Grade 3 Reading Curriculum

Grade 3 Reading Course Description:

Students will learn about the structure, expectations and purpose of reader’s and writer’s workshop as they learn about themselves and others as a community of learners and expand their identity as a reader as well as develop the understandings, knowledge, and skills to be a proficient life-long reader and writer.  Research says, “the amount of time kids spend practicing, on-task, with eyes on print, makes the biggest difference to their success as readers, and across content areas” (Serravallo, 2015).  With this goal in mind, the purpose of teaching and learning in reader’s and writer’s workshop is to cultivate a classroom atmosphere and structure that supports independent reading and writing.  Teachers utilize our SCASD Workshop Framework to differentiate teaching and provide respectful tasks that support student learning.  

     As third grade students move into reading more complex literature and nonfiction texts, they will explore ideas and concepts in texts by reflecting, inquiring, collaborating, and researching about these ideas and concepts reading closely, analyzing text, and responding to text.  Unit instruction will focus on specific goals that support the Standards for Literature and Informational Texts, as well as goals to support fluency and accuracy as needed.  Students will begin to apply more critical thinking strategies to unpack and understand a variety of texts.  Learning will continue to be grounded in conversations guided by our Speaking and Listening scope and sequence as well as through responding to text orally and in writing.

Reader's Workshop Instructional Framework 

Reader's Workshop Brochure for Families  

Unit 1 Building A Community of Readers and Writers:  Inquiring about Ourselves through Literacy

1.3.3.K Read and comprehend literary fiction on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.

1.2.3.L Read and comprehend literary nonfiction and informational text on grade level, reading independently and proficiently.

Unit 2 Literature:  Understanding Myself and Others through Stories

Standards

1.3.3.A  - Theme - Determine the central message, lesson, or moral in literary text; explain how it is conveyed in text.

1.3.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text, referring to text to support responses.

1.3.3.C - Literary Elements - Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

1.3.3.D - Point of View - Explain the point of view of the author.

1.3.3.E - Text and Structure - Refer to parts of texts when writing or speaking about a text using such terms as chapter, scene, and stanza and describe how each successive part builds upon earlier sections.

1.3.3.F- Vocabulary -  Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade-level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.3.3.G - Sources of Information - 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).

1.3.3.H   - Text Analysis - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar stories.

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

1.3.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

Unit 3 Nonfiction:  Learning about Myself and the World

Standards

1.2.3.A Main Idea - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

1.2.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text; refer to text to support responses.

1.2.3.C Text Analysis - Explain how a series of events, concepts, or steps in a procedure is connected within a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

1.2.3.D Point of View -Explain the point of view of the author.

1.2.3.E Text Structure - Use text features and search tools to locate and interpret information.

1.2.3.F Vocabulary - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade- level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.2.3.G Diverse Media - Use information gained from text features to demonstrate understanding of a text.

1.2.3.H Evaluating Arguments - Describe how an author connects sentences and paragraphs in a text to support particular points.

1.2.3.I Analysis Across Texts - Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

1.2.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade- appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

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

Unit 4 Literature:  Understanding Myself and Others through Stories

Standards

1.3.3.A  - Theme - Determine the central message, lesson, or moral in literary text; explain how it is conveyed in text.

1.3.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text, referring to text to support responses.

1.3.3.C - Literary Elements - Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

1.3.3.D - Point of View - Explain the point of view of the author.

1.3.3.E - Text and Structure - Refer to parts of texts when writing or speaking about a text using such terms as chapter, scene, and stanza and describe how each successive part builds upon earlier sections.

1.3.3.F- Vocabulary -  Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade-level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.3.3.G - Sources of Information - 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).

1.3.3.H   - Text Analysis - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar stories.

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

1.3.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

Unit 5 Nonfiction:  Learning about Myself and the World

Standards

1.2.3.A Main Idea - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

1.2.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text; refer to text to support responses.

1.2.3.C Text Analysis - Explain how a series of events, concepts, or steps in a procedure is connected within a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

1.2.3.D Point of View -Explain the point of view of the author.

1.2.3.E Text Structure - Use text features and search tools to locate and interpret information.

1.2.3.F Vocabulary - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade- level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.2.3.G Diverse Media - Use information gained from text features to demonstrate understanding of a text.

1.2.3.H Evaluating Arguments - Describe how an author connects sentences and paragraphs in a text to support particular points.

1.2.3.I Analysis Across Texts - Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

1.2.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade- appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

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

Unit 6 Literature and Nonfiction:  My Reading Life Celebrating What I Know

Standards

1.3.3.A  - Theme - Determine the central message, lesson, or moral in literary text; explain how it is conveyed in text.

1.3.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text, referring to text to support responses.

1.3.3.C - Literary Elements - Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.

1.3.3.D - Point of View - Explain the point of view of the author.

1.3.3.E - Text and Structure - Refer to parts of texts when writing or speaking about a text using such terms as chapter, scene, and stanza and describe how each successive part builds upon earlier sections.

1.3.3.F- Vocabulary -  Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade-level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.3.3.G - Sources of Information - 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).

1.3.3.H   - Text Analysis - Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar stories.

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

1.3.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

1.2.3.A Main Idea - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

1.2.3.B Text Analysis - Ask and answer questions about the text and make inferences from text; refer to text to support responses.

1.2.3.C Text Analysis - Explain how a series of events, concepts, or steps in a procedure is connected within a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.

1.2.3.D Point of View -Explain the point of view of the author.

1.2.3.E Text Structure - Use text features and search tools to locate and interpret information.

1.2.3.F Vocabulary - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in grade- level text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral meaning as well as shades of meaning among related words.

1.2.3.G Diverse Media - Use information gained from text features to demonstrate understanding of a text.

1.2.3.H Evaluating Arguments - Describe how an author connects sentences and paragraphs in a text to support particular points.

1.2.3.I Analysis Across Texts - Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.

1.2.3.J Acquire and use accurately grade- appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships.

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

Speaking and Listening Standards Across Units and Content

Standards

1.5.3.A Collaborative Discussion - Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade-level topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

1.5.3.B Critical Listening - Determine the main ideas or supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

1.5.3.C Evaluating Information - Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate detail.

1.5.3.D Purpose, Audience, and Task -  Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details; speak clearly with adequate volume, appropriate pacing and clear pronunciation.

1.5.3.E Context -  Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

1.5.3.F Multimedia - Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

1.5.3.G Conventions of Standard English -  Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English when speaking based on Grade 3 level and content.

Foundational Skills Standards Included in Each Unit

Standards

CC.1.1.3.D Phonics and Word Recognition

• Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
• Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
• Decode words with common Latin suffixes.
• Decode multisyllable words.
• Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

CC.1.1.3.E Fluency

• Read with accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
• Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.
• Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.
• Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.