdrops 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
When you increase the stage number by 1, the number of toothpicks goes up by 2 and
the number of gumdrops goes up by 1. Continue the pattern to find stage 12.
6. Stage 12 has: stage 8 9 10 11 12

number of toothpicks 17 19 21 23 25
• 25 toothpicks
• 14 gumdrops number of gumdrops 10 11 12 13 14
7. 8. Stage 4 has 18 triangles.
Stage 4 has 3 branches of 4 triangles

each plus 6 triangles in the middle:
3 x 4 + 6 = 12 + 6 = 18.
9. Stage 5 has 21 triangles.
stage 4 Stage 5 has 3 branches of 5 triangles

each plus 6 triangles in the middle: stage 5
3 x 5 + 6 = 15 + 6 = 21.
10. stage 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
number of triangles 9 12 15 18 21 24 27
Continue the pattern to get the number of

11. Stage 8 has 30 triangles. triangles for stages 8 and 12.
stage 7 8 9 10 11 12
12. Stage 12 has 42 triangles. number of
27 30 33 36 39 42
triangles
1

Pages 39-42
Answers will vary. The Stinging Insect
Insect A: Sentences 13 and 17 are the best

Pages 43-44 evidence that the stinging insect was black and
either yellow or orange. Only Insects A and C fit
The Stinging Insect this description. Sentence 18 tells us that Insect C
was dead before Debbie was stung, so this means
the stinging insect is
Insect A.
Page 45
1 6 (all except $ bills)
Insect A Insect B Insect C Insect D

The Innocent 8
Insect C: Sentence 18 is the best evidence that 2 2 ($ bills)
Insect C is not the stinging insect. In sentence 8
18, Tim says that Insect C was dead on the 3 3 (silver dollar, $ bills)
windowsill before Debbie was stung. This 8
proves Insect C is innocent.
4 1 (half dollar)
Insect B: Sentences 13 and 17 are the best 8
evidence that Insect B is not the stinging insect.
In sentence 13, Debbie tells us that the insect 5 5 3 (3 coins; dime, half-dollar,
she saw on her arm was black and either yellow 100 6
or orange. In sentence 17, Tim tells us that the silver dollar) 4 (all except dime,
insect he saw was orange and black or yellow 6
and black. Since Insect B is not black, then it is 5
innocent. penny) 8 (all except silver dollar)
6
9 8
Note 1: In sentences 14, 15, and 16, Greg
says that he heard Debbie scream and then 8
saw an insect fly off her leg to a living room
window. He also says the insect was yellow
or orange, but not black. The problem with
10 3 (penny, nickel, quarter)
8
this evidence is that Greg saw the orange or
yellow insect fly off Debbie’s leg, but she was 11 191
bitten on the arm. 200
Note 2: Sentence 4 tells us that Debbie and 12 5 (nickel, quarter, half-dollar, silver
8
her brother Tim had a very good look at the
stinging insect. Sentence 5 tells us that the dollar, $1 bill)
insect that Stephanie saw after Debbie was
stung might not have been the insect that
stung Debbie. This evidence (sentences Page 46
4 and 5) tells us that Debbie and Tim are
important witnesses, but Stephanie is not 1 1 2 1 3 4 4 1 5 4
an important witness because she isn’t sure 4 2 8 12 9
the insect she saw was the insect that stung 6 3 7 2 8 1 9 1 10 5
Debbie. We don’t know how much Greg saw. 8 12 8 16 12
He might have seen the stinging insect, or
he might not have. This means that Greg’s 11 5 ( 2 + 3 = 5 )
description of a yellow or orange insect with 18 18 18 18
no black markings cannot be trusted.
Page 47
Insect D: Sentences 13 and 17 are the best
evidence that Insect D is not the stinging insect. 1 math 2 person 3 think
In sentences 13 and 17, the stinging insect is
described as black and either yellow or orange. 4 kindness 5 polite 6 fractions
This makes Stephanie’s description of Insect D
as the stinging insect doubtful and Insect D is 7 considerate 8 helpful
innocent.
Page 48 Page 52
1 l 2 t 3 t 4 e 5 e 6 t 6, 2
3, 4
7 h 8 f 9 b 10 y 11 u 12 r
1, 5
13 y 14 a 15 z
Page 53
Check
Yourself they flutter by 1. False; Sentence 1 tells us the Randles have
three pets. Sentence 2 tells us that two
Page 50 of the pets are dogs. Sentence 3 tells
us that the pet that is not a dog is the
1.Unknown; The picture could also be
Tom’s brother and Tom’s son. youngest. Sentence 6 tells us two of
the Randle’s pets are in the picture, so

2. False; Sentence 2 states that each of the other pet is a cat. This evidence
the people in the story caught a fish. tells us the cat in the picture is the
youngest.
3. True; There are three people in the
story; Tom, his son, and his broth- 2. Unknown; Sentence 1 tells us the Randles
er. Since the man in the picture has
some grey hair and the boy in the have three pets. Sentence 3 tells
picture is too young to be a father, us both dogs are larger than the cat.
the man in the picture is either Tom Sentence 5 tells us the largest dog is
or his brother. The boy in the pic- named Whiskers. There is no evidence
ture must be Tom’s son. that the dog in the picture is Whiskers,
so we don’t know which dog is pictured.
4. True; Sentence 3 tells us that Tom’s
brother caught the largest fish, so
Tom’s son’s fish must be smaller. 3. True; Sentence 4 tells us the pet’s names
are Whiskers, Happy, and Bob.
5. Unknown; Sentence 3 tells us that Sentence 5 tells us the largest dog is
Tom’s brother caught the largest named Whiskers. Sentence 6 tells us
fish, but we do not know the size of that two of the Randle’s pets are in the
the fish. For example, all three fish picture, so the other pet is a cat. Since
could have been small, but Tom’s
brother’s fish could have been the there are only three pets and one of the
largest of the three, small fish. pets is a dog named Whiskers, the cat’s
name must be Happy or Bob.
Page 51
4. True; Sentence 3 tells us both dogs are
larger and older than the other pet (cat).
Sentence 5 tells us the largest dog is
named Whiskers. These sentences
+ – – –
girl man boy girl
together tell us Whiskers is older than
slow 2 1 1 2
the cat and larger than the other dog.
fast – 2
+ 2 – 2 – 2
5. True; Sentence 1 tells us the Randles have
three pets. Sentence 3 tells us both
– – –
dogs are larger and older than the other
faster 2 2
+ 2 2
pet. Sentence 6 tells us two of the
Randle’s pets are in the picture, so the
– – – +
other pet is the cat. These sentences
fastest 1 1 2 2
together tell us the cat is younger than
both dogs so the dog in the picture must
be older than at least one of the other
pets.
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GRADE 3

The Critical Thinking Co.™

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200+ Award-Winning PreK-12+ Books & eBooks!

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Think Analogies® A1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5) ������������������������������������������� 28

Inference Jones Beginning 2 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4) ������������������������������� 29

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Writing Detective® Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-6)����������������������������������� 33

Building Writing Skills Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5)������������������������������� 39

Critical Thinking Detective™ Beginning - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3+) ������������� 43

Understanding Fractions - Mathematics (Gr. 2-4)����������������������������������������� 45

Read the story. Then answer the questions.

Money Mystery Solved

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3. Where do you think Rosie’s money went? __________________________

What sentence is the best evidence for your answer? _____

_____ Adam asks to borrow a dollar.

_____ Rosie goes to get her money to go to the bank.

_____ Adam is reading a bunch of new comic books.

_____ Rosie has an idea where her money went.

_____ Adam promises to pay Rosie back.

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Circle the errors in each story and

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Quiet! Dog Sleeping

4 possessive nouns, 1 spelling

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The tiny bird flew away from the two cats.

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2 1. The angry man hollered at the frightened boy.

2 6. The cute baby was chewing on his chubby fist.

Write three adjectives to describe each picture.

________________ __________________ _________________

________________ __________________ _________________

________________ __________________ _________________

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• to separate numbers that represent different times.

He arrived at 9:30 p.m.

• to follow the greeting in a business letter.

Dear Ms. Whipple:

• to introduce important ideas.

Warning: Do not enter

Write a sentence with a colon about each picture.

My brother will be here at 5:30.

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Name the Animals

1. King is smaller than both the dog and Rover.

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2. Why Dogs Wag Their Tails by David White

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J 23The dog thought for a long while.

K 26“Aha,” the lion said. 27“I wondered

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Language Smarts™ Level D - Language Arts (Gr. 3)�� 1

Mind Benders® Level 3 - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3-6) �� 5

Reading Detective® Beginning - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4)�� 6

Word Roots Beginning - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4)�� 8

Science Detective® Beginning - Science (Gr. 3-4)�� 17

Building Thinking Skills® Level 1 - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3-4)�� 19

Balance Benders™ Beginning - Mathematics (Gr. 2-6)�� 23

Think Analogies® A1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5) �� 28

Inference Jones Beginning 2 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4) �� 29

Editor in Chief® Beginning 2 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-4) �� 31

Writing Detective® Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-6)�� 33

Building Writing Skills Level 1 - Language Arts (Gr. 3-5)�� 39

Critical Thinking Detective™ Beginning - Critical Thinking (Gr. 3+) �� 43

Understanding Fractions - Mathematics (Gr. 2-4)�� 45

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