English Language Arts — Grade 3

You can't tell it all!: Narrowing the focus of personal narratives

Students will learn to focus their personal narratives on just one main event by listing events on a topic and identifying one main event to write about. Focusing their personal narratives on one main event helps students to write about only the important things and leave out events and details that are not related to the main event.

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

By DPI Writing Strategies.

Where do I begin?

Picking a good beginning helps you to focus your story on just one main event. In this lesson students will learn how to pick a good beginning for their personal narratives.

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

By DPI Writing Strategies.

Narrowing the focus: What's the main event?

In this lesson, students will learn how to narrow the focus of their personal narrative down to one main event by selecting a more specific title. Good stories are focused on one topic or main event. The reader should be able to tell the most important thing that the story is about. Instead of writing a story about a whole vacation that describes many events, it is a good strategy to write a story about one thing that happened on the vacation-one main event.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 English Language Arts)

By DPI Writing Strategies.

Inside and outside: Paradox of the box

This lesson serves to introduce students to symbolism (the box), to the literary element paradox, and to the abstract notion of ambiguity (freedom vs. confinement). It is designed for 2nd and 3rd graders, but may be adapted for use with upper elementary or early middle school grades.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 English Language Arts)

By Edie McDowell.

Resources on the web

Writing and assessing an autobiographical incident

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will build upon their knowledge of biographies to write their own autobiographical incident. Students will be given a rubric and shown several examples. They will then complete the writing process and share their... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

When I was young in... A literature to language experience

In this ReadWriteThink lesson, appropriate for English language learners, students read Cynthia Rylant's When I Was Young in the Mountains and learn about past tense through a writing activity. Prior to teaching this lesson,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

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 word storms to explore vocabulary and encourage critical thinking

Students are introduced to the concept of working dogs in this lesson that focuses on reading multiple texts, developing reading strategies, and learning the writing process. After introducing the concept of working dogs to students, the teacher challenges... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Using timeline games and Mexican history to improve comprehension

This lesson offers teachers a step-by-step plan for using interactive technology to explore Mexican History. Teachers model comprehension skills to help students identify major historical events and put them in a logical order. After conducting online research... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Teaching the compare and contrast essay through modeling

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students and teacher together create the first half of a draft of a comparison and contrast essay. During the modeling, students observe what writers do when revising a draft as they reread and write. They begin to explore... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

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

Our classroom: Writing an owner's manual

At the beginning of the year, students can create a classroom community by collaboratively developing an “owner’s manual” for classroom procedures and events. After bainstorming a list of people, places, and events associated with the classroom,... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Once upon a time rethought: Writing fractured fairy tales

Students listen to fairy tales, identify common characteristics, and select a fairy tale to be re-written in this lesson. After a discussion of familiar fairy tales and the elements that are required for a story to be a part of this genre, students group... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Nature reflections: Interactive language practice for English-language learners

Students reflect on nature through readings, a visit to a green area, and bookmaking using the writing process and peer feedback. English-language learner (ELL) strategies in this lesson include previewing before reading, read-alouds, choral reading, total... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

How-to writing: Motivating students to write for a real purpose

In this activity, third grade students participate in a “how-to” writing assignment and focus on the importance of audience. The teacher introduces the genre of writing by engaging students in an activity where they scan instruction manuals... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Fairy tales from life

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students will read fairy tales and identify common elements. Choosing common situations and working in small groups, students will draw storyboards of their fairy tale and then write the fairy tale. Project will conclude... (Learn more)

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

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

Exploring cause and effect using expository texts about natural disasters

Students explore cause and effect relationships in this lesson that focuses on expository texts. In the first session, the teacher activates prior knowledge about cause and effect by presenting students with everyday situations and engaging students in... (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

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