Unit
#
CC Unit Title
SS wiki suggested Imagine It! Correlation
Social St.
Integration
Shared Text from Imagine It!
Unit 1 Friendship
Damon and Pythias
Unit 4 - Earth, Moon, and Sun
Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun
1
Stories Worth
Telling Again
and Again
Unit 6 - Storytelling
Aunt Flossie’s hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
Storm in the Night
Aunt Sue’s Stories (poem)
Ode to Family Photographs (poem)
Tomas and the Library Lady
Storm in the night
Pueblo Storyteller
Johnny Appleseed
McBroom
Unit 7: People Shape Communities
Writing Focus
Third Grade Unit 1
Reading: Stories Worth Telling Over and Over
Social Studies: People Shape Communities
Overview: Students read the tales of grandparents and they become familiar with the tradition of
“trickster stories” across multiple cultures. They read poems, and review the parts of speech
through Ruth Heller’s World of Language books. The students engage the texts in multiple ways:
They write stories they want to preserve; they also build upon their knowledge of geographical
settings of folktales from previous grades as they research the cultural backgrounds of the trickster
tales. They dramatically interpret poetry and build a foundation of diverse cultures.
Common Core Objectives:
RI.3.1.Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the
text as the basis for the answers.
RI.3.2.Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the
main idea.
RI.3.3.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.3.5.Use text features and search tools (e.g., keywords, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information
relevant to a given topic efficiently.
RI.3.7 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).
RL.3.2: 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.3.3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how
their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
RI.3.10 and RL.3.10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend poetry, literature, informational
texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2–
3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
SL.3.1: Engage effectively in a range or collaborative discussions (one-on-one, group, and teacherled) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their
own clearly.
SL.3.1(c): Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link
their comments to the remarks of others.
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.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
W.3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive
details, and clear event sequences.




Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds
naturally.
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or
show the response of characters to situations.
Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
Provide a sense of closure.
L.3.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when
writing or speaking.
L.3.1(a): Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and
their functions in particular sentences.
Desired Results – Step 1
Unit Goal:
The purpose of this unit is to help students develop stronger reading habits while analyzing the contributions
of people all over the world. Students will build nonfiction reading habits with similar rigor as their fiction
habits, specifically in the Social Studies unit that launches the year at the same time as this reading unit.
There are many (deliberate) parallels in how the content unit of study asks students to set goals as readers
and thinkers, to work with partners to meet those goals, to jot their thinking and mark text evidence
efficiently so they come prepared to discussions. Taking advantage of these parallels will help students
achieve the highest possible transference across fiction and nonfiction, and across the curriculum.
Students will also develop close reading skills, staying accountable to the text, and coming to discussions
prepared and ready to paraphrase and draw on texts.
Additional resources for the unit: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9WqQMcK-4ZkRlhuZE1TTEVZMEU/edit
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Essential Questions
Social Studies and Informational Reading
Reading
What can we learn from heroes in stories?
How do heroes (real and fictional) make a difference in a
community?
How do fictional people help to shape the culture of
a community?
How do inventors demonstrate active leadership?
How do characters in literature reflect real people in
history?
How do various cultures reward or recognize their
heroes?
What does the character learn through the theme of the
story?
What were the results of characters feelings, actions
and motivations?
Key Vocabulary
Hero
Underground Railroad
Folktale
Tall tale
Legend
Fictional
Key Understandings
Students will…
Tell stories from personal experiences and write narratives telling those stories.
Revise and edit narratives with the help of peers and adults.
Determine and analyze characters’ traits and motivations in fiction. Judge characters accurately with
evidence by noticing:
what they say or think.
how they act.
character’s emotions/feelings.
character’s motives.
Distinguish nouns, pronouns, and verbs from each other, understanding the role of each in a sentence.
Perform a poem dramatically, with expression and appropriate phrasing for meaning.
Compare and contrast the message and characters in two books with the same theme.
Determine the trickster, the fool, the problem, and the solution in various cultures’ trickster tales.
Research one of the trickster tale’s cultures, as part of responding to class-generated questions.
Create a class book or a multimedia presentation based on the culture research.
Discuss artists’ contributions to the preservation of the Native American culture through art.
Analyze heroic deeds of characters from different folktales and legends.
Explore the role of fictional characters in creating new communities.
Categorize and classify important information accurately.
Identify and analyze cause and effect relationships.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Exemplar Text
Literary Texts
Shared Text from Imagine It!
Unit 1 Friendship
Damon and Pythias
Unit 4 - Earth, Moon, and Sun
Grandmother Spider Brings the Sun
Unit 6 - Storytelling
Aunt Flossie’s hats (and Crab Cakes Later)
Storm in the Night
Aunt Sue’s Stories (poem)
Ode to Family Photographs (poem)
Tomas and the Library Lady
Storm in the night
Pueblo Storyteller
Johnny Appleseed
McBroom
Poems
“Aunt Sue’s Stories” (Langston Hughes) (EA)
“By Myself” (Eloise Greenfield)
“For want of a nail, the shoe was lost…” (RA)
“Grandpa’s Stories” (Langston Hughes) (E)
“Mother to Son” (Langston Hughes) (EA)
“Nani” (Alberto Rios) (RA)
“The Telephone” (Robert Frost) (RA)
“You Are Old, Father William” (Lewis Carroll) (RA)
“Your World” (Georgia Douglas Johnson) (E) (RA)
Stories
Annie and the Old One (Miles and Parnall)
Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl (Hamilton and Ransome)
Gloria’s Way (Ann Cameron and Lis Toft)
Grandfather’s Journey (Allen Say) (EA)
Iktomi and the Berries (Paul Goble)
Iktomi and the Boulder (Paul Goble)
Iktomi and the Buzzard (Paul Goble)
Iktomi and the Coyote (Paul Goble)
Iktomi Loses His Eyes (Paul Goble)
Knots on a Counting Rope (Archambault, Martin, Jr., and
Rand)
Love and Roast Chicken: A Trickster Tale
from the Andes Mountains (Knutson)
More Stories Julian Tells (Cameron and Strugnell)
Sign of the Beaver (George Speare) (RA)
Snowed in with Grandmother Silk (Fenner and Harvey)
Song and Dance Man (Ackerman and Hammell)
Tea with Milk (Allen Say) (EA)
The Apple and the Arrow (Buff and Buff) (RA)
The Memory String (Bunting)
The Stories Huey Tells (Cameron and Smith)
The Stories Julian Tells (Cameron and Strugnell) (E)
Through Grandpa’s Eyes (MacLachlan and Kogan Ray) (EA)
Tops & Bottoms (Janet Stevens) (E)
Informational Texts
Students will do research on a culture related
to a favorite trickster tale.
Social Studies:
Below Level:
Heroes All Around Us
The Coat of Patches, a Yiddish Folk Tale
Above Level:
It’s Electric!
Clara Barton: The Angel of the Battlefield
Independent Readers:
Basic: America: The Story of Thomas Alva
Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park by
Margaret Davidson
Turtle’s Race with Beaver by Bruchac
Proficient:
Circle Unbroken by Margot Theis
Advanced:
The Wright Brothers: How They Invented the
Airplane by Russell Freedom
Patriots in Petticoats: Heroines of the
American Revolution by Shirley Raye
Redmond
Nonfiction Books
A Cache of Jewels and Other Collective
Nouns (World of Language) (Ruth Heller)
(Read Aloud)
Kites Sail High: A Book About Verbs (World of
Language) (Ruth Heller) (Read Aloud)
Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns
(World of Language) (Ruth Heller) (Read
Aloud) 213211
Mine, All Mine: A Book About Pronouns
(World of Language) (Ruth Heller) (Read
Aloud)
Throw Your Tooth on the Roof: Tooth
Traditions Around the World (Selby Beeler
and G. Brian Karas) (E) (Read Aloud)
Art, Music and Media
Jacopo Pontormo, Descent from the Cross
(1528)
Jan van Eyck, Arnolfini Portrait (1434)
Pablo Picasso, Guernica (1937)
Trajan’s Column (Rome, Italy, completed 113
CE)
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Electronic and other print Resources
A Collection of Trickster Tales (American Folklore.Net) (RL.3.2)
Native American Informational Chart (Mountain City Elementary School, Mountain City, TN) (RI.3.5)
Maps of United States Indians by State (Native Languages of the Americas) (RI.3.7)
Using Picture Books to Teach Characterization in Writing Workshop (ReadWriteThink) (RL.3.3)
Composing Cinquain Poems with Basic Parts of Speech (ReadWriteThink) (L.3.1a)
Dynamite Diamante Poetry (ReadWriteThink) (L.3.1a)
Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World (National Endowment for the Humanities) (RL.3.2)
Tell Me a Story http://mythsandtales.com/
A Sense of Theft (has guide)
Anansi and Turtle's Feast (has guide)
The Selkie Bride(has guide)
Searching for Fear (has guide)
The Clever Girl (has guide)
Two Frogs from Japan
The Rabbit on the Moon (has guide)
The Boatman's Howling Daughter
Assessment Evidence – Step 2
Performance Tasks
W1 Writing Prompt:
Do you think heroes, both real and fictional, make a difference in our community? Write an opinion piece
supporting your opinion. Include at least 2-3 reasons supporting your point of view.
W2 Writing Prompt:
Write a paper examining how the advancement of technology has impacted your school and community? Be
sure to include specific information what types of technology are in your school and community.
Character Trait Assessment
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9mzL30n6cCdM2ZhOGMwNWUtNDU4OC00ZGU5LWE4Y2MtYjAwMjhlMm
E3YTg4/edit?authkey=CMDxzf4E&authkey=CMDxzf4E
Projects
Collecting Family Stories
Have students collect true tales about the "old days" by interviewing older relatives. Have students find out
about the history of their families as far back as anyone can tell them.
http://www.storyarts.org/classroom/roots/family.html or
http://www.legacyproject.org/activities/index.html
QR code kid
Create character cut-out and place QR code on face. QR Code links to digital storytelling, blog, book talk etc…
Formative Assessment/Exit Cards
Reading Exit Cards using Exit Card rubric and Essential Questions. Assessments will be conducted to see
whether students continue to do this work as they read. In conferences, students may be asked to share
specific examples of when they have tried a particular skill. The work will be assessed to measure whether or
not it is becoming increasingly stronger as the unit progresses. Students self-assess against a rubric and
make goals for themselves.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Reading
Learning Plan – Step 3
Activities & Instruction
Open Unit Story Circle
Whole Class: One person begins a tale and stops after a few sentences. The next person picks up the story
thread and continues it, then stops. Next person adds to it and so on until the tale comes to a resolution. The
story could begin with a pre-selected title or subject to guide the improvisation. *Later in the unit revisit and
place students in small groups. Record story circle using the iPAD for later listening.
Proverbs: Wisdom Tales Without the Plot
Model process first, relate the proverb back to main idea and ask students to develop supporting details to
explain the proverb, discuss how multicultural proverbs offer interesting insights into the universality of
wisdom and culture. Discuss: What information do you wonder about that might be helpful into telling the
story behind the proverb? What is this proverb teaching, how does it help others understand life lessons, and
what is it purpose?
Students will pair up to choose a proverb. Students will illustrate the
(visualization of the literal interpretation) proverb and label if needed. What
information do you wonder about that might be helpful into telling the story
behind the proverb? What is this proverb teaching, how does it help others
understand life lessons, and what is it purpose? The following are some
selected proverbs from Wisdom Tales From Around the World by Heather
Forest, August House Publishers.
"This evocative form of folklore sometimes stands in the stead of a wisdom tale. Thought-provoking proverbs can
suggest a larger scenario. I invite readers to look at proverbs creatively and imagine the story the proverb
suggests." -Heather Forest


One finger cannot lift a pebble. (Iranian)
 You can't spit on my back and make me think it's
rain. (Yiddish)
When elephants battle, the ants perish.
(Cambodian
 A book gives knowledge, but it is life that gives
understanding. (Hebrew)
 If you chase two hares, you will not catch either.
(Russian)
 Better bread with water than cake with trouble.
(Russian)
 It is better to turn back than to get lost. (Russian)
 A candle lights others but consumes itself.
 Handsome words don't butter cabbage. (German)
(English)
 Talk does not cook rice. (Chinese)
 It takes a village to raise a child. (Africa)
 When the kettle boils over, it overflows its own
 To hide one lie, a thousand lies are needed.
sides. (Yiddish)
(India)
 You can't chew with somebody else's teeth.

A needle wrapped in a rag will be found in the
(Yiddish)
end. (Vietnamese)
 Mistrust is an axe at the tree of love. (Russian)

Do not seek to escape from the flood by clinging
 Little brooks make great rivers. (French)
to a tiger's tail. (Chinese)
 Every kind of animal can be tamed, but not the

Step by step one ascends the staircase. (Turkey)
tongue of man. (Philippine)
 Anger is a bad adviser. (Hungary)
 Do not look for apples under a poplar tree.
 Eyes can see everything except themselves.
(Slovakian)
(Serbo-Croatian)
 He that goes barefoot must not plant thorns.
 Haste makes waste. (English)
(English)
 A blow passes on, a spoken word lingers.
(Yiddish)
Read aloud using teacher selected mentor text telling story related to another culture. During read aloud ask
students to think about symbols (artifacts) and their meaning throughout the story. Do any of the proverbs
hold true for this story? Ask students to bring in artifacts that tell meaningful stories about their culture.
Allow students to share stories based on their artifact.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Below is a suggested sequence of teaching points that will be used during whole class mini lessons, midworkshop teaching points, teaching shares and also to support some small group instruction. Teachers
should alter this list, especially by adding to it in order to respond to students' needs, making sure to avoid
extending the unit beyond the month. Some key teaching points are listed below, but the list will be added to
and/or revised to meet the particular needs of students.
Step 1: Reading and Writing Focus on Fiction and Poetry: (10 instructional days)
Central Theme, Message and Moral with evidence, Character Analysis with evidence (RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.10)
Begin reading conferences and Accountable Talk “teaching points” (SL.3.1, SL.3.2)
Writing: Narrative with L.3.1: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and
usage when writing or speaking. And L.3.1(a): Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and
adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.
Step 2: Reading Focus on Informational: (10 instructional days)
Questioning with evidence, Main Idea
Writing: Informational (Legacy Project?)
Step 3: Reading Focus on Informational: (10 instructional days)
Relationships between ideas, events and steps (time, sequence and cause and effect explanations), Text
features and search tools (let Ms. Lipski know this is an objective when you get to it.), Use text features and
words to show understanding (who, what, when, why, and how key events occurred). (RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3,
RI.3.5, RI.3.7)
Writing: Informational
Essential Question:
Focus/Objectives:
Assessment:
21st Century Skills:
Collaborate with a group
Suggested Teaching Points:
Today, I want to teach you that if we read well, we become the character in a book. We read the words and
then we are one of the characters in the mental movie we’re making.
Today, I want to teach you that when we read ourselves awake, really envisioning what’s happening so that
we are almost in the character’s shoes, we often find ourselves remembering times in our lives when we lived
through something similar, and we then bring feelings and insights from those experiences to bear on our
understanding of whatever we are reading.
Today, I want to teach you that we read in such a way that you are connected with a character, when you
open your heart to him or her and care the same way you would about a friend by envisioning, predicting,
and thinking about the character at the same time.
I want to teach you that readers read people both in life and in stories by remembering that their actions can
be a window into that person’s life. In life and as we read, we can pause after a character has done something
and say, ―Let me use what just happened as a window to help me understand this person. ―What theory or
idea am I having about them?
Today, I want to teach you that readers can be very complicated and are not just one way. We can push
ourselves to develop complex ideas about characters by thinking deeply about times when a person seems to
act out of character.
Today, I want to teach you that when readers want to think deeply about a character by examining the ways
that people around the character treat that person, especially looking for patterns of behavior.
Today I want to teach you that when readers come to a part of the story that makes our hearts race, we know
these are apt to be turning points, and we expect that our characters will face a test.
Today I want to teach you that as we think about and discuss ways that a character might solve the problems
in his life, often we discover that the character already has what it takes to solve these himself.
Today I want to teach you that readers take note of secondary characters in the story. We think about how a
particular secondary character influences or affects the main character, knowing that there are different sorts
of roles these characters are apt to play.
Today I want to teach you that as a character resolves a problem, we ask what the character knows now that
he or she didn't know at the start of the story. We think of the lesson our character has learned, wondering
how this book might change the way we behave in our own lives.
Sentence stems for responding/discussing reading:
“What in the text makes you say that?”
“I thought that too because . . .”
“Another example of that is . . .”
“I thought something different because . . .”
“I agree because . . .”
“Wait. I‟m confused. Are you saying . . . ?”
“Have you found the same thing with the character in your story?”
“Can you say more about that?”
“Can you show me the part in the story where you got that idea?”
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Suggested lessons from Common Core Unit
We need to go through and craft our lessons using Imagine It! and Laura Candler books too.
Story Elements Chart Title, Setting, Patterned Beginning, Patterned Ending and Theme
Art, Speaking and Listening Closely examine the van Eyck image, noticing the work’s many unique and
peculiar details. Why is there only one candle in the chandelier? Is that the artist’s signature in the center of
the painting? Can you see other figures reflected in the mirror at center? Discuss how close examination of a
painting, like a literary work, often reveals hidden or deeper meaning. (SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d, SL.3.2, SL.3.3)
Art, Speaking and Listening In each of these images, see if you can identify a story or event that has been
passed down through generations. These might be stories for a civilization to remember or perhaps just a
family. Discuss how these images also serve as records. What does the artist do to document the importance
of an event (e.g., include unique elements or details)? How might these stories be retold because of these
images? (SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d, SL.3.2, SL.3.3)
Reading Informational Text, Research, Informative Writing Students have read a variety of trickster tales from
various cultures. Now it is time to focus on one of the cultures. You could, for example, choose to focus on the
Plains Native American culture by first reading the Iktomi tales by Paul Goble and then assigning a short
class research project on it. In small groups, have students generate open-ended questions that can be
answered about the culture. Assign each small group a question to answer. To answer the questions, help
students create a list of resources such as the Internet, encyclopedias, and informational books. As students
read and research, circulate to help them select the most relevant and useful information. When the small
groups have finished their information gathering and organization, they should create a class book or
multimedia presentation to show what they have learned about the culture. When they are finished, ask “Why
did the Plains Indians create trickster stories to tell to their children?” This activity can be repeated and
extended with any of the cultures from which trickster stories came by giving small groups of students the
following prompt: “Research a culture that tells trickster tales. Generate questions related to the culture and
assign a person to research each question. Create a book or multimedia presentation to communicate your
findings.” (RI.3.1, RI.3.5, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.7, W.3.8, SL.3.1, SL.3.4)
Reading Poetry, Performance Give the students this prompt: “Choose one of Langston Hughes’s poems to
memorize or read interpretively. Be sure to communicate the meaning of the poem in the way you recite or
read it.” Demonstrate fluent reading to the children, being sure to show how meaningful phrasing and
expression guide the dramatic interpretation of a poem. (RF.3.4b)
Narrative Writing, Language Usage, Vocabulary Students have been sharing favorite family stories, so shift
the discussion to how stories are passed down from grandparents specifically. Then, assign the following:
“Interview one of your family members (e.g., a parent, grandparent, aunt, or uncle) to learn a family story.
Save the story by taking notes or by recording it digitally. Use the story you record to write a narrative.” This
writing project should be worked on over an extended period of time, focusing on elaboration, revision, and
editing, using the standards as guidance. Create a word wall to gather words used most often in writing and
word families. (W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.5, L.3.1, L.3.2, L.3.2f, L.3.3)
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Reading Literature, Speaking and Listening … Lead a discussion with the students to introduce the genre of
trickster tales, using questions such as these:
o
o
o
One of the types of folk stories handed down in cultures is the “trickster tale.” What root word do you
hear in trickster?
Have you ever played a trick on someone?
Have you ever had a trick played on you?
Tell students that trickster tales are stories that involve playing tricks to solve problems, and—to make these
stories even more interesting—that they are from different cultures. As students read, encourage them to
think about characters and their traits. Remind them that the story is not just in the text, but also in the
illustrations. The illustrations help to tell the story and to give hints about the culture or origin. Use the
following questions to guide discussions after they (or you) read the trickster stories. Eventually require
students to answer these questions independently.
o
o
o
o
o
Who is the trickster?
Who is the fool who gets tricked?
What was the problem in the story?
How did the trick solve the problem?
Think about what the message of the story might be and why these stories have been told for
hundreds of years.
(RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.7)
Reading Literature, Speaking and Listening Introduce the unit by asking students if they have family stories
they love to tell. Allow students to share favorite family stories for a few minutes. Introduce that day’s new
chapter book: The Stories Julian Tells (Ann Cameron and Ann Strugnell). As students read the first chapter of
the book, “The Pudding Like a Night on the Sea,” ask them to examine Julian as a character. You might post
these leading questions and discuss their meaning by having your students ask you the questions as their
new teacher:
o
How would you describe Julian? What are his character traits? Why does he do what he does?
Tell students to cite evidence from the text as they answer the questions. Read the chapter aloud to the
students as they follow along. Continue reading the subsequent chapters in the days that follow, encouraging
as much independent reading as possible. Continue to focus on character traits and motivation. As students
finish this book, allow them to choose to move to other character stories in this series or to continue with
Julian. This provides the opportunity to compare and contrast books and/or characters by the same
author. (RL.3.3, SL.3.6, SL.3.1b, SL.3.4,RL.3.9)
Reading Informational Text, Language Mechanics Ruth Heller has written a series of informational books that
teach parts of speech. Remind students they learned about nouns in second grade. As you read the book
Merry-Go-Round: A Book About Nouns (Ruth Heller), have the students listen for more information about
nouns. Pause as you read to allow the students to share what they are learning or to ask questions. Review
nouns, pronouns, and verbs using the Ruth Heller series. Create word banks for each part of speech and add
vocabulary from class work to reinforce the application. (RI.3.1, L.3.1a, L.3.1b, L.3.1c, L.3.1d, L.3.1e, L.3.1f)
Reading Literature, Speaking and Listening After reading Knots on a Counting Rope (John Archambault, Bill
Martin Jr., and Ted Rand), review the character traits of the boy and his grandfather. Have the students
partner and list three characteristics for each. Introduce another story that honors grandparents: Through
Grandpa’s Eyes (Patricia Maclachlan and Deborah Kogan Ray). As students finish reading the new book, have
them work with the same partner to list at least three characteristics of each character in the new story.
o
o
o
o
How are the grandparents similar and different?
How are the grandchildren similar and different?
What is the message of each book?
What do you think the author might have wanted you to learn? (RL.3.3)
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Technology Connection:
Teach readers that great book talks begin with ideas that are central to the text and provocative enough to
merit conversation. Once a child makes a comment, give everyone time to mull over that comment for a
moment, and even to look at the text or jot notes. Then you might ask, “Who can talk back to this idea?”
Readers can then try sticking to that idea, using evidence from the text to support their thinking. Coach them
to listen and then talk back to each other.
Have students create video book talks. Then create a “character” cut out. Instead of drawing a face, add a QR
code linking to their book talk. (Google image search QR code kids link to blog and portfolio for image).
*Writing Connections:
Point of View using Fairy Tales as mentor text http://www.literacyshed.com/the-fairy-tale-shed.html Ask the
students to write from various roles within a text using an insider’s perspective. [RAFT assignments, r=role,
a=audience, f=format, t=topic]. Jack has been put into prison for the murder of the Giant and the children
had to write reports with bias, presenting him as innocent and interviewing his family and townspeople. They
then had to write from the Giant's family's point of view with bias, using emotive language to describe both
Jack and the Giant. They were really successful.
Little Red Riding Hood: Perhaps - little red riding hood lured the wolf to her grandmothers before killing him
for his fur. Goldilocks’ could have a consequence for breaking into bears houses.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Lesson, Moral and Message (RL.3.2, RL.3.3, RL.3.10)
Objective/Essential Question:
What does the character learn through the theme of the story?
What were the results of characters feelings, actions and motivations?
What can we learn from heroes in stories?
How do heroes (real and fictional) make a difference in a community?
How do characters in literature reflect real people in history?
Materials:
Teacher selected read aloud (traditional literature) (can be picture book or a section of an Imagine It! text)
www.oneextradegree.blogspot.com/2012/04/theme-big-idea-freebie.html (blog post)
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxztuPHKd76tRFh3eEkxa1FScVdjbjc0Sjc4NW1aQQ/preview (sheet for mini
lesson)
Beth Newingham fiction resources. http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/02/myfebruary-top-ten-list-resources-and-lessons-reading-fiction
Activate Prior Knowledge:
Traditional tales often reveal cultures past, a time period long and the author tries to teach us a lesson with
their message. Refer back to their artifacts and give examples of how their “stuff” teaches us about hard work,
courage, perseverance etc…
Mini-Lesson:
Reader’s read to determine the author’s message. The theme or author’s message is never stated so reader’s
must infer this!
Model during read aloud how to find the plot (succinctly
retelling the Beg. Middle and End or using (Somebody)
wanted…but…so…Then…
Then ask the guiding question, What kind of person acts
like…? (leads to character traits). What is idea or lesson
about life does the author what you to understand? (leads
to theme or generalization).
Have students turn and talk, then share with class.
Teacher will record theme at the bottom of the idea sheet.
Illustrate a critical object or artifact that is central to the theme/message and create a poster like the picture.
*Interactive chart: Add information from this text to a class chart similar to this one
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9WqQMcK-4ZkRWNlb0QzZC1oblk/edit
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Standards and Key Understandings
SS Essential Standards:
3.C&G 2.1 Exemplify how citizens contribute politically, socially and economically to their community.
I can explain how citizens can contribute to the political, social and economic development of a community.
3.C&G 2.3 Apply skills in civic engagement and public discourse (school, community)
I can explain how all people can be active members of their community. I can explain why it is important to
actively participate in the governmental process.
3.H.1.1 Explain key historical events that occurred in the local community and regions over time.
I can explain important events in history. I can create a cause and effect map showing how these events have
affected my community.
3.H.1.2 Analyze the impact of contributions made by diverse historical figures in local communities and
regions over time.
I can identify important leaders throughout history. I can identify the contributions of historical figures
throughout history and how they affected my community.
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the ideas that were significant in the development of local communities and regions.
I can explain how natural resources affect the development of a region. I can analyze how human and
environmental factors affect the development of a region. I can explain how people adapt to their
environment and develop a community.
3.H.2.1 Explain change over time through historical narratives. (events, people and places)
I can define what a historical narrative is. I can identify primary and secondary sources and how to use them
to identify why change takes place over time.
3.H.2.2 Explain how multiple perspectives are portrayed through historical narratives.
I can explain different perspectives of a historical event.
Social Studies Learning Plan – Step 3
Activities & Instruction
6 Parts of the Unit:
1. Introduce the Unit: Unit Preview, The Big Idea, Reading Social Studies p. 191
2. Lesson 1: Local and Global Leaders p. 195
3. Lesson 2: Folktales and Legends p. 201
4. Lesson 3: Creating New Communities p. 207
5. Lesson 4: Local and Global Leaders p.___
6. Unit Review and Assess: p. 213
Possible Writing
Create a chart of inventors and their inventions.
Write a paragraph describing different ways technology has changed your community.
Write an email to a local business owner asking how technology affects his or her business.
Write a newspaper article about a leader who has made a difference in North Carolina.
Write a folktale describing how a physical feature in your community got there.
Research and write a paper describing how your community got started.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Additional Technology Resources Technology Source: Discovery Education
1. Elementary Video Adventures: Inventors and Inventions (23:43)
 Explore some of the discoveries that opened the heavens to humanity. Animal Tracking Satellites let scientists follow elephants, whales, and manatees. Baby Stretcher - When an infant
is injured, this child-size stretcher provides more protection. Biodegradable Golf Tee - Take your
swing, then leave the tee where it stands. Nature will do the rest. Boomerang - From aboriginal
weapon to child's toy, learn about the forces that bring boomerangs back. Velcro - The idea for
this handy fastener came from a walk in a field thick with burrs. Leonardo da Vinci - Artist and
inventor Leonardo da Vinci created - on paper, at least - the first helicopter. Galileo's Telescope This Renaissance man risked all to discover the secrets of the spheres with his telescope. The
Wright Brothers - On a North Carolina beach, Orville and Wilbur Wright took flight and made
history. Lowell's Observatory - In his Arizona observatory, Percival Lowell looked to Mars for
signs of life.
2. Henry Ford (3:05)
 Henry Ford became one of the forerunners of the industrial age by creating efficient, massproduced automobiles. His legacy is the Ford Motor Company.
3. Edison: Inventor and Innovator (3:03)
 As a young boy, Edison was always experimenting with chemistry and mechanics. In 1869, his
curiosity paid off when he was paid forty thousand dollars for his stock ticker. He opened his
own invention lab, and began making new inventions, as well as improvements on old
technologies.
4. Transportation in and Between Communities (17:22)
 Explains the concept of transportation and considers how transportation allows the movement of
people, goods, and information across long distances. The program provides numerous examples
of ground, air, and water transportation, as well as traces the route of a pineapple from tree to
table to demonstrate how many types of transportation are involved in moving goods from one
place to another.
5. Heroes of Today and Yesterday: Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement (24:00)
 This program captures the feeling for the times Rosa Parks lived in, from the days of Jim Crow
laws that allowed for segregation in schools, on buses and trains, to her involvement as an officer
of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Archival footage
and historical re-enactments make the story of Rosa Parks and the civil rights movement comes
alive for students.
6. Folktales from Around the World: Paul Bunyan (11:21)
 Shares the tall tale of Paul Bunyan, a lumber jack whose legendary feats were as big as the
American frontier. An engaging adjunct for language arts and social studies units, the program
can also be used as a support for lessons on exaggeration, hyperbole, and different views of
creation.
7. Pecos Bill: Super Cowboy (8:25)
 A pioneer American Storyteller, tells the story of Pecos Bill, super cowboy. Pecos Bill was raised
by coyotes until he discovered that he was a human being. He invented the six shooter and
spurs, fought with a rattlesnake and mountain lion, staked in the state of New Mexico with the
help of prairie dogs, and rode a cyclone across three states. This tall tale contains exaggeration.
8. Johnny Appleseed (10:56)
 A poem by Reeve Lindbergh, beautifully illustrated by Kathy Jakobsen, comes alive in this
animated program narrated by Mary McDonnell.
9. The Adventures of Daniel Boone (2:35)
 Daniel Boone's adventures are retold.
10. The Whaddya Know Quiz Show: American Folktales
Be a game show contestant and see what you know about American Folktales in a Jeopardy-like quiz
game.
Third Grade ~ Barber, Rusk, Smith, Whitfield, Mize-Wilson 2012-2012
Reading Unit 1 Stories Worth Telling Again and Again ~ Social Studies Unit 7 People Shape Communities
Assessments
Content writing (rubric on wiki)
Writing Piece: Thank You Note with Rubric (p.190)
Activity Piece: Advertisement with Rubric (p.190)
Writing Piece: Story with Rubric (p.214)
Activity Piece: Bulletin Board with Rubric (p.214)