When reading, third graders learned how to . . .

• Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as a basis for the answers

• Recount stories and determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text

• Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea

• Describe characters in a story and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

• Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect

• Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a 3rd grade text

• Distinguish between literal and nonliteral language

• Refer to part of a a story (ex. chapter, scene, stanza) and describe how they work together to create a story

• Use text features to locate key facts or information

• Identify the point of view of a text

• Distinguish reader point of view from that of the author

• Use information from the illustrations and the words to understand the text

• Explain how reasons support specific points an author makes in a text

• Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author

• Compare and contrast the most important points and key details in two texts on the same topic

When reading, fourth graders will learn how to . . .

• Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says and when drawing inferences

• Determine the theme of a story, drama, or poem

• Determine the main idea of a text

• Summarize a text

• Give an in depth description of characters, settings, and events in stories

• Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in informational texts

• Determine the meanings of words and phrases, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings

• Explain major differences between poems, drama, and stories, and refer to the structural elements

• Describe the overall structure of events, ideas, and concepts of information in a text or part of a text

• Compare and contrast the point of view from which different stories are narrated

• Compare and contrast two accounts of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and the information provided

• Make connections between the print version of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the same text

• Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears

• Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

• Compare and contrast the treatment of similar themes, topics, and patterns of events in stories from different cultures.

• Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

When writing, third graders learned how to . . .

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons.

• Introduce a topic or text

• Develop an opinion with reasons that support the opinion

• Create an organizational structure that lists supporting reasons

• Provide a concluding statement or section

• Use linking words and phrases to connect opinion and reasons

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.

• Introduce a topic

• Group related information together, including illustrations when needed, to provide clarity to the reader

• Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details

• Provide a conclusion

• Use linking words and phrases to connect ideas within categories of information

• Use precise language to inform about or explain the topic

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using an effective technique, such as descriptive details and clear event sequences.

• Establish a situation by using a narrator, including characters, and organizing an event sequence that unfolds naturally

• Use dialogue and/or descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events, or to show the response of characters to situations

• Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order

• Provide a sense of closure

When writing, fourth graders will learn how to . . .

Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

• Introduce a topic or text

• Develop an opinion with reasons that are supported by facts and details

• Create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer’s purpose

• Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented

• Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases

Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information.

• Introduce a topic

• Group related information in paragraphs and sections

• Include formatting, features, illustrations, and multimedia, when needed, to provide clarity to the reader

• Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic

• Provide a conclusion related to the information or explanation presented

• Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases

• Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using an effective technique, such as descriptive details and clear event sequences.

• Establish a situation by using a narrator, including characters, and organizing an event sequence that unfolds naturally

• Use dialogue and/or descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events, or to show the response of characters to situations

• Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order

• Provide a sense of closure

• Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing (with some guidance and support from adults)

• Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic