English Language Arts — Grade 3

Pigs and wolf on a map!

The students will construct a Double Bubble Map (Venn Diagram) to compare and contrast two versions of a familiar fairytale.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts)

By Cherry Randall.

Modern folk tales: Playwriting

Working in teams, students will rewrite short folk tale or fable plays, modernizing them. Then, they will present the old and new versions of the play.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts)

By Dayle Payne.

Comparing proverbs

The lesson will feature comparisons of American and African proverbs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Pat Chancer.

Resources on the web

What's in a mystery? Exploring and identifying mystery elements

This lesson teaches students about plot structure, character, and setting through an exploration of mystery books. Prior to reading a mystery book to the class, the teacher engages students in a brainstorming activity about the characteristics of the mystery... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What makes poetry? Exploring line breaks

In this lesson, students read several poems and experiment with line breaks and how they affect rhythm, sound, meaning, appearance, and can substitute for punctuation in poetry. After students brainstorm and discuss characteristics of poetry, they look... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What if we changed the book? Problem-posing with “Sixteen Cows”

In this lesson that combines children's literature and mathematics, students are challenged to observe a text and make changes in order to create math problems. After hearing the story read aloud, students are invited to brainstorm some literary and mathematical... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Mathematics)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What a character!

In this ARTSEDGE lesson, students analyze how a character's personality traits, actions, and motives influence the plot of a story. Students also learn how storytellers use their face, body, and voice, as well as the five senses to enhance the telling of... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ArtsEdge

Using writing and role-play to engage the reluctant writer

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students explore the different characters in the story The Three Little Javalinas and then select one of the characters to write a letter to the author in role. Writing in role allows students to understand... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using "Snowflake Bentley" as a framing text for multigenre writing

Students work together to create their own multi-genre piece about winter, using Snowflake Bentley as a model. After students participate in a brainstorming activity about winter and books they have read about snow, they categorize... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Traveling terrain: Comprehending nonfiction text on the web

This lesson introduces students to the process of identifying specific information from Internet sites. After a brief lesson by the teacher, students learn to complete certain tasks while using a graphic organizer. Upon the completion of this lesson,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Computer/Technology Skills and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Thundering tall tales: Using read-aloud as a springboard to writing

This lesson from ReadWriteThink is intended for the end of a unit on tall tales. It uses the book Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen to reinforce the common elements, or text structure, of tall tales. As the text is read aloud, students examine... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Thundering tall tales: Using read-aloud as a springboard to writing

This lesson from ReadWriteThink is intended for the end of a unit on tall tales. It uses the book Thunder Rose by Jerdine Nolen to reinforce the common elements, or text structure, of tall tales. As the text is read aloud, students examine... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Teaching point-of-view with "Two Bad Ants"

This lesson that focuses on Chris Van Allsburg's Two Bad Ants provides students with the opportunity to use illustrations and text to develop an understanding of the point-of-view of the characters. After explaining to students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Sharing favorite books using interactive character trading cards

Students create trading cards as a way to recommend books they have read to classmates. After engaging students in a discussion about how they choose the books they read, the teacher introduces the idea of using trading cards as a way to recommend books... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Words and Pictures

In this EDSITEment lesson, the second of a two-part curriculum unit on Rudyard Kipling's story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,” students demonstrate comprehension of plot events and character motivations, describe the author's purpose and evaluate the techniques... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Rudyard Kipling's "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi": Mixing Fact and Fiction

In this EDSITEment lesson, the first of a two-part curriculum unit on Rudyard Kipling, students identify key events in Kipling's life and describe their effect on his story “Rikki-Tikki-Tavi” (part of The Jungle Book). Students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Pourquoi stories: Creating tales to tell why

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are introduced to pourquoi stories (stories and folktales that explain how or why something exists) and work in cooperative groups to write their own stories. In this lesson, through varied readings of pourquoi... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Planning story characters using interactive trading cards

Using an online character trading cards tool, students explore the author's use of characterization. After activating students’ prior knowledge about character development, the teacher introduces students to the topic using trading cards. Following an... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Peace poems and Picasso doves: Literature, art, technology, and poetry

Students learn think-aloud strategies in this lesson that challenges them to think about peace in their communities. After the teacher reads Somewhere Today: A Book of Peace, Peace Begins with You,... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Mapping characters across book series

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students are introduced to a character from a literature series. The class critically looks at the character and his or her development over the course of the story. Students read critically to learn about the character's... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink