Coordinating Conjunctions Worksheets for 3rd Grade: And, But, Or, So
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Skill: Choosing and, but, or, or so to join two ideas
Teaching tips and what to try next
Good for third graders who write complete sentences and can tell a fragment from a sentence. Reading each line aloud with all four choices helps children hear which joining word fits. Strengthen sentence sense first with Complete Sentences, Fragments, and Run-Ons, and review sentence types in Kinds of Sentences.
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About this worksheet
Conjunctions are small words that join ideas, and they help third graders write longer, smoother sentences. This third-grade worksheet focuses on four of the most common coordinating conjunctions: and, but, or, and so. Each one has its own job, and choosing the right one makes the meaning of a sentence clear.
The page has twelve sentences, and each sentence has the four choices written in parentheses where the joining word belongs. Children read the whole sentence and write the conjunction that fits best on the line. There are three sentences for each conjunction, mixed in a planned order so the answers do not follow a pattern. The sentences use everyday topics like lunch, chores, games, and the weather, so children can focus on the meaning instead of on hard words.
How to use it: teach a simple question for each word. And adds more of the same kind of idea. But shows a surprise or a difference. Or gives a choice. So tells what happened because of the first part. For each sentence, have your child read it out loud with each choice and listen for the one that makes sense. Point out that when two complete sentences are joined, a comma usually goes before the conjunction. As a follow-up, ask your child to write two short sentences about their day and join them with one of the four words.
The answer key lists the correct conjunction for each sentence. For more sentence practice, try our Kinds of Sentences worksheet and our Complete Sentences, Fragments, and Run-Ons worksheet.