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3rd Grade Temperature Resources (Math)

10 3rd grade temperature resources: 8 worksheets, 1 lesson plan and 1 activity. How teachers use these

3rd Grade Temperature Resources (Math)

10 3rd grade temperature resources: 8 worksheets, 1 lesson plan and 1 activity. How teachers use these

Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeRead a Thermometer Worksheet

A read a thermometer worksheet for 3rd Grade: students find the temperature on four Fahrenheit scales, then solve multi-step temperature problems. Answer key included, so measurement practice is ready to print and quick to check.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeTemperature Celsius Worksheet

This Temperature Celsius Worksheet gives 3rd grade students four thermometers to read and three two-step temperature problems to solve, with an answer key included so checking work takes seconds.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeWhat's the Temperature Worksheet

This what's the temperature worksheet gives 3rd grade students four Fahrenheit thermometers to read and three temperature word problems, with an answer key included, so reading a scale finally clicks.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan3rd GradeTemperature Lesson Plan

Our Temperature Lesson Plan comes with two Thermometer Activities and seven Thermometer Worksheets. We have book recommendations

3rd GradeMathTemperatureLesson Plans
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeThermometer Differences Worksheet

This Thermometer Differences Worksheet has 3rd graders read Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers and subtract to find each change in temperature, with an answer key included.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
Activity
Activity3rd GradeSave the Snowman Temperature Activity

This save the snowman temperature activity has 2nd-4th grade students hunt for snowman cards, read each thermometer and decide if the snowman melts. Answer key included.

3rd GradeMathTemperatureActivities
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeTemperature Actions Worksheet

This temperature actions worksheet helps 3rd grade students match hot and cold temperatures to the right activities, then solve a snowy-day story problem. An answer key is included for quick checking.

3rd GradeMathTemperatureWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeTemperature Fahrenheit Worksheet

This Temperature Fahrenheit Worksheet has 3rd grade students read four Fahrenheit thermometers and solve two-step temperature change problems, with an answer key included so checking work is quick and easy.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeTemperature Word Search Worksheet

This temperature word search worksheet has 3rd grade students find six hot and cold words, then match each word to its meaning. An answer key is included for quick checking.

3rd GradeMathTemperatureWorksheets
Worksheet
Worksheet3rd GradeEnjoying the Temperature Worksheet

This Enjoying the Temperature Worksheet has 3rd grade students read Fahrenheit thermometers by fives and solve temperature word problems about outdoor fun, with an answer key included for quick checking.

3rd GradeMathMeasurementWorksheets
From our teachers' playbook

Hot, cold and everything in between

What do 3rd graders learn about temperature?

Third graders learn to read a thermometer like a number line standing up. The tricky part: the marks don't always count by 1s. Kids check the scale first, then count by 2s, 5s or 10s to find the exact reading. They work in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, learning landmarks like water freezing at 32°F = 0°C. Then they solve real problems: "It was 48°F at breakfast and 63°F at lunch. How much warmer did it get?" (63 − 48 = 15°). The click comes when kids see that temperature change is just subtraction on a number line.

Our favorite ways to make temperature click

Temperature is math kids feel every day. These moves connect the numbers to the weather outside the window.

Check the scale out loud

Draw a big thermometer on the board and model your first move every time: "How much is each little line worth?" Count up together by the scale before reading the top of the red line. Kids who skip this step get the wrong answer, so make it a habit.

Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).

Temperature Lesson PlanTry it withTemperature Lesson PlanLesson PlansOpen it →

Shade it to read it

Give kids blank thermometers and call out temperatures to shade with a red crayon. Then flip it: you shade, they read. Going both directions shows whether they really understand the scale.

Why it works: children learn more from words and pictures together than from words alone (Mayer, 2009).

Read a Thermometer WorksheetTry it withRead a Thermometer WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Daily temperature check

Read the outdoor thermometer at the same time every day and record it on a class chart. Each Friday, kids find the warmest and coldest days and the difference between them. Real data plus weekly subtraction keeps the skill fresh.

Why it works: the brain holds on to what it meets again and again over time; spaced practice was rated among the very best methods (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Thermometer Differences WorksheetTry it withThermometer Differences WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Make it feel like play

Temperature practice works best with a little drama. Will the snowman make it?

Save the Snowman Temperature ActivityActivities

Save the snowman

Kids read thermometers to decide if the snowman stays frozen or melts into a puddle.

Open Save the Snowman Temperature Activity →Temperature Actions WorksheetWorksheets

What would you wear?

Show a temperature and kids act out what they'd wear or do: shiver in a coat or splash in a pool.

Open Temperature Actions Worksheet →Temperature Celsius WorksheetWorksheets

Celsius challenge

Give a Celsius reading and have kids guess if it's beach weather or snow weather. Surprises guaranteed.

Open Temperature Celsius Worksheet →

What's on this page

8 Worksheets1 Lesson Plan1 Activity

Teacher favorites right now: Read a Thermometer Worksheet, Temperature Celsius Worksheet and What's the Temperature Worksheet.

Questions teachers and parents ask about 3rd grade temperature

How do you teach kids to read a thermometer?

Treat it like a number line. First find what each mark is worth, then count up from the nearest labeled number to the top of the red line.

Do 3rd graders learn Celsius and Fahrenheit?

Yes, most 3rd graders read both. They don't convert between them with formulas yet, but they learn landmarks like freezing at 32°F or 0°C.

How do you find the change in temperature?

Subtract the lower temperature from the higher one. If it went from 52°F to 70°F, it warmed up 18 degrees.

What temperatures should kids know?

Water freezes at 32°F (0°C), a comfortable room is about 70°F (21°C), and a healthy body is about 98.6°F (37°C). These give kids anchors for judging any reading.

Keep exploring

3rd Grade Math ResourcesTemperature Resources (Math)

Written by the Have Fun Teaching team of elementary teachers and homeschoolers. Research: Pearson, P. D., & Gallagher, M. C. (1983). The instruction of reading comprehension. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 8(3). Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving Students' Learning With Effective Learning Techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 14(1).