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3rd Grade Informational Vocabulary worksheets

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Informational Vocabulary

Grade 3 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the answer.

  1. Read this first

    The Life Cycle of a Bean

    Every living thing has a life cycle. A life cycle is the set of changes a living thing goes through as it grows. A bean plant has a life cycle too.

    It starts as a seed. The seed has a hard outside layer called a seed coat. The seed coat keeps the tiny plant inside safe.

    When a seed gets water and warmth, it begins to germinate. To germinate means to start to grow. First, the seed coat splits open. A small root pokes out and grows down into the soil. The root takes in water for the plant.

    Next, a green shoot pushes up toward the light. Soon the young plant is a seedling. A seedling is a very young plant with just a few leaves.

    The seedling grows taller and makes more leaves. Then it grows flowers. Inside each flower is a yellow powder called pollen. Bees carry pollen from flower to flower. This helps the flowers make new seeds inside bean pods.

    When the pods dry, the seeds fall to the ground. Then the life cycle starts all over again.

  2. In paragraph 1, what does 'life cycle' mean?

    • the food a plant makes in its leaves
    • the path bees fly between flowers
    • the changes a living thing goes through
  3. In paragraph 2, what is a 'seed coat'?

    • the thin green skin of a bean pod
    • the hard outside layer of a seed
    • the soft food stored inside a seed
  4. In paragraph 3, what does 'germinate' mean?

    • to take in sunlight
    • to start to grow
    • to dry up and fall
  5. Which phrase from the text tells what a 'seedling' is?

    • grows taller and makes more leaves
    • a very young plant with just a few leaves
    • a green shoot pushes up toward the light
  6. In paragraph 4, a green 'shoot' pushes up. What does 'shoot' mean here?

    • a new stem growing up from a seed
    • a root growing down into the soil
    • to throw a ball toward a hoop
  7. In paragraph 3, the seed coat 'splits open.' What does that mean?

    • turns bright green
    • breaks apart
    • closes up tight
  8. What is 'pollen'?

    • a yellow powder inside a flower
    • a small green seed inside a pod
    • a sweet juice inside a flower
  9. Which word from the text means 'a very young plant'?

    • pollen
    • seed coat
    • seedling
  10. In paragraph 2, the seed coat keeps the plant 'safe.' What does safe mean?

    • protected from harm
    • tall and green
    • wet and warm
  11. The life cycle 'starts all over again.' What does that mean?

    • it stops for good
    • it moves to a new garden
    • it begins one more time
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3rd Grade Informational Vocabulary worksheet 1 – printable PDF
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About this worksheet

Science and social studies articles are full of new words, such as germinate, sediment, region or council, and the article itself usually explains them. Each sheet gives your child a short article and asks what its words mean as they are used there. Some words are defined right in the sentence; others are explained with an example after such as, a same-meaning phrase after or, or a contrast.

A few are words with two meanings, like current or scale, where the article's topic decides which meaning fits. The support articles use direct definitions, and the challenge articles spread the clues across sentences. Encourage your child to find the sentence the word is in and read the sentence before and after it before choosing.

What your child will learn

  • Use a definition or a same-meaning phrase in the text to find a meaning
  • Find the phrase that is the clue to a word
  • Choose the meaning that fits a word with two meanings
  • Learn science and social studies words in context

Common Core standard: RI.3.4

Worked example

In "Seeds can germinate, or begin to grow, when they get water," the words after or tell what germinate means: begin to grow.

Common mistake

Choosing a meaning the word has somewhere else, like scale for weighing, instead of the meaning in this article.

Helpful hint

Find the word in the article. Read the sentences around it.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with informational vocabulary?

Choosing a meaning the word has somewhere else, like scale for weighing, instead of the meaning in this article.

How can I help my child with informational vocabulary?

Find the word in the article. Read the sentences around it.

Are these 3rd grade reading worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions on this page are free to download and print, with no account needed.

Similar: Context Clues · Multiple-Meaning Words

More 3rd grade vocabulary

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