Grade 3 ELA



Grade 3 ELA focuses on four modules, which allow students to build important content knowledge based on a compelling topic related to science, social studies, or literature.  Each module is broken into three units, where students have the opportunity to read grade-level texts, build background knowledge, and share what they have learned through discussions and writing.  In addition, students have ongoing discussions about the habits of character necessary to become effective learners, ethical people, and to contribute to a better world.

Module

Timeframe

Big Ideas (Statements or Essential Questions)

Major Learning Experiences from Unit 

Module 1:

Overcoming Learning Challenges Near and Far

September – November

Why are education, books, and reading important?



How can I overcome learning challenges?

Students will:

  • Understand the power of literacy and how people around the world overcome learning challenges.

  • Consider how geography and where one lives in the world affect how one accesses books. 

  • Study excerpts from My Librarian Is a Camel by Margriet Ruurs, which describes how librarians overcome geographic challenges to get children books. 

  • Write an informative paragraph about how people access books around the world, focusing on the role of specific librarians or organizations they studied.

  • Assess their own learning challenges and identify strategies to overcome those challenges. 

  • Write a three-paragraph informative essay, in which they describe two of their learning challenges and some strategies to overcome those challenges and make an eye-catching bookmark to help them remember those strategies as they develop independence over the year.

Module 2: Adaptations and the Wide World of Frogs

November – January

How does an author engage a reader in a narrative?


How do experts build knowledge and share expertise about a topic?


How do frogs survive?

Students will:

  • Use literacy skills to become experts--people who use reading, writing, listening, and speaking to build and share deep knowledge about a topic. 

  • Read poetry and Pourquoi tales about different kinds of frogs to generate "why" questions.

  • Write their own fictional Pourquoi narratives to attempt to answer some of their "why" questions. 

  • Research to find out the real answers to their frog questions and write paragraphs to communicate their research.

  • Become experts on various "freaky frogs” (frogs that have unusual adaptations) and how they are able to survive in extreme environments throughout the world. 

  • Build their reading, research, writing, and collaborative discussion skills through studying their expert frog. 

  • Demonstrate their expertise through a Freaky Frog book and trading card to educate students in grades 2 and 3. 

Module 3: Exploring Literary Classics

February – April

How do writers capture a reader's imagination?


What can we learn from reading literary classics?


Students will:

  • Read Peter Pan. 

  • Read an informational text about the author and historical context. 

  • Make connections between what they have read in Peter Pan and the issues presented in the informational text. 

  • Consider how each new chapter of Peter Pan builds on the events in previous chapters.

  • Analyze character traits and actions and compare their point of view to the point of view of the characters.

  • Write a book review explaining whether they would recommend the story to a friend and participate in a discussion about their opinions of the book. 

  • Create a narrative scene connected to Peter Pan and create a presentation explaining why and how they created this scene.

  • Read aloud their scenes to an audience before explaining how and why they wrote and revised the scene.

Module 4: Water Around the World

April – June

Why are the world’s freshwater sources threatened?


Due to rainfall, freshwater is not distributed equally around the world.  How do people persuade others to take action to contribute to a better world?

Students will:

  • Read the text One Well: The Story of Water on Earth to build background knowledge about freshwater around the world and three issues: access to water, demands on water, and water pollution. 

  • Read different texts about each issue and compare the point of view of the authors to their own point of view. 

  • Write an opinion essay about the importance of water conservation.

  • Plan and create a video public service announcement to educate people about their chosen water issue and to encourage them to take action with specific recommendations to solve the problem. 

  • Write invitational letters to guests for the live launch of their video Public Service Announcement (PSA). 

  • Present a live "launch" of the PSA they created about a water issue, including a personal reflection on why this issue is important.