Grade 3 Reading
Guided Reading
Unit Sketch
In this unit students learn to evaluate the complexity of a variety of texts. They learn that reading with accuracy and fluency support comprehension, and that by implementing strategies, texts become more accessible.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
Determining text complexity is an important aspect of growing as a reader.
Reading with accuracy and fluency supports comprehension.
Context provides clues to the meaning of unknown words and phrases.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Order story elements to retell and understand stories
Read with fluency
Sustain longer text and more reading time
Use strategies to solve unknown parts of text
Studying Characters
Unit Sketch
In this unit students pay close attention to characters and how they are developed in stories. They learn how authors introduce and develop characters and how to analyze characters as readers.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
Making connections to what we read helps us understand who we are.
Writers make characters come alive using descriptive text.
Characters have internal and external traits.
Learning about a character's traits helps readers predict the choices a character will make in the book.
Characters will change during the course of the story.
Authors create text patterns and make word choices that help readers better understand the text.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Listen and respond during a read-aloud from a variety of narrative texts to comprehend and identify main character
Identify the main character(s)
Make inferences to compare and contrast character traits (i.e. between characters or between character and self)
Make predictions and connections (i.e. predictions about what will happen next in a story, connections between characters in fiction and self)
Folktales, Fables, and Myths
Unit Sketch
Fables: Sequencing is very important in storytelling; in fact, it’s very important in all writing genres. Having a firm grasp of the importance of good sequencing helps students organize their writing at the planning stage.
Folktales - Often stories of animals that act like humans, and that live in a world of wonder and magic. Most of these stories convey a message or moral to the reader, or explain something in a creative way. Folktales are often passed down and retold from generation to generation.
Myths:A made-up story that explains the existence of a natural phenomenon — such as where thunder comes from or why snow falls from the sky. Myths — which often include gods and goddesses and other supernatural characters who have the power to make extraordinary things happen — are popular even when people know the actual reasons for natural phenomena.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
Effective readers make use of a variety of strategies to make sense of key ideas and details presented in text.
Sequencing is a important aspect of storytelling.
Folktales convey a message or moral to the reader, or explain something in a creative way.
Myths explain the existence of a natural phenomenon.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Formulate effective questions about texts
Identify the central idea/message of the story
Describe characters' actions that cause events to occur
Support the central idea with key details from the story
Expository Nonfiction Reading
Unit Sketch
Teaching readers of expository texts to figure out the main idea and supporting details to understand the topic. Students will be able to summarize what they read using the tools of text features.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
Students will understand how nonfiction text features contribute to the meaning of the text.
Students will understand how the author's purpose in writing nonfiction text is supported by the text features utilized.
Students will understand that by synthesizing information, they can identify the main idea and supporting details in the text.
Student will understand that asking and answering questions will enhance understanding of the text.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Ask questions related to the text
Answer questions to demonstrate understanding of the text
Identify text features of non-fiction and explain how those text features support understanding of the text
Make connections to texts on the same topic
Determine the main ideas
Use information gained from illustrations
Readers Theater
Unit Sketch
In this unit students
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
Skills
Students will be able to...
Graphic Short Stories
Unit Sketch
In this unit students are introduced the the graphic short story. Students learn how words and illustrations work together to help readers understand the story. They discuss author/illustrator choices for conveying specific meaning in the story.
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that...
A graphic short story should have a beginning , middle, and an end.
Words and illustrations in graphic stories work together to help readers understand the story.
Skills
Students will be able to...
Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting).