English Language Arts — Grade 3

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A daily DEAR program: Drop everything and read!

This lesson that promotes self-selected reading for students in grades 3–5, gives the teacher a structured time to touch base with each student over a period of time, assess progress, and target instruction. During this daily reading period, students... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Daily book boost

This lesson describes a strategy for students to share books and ideas with other students. After exploring several examples of book reviews, students write their own reviews of books they are reading and create a visual representation to assist with the... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Comics in the classroom as an introduction to narrative structure

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will examine the plot and narrative structure of a story through the use of comic strip frames. They will then write their own original narratives after creating comic strip storyboards as a prewriting exercise. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Comics in the classroom as an introduction to genre study

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students explore a variety of comic strips and discuss the different components and conventions of them. Teachers of reading and writing always look for new and engaging texts to use in the classroom. An often-overlooked genre... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Color Poems--Using the Five Senses to Guide Prewriting

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students are asked to think about colors, while imagining what they taste, feel, smell, sound, and look like. The students use their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. This lesson is open-ended... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in plot and setting

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in plot and setting. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Cinderella folk tales: Variations in character

In this lesson from EDSITEment, students compare and contrast several versions of Cinderella stories told around the world to find differences and similarities in character traits. (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Charting characters for a more complete understanding of the story

This ReadWriteThink lesson introduces the instructional strategy of Character Perspective Charting. This method is designed to reflect the actual complexity of stories that may not be reflected by the use of traditional story maps. A practical instructional... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Charlotte is wise, patient, and caring: Adjectives and character traits

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, students define the purpose of adjectives and find examples in shared reading. Then students “become” one of the major characters in a book and describe themselves and other characters using Internet reference... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Characters in Because of Winn–Dixie: Making lists of ten

In this alternative lesson to a book report, students explore how authors use certain techniques to develop characters. This lesson employs a strategy used in the children's book, Because of Winn–Dixie, where the characters... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

A case for reading: Examining challenged and banned books

Any work is potentially open to attack by someone, somewhere, sometime, for some reason. This lesson introduces students to censorship and how challenges to books occur then invites them to read a challenged or banned book and decide for themselves what... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Can you haiku?

Haiku poems show us the world in a water drop, providing a tiny lens through which to glimpse the miracle and mystery of life. Combining close observation with a moment of reflection, this simple yet highly sophisticated form of poetry can help sharpen... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Bright Morning: Exploring character development in fiction

This lesson uses Scott O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon to explore character traits and identify textual support. After students have read the book, the teacher challenges them to describe the character Bright Morning to someone... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Bridging literature and mathematics by visualizing mathematical concepts

During interactive read-aloud sessions that explore Actual Size and If You Hopped Like a Frog, students identify and analyze elements of author’s craft in conveying mathematical information... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Born on a mountaintop? Davy Crockett, tall tales, and history

The culminating activity in this unit is the student creation of tall tales. Such tales are built by combining the fictional element of exaggeration with historical elements of nostalgia about the past and anxiety about the future. John Henry, for example,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: EDSITEment

Book report alternative: Writing resumes for characters in historical fiction

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students select a character from a work of historical fiction then help the character choose and apply for a job. Students explore what it would be like to search for a job in the past and the qualifications that would... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Book report alternative: Examining story elements using story map comic strips

In this lesson, from ReadWriteThink, students use a six-paneled comic strip to create a story map, summarizing a book or story that they've either read as a class or independently. The story strips that result provide a great way to evaluate student's understanding... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Blending fiction and nonfiction to improve comprehension and writing skills

This ReadWriteThink lesson supports the use of a text set (paired fiction and nonfiction texts on a similar topic) to increase student interest in and understanding of content area material and to develop critical writing skills. The more familiar format... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink