Georgia Milestones Grade 3 ELA study plan

Identify the four Georgia Milestones Grade 3 ELA item types (selected response, constructed response, extended response, and technology-enhanced) and explain what each requires of a third grader

Map the Grade 3 ELA standards into the five reading domains tested: reading literary text, reading informational text, reading foundational skills/vocabulary, writing, and English language conventions

Build a one-page reference sheet listing each domain, its approximate share of items, and the skill verbs students must perform (describe, explain, compare, use evidence)

Read three grade-3 literary passages aloud and annotate where a question could ask about character traits, central message, or story structure

Practice close reading of literary text by answering 20 questions on character motivation, setting, and plot sequence, citing the sentence that supports each answer

Distinguish central message from topic in at least 10 short fables and folktales

Explain how a character's actions drive events in a story using a simple cause-and-effect chain

Compare two stories with similar themes and state one similarity and one difference with textual evidence

Identify main idea and supporting details in five grade-3 informational passages, underlining the topic sentence in each

Describe the logical connection between two sentences in a paragraph using words like because, therefore, and however

Use text features (headings, captions, diagrams, glossaries) to locate information quickly in three passages

Compare two informational texts on the same topic and note where they agree and where they differ

Apply grade-3 vocabulary strategies: context clues, prefixes and suffixes, and root words across 25 practice items

Distinguish literal from nonliteral language in at least 10 sentences and explain the intended meaning

Decode multisyllable words and identify the syllable pattern that supports pronunciation

Explain how a prefix or suffix changes a base word's meaning in 10 examples

Write a constructed response that answers a prompt in two to three sentences with one piece of text evidence

Draft an opinion paragraph with a clear claim, two reasons, and a linking word

Draft an informational paragraph that introduces a topic and groups related facts together

Revise a draft to strengthen word choice and add a concluding sentence

Apply grade-3 conventions: capitalization of titles and proper nouns, commas in addresses and series, and correct use of quotation marks in dialogue

Correct 20 sentences containing errors in subject-verb agreement, pronoun case, or verb tense

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in sample sentences

Produce a short paragraph with no more than two convention errors

Complete a full-length timed practice section covering literary and informational reading within the allotted time

Practice extended-response writing under a 30-minute limit using a planning box and a checklist

Review every missed item from weeks 2-6 and classify each error as a skill gap, a careless error, or a time problem

Re-teach the two weakest skills using short passages and three new practice items each

Re-run a timed half-length section and compare the score to week 7 to confirm improvement

Drill the two weakest skills with 15 targeted items each until reaching 80 percent accuracy

Practice test-day routines: reading the prompt twice, eliminating two answer choices, and budgeting time per passage

Assemble a final one-page review sheet of the most common traps (evidence questions, main idea versus topic, nonliteral language)