Standard Course of Study :: English Language Arts — Grade 3

LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 4

The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.

Objective 4.07

Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama selections using self-selected topics and forms (e.g., poems, simple narratives, short reports, learning logs, letters, notes, directions, instructions).

Resources aligned to this objective

Positively Poetry: Part 6
Students will be learning about and writing limericks. Since limericks follow a strict rhyming pattern and word count, the students will work in partners to create their own limericks.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Computer Technology Skills)
By Maribeth Warren, Pam Purifoy, and Tracy Dagenhart.
Postcards of the Past
Students will participate in Heritage Day activities that will enhance students' awareness of their heritage. They will take digital pictures of activities to include on a web page, and research and report on information gathered. Students will create a web page to present their information.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)
By Karol Leaptrott, Rebecca Watt, and Regina Welsted.
Savvy Soil
The students will compare and contrast the physical characteristics of three soils: clay, humous, and sand. They will create double bubble maps and list poems about the soils.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science)
By Karen Smith.
Spring Cinquain Poems
Students will review parts of speech by learning what a cinquain poem is and then writing and typing a Spring cinquain.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 Information Skills, English Language Arts, and Computer Technology Skills)
By Jennifer Williams.
Tangram Magic
This lesson will involve students in the use of tangrams and how they are used to create different figures.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts, Computer Technology Skills, and Mathematics)
By Alta Allen.
Word Processing Valentines
This lesson combines the need to practice keyboarding skills, completion of rhymes, a popular children's book, and the motivational aspects of the Valentine holiday.
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)
By Kay Harrison.

Lesson plans on the web

All about our town: Using brochures to teach informational writing
In this lesson, students create brochures that explore their towns and the landmarks, symbols, and people that make them unique places to live. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Alliteration all around
In this lesson, students are introduced to alliteration through picture books by Pamela Duncan Edwards. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Boys can dance
Reinforces the idea that dancing is a beneficial activity for both men and women. Students compare the benefits of dance training and sports then watch video clips of famous male dancers. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 Dance Arts Education and English Language Arts)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Building classroom community through the exploration of acrostic poetry
This lesson builds classroom community by engaging students in a collaborative acrostic poetry writing project. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Buzz! Whiz! Bang! Using comic books to teach onomatopoeia
This lesson uses comic strips to introduce students to onomatopoeia, words that imitate the natural sound associated with an action or an object. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Chinese instruments
Students identify and classify Western instruments and traditional Chinese instruments. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade K–4 English Language Arts and Computer Technology Skills)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Collaborative stories 1: Prewriting and drafting
Students engage in prewriting activities that include writing the beginning of a story and brainstorming ideas using an online, interactive story map. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Color burst
Students gain experience in asking questions and conducting inquiry by exploring the separation of colors in water and other solvents. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Color Poems--Using the Five Senses to Guide Prewriting
Students use their five senses as a prewriting tool to guide their poetry writing. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Comics in the classroom as an introduction to narrative structure
Students examine the plot and narrative structure of a story through the use of comic strip frames. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Composing cinquain poems with basic parts of speech
Students learn to compose original cinquain poems in this lesson that follows a unit on parts of speech. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
The connection between poetry and music
In this lesson, students listen to poems read aloud and discuss the rhythm and sound of poetry. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Creating classroom community by crafting themed poetry collections
Students create poetry collections with a back-to-school theme of “getting to know each other.” (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts)
Provider: IRA/NCTE
Creating comic strips
Students use comic strips to explore how style, point of view, setting, plot, and summary, is communicated not only through words, but through illustrations. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 English Language Arts)
Provider: The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts