Common Core State Standards
3rd Grade
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Curriculum Maps
DRAFT
3rd Grade - August/September (approximately six weeks)
RL.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL.2 - Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and
explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
RL.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.
Literature &
Informational
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
 How can I make reading into a big part of my life, getting back into the swing of carrying books with me all the time and reading them
often, and remembering what I have already learned about having and sharing ideas as I read?
 How can I make and live by reading goals, remembering what I know about just-right books, reading often, and reading faster, stronger,
longer?
 How can I get better at checking that I am making sense of what I read, and that I have strategies to use when the text is confusing to
me?
 How can I use my conversations with a partner (and the time I spend reading and jotting down ideas to share) to help me make sure
that I understand my reading well enough to summarize it, and that I have evidenced-based ideas about it?
W.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to
situations.
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
d. Provide a sense of closure.
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Writing &
Language
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
b. Form and use regular and irregular plural nouns.
d. Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
b. Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.
LANG5 - Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
a. Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
b. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., describe people who are friendly or helpful).
c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected,
heard, wondered).
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
Foundational
&
Speaking and
Listening
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about
the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL.3 - Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
SL.6 - Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3
Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 28 and 29 for specific expectations.)
3rd Grade - August/September
RL. 1 Asking Questions (green identifying characters, setting and plot) Richardson p. 210 - 211
 Syntax for asking a question
 Fact/Question
 Asking in the text questions (Literal)
RL.2 Story Elements
 Beginning-Middle-End (BME, Richardson p. 122, 171)
 5 Finger Retell (Richardson, p. 122, 171, 172)
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
Notes
RL.2 Main Idea
Sketching illustrations (Richardson, p. 216)
Who and What ? (Richardson, p. 216)
VIP/external (Richardson, p. 215 - 216)
RL.1 The Comprehension ToolKit 3-6
 Follow Your Inner Conversation
 Merge Your Thinking with New Learning
 Record Important Ideas
Building a Reading Life
During this unit, students should be exposed to book selection strategies, reading partnerships, reading genres, talking about reading, and
writing about reading.



Resources
Lucy Calkins : Building a Reading Life
First 20 Days
Literacy by Design: Folktale- Country Mouse, City Mouse, Sourcebook p. 46-50 Folktale: The Llama’s Secret (Appreciative
Listening), Sourcebook p. 222-224
Personal Narrative
During this unit, students will learn that writers paint a picture for readers. They will be collecting ideas and writing pieces about a “small
moment” in their own lives.
Writing


Resources
Lucy Calkins: Launching the Writing Workshop with Personal Narrative
Literacy by Design: Personal narrative- Ogbo: Sharing Life in an African Village (Precise Listening), Sourcebook p. 6-7
Personal narrative- How Ruby Came to the Farm, Sourcebook p. 58-62
Personal narrative-Into the Volcano (Critical Listening), Sourcebook, p. 192-195
Reading
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Mr Lincoln’s Way by Patricia Polacco
Thank You Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
Crickwing by Janell Cannon
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco
Donavan’s Word Jar by Monalisa DeGross
The Stories Julian Tells by Ann Cameron
The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco
Every Living Thing by Cynthia Rylant
Baseball in April and Other Stories by Gary Soto
Resources
Science
Mealworms: Raise Them, Watch Them, See Them Change by
Adrienne Mason
Mealworms by Donna Schaffer
Caterpillar, Caterpillar by Vivian French
Monarch Butterfly by Gail Gibbons
Where Butterflies Grow by Joanne Ryder
Butterfly and Caterpillar by Barrie Watts
Butterfly Moth: An Eyewitness Book by Paul Whaley
Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe
The Fascinating World of Bats by Maria Angels Julivert
Extremely Weird Bats by Sarah Lovett
Math
Night Noises
The 512 Ants on Sullivan Street
The Grapes of Math
Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
Writing
How Writers Work by Ralph Fletcher
A Writer’s Notebook by Ralph Fletcher
Author A True Story by Helen Lester
What Do Illustrators Do? By Eileen Christelow
Show; Don’t Tell! Secrets of Writing by Eva Montanari
Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book by Cynthia Rylant
Smoky Night by Eve Bunting
Come On, Rain! By Karen Hesse
I’m in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor
I Love My Hair! By Natasha Anastasia Tarpley
We Had a Picnic This Sunday Past by Diane Greenseid
Raising the Quality Mentor Text
Live Writing Breathing Life Into Your Words by Ralph Fletcher
Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee
Owl moon by Jane Yolen
You Have To Write by Janet S. Wong
The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence Parry Heide & Judith Heide
Gilliland
The Three Questions by Jon J. Muth
Social Studies
The Journey of Oliver K. Woodman by Darcy Pattison
Maps & Globes by Harriett Barton
America A Patriotic Primer by Lynne Cheney
South Carolina What’s So Great About this State? by Kate Boehm
Jerome
Charley’s Columbia Backyard by Caroline Coleman Bennett
Net Numbers A South Carolina Number Book by Carol Crane
P is for Palmetto A South Carolina Alphabet by Carol Crane
Carolina Children The Piedmont by Cynthia Mitchell Stroud
Carolina Children The Coastal Zone by Cynthia Mitchell Stroud
Carolina Children The Sandhills by Cynthia Mitchell Stroud
Welcome to South Carolina by Bruce Larkin
A Mud’s Eye View of Charleston’s History by Joseph C. Wilson
The Mysterious Tail of a Charleston Cat by Ruth Paterson
S is for South Carolina by E.J. Sullivan
Bellman Visits South Carolina by Brenda Richards & Brantley Parrott
Poems
“Isn’t my name magical” by James Berry
“Billy McBone” by Allan Ahlberg
“Hey Diddle Diddle” by Andrew Fusek Peters – Children’s Poems
“Oh, I Wish I’d Looked After Me Teeth” by Pam Ayres
Count to a Million
One Duck Stuck
1001 Things to Spot in the Sea
“On the Ning Nang Nong” by Spile Milligan
“Please Mrs. Butler” by Allan Ahlberg
“Scissors” by Allan Ahlberg
Writing assessment for Personal Narrative. Cold write, Day 1: children have 45 minutes to write and Day 2: children have 45 minutes to go
back and revise, edit, and rewrite their personal narrative.
Assessment
Calkins Assessment Rubric: Writing Pathways (New Grade Specific Books) p. 182; p.189; p.206; p.216
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
Professional
Development
Reading




Six-Key Ideas About Minilessons p.353-354
A Processing System p.13-14
Fiction Genres p.143-145
Planning for Guided Reading Lessons Using Fiction p.400-401
Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas and Pinnell)




Questions to Support Comprehension of Fiction p.292-294
The Language and Demands of Short-Answer or Extended-Response Questions p.468
Comparing Folklore p.448-449
Traditional Literature p.394
Reading and Writing Project
http://www.readingandwritingproject.com
3rd Grade – October (approximately four to six weeks)
RL.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL.2 - Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and
explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
RL.3 - Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of
events.
Literature &
Informational
RL.9 - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in
books from a series).
Essential Questions:
 How can I grow ideas about characters as I read across the books in a series, backing up and refining my theories as I accumulate
evidence, and letting those theories become more insightful as I think, read and talk more?
 How can I live inside the world of the story, identifying with the main character, seeing the world from that person’s perspective, and
letting all this help me predict?
 How can I get better at checking that I am making sense of what I read, and that I have strategies to use when the text is confusing to
me?
 How do I synthesize my thinking about books and characters and push myself to develop more thematic ideas that relate not just to one
text but also to life, and the world, in general?
W.3 - Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences.
a. Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
b. Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to
situations.
c. Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
d. Provide a sense of closure.
Writing &
Language
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
W.6 - With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
W.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
a. Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
LANG4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
LANG5 - Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
a. Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
Foundational
&
Speaking and
Listening
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known
about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
SL.2 - Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
SL.6 - Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3
Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 28 and 29 for specific expectations.)
3rd Grade - October
RL.3 Story Elements
 BME - describe character feelings (Richardson, p.160-161) focus on feelings explicitly stated in the text
 Cause of feelings based upon plot (Richardson, p.161)
 Character Analysis (p. 227-228)
RL.3 Prediction
 Make predictions with support from text (Richardson, p.205 - 206)
 Confirm or change predictions based on text (Richardson, p.205 - 206)
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
RL.3 Cause Effect (Richardson p. 225 - 226)
 Step 1 and Step 2 Teacher flags effect with stated cause and students create questions using “What caused?” stem
RL.3 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Wrap Your Mind Around the Big Ideas
Notes
Following Characters Into Meaning: Envision, Predict, Synthesize, and Infer (Series Book Clubs)
During this unit, students will have deeper exposure to story elements: Character, Setting, Conflict, Theme, and how these can change
depending upon genre and author intent. They will grow their ideas and develop theories about characters. Talking partnerships will play an
important role in this unit.


Resources
Lucy Calkins : Series Book Clubs (new)
Literacy by Design:
Realistic Fiction-Thundercake (Appreciative Listening), Sourcebook p. 98-99
Folktale: Why the Opossum’s Tail is Bare, Sourcebook p. 390-391
Fairy Tales
During this unit, students apply techniques for developing story elements, painting a picture for readers, and creating mood
Resources
Writing

Lucy Calkins: Once Upon a Time
Testing
as a
Genre
Resources
Reading
The Whipping Boy by sid Fleischman
The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Poppleton
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
No Talking by Andrew Clements
Science (goes with AIMS lessons)
Batman: Exploring the World of Bats by Laurence Pringle
Tree of Life by Barbara Bash
Catching a Meal by Paul Bennett
The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle
Eyewitness Books: Amphibian by Barry Clarke
Weird Nature: An Astonishing Exploration of Nature’s Strangest
Behavior by John Downer
Frogs by Gail Gibbons
Extremely Weird Frogs by Sarah Lovett
Frogs (Face to Face) by Tamar Mays
The Yucky Retile Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta
The Nature of Frogs: Amphibians with Attitude by Harry Parsons
The Wide-Mouthed Frog by Rex Schneider
How do Frogs Walk Upside Down? Questions and Answers About
Insects by Melvin and Gilda Berger
Eyewitness Books: Insect by Laurence Mound
Do Bees Sneeze? And Other Questions Kids Ask About Insects by
James Wangberg
Eyewitness Books: Fish by Steve Parker
I Seen Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky
Claws, Coats, and Camouflage by Susan Goodman
Animal Campuflage by Joyce Powzyk
Butterfly & Moth (Eyewitness Books) by Paul Whalley
Math
Each Orange Had 8 Slices
Amanda Bean's Amazing Dream
Annabelle Swift, Kindergartener
Bats on Parade
The Doorbell Rang
Writing
My Name is Maria Isabel by Alma Flor Ada
Crow Call by Lois Lowry
Grandpa’s Teeth by Rod Clement
Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
Social Studies
Moonhorse by Mary Pope Osborne
The First Strawberries A Cherokee Story retold by Joseph Bruchac
Yonder Mountain A Cherokee Legend by Kay Thorpe Bannon
The Buffalo Jump by Peter Roop
Beardream by Will Hobbs
Cheyenne Again by Eve Bunting
Poems
Above the Bright Blue Sky by Albert Midlane
A Light Exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson
All Things Bright and Beautiful by Cecil Frances Alexander
The Father’s Vineyard by Anonymous
Ferry Me Across the Water by Christina Rossetti
Eating Fractions
Math for All Seasons
One Hundred Hungry Ants
Pigs Will Be Pigs
Spunky Monkeys on Parade
The Story of Fidgety Philip by Heinrich Hoffman
Reading Assessment on characters (traits, motivations, feelings, and actions)
Assessment
Professional
Development
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Signal Words p.22
 Fiction p.142
 Sample Language for Embedded Instruction and Mini-lessons p.355
 Using Explicit Language to Communicate Mini-lesson Principles p.357-359
 Understanding Characters p.360-363
 Mini-lessons on Literary Analysis p.365
Reading
Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Literary Elements in Fiction p.395-399
 Graphic Organizers p.441-443
3rd Grade - November/December
RI.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RI.2 - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
RI.4 - Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.
RI.5 - Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.
RI.7 - Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g.,
where, when, why, and how key events occur).
Literature &
Informational
RI.8 - Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third
in a sequence).
Essential Questions:
 How can I organize a rich nonfiction reading life for myself so that I read nonfiction often, and live towards goals that I set for myself as a
nonfiction reader?
 Can I use my nonfiction reading strategies to “get” what expository texts are saying – to grasp the central ideas and the supporting
details? Can I use a boxes and bullets, expository text structure to help me organize my understanding of the texts I read?
 Even though my mind will often be full of all that I have learned while reading, can I leave space in my mind, and time in my reading, to
grow ideas about the content? Can I push my thinking so that I elaborate on those ideas?
W.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
Writing &
Language
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
W.6 - With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
W.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
LANG4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
Foundational
&
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Speaking and
Listening
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL.2 - Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.3 - Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
SL.6 - Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3
Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 28 and 29 for specific expectations.)
3rd Grade - November/December
RI.1 Asking Questions (Richardson p. 210 – 211)
 Syntax for asking a question
 Fact/Question
 Asking in the text questions (Literal)
RI.2 Central Idea
Locating Important Details (Good Choice T. Stead p. 77-78)
Use titles and headings
Use illustrations and photographs
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
RI.2 Central Idea
 Determining Importance with Nonfiction (Richardson p.217)
 Main Idea Question/Details (Literal)- (Richardson p.218) – use text with headings that are questions
 Main Idea Question/Details (Literal)-(Richardson p.218-219)
 Main Idea with Deconstruct/Reconstruct (T. Stead, p.34 Reality Checks)
RI.7 Comprehending Visual Information (Richardson p.236 – 237) – Literal Level Only
RI.7 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Read With a Question in Mind
Notes
RI.2 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Determine What to Remember
 Construct Main Ideas From Supporting Details
 Read to Get the Gist
Informational Reading
During this unit, students will learn to use text features to gain information about a topic and recount the details that support the main idea for a
text. Students will also learn strategies for understanding content specific vocabulary and recognizing text structures such as cause/effect,
problem/solution, compare/contrast, etc.


Resources
Lucy Calkins : Nonfiction Reading-Expository Text
Literacy by Design: Main idea/key details- Special Olympics: Where the World Comes Together, Sourcebook p. 16-20
Photo-essay-The Telephone: It’s Come a Long Way, Sourcebook p. 148-148
Interview- Zooming into the Future, Sourcebook p. 182-187
Expository- Yellowstone National Park: Land of Wonders, Sourcebook p. 202-207
Expository- How is Paper Made? (Precise Listening), Sourcebook p. 260-261
Informational Writing
During this unit, students will use their knowledge of text structure to communicate information about a topic.
Writing


Resources
Lucy Calkins: Informational Writing
Literacy by Design: Observation log- On Hurricane Watch, Sourcebook p. 228-231
Testing
as a
Genre
Resources
Reading
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Series
Ramona Quimby Series
Shiloh
Poppy
Henry and Mudge Series
Hank Zipzer Series
Amber Brown Series
Horrible Harry Series
Willimena Series
The Dragon Slayer’s Academy Series
The Stories Julian Tells
Frog and Toad Series
Bailey School Kids Series
Barkley’s School for Dogs Series
Boxcar Children Series
Skinny-Bones Series
Judy Moody Series
Writing
Newspapers
Magazines
Book reviews
Movie reviews
Travel guides
Science (goes with AIMS lessons)
What Are Food Chains and Webs? By Bobbie Kalman and
Jacqueline Languille
Who Eats What? By Patricia Lauber
Pass the Energy, Please! By Barbara McKinney
The Magic School Bus Gets Eaten: A Book About Food Chains by
Patricia Reif
Food Chains by Peter Riley
Ecosystems and Food Chains by Francine Sabin
Social Studies
What was the Continental Congress? by Candice Ransom
They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell
A Picture Book of Paul Revere by David A. Adler
A More Perfect Union by Betsy Maestro
The Amazing Life of Benjamin Franklin by James Cross Giblin
Francis Marion and the Legend of the Swamp Fox by Kate Salley
Palmer
The Revolutionary Swamp fox by Idella Bodie
When Hunger Calls by Bert Kitchen
Math
The Best of Times
Sea Squares
The Gamecock by Idella Bodie
The Wise Owl by Idella Bodie
The American Revolution from A to Z by Laura Crawford
Big George by Anne Rockwell
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore
Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In 1776 by Jean Marzollo
John, Paul, George & Ben by Lane Smith
George Did It by Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
George Washington, Our Founding Father by Frank Keating
Molly Bannaker by Alice McGill
Poems
Love Letters by Arnold Adoff
My Black Me by Arnold Adoff
Touch the Poem by Arnold Adoff
Poetry for Young People by John Maynard
Bronzeville Boys and Girls by Gwendolyn Brooks
Outside the Lines: Poetry at Play by Brad Burg
Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle by Stephen Dunning,
Edward Lueders and Hugh Smith
Big Talk: Poems for Four Voices by Paul Fleischman
I am Phoenix: Poems for Two Voices by Paul Fleischman
Reading Assessment – informational text checking main idea and supporting details from text and illustrations
Assessments
Writing Assessment – Calkins (Writing Pathways) on Demand p.129; p.135; p.154-157
Professional
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Patterns of Structures in Factual Texts p.186
 The Content of Literary Analysis – Nonfiction p.292
Development
Reading
Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Questions to Support Comprehension of Nonfiction p.295-297
Reading and Writing Project
http://www.readingandwritingproject.com
3rd Grade – January/February (approximately six weeks)
RL.3 - Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of
events.
RL.6 - Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.
RI.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RI.3 - Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text,
using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
RI.6 - Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text.
Literature &
Informational
RI.8 - Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third
in a sequence).
Essential Questions:
 How can I draw on all that I know about reading narratives and about character development to read biographies (and other forms of
narrative nonfiction) well?
 How can I develop theories about the subject of a biography that are not unlike the theories I develop about characters in fictional
books? Can I think about what the person’s motivations and struggles are, and about what resources the person draws upon in order to
overcome difficulties? Can I also think about what this character’s achievements matter to the world?
 There are different types of narrative nonfiction texts – some are biographies, but many are not. For example, in some narrative
nonfiction, the main character is a plant, an animal, a group of people. How can I apply what I know about reading narrative nonfiction
to a broader array of texts?
W.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
Writing &
Language
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
W.6 - With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
W.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
Foundational
&
Speaking and
Listening
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL.2 - Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
3rd Grade – January/February
RI.2 Central Idea (Richardson p. 217-219)
 Review classifying details as important or interesting, two column notes: heading/details, identifying key words within supporting details
to create a bullet list.
Teacher models how to turn heading into central idea question and students find supporting details.
Students turn the heading into a question and find supporting details.
Students identify stated central idea. (The heading is the key piece of the central idea.)

Deconstruct/Reconstruct Reality Checks p. 34 T. Stead
RI.3 Cause Effect (Richardson p. 225 - 226) Step 1 and Step 2
 Teacher flags effect with stated cause and students create questions using “What caused?” stem and provide support.
 Teacher flags the paragraph – Add Think Trix Cause and Effect card questions Think Trix cards can be found in The New Guided
Reading Handbook 2007-2008.(p. 125) Use “what caused?” and “ why did stems?”)
 Passages should have a stated cause and effect in the text.
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
Notes
RI.7 Comprehending Visual Information
 Green Questions (answered in the diagram, chart, or other visual) – (Richardson p.237)
 Red Questions (not answered in the diagram, chart, or other visual) – Richardson p.238)
RI.2 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Determine What to Remember
 Construct Main Idea From Supporting Details
 Read to Get the Gist
Biographies
During this unit, students will use their knowledge about story elements and understanding characters to read about people who
have had a large impact on our world. Since a biography is narrative nonfiction, students will be applying all of the strategies they
have learned thus far in addition to describing the relationship between historical and scientific events.


Resources
Lucy Calkins : Nonfiction Reading-Expository Text
Literacy by Design: Biography: Meet the Music Man from New Orleans, Sourcebook p. 42-43
Biography: Snowflake Bentley (Critical Listening), Sourcebook p. 68-69
Biography: Female Firsts, Sourcebook p. 140-145
Biography: Rachel: The Story of Rachel Carson (Critical Listening), Sourcebook p. 446-447
Opinion Writing
During this unit, students will create writings that include their own thoughts and opinions. This may include: persuasive letters,
persuasive essays, or argument essays.
Writing
Resources

Lucy Calkins: Changing the World

Literacy by Design: Opinion- Letters to the Editor: Big Stink Over Garbage Barges, Sourcebook p. 482-483
Testing
as a
Genre
Resources
Reading
SEE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCES
Writing
Science (goes with the AIMS lessons)
Tell of Long Ago by Aliki
If You Are a Hunter of Fossils by Byrd Baylor
Rocks, Fossils, and Arrowheads by Laura Evert
The Fossil Factory by Niles Elridge
Social Studies
Willie McLean and the Civil War Surrender by Candice Ransom
Shipwreck Search Discovery of the H.L. Hunley by Sally M. Walker
Civil War Sub The Mystery of the Hunley by Kate Boehm Jerome
Duel of the Ironclads by Patrick O’Brien
Just in Time Abraham Lincoln by Patricia Polacco
Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
The Last Brother A Civil War Tale by Trinka Hakes Noble
Climbing Lincoln’s Steps by Suzanne Slade
Jim Limber Davis A Black Orphan in the Confederate White House
by Rickey Pittman
Abe’s Honest Words by Doreen Rappaport
Abe Lincoln Goes to Washington by National Geographic
Abraham Lincoln Comes Home by Robert Burleigh
Circle Unbroken by Margot Theis Raven
A Sweet, Sweet Basket by Margie Willis Clary
Heart and Soul by Kadir Nelson
Minty by Alan Schroeder
Night Boat to Freedom by Margot Thesis Raven
Follow the Drinking Gourd by Jeanette Winter
Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine
Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson
No More! by Doreen Rappaport
Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson
A Picture Book of Harriet Tubman by David A. Adler
Math
George Shrinks
How Big Is a Foot?
Moses by Carole Boston Weatherford
Poems
Assessment
Professional
Development
Reading
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Thinking Across Genres: Fiction p.147
 Specific Demands of Realism p.198
 Minilessons on Genre p.368-371
Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Historical Fiction p.395
 Sequence of Important Events, Comparison/Contrast Charts, Cause-and-Effect Chart p.450-451
 Structure of Informational Texts p.401-405
 Cause-And-Effect Chart p.451
3rd Grade – March (approximately six weeks)
RL.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
RL.3 - Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of
events.
RL.5 - Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza;
describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections.
Literature &
Informational
RL.9 - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in
books from a series).
Essential Questions:
 How can I use fiction reading skills (and my knowledge of how fiction stories tend to go) to puzzle over clues and to make smart
predictions?
 People who read a whole lot in a genre tend to grow ideas about that kind of writing in general. How can I become knowledgeable
enough about mysteries that I can categorize the mysteries I read, seeing some as similar to and different from others?
 How can I notice and analyze characters’ personalities, motivations, choices, and responses to those choices so that I’m not just
breezing through mysteries as a plot junky but am thinking more deeply about the larger messages?
W.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
Writing &
Language
Writers understand that by supporting their points of view in an organized way the reader is able to analyze what is being presented.
 Why is it important for writers to know how to present their opinions on topics or texts in an organized way?
W.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing for
conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into
provided categories
W.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
L.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing
flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable,
comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).
c. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
Foundational
&
Speaking and
Listening
Writers know a variety of strategies must be used to determine the meaning of words.
 How do we figure out the meaning of unknown words?
L.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word
parts) in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
L.3 Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
b. Recognize and observe differences between the conventions of spoken and written standard English.
L.5 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
a. Distinguish the literal and non-literal meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
c. Distinguish shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty (e.g., knew, believed, suspected,
heard, wondered).
L.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including those
that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
SL.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
a. Come to discussions prepared having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known
about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time
about the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL.2 Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.3 Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
SL.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
SL.6 Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3
Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 28 and 29 for specific expectations.)
RL.5 Identify the Theme (Richardson p.217)
RL.5 Literal Comprehension Strategies (Richardson p.239 -240)
 Clarify
 Visualize
 Ask Literal Questions (green)
 Figurative Language
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
Notes
RL.5 Action-Character Link (Richardson p.229 – 230) – Venn Diagram
RL.9 Asking Questions (yellow analyze by comparing and contrasting themes, settings, and plots) Richardson p. 212
RL.9 Combine Questions (yellow and green by comparing and contrasting themes, settings, and plots) Richardson p.213
RL.5 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Wrap Your Mind Around the Big Ideas
Mystery Book Clubs
During this unit, students will use all of the strategies they have learned to compare and contrast story elements and to understand
how the style and craft of authors can vary.

Resources
Lucy Calkins : Mystery Book Clubs
Test Prep
Writing
Testing
as a
Genre
Resources
Assessment
Professional
Development
Reading
Reading
The Magic Tree House Series
Nancy Drew Mystery Series
The Drew Boys Mystery Series
39 Clues Series
Cam Jansen Series
The Boxcar Children Series
Nate the Great Series
The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies
Science (goes with AIMS lessons)
A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney
Math
Give Me Half!
Writing
Folktales from China by Barbara Lawson
Postcards from China by Zoe Dawon
Shark Attack! DK Reader Series
National Geographic Kids series
Cats and Dogs
Ugly Animals, a Scholastic book
Deadliest Animals 9National Geographic)
Social Studies
How the U.S. Government Works by Syl Sobel
Poems
All by Herself by Ann Whitford Paul
Geographic Travels in Verse and Rhyme by J. Patrick Lewis
In My America: A Poetry Atlas of the United States by Lee Nennett
Hopkins
Where in the Wild? By David Schwartz
Writing – Test Prep Unit
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Text Formats p.126-128
 Chapter Books p.132
 Series Books p.132-133
 Poetry p.208-209
 The General Demands of Poetry p.208
Guiding Readers and Writers Grades 3-6 (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Process Drama p.36
 The Visual and Performing Arts: Exploring Meaning Through Process Drama p.286-287
 Categorizing Literature: Poetry and Prose p.391-392
 Suggestions for Reading Poetry p.418-418
 Performing Poetry p.421
 Essence Chart and Chapter Grid p.444-446
 Themes and Ideas p.226-228


Balancing Readability and Theme p.229-230
Literary Elements in Fiction p.395-398
Reading and Writing Project
http://www.readingandwritingproject.com
3rd Grade – April (approximately six weeks)
RL.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Literature &
Informational
Readers demonstrate an understanding of the text by referring explicitly to the text as support for their answers.
 How can asking and answering questions help a reader understand a text?
 How can referring to the text support our understanding?
RI.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Readers demonstrate an understanding of the text by referring explicitly to the text as support for their answers.
 How can asking and answering questions help a reader understand a text?
 How can referring to the text support our understanding?
W.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
a. Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
Writing &
W.6 - With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
Language
W.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
f. Ensure subject-verb and pronoun-antecedent agreement.*
h. Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
a. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
LANG4 - Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
d. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Foundational
&
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Speaking and
Listening
SL.2 - Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.3 - Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly
at an understandable pace.
SL.6 - Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification. (See grade 3
Language standards 1 and 3 on pages 28 and 29 for specific expectations.)
3rd Grade - April
RI.1, RL.1 Combining Questions (Richardson p.213 – 214)
 Redo the chart for question, answer, evidence (chapter and paragraph)
Question
Answer
Evidence
(chapter/paragraph)
RI.3 Cause/Effect
 Step 3 Teacher flags the page. (Richardson p. 137)
 Step 5 T- Chart (Richardson p. 137)
Refer to The New Guided Reading Handbook 2007-2008 for explanations of steps 3 and 5.
RI.1, RL.1 Backtalk (Richardson p.244)
Quote (direct from the text)
My Opinion: What do I think?
Reading
RI.9 Compare/Contrast (Richardson p.197) – Find two concepts they can compare and contrast
Mini-Lesson or
RI.9 Cause/Effect (Richardson p.197) – Write about the cause and effects of an historical event
Guided
Reading
Notes
RL.1 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Follow Your Inner Conversation
 Merge Your Thinking with New Learning
 Record Important Ideas
RI.1 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Read, Write, and Talk
 Merge Your Thinking with New Learning
 Read With a Question in Mind
 Spotlight New Thinking
Test Prep
During this unit, students will use all of the strategies they have learned to compare and contrast story elements and to understand
how the style and craft of authors can vary.


Resources
Lucy Calkins : Test Prep
Literacy by Design: Comparing and Contrasting Two Texts on the Same Topic
Expository: The Solar System (use “The Planets” section) (Critical Listening), Sourcebook p. 322-323 and The Planets, Sourcebook p.
332-336
Expository: Letters to the Editor: Big Stink Over Garbage Barges, Sourcebook p. 482-483, and Space Trash, Sourcebook p. 498-502
Writing
Writing in Content Areas
Since students are reviewing for state testing at this time, their writing can focus on informative/explanatory text in relation to
science and social studies topics.

Resources
Lucy Calkins: Navigation Nonfiction
Testing
as a
Genre
Reading
SEE SOCIAL STUDIES RESOURCES
Resources
Science (goes with the AIMS lessons)
Gilberto and the Wind by Marie H. Ets
Steven Caney’s Invention book by Steven Caney
Math
Assessment
Writing
You will want to have a select few text from the different units that
you feel will support your children with the type of writing they will be
revising and also the type of revision work you would like them to do
during the unit.
Social Studies
The Great Migration by Jacob Lawrence
Maritcha by Tonya Bolden
Shoeless Joe & Black Betsy by Phil Bildner
The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
Life in the Time of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Great Depression
Poems
Professional
Development
Reading
Teaching for Comprehension and Fluency (Fountas and Pinnell)
 Probing Your Students’ Thinking p.404
3rd Grade – May
RL.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Literature &
Informational
RL.2 - Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and
explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
RL.3 - Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of
events.
Essential Questions:
 How can I read with a lens, looking at texts to locate the issues that are faced by several different characters, so that I can begin to think
about how the issue plays out differently in different texts, and in different lives?
 How can I widen the lens through which I am seeing so that I see a character not just as one person but also as representing a group of
people, a group that might face that issue in similar ways?
 How can we see multiple perspectives to an issue, and understand that the causes and solutions to issues are neither simply not easy
to solve?
W.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.
a. Introduce the topic or text they are writing about, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure that lists reasons.
b. Provide reasons that support the opinion.
c. Use linking words and phrases (e.g., because, therefore, since, for example) to connect opinion and reasons.
d. Provide a concluding statement or section.
W.4 - With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose.
(Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.5 - With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. (Editing
for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3 on pages 28 and 29.)
Writing &
Language
W.6 - With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and
collaborate with others.
W.7 - Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.8 - Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence
into provided categories.
W.10 - Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or
two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
LANG1 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
e. Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
i. Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences.
LANG2 - Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
a. Capitalize appropriate words in titles.
c. Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue.
e. Use conventional spelling for high-frequency and other studied words and for adding suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries,
happiness).
f. Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts)
in writing words.
g. Consult reference materials, including beginning dictionaries, as needed to check and correct spellings.
LANG3 - Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
b. Choose words and phrases for effect.*
LANG6 - Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain specific words and phrases, including
those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them).
F.3 Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
c. Decode multi-syllable words.
d. Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words
F.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Foundational
&
Speaking and
Listening
SL.1 - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 3
topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about
the topics and texts under discussion).
c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.
d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
SL.2 - Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally
SL.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
3rd Grade - May
RL.2 Biopoems (Reichardson p.195)
RL.5 Key Idea Poem (Richardson p.196)
RL.9 Micothemes (Richardson p.195)
RL.9 Compare/Contrast (themes, settings, and plots) Richardson p. 197
Reading
Mini-Lesson or
Guided
Reading
RL.5 The Comprehension Toolkit 3-6
 Wrap Your Mind Around the Big Ideas
Social Issues
During this unit, students will read, discuss, and write about books with themes relating to social issues.
Notes


Resources
Lucy Calkins : Social Issues Book Club
Literacy by Design: The Great Butterfly Flutterby (Sourcebook p.28)
Opinion Writing: Real World Issues
Students will use their writing skill to develop a piece that reflects their own “real world” perspectives and opinions.
Writing

Resources
Lucy Calkins: Navigation Nonfiction
Testing
as a
Genre
Resources
Reading
Pandora Series by Carolyn Hennesy
Goddess Girls by Joan Holub
D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths by Ingri d’Aulaire
A Children’s Introduction to Greek Methology by
Science
Math
Writing
Social Studies
Poems
Assessment
Professional
Development
Reading