Reading Informational Text and Writing

CCSS ELA Alignment

3rd Grade

CCSS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6

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.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the questions in the , then reread/ the article.
  • Note which paragraph contains each answer.
  • Take the .
  • Check your answers. Go back and reread the paragraphs you noted.
  • Retake the quiz to correct any mistakes you made.
  • Three Types of Questions:
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • What do you wonder about the article? Write 2-3 questions about what you read.
  • Reread the text and check for answers.
  • “Right there” questions: Some of your questions may be able to be answered by rereading, you may have just missed it the first time. This means the answer is written in the article. Try reading the  version if you are having trouble.
  • “Think and Search” questions: Some of your questions may require you to interpret and think more deeply about what the article is saying, then you can make a logical guess, based on the information that is available.
  • “On your own” questions: Some of your questions may require further research or for you to think about your feelings and thoughts. (For an example of this type of question, read the .)
  • Check, what types of questions did you write? If they were “right there” or “think and search”, were you able to find the answers? If you wrote “on your own” questions, did you find an answer? Where could you look or what further thinking or investigating could you do?
  • Post one of your ‘Think and Search’ or ‘On your Own’ questions in the comments of the article.
  • Check back a few days later to see if any fellow DOGO-ers have answered! If so, respond to them with your own ideas!
  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the .
  • Think about what the question is asking. Look up any unknown words.
  • Reread/listen to the article.
  • Even though this is an ‘on your own’ type of question that requires you to think about your opinion, background knowledge, or even research; using the article as a basis for your answer is important.
  • Record your answer to the question in complete sentences.
  • Use the question stem to write an introductory sentence.
  • Add 2-3 details and facts, remember to refer to the article.
  • Leave the reader with something to consider as a conclusion.

CCSS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.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).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.6

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.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the , think about the question words. What information and language will your answer include? For example, to answer a ‘why’ question, your answer will include a conjunction, like  ‘because’ or ‘so’ to explain the cause and effect.
  • Then, reread/listen to the article. Pay attention, are there any text features, like maps, pictures and diagrams? How do they help you better understand the article?
  • Stop and answer each question. If applicable,  include a quick sketch or chart to support your idea, like in the text.
  • Check your answers with a partner. If you disagree, go back and reread or  the article. Work together to find the right answer.
  • Read and Respond to Comments
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the comments left by other DOGO-ers.
  • What did people write about?  Why were they excited about the article?
  • Did anyone state an opinion or ask a question?
  • Choose a comment to reply to.
  • You may choose to clarify what someone wrote:
  • “Did you mean that…”
  • You may choose to ask a question:
  •  “I wonder…”
  •  “Can you tell me more about…”
  • You may choose to respectfully agree or disagree:
  •  “I agree because…”
  •  “I disagree because…”
  •  “Another idea is…”

CCSS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2 

Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • Finding the Main Idea
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • If you chose the original version, next read the  version of the article. This version will also include the main idea and key details of the text. Pay attention to what is included, this will help you find the main idea.
  • Who or what is the article about? What is the subject? (Your answer should be a noun: a person, place or thing.)
  • When and where did this happen? Is this information important to understanding the text?
  • Many of the articles are current events, so the time may not be pertinent. If, however, this is the ‘first’ something or scientists have been investigating something for a long time, the ‘when’ may be a key detail.
  • The same goes for the ‘where’, is this a breakthrough in science in a certain place? Maybe a new discovery? If so, the location is a key detail. If not, you may be able to leave it out.
  • How or why is it happening? Understanding these answers is important.
  • Put all your answers together to find the main idea.
  • Who did what? Why or how did they do it?
  • Share out your main idea with a partner. How is their answer the same or different?
  • If your partner’s answer is different, think back to your key details that answered questions like, ‘who?’ or ‘how?’. Are these details included in your main idea? What about your partner? Explain your reasoning for including them to your partner. Go back and reread or listen if you disagree.

Language and Vocabulary

CCSS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.A

Explain the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and their functions in particular sentences.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.4

Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.4.A

Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Read the  question.
  • Reread the paragraph where the word is found.
  • Look for clues in the words and phrases around the vocabulary.
  • Can you tell it’s part of speech?
  • Is it used in a positive or a negative way?
  • Try out the sample definitions in the sentence. Which one makes the most sense?
  • Choose an answer and explain why you picked it.

  • :
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • Take the .
  • First, look for word endings, or suffixes that may help you figure out the part of speech.
  • Next, check by rereading the sentence to see if it makes sense.
  • Sometimes words can be used as multiple parts of speech, depending on where they are in the sentence.
  • Choose your best guess and check.
  • If you were correct, great work!
  • If you were incorrect, think about the correct answer. Reread the sentence and see if you can figure out why you got the answer wrong.
  • Then, try to think of another sentence that would use that word in the same way.
  • Share your sentence with a partner to check.

CCSS

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.5

Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.

Lesson Plan Suggestions:

  •  
  • Read or  the original or  article.
  • When you read a keyword in blue, click on it.
  • Read the definition
  • Scroll down and read the synonyms and antonyms.
  • Synonyms are words whose meaning is similar to the keyword.
  • Antonyms are words whose meaning is different from the keyword.
  • Think about using one of the synonyms or the definition in the sentence, instead of the keyword. Does it make sense?
  • Play the .
  • Can you find all the words in the word search?