Year 3 Character: big, beautiful and eye words worksheet

“Big words with power” is free to print, with no account. It is the first sheet in the Year 3 English unit “Character: big, beautiful and eye words”, for children aged 7 to 8, and takes about 20 minutes.

Print it on A4. The child's pages come first; the answers, and what each wrong answer tells you, are on the grown-up page that follows. Weeks 15 to 16 of the year, 6 sheets in the unit.

Free sample · answers on the last page

Big words with power

Name: ____________ · Date: ____________
Year 3 · English · about 20 minutes
Answers are on the grown-up page

Today I can tell colossal and robust apart and use each one in the right place.

A Look back3 min

1.
Circle the adjective in: 'The huge dog ran home.' Write it here.
doghugeran
2.
Which word means the same as 'happy'? Write it.
gladsadcross
3.
Which sentence starts correctly? Write it.
the sun is hot.The sun is hot.THE sun is hot.

B Watch me, then you5 min

Ola is writing about a mountain. She wants a more exciting word than 'big'.

A huge grey mountain rising above a green valley under a clear sky

Watch me

Ola asks: is the mountain huge, or is it strong?

It is huge, so she needs a word about size.

Colossal means gigantic. So she writes: a colossal mountain.

Now you

1.
Sam writes: 'The farm had a ___ gate that never broke.' Which word fits?
colossalrobust
2.
Priya writes: 'The ___ hills stretched for miles.' Which word fits?
colossalrobust

C Your turn6 min

Read each sentence. Write the word that fits best.

A tall grey stone lion statue standing alone on a square plinth.

1.
The ___ statue towered over the town square. Write it.
colossalrobust
2.
The ___ tent stood firm in the gale and never tore. Write it.
colossalrobust
3.
Mia made a ___ mistake in her sums and wrote 900 instead of 9. Write it.
colossalrobust
4.
The ___ boots kept Ali's feet dry on the wet hills. Write it.
colossalrobusttiny

Say it out loud: Which word of the two is about size, and which is about strength? How do you know?

D Spot the mistake3 min

A small wooden fence beside a huge stone tower in a field

Ella says: “Robust and colossal mean the same, so I can swap them in any sentence.”

1.
What is wrong with Ella's idea? Write one or two sentences.

E Think deeper4 min

A huge stone castle wall beside a grey river under cloud

1.
Can something be colossal and robust at the same time? Write a sentence with both ideas and say why it works.

How did it feel?

I can do it Nearly Not yet

For the grown-up

Big words with power · 2 minutes to read

Answers, and what a wrong one tells you

A

1. huge

2. glad

3. The sun is hot.

B

1. robust your child may pick colossal because gates can be big. Ask: does this gate need to be strong to keep the cows in?

2. colossal

C

1. colossal

2. robust your child may pick colossal because the tent is big. Ask: what does the sentence say the tent did in the storm?

3. colossal your child may pick robust because a mistake can be strong. Ask: is the sentence about how big the mistake was, or how tough it was?

4. robust

D

1. Look for: Says that robust is about strength or toughness and colossal is about size, so the words cannot always be swapped. your child may think both words mean big. Ask: would a robust rope and a huge rope mean the same thing?

E

1. Look for: Gives a sentence where one thing is both huge and strong, and explains that size and strength are different ideas.

Words to use

Say“Which of these two words is about size, and which is about strength? How do you know?”

Instead of“Either word is fine, they mean the same.”

After the sheet

Pick two things at home, like a mug and a wardrobe. Say one sentence for each with colossal or robust, then swap the words and talk about whether it still makes sense.

Tick what your child got right in StudyDen. Anything missed comes back in a later Look back box, so there's no need to redo the sheet.

The rest of this unit

5 more sheets come with a StudyDen plan, in teaching order:

Words that fit together(with a plan)
Chiselled, dazzling or impeccable?(with a plan)
Words that go together(with a plan)
Words for eyes and more(with a plan)
Fiery, steely or vacant?(with a plan)

Every Year 3 English worksheet

The worksheets plan opens a printable sheet for every lesson in Years 1 to 6, each with its answers on a separate page for you. It costs £6.99 a month or £59 a year for the whole family, with no free trial.

The full StudyDen plan adds the lessons themselves, marked as your child works, with the worksheets included. It is 7 days free, then £29.99 a month.

Get the worksheets Try the full plan free

Both start with a free account; you choose the plan when you sign up.