Grade 3 Students

Write sentences with correct use of comparative adjectives, subject-verb agreement, and pronoun-antecedent agreement (L.3.1)

Compose complex sentences with accurate use of commas and dependent clauses (L.3.1)

Maintain correct verb tense (i.e., past, present, future) across sentences of a composition¹

Use the writing process to compose multi-paragraph essays (W.3.4, W.3.5)²

• Write multi-paragraph persuasive essays with a position and reasons linked to supporting evidence (W.3.1)
• Write multi-paragraph informational essays with an introduction, body, and conclusion (W.3.2)
• Write multi-paragraph stories with major literary elements (e.g., characters, setting, problem, sequence of events, outcome) and dialogue (W.3.3)

English learner and bilingual footnotes

¹ ELs will benefit from instruction in signal or connecting words that indicate sequences (e.g., first, second, third), comparisons/contrasts (e.g., however, but, as well as, although), and cause and effect (e.g., because, so that, in order to, etc.).

² When possible, ELs should be allowed to mix their two languages so they are encouraged to write more in English. Allowing students to produce multiple (two or three) revisions of their text with feedback from the teacher and peers will allow ELs to make closer approximations of a native English speaker’s writing.

Connect prior knowledge to information in the text (NA)

• Relate ideas across texts

Monitor comprehension while reading (RL.3.10; RI.3.10)

• Establish purpose for reading assigned and self-selected texts

Ask and answer questions about key details in a text (RL.3.1; RI.3.1)

• Provide justification when answering questions to analyze or evaluate a grade-appropriate text
• Ask critical thinking questions about a text

Recognize and use the organizational patterns/ text structures to connect ideas across the text¹

• Explain cause-effect relationships among events (RI.3.3; RI.3.8)
• Recognize and use text structures (e.g., sequence, compare-contrast, cause-effect, problem and solution) to support understanding (RL.3.5; RI.3.8)

Identify elements of literary and informational texts

• Explain the relationships among the major and minor characters (RL.3.3)
• Relate events to the historical context (N/A)
• Recognize characters and structures of argumentative text (N/A)

Make inferences while reading text (RL.3.6; RI.3.6)

• Distinguish different points of view within and across texts

English learner and bilingual footnotes

¹ To assist ELs with reading more complicated texts, use graphic organizers in which students can write one-word responses, draw pictures, or even arrange prepared sentences.

Connect oral vocabulary to words in print (RL.3.4), (L.3.5)

• Identify, explain, and use figurative and descriptive language

Determine the relationships among words (RI.3.4), (L.3.5)

• Draw and use semantic maps and organizers to convey word relations
• Categorize words hierarchically
• Identify and use idioms, homophones, and homographs in context¹

Use context to determine word meaning (L.3.4)

• Use context within and beyond a sentence to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words

Apply common affixes and roots to determine word meaning (L.3.4)

• Identify the meaning of and use words with the suffixes “–ion,” “tion,” and “sion”
• Identify the meaning of and use words with the affixes such as “im-“ (“into”), “non-,” “dis-,” “in-“ (“not,” “non”), “pre-,” “-ness,” “-y,” and “–ful”

English learner and bilingual footnotes

¹ Realizing the number of homophones that exist in English is important for ELs, particularly for those whose native language contains few or no homophones (e.g., Spanish).

Read decodable and irregular common words quickly and accurately (RF.3.4)

• Read multisyllabic sight words fluently

Read authentic text accurately and with appropriate rate and expression (RF.3.4)

• Read 110-120 words per minute
• Use expression to convey tone
• Flexibly adjust rate, accuracy, and prosody to improve comprehension when reading grade-level text

Decode and encode words by using advanced phonics patterns (RF.3.3; L.3.2)

• Read and spell words with multiple sound-spelling patterns (e.g., eigh, ough)
• Read and spell words with 3-4 syllables

Apply morphological knowledge (RF.3.3)

• Read and spell words with the inflectional endings (-“ing,” “-er,” “-est”) that require changing the “y” to “i”"
• Read and spell words with derivational suffixes that produce phonological shifts (e.g., “magic” → “magician,” “prefer” → “preference”)
• Use word meaning and order in the sentence to confirm decoding efforts

Develop sight word knowledge (RF.3.3; L.3.2)

• Read and spell grade-appropriate, high frequency irregular words (e.g., “thought,” “enough,” “sometimes”)

Use informal, casual, formal, and academic language in the appropriate context (L.3.6; SL.3.1)

• Speak coherently about the topic under discussion, using an appropriate speaking rate and volume for the audience and setting
• Use the conventions of language to communicate ideas effectively
• Express inferences while talking about books
• Expand grade-appropriate vocabulary used in oral expression

Produce, expand, and rearrange a variety of sentence types to communicate ideas (L.3.1)

• Use the comparative and superlative forms of adjectives
• Use adverbs that convey manner
• Produce complex and compound-complex sentences