Third Grade Practice at Home in Chicago: Literacy and Math to 1000
Third Grade Practice at Home in Chicago: Literacy and Math to 1000
Chicago parents who want their third grader to keep practicing at home, over CPS breaks or as homeschoolers, can get ten Grade 3 resources in one download with the 3rd Grade Practice Bundle. It covers grammar, creative writing, phonics, a reading story, vocabulary, three math practice sets, the Numbers to 1000 unit and the Math Made Easy parent guide, for $59.99.
Get the Grade 3 setThe 3rd Grade Practice Bundle ($59.99) is a good fit for Chicago families who want Grade 3 practice at home. It bundles Grade 3 grammar, creative writing, phonics and word patterns, the story Mia and the Moonlight Garden, a vocabulary trainer, two math practice packs, Grade 3 math warm-ups, the Math Made Easy guide and the Numbers to 1000 unit. Use it after school, over breaks or in a home school. It is not a complete third grade curriculum.
The resources
3rd Grade Practice Bundle, Grade 3
10 resources in one download: $59.99 instead of $95.90 bought separately.
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
3rd Grade Practice Bundle | ELA Packs, Math Practice, Warm-Ups & Numbers to 1000 Unit | Grade 3
Grade 3 ELA Pack | Grammar, Creative Writing, Phonics, Reading & Vocabulary
Elementary Math Units Bundle | Numbers to 1000, Fractions, Area & Perimeter, Test Prep | 4 Units | Grades 3–5
Grades 3–5 Test Prep Bundle | ELA and Math Toolkits, Daily Practice & Warm-Ups | Grades 3–5
The real problem
The CPS calendar, third grade and the long breaks
Chicago Public Schools runs its 2026–27 year from August 24, 2026 to June 11, 2027. The calendar gives students the full Thanksgiving week off, a two-week winter recess and a spring break week in late March. Those breaks are welcome, but third grade is a year where skills build week on week: children move from reading to learn short passages to reading longer stories on their own, from single sentences to paragraphs, and from numbers to 100 to place value up to 1000. A two-week gap without any reading or math can make January feel like a restart. Families who homeschool in Illinois carry the whole year themselves. A homeschool operates as a private school, a status that goes back to People v. Levisen in 1950. The state does not require registration or notice, though ISBE offers a voluntary Home Schooling Registration Form, and the required subjects are language arts, mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences, fine arts, and physical development and health, taught in English. HB2827, which would add a notification requirement, has not become law. We could not confirm the testing and record-keeping rules, so check them, and all current law, with ISBE or a homeschool legal resource.
Why it fits
How the ten parts divide up
About half the bundle is literacy and half is math, with one guide written for the adult at the table.
- Grade 3 Grammar Mastery practices nouns, pronouns, sentences and punctuation in short, printable sets.
- Grade 3 Creative Writing gives structured prompts and story starters for paragraph writing over a break.
- Mia and the Moonlight Garden adds a reading comprehension story with questions to check understanding.
- The Numbers to 1000 unit works through place value, ordering and number lines step by step.
- Grade 3 math warm-ups and two practice packs keep facts fresh on days without school.
- Math Made Easy explains Grade 3 math to parents, with a workbook for the child.
Getting started
Using the bundle around the 2026–27 CPS breaks
A suggestion for after-school families; homeschoolers can treat each stage as a longer unit in their own year.
- Fall: build a short routineThrough September and October, try two or three short sessions a week: one grammar or phonics page and one math warm-up. Keep finished pages in a dated folder.
- Thanksgiving week: one storyWith the whole week off, read Mia and the Moonlight Garden together over two or three days and answer its questions. Leave the rest of the week free.
- Winter recess: Numbers to 1000Two weeks is enough to work through part of the Numbers to 1000 unit at a relaxed pace, with Math Made Easy open whenever an idea needs another explanation.
- Late winter: writingUse the creative writing prompts for one paragraph a week. Read the paragraph aloud together and fix one thing, a capital, a period or a word choice.
- Spring break: a light reviewIn late March, mix a few warm-ups, a vocabulary set and a grammar page. Short and familiar is enough to return to school without a cold start.
What to buy
What to buy for a Chicago third grader
The 3rd Grade Practice Bundle at $59.99 covers both literacy and math; bought one at a time, its ten parts cost $95.90. If you only want reading and writing, the Grade 3 ELA Pack ($13.99, parts $19.95) has the grammar, creative writing, phonics, story and vocabulary trainer. For more complete math units, the Elementary Math Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $99.96) adds fractions, area and perimeter and a math test prep toolkit next to Numbers to 1000, which you would then own twice. Families focused on spring testing can look at the Grades 3–5 Test Prep Bundle ($64.99, parts $104.95).
Honest limits
Limits to keep in mind
This bundle is not written for Chicago or Illinois, carries no Illinois Learning Standards codes and has no link to CPS or the Skyline curriculum. Think of it as practice sets and two named units rather than a year's program; science, social science, fine arts and health are missing, which Illinois homeschoolers must also teach. Check it against the state's requirements yourself. You print the pages and provide supplies. Families sharing within a co-op should message Teach Lessons first. If it does not fit your child, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; there are no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does this match the Illinois Learning Standards for third grade?
It is not aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards and has not been approved or endorsed by ISBE or Chicago Public Schools. It covers common Grade 3 skills in language arts and math. If standards matter to you, compare the unit list with the state standards yourself, and remember that Illinois homeschool law lists several more subjects than these two.
Do Illinois homeschoolers have to register before using it?
The state does not require registration or notice, and ISBE offers a voluntary Home Schooling Registration Form. A pending bill, HB2827, would add notification but has not become law. Check current rules with ISBE or a homeschool legal resource before you start; this page is not legal advice.
My child goes to a CPS school. Will this clash with Skyline?
It does not replace or copy Skyline. It is extra practice in grammar, writing, phonics, reading and math. If your child's teacher sends home specific practice, do that first and use the bundle for breaks or quiet afternoons. Many parents find the pages useful for spotting which skill needs more time.
Is any of it on a screen?
Everything comes as a digital download right after purchase, and the materials are made for print and digital use. No software or account is included or needed. Most families print the pages and keep them in a folder. The pages can also be opened on a screen at home if you prefer that.
Can I use it with two children?
Within your own family, yes. If other families in a co-op or learning group want to use it, send Teach Lessons a short message first. The files may not be posted publicly or passed on. Print a separate set of pages for each child so both can work at once.
What if third grade is the wrong level?
Check the parts against your child's current work first. If it turns out too easy or too hard, you can exchange the bundle within 7 days for store credit of equal value and choose the Grade 2 or Grade 4 bundle instead. The exchange is credit, not cash.
Ready before the next CPS break
Open the product page, read the ten parts and print a first set before Thanksgiving week.
Get the Grade 3 set