Third Grade Units
Unit 1 Friendship
Lesson
Genre
Target Strategy
Target Skill
Cause & Effect
Asking Questions
Lexile
Rugby and Rosie
Realistic Fiction
550
The Legend of Damon and
Play
NP (NonPythias
Prose)
Good-bye, 382 Shin Dang
Realistic Fiction
Author’s Point of View 620
Dong
Beauty and the Beast
Fairy Tale
Predicting
710
Teammates
Biography
Main Idea and Details 940
I Can…
R.L.3.1
 Ask and answer questions to understand text.
 Based on the text, formulate questions to demonstrate the understanding of a text.
 Refer explicitly to the text to answer.
R.I.3.2



L.3.2.f

Grade Range/Text Complexity
RL.3.10
2-3/ Level 1
2-3/Level 3
2-3/Level 2
2-3/Level 2
4-5/Level 3
Determine the main idea of a text
Recount key details of a text
Explain how the key details support the main idea of a text
Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules,
meaningful word parts) in writing words.
L.3.5.b
 Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g. describe people who are friendly or helpful)
 Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g. new,
believed, suspected, heard, wondered)
Notes:
Unit 2 Animals and Their Habitats
Lesson
Genre
Target Strategy
Lexile
One Small Place in a Tree
Make Way for Ducklings
Wolf Island
Expository Text
Fantasy
Narrative
Nonfiction
Realistic Fiction
Narrative
Nonfiction
Clarifying
Reality and Fantasy
Making Inferences
600
930
590
Two Days in May
Making Connections
690
Classify and
900
Crinkleroot’s Guide to
Categorize
Knowing Animal Habitats
I Can…
R.I.3.1
 Ask and answer questions to understand text
 Formulate questions (based on the text) to demonstrate understanding
 Refer explicitly to the text to answer questions
Grade Range/Text Complexity
RL.3.10
2-3/ Level 2
2-3/Level 2
2-3/Level 2
2-3/Level 2
4-5/Level 3
R.I.3.4
Identify:
 general academic
 domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area
Determine the meaning of:
 general academic
 domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area
R.I.3.7
Recognize key events
Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from illustrations:
 Maps
 Photographs
Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from words that tell:
 Where
 When
 Why
 How
Key events occur
W.3.4
 Analyze the reason for writing a piece to decide on:
∘task
∘purpose
With guidance and support
 Determine suitable:
∘idea development strategies,
∘organization,
Appropriate to task and purpose, with guidance and support
 Write a piece with:
∘idea development
∘organization
Appropriate to task and purpose, with support and guidance.
L.3.2.e
 Use conventional spelling for high frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g.,
sitting, smiled, cries, happiness)
L.3.4.a
 Recognize that context clues can help determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words.
 Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases by:
∘examining a sentence to find clues
∘determining the meaning of a word when an affix is added.
L.3.2.f
 Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules,
meaningful word parts) in writing words
Notes:
Unit 3 Money
Lesson
Genre
Target Strategy
Lexile
It’s a Deal
The Go-Around Dollar
Expository Text
Realistic Fiction and
Expository Test
Narrative Nonfiction
Biography
Summarizing
Sequence
730
900
Grade Range/Text
Complexity
RL.3.10
2-3/ Level 3
4-5/Level 3
Fact and Opinion
Visualizing
580
680
2-3/Level 2
2-3/Level 1
Historical Fiction
Adjusting
Reading Speed
670
2-3/Level 2
Lemons and Lemonade
Madam C.J. Walker: SelfMade Millionaire
Uncle Jed’s Barbershop
I Can…
R.L.3.3
 Describe a character’s feelings/emotions based on information found in the text
 Describe a character’s traits/motivations
 Retell the sequence of events using time order words
 Infer a character’s feelings and/or emotions
 Analyze a character’s feelings and/or emotions
Interpret how a character’s:
 Traits
 Motivations
 Feelings
Lead to actions
 Explain how a character’s actions contribute to the sequence of events
R.L.3.4
 Identify literal and nonliteral words and phrases in a text
 Determine the meaning of literal and nonliteral words and phrases as they are used in a text
W.3.5
 With guidance and support from peers and adults, students recognize how to: plan, revise, edit, rewrite, and try a new
approach.
 Know how to edit for conventions of writing demonstrating (see Language standards 1-3 up to and including grade 3)

With guidance and support from peers and adults, students develop and strengthen writing by: planning, revising,
editing, rewriting, and trying and new approach.
L.3.2.e
 Use conventional spelling for high frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g.,
sitting, smiled, cries, happiness
L.3.2.f
 Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules,
meaningful word parts) in writing words
Notes:
Unit 4: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Lesson
Genre
Target
Strategy
Lexile
Sun
Expository Text
Drawing
Conclusions
Author’s
Purpose
Compare and
Contrast
Clarifying
Adjusting
Reading Speed
780
Grade Range/Text
Complexity
RL.3.10
2-3/ Level 2
810
4-5/Level 2
50
2-3/Level 2
800
710
4-5/Level 2
2-3/Level 2
Grandmother Spider
Folk Tale
Brings the Sun
The Moon Seems to
Expository Text
Change
Journey to the Moon
Fairy Tale
Earth: Our Planet in
Expository Text
Space
I Can…
R.I.3.2
 Determine the main idea of a text
 Recount key details of a text
 Explain how the key details support the main idea of a text
R.I.3.7
Recognize key events
Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from illustrations:
 Maps
 Photographs
Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from words that tell:
 Where
 When
 Why
 How
Key events occur
W.3.7




Conduct shared research using various sources and tools
Examine information gathered during shared research
Discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information
Participate in short research projects to gain knowledge of a specific topic
L.3.4.b
 Recognize that context clues can help determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words
 Identify and define root words
 Identify and define affixes
 Find words in dictionaries and glossaries.
 Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases by:
∘examining a sentence to find clues
∘determining the meaning of a word when an affix is added (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable,
care/careless, heat/preheat)
Notes:
Unit 5 Communities Across Time
Lesson
Genre
The House on Maple
Street
Days of Digging
Realistic Fiction
Earthquake! The 1906
San Francisco Nightmare
The Disappearing island
Expository Text
Expository Text
Realistic Fiction
Target
Strategy
Author’s
Purpose
Asking
Questions
Fact and
Opinion
Cause and
Effect
Main Idea and
Details
Lexile
830
Grade Range/Text Complexity
RL.3.10
4-5/Level 2
660
2-3/Level 3
640
2-3/Level 2
790
2-3/Level 3
What Ever Happened to
Realistic Fiction
990
6-8/Level 3
the Baxter Place?
I Can…
R.L.3.4
**Identify literal and nonliteral words and phrases in a text
**Determine the meaning of literal and nonliteral words and phrases as they are used in a text
R.I.3.7
**Recognize key events
**Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from illustrations:
 Maps
 Photographs
**Demonstrate an understanding of text using information from words that tell:
 Where
 When
 Why
 How
Key events occur
R.I.3.8
**Define sentence
**Explain the purpose of a paragraph
**Identify structure(s) of paragraphs (e.g. comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence)
**Explain how sentences and paragraphs in text are logically connected
**Determine how a text is organized (.g. comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence)
R.I.3.10
 Identify/understand and comprehend independently in an informational text:
∘key ideas and details
∘craft and structure
∘integration of knowledge and ideas
At appropriate complexity (Qualitative, Quantitative and Reader and Task) as seen in Standards 1-9 independently
and proficiently
L.3.4.b
 Recognize that context clues can help determine the meaning of unknown or multiple-meaning words
 Identify and define root words
 Identify and define affixes
 Find words in dictionaries and glossaries.
 Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words or phrases by:
∘examining a sentence to find clues
∘determining the meaning of a word when an affix is added (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable,
care/careless, heat/preheat)
Notes:
Unit 6 Storytelling
Lesson
Genre
Target
Strategy
Lexile
Tomas and the Library
Lady
Storm in the Night
Pueblo Storyteller
Realistic Fiction
480
620
850
2-3/Level 2
4-5/Level 2
Johnny Appleseed
Legend
Making
Connections
Summarizing
Drawing
Conclusions
Author’s
Point of View
Compare and
Contrast
Grade Range/Text
Complexity
RL.3.10
2-3/ Level 2
950
4-5/Level 2
Realistic Fiction
Expository Text
McBroom and the Big
Tall Tale
680
2-3/Level 3
Wind
I Can…
R.L.3.1
 Ask and answer questions to understand text
 Based on the text, formulate questions to demonstrate the understanding of a text
 Refer explicitly to the text to answer questions
R.L.3.2
Recount:
 Stories from diverse cultures
 Fables from diverse cultures
 Folktales from diverse cultures
 Myths from diverse cultures
Determine the:
 Moral of a fable
 Lesson of a folktale
 Central message of a myth
Determine how the central message, lesson or moral is conveyed through key details in the text
R.L.3.10
 Identify/understand in an literary text:
∘ key ideas and details
∘ craft and structure
∘ integration of knowledge and ideas

At appropriate complexity (Qualitative, Quantitative and Reader and Task) as seen in Standards 1-9
independently and proficiently.
Comprehend independently in an literary text:
∘ key ideas and details
∘ craft and structure
∘ integration of knowledge and ideas
At appropriate complexity (Qualitative, Quantitative and Reader and Task) as seen in Standards 1-9
independently and proficiently.
R.L.3.10
 Identify/understand in literary text:
∘key ideas and details
∘craft and structure
∘integration of knowledge and ideas
At appropriate complexity (Qualitative and Quantitative, and Readers and Task) as seen in 1-9
 Comprehend in literary text:
∘∘key ideas and details
∘craft and structure
∘integration of knowledge and ideas
At appropriate complexity (Qualitative and Quantitative, and Readers and Task) as seen in 1-9,
independently and proficiently.
Notes:
Third Grade Common Assessment Standards
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Unit 5
Unit 6
R.L.3.1
R.I.3.2
L.3.2.f
L.3.5.b
R.I.3.1
R.I.3.4
R.I.3.7
W.3.4
L.3.2.e
L.3.4.a
L.3.2.f
R.L3.3
R.L.3.4
W.3.5
L.3.2.e
L.3.2.f
R.I.3.2
R.I.3.7
W.3.7
L.3.4.b
R.L.3.4
R.I.3.7
R.I.3.8
R.I.3.10
L.3.4.b
R.L.3.1
R.L.3.2
R.L.3.10