Overview:

The third grade language arts curriculum is part of a developmental continuum that provides connected literacy experiences as an integral part of learning to communicate in a variety of ways.  Students will experience a literate environment by engaging daily in speaking, listening, reading, and writing activities spanning all genres and curricular areas. 

Speaking and Listening

Note: Many objectives for reading and writing relate directly to the area of listening and speaking. Such objectives have been included in the Reading and Writing sections and have NOT been duplicated here. The following objectives focus on listening and speaking for oral communication (speaking) and aural understanding (listening) with others. The state of Alaska has not developed Grade Level Expectations for Listening and Speaking.

Comprehension & Collaboration:

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with a variety of partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly

• Listen with attention during lessons and respond with statements and questions

• Engage in the agreed-upon rules of conversation

• Ask clear and appropriate questions during small-group and whole-group discussions

• Write compound, dictated sentences

• Take simple notes from oral sources

• Distinguish between literal and non-literal meanings of words (e.g., take steps)

• Evaluate whether a selection was intended to inform, persuade, or entertain 

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• • • Use grade level appropriate vocabulary when talking about texts (title, author, character, etc.), content areas, personal experiences, and ideas

    • Describe similarities and differences among people, places, events, and objects

    • Describe cause and effect relationships

    • Answer questions completely and with appropriate elaboration

    • Tell stories and present information in a sequential manner

    • Use appropriate volume, intonation and rate when addressing large and small groups

    • Demonstrate effective eye contact and posture when speaking

    • Have a plan or notes to support presentations

    • Restate, understand, and follow three-step oral directions 

Writing

Genres and Purposes:

6+1 Trait Focus: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions, & Presentation

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student writes about a topic by:

• • [3] 1.1.1 Writing complete sentences with a subject and a predicate

  • [3] 1.1.2 Writing a paragraph on a single topic with two or more supporting details

  • [3] 1.1.3 Writing a story or composition with a beginning, middle, and end (L)

The student writes for a variety of purposes and audiences by:

• • [3] 1.2.1 Choosing the appropriate organizational structure to match a purpose and audience (e.g., letters and notes, recounts, stories, and poems) (L)

  • [3] 1.2.2 Using expressive language when responding to literature or producing text (e.g., journals, pictures supported by text or poetry) (L) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• Write opinion pieces supporting a point of view

• Write informative/explanatory pieces to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly (e.g., problem/solution, cause/effect, compare/contrast, how-to, descriptive, author study, interview) (ES)

• Write narrative pieces to develop real or imagined experiences or events (ES)

• Compose letters using date, salutation, body, closing, and signature (ES)

• Compose a variety of poetry using repetition, rhythm, similes, and other poetic techniques (ES)

• Write about self-selected topics

• Produce functional text (lists and procedures, newspaper articles, test writing, reader’s notebook)

• Analyze and respond to a test writing prompt that addresses the purpose, genre, and audience

• Write about an assigned topic to demonstrate their current ability as a writer

• Write about reading or literature through extended response or short answer

• Identify audience and form for writing 

Research to Build & Present Knowledge (Research Skills):

6+1 Trait  Focus: Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, Conventions, & Voice 

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student documents sources by:

• [3] 1.5.1 Listing sources or authors and titles of books and other materials when used as references in written work (L) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• • • Use a dictionary and thesaurus to improve or support writing (ES)

    • Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic

    • Generate research questions about a topic

    • Take notes, use Thinking Mapsâ, or make sketches to help remember information

    • Gather information (with teacher or library associate assistance) about a topic from books or other print, digital, and media resources while preparing to write about it

    • Cite source (title and author) 

Production & Distribution of Writing (Writing Process):

6+1 Trait  Focus: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, Conventions, & Presentation

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student writes for a variety of purposes and audiences by:

• • [3] 1.2.1 Choosing the appropriate organizational structure to match a purpose and audience (e.g., letters and notes, recounts, stories, and poems) (L)

  • [3] 1.2.2 Using expressive language when responding to literature or producing text (e.g., journals, pictures supported by text or poetry) (L)

The student writes about a topic by:

• • [3] 1.1.1 Writing complete sentences with a subject and a predicate

  • [3] 1.3.1 Writing a variety of complete simple sentences (i.e., statement, question, exclamation)

  • [3] 1.1.2 Writing a paragraph on a single topic with two or more supporting details

  • [3] 1.1.3 Writing a story or composition with a beginning, middle, and end (L)

The student revises writing by:

• • [3] 1.4.1 Rearranging and/or adding supporting details to improve clarity

  • [3] 1.4.2 Giving/receiving appropriate feedback about written work (L)

The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:

• • [3] 1.3.1 Writing a variety of complete, simple sentences (i.e., statement, question, exclamation)

  • [3] 1.3.2 Identifying and/or correcting mistakes in spelling (e.g., grade-appropriate, high-frequency words) (L)

  • [3] 1.3.3 Identifying and/or correcting mistakes in punctuation at the end of sentences and capitalization (i.e., beginning of sentences and proper nouns) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

Writing Process

• Embedded in the teaching of writing is the use of the writing process and 6+1 Traitsâ analysis.  Students will use the 6+1 Traitâ Writing framework as developmentally appropriate, which includes: Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions. (ES)

Prewrite: Gather ideas and organize

• Use Thinking Mapsâ, writer’s notebook and other tools to brainstorm, collect and organize ideas (ES)

• Participate in conversations, shared writing and interactive writing

Draft: Composition and fluency

• Create a draft based on a single topic of own choice or teacher's choosing

• Adjust writing style, organizational style, and format for a variety of purposes and audiences

• Use temporary spellings to record ideas, feelings, experiences

• Use the elements and style of published authors as a model for developing a personal writing style

• Use rubric to guide writing

• Engage the reader with a strong lead

• Present ideas in logical order across the piece, maintaining control of a central idea

• Use correct tense:  past, present, and future (ES)

• Write a variety of complete simple sentences (e.g., statements, questions, exclamations)

• Write three complete paragraphs with a topic sentence, 3 supporting details, and a summative conclusion (ES)

Revise: Change content for clarity and originality

• Use a variety of simple and compound sentences with varied, purposeful sentence beginnings and varied sentence lengths (ES)

• Add and delete words to clarify meaning (ES)

• Use a variety of transition words and phrases to connect ideas (ES)

• Select a title for piece that reflects the main idea

• Develop the topic with facts, reasons, definitions, and examples

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

• Use a grade level or class generated rubric to evaluate writing based on one or more of the 6 +1 Traits

• Participate in developing a revising checklist, distinguishing between editing and revising

• Individually and in small groups, give and receive feedback to revise written work (add/delete/rearrange) to improve detail and clarity

Edit: Proofread for spelling and conventions (ES)

• • See also Conventions of Standard English, Draft and Word Study

  • Identify and correct misspelled and misused words, using 3rd grade No Excuse Spelling Words list (see pg. 84) and other spelling strategies and/or resources

  • Use resources such as a class generated checklist to edit for grade level conventions

  • Proofread own writing and work of others using editing symbols (see Appendix)

  • Identify and correct sentence fragments and run-on sentences

  • Combine simple or related sentences

Publish: Share work with an audience

• • Publish a minimum of one product per quarter

  • See also Presentation 

Conventions of Standard English:

6+1 Trait  Focus: Conventions

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:

• • [3] 1.3.1 Writing a variety of complete, simple sentences (i.e. statement, question, exclamation)

  • [3] 1.3.3 Identifying and/or correcting mistakes in punctuation at the end of sentences and capitalization (i.e. beginning of sentences and proper nouns) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• • Use capital letters correctly: 

    • • Proper names, places, and sentence beginnings (ES)

      • Holidays, days, months, city/state, words in titles

  • Understand and identify subject/verb agreement (ES)

  • Identify and correctly use common and proper nouns, verbs, adjectives, and pronouns (ES)

  • Change common singular words into plurals (ES)

  • Use punctuation correctly: period, comma, quotation mark, question mark, and exclamation mark (ES)

  • Use proper grammar, and sentence structure

  • Break words at the syllables at the end of a line using a hyphen

  • See also Word Study 

Word Study - Phonics, Spelling, & Vocabulary:

6+1 Trait Focus: Word Choice & Conventions

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:

• [3] 1.3.2 Identifying and/or correcting mistakes in spelling (e.g., grade-appropriate, high frequency words)

The student writes for a variety of purposes and audiences by:

• [3] 1.2.2 Using expressive language when responding to literature or producing text (e.g., journals, pictures supported by text or poetry) (L) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

Phonics

• Use letter-sound relationships, syllable patterns, ending rules, onset-rime and meaningful word parts to spell multi-syllable words

Spelling

• • Spell 3rd grade No Excuse Spelling Words correctly (ES) (see pg. 84)

  • Use known words and word parts to spell other words

  • Recognize and form various tenses by adding verb endings (-es, -ed, -ing, -d)

  • Spell grade-level regular and irregular plurals by adding -s, -es, changing -y to -i and adding -es, and by changing the spelling (woman-women)

  • Spell contractions with am, is, not, will, have, would, or had

  • Spell abbreviations of common proper nouns (Mrs., Dr., Mr.)

  • Recognize and use letters that represent no sound in words

  • Understand and use all sounds related to the various consonants and consonant clusters (scr-, spr-, str-, thr-)

  • Understand that some consonant letters represent several different sounds (ch-: cheese, school, machine, choir, yacht)

  • Understand that some consonant sounds can be represented by several different letters or letter clusters (final /k/ by c , k, ck)

  • Recognize and use letters that represent the wide variety of vowel sounds (long and short)

  • Use grade level prefixes (-un, -re,) and suffixes (-er, -ing,-ness) appropriately

  • Recognize and use endings that form adverbs (-ly)

  • Recognize and use words to make comparisons (-er, -est)

  • Alphabetize to the third letter

Vocabulary

• • Show ability to vary the text by choosing alternative words for overused words (ES)

  • Participate in the creation of word banks

  • Apply new vocabulary from reading, content areas, and listening

  • Apply knowledge of synonyms and antonyms to enhance word choice

  • Recognize and use homographs, homophones, and words with multiple meanings

  • Record personal vocabulary in a journal or notebook that includes pictures, examples, or definitions 

Presentation:

6+1 Trait Focus: Presentation

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

The student writes and edits using conventions of Standard English by:

• [3] 1.3.4 Rewriting handwritten work to improve legibility, if necessary, when producing final drafts (L) 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• Use appropriate presentation tool: legible handwriting or word processing (ES)

• Write fluently and legibly in both manuscript and cursive handwriting (ES)

• Use word processor when appropriate to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish

• Indent paragraphs appropriately (ES)

• Include graphics (diagrams, illustrations, photos, charts) as appropriate to enhance comprehension

• Arrange print on the page to support the text's meaning and to help the reader notice important information

• Share pieces of writing with appropriate audiences 

Attitude/Stamina:

Alaska Grade Level Expectations (GLEs):

• Not addressed through Alaska Grade Level Expectations 

FNSBSD Core Learner Objectives (GLEs are labeled as (ES)):

Using a gradual release of responsibility model, students will:

• • • Build stamina to write independently for 30 minutes through participation in the writing process (ES)

    • Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) or a range of content-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences

    • Set quarterly personal goals for writing (ES)

    • Select best pieces of writing from personal collection and give reasons for the selections

    • Self-evaluate own writing and be able to discuss strengths and techniques used 

Reading Literature*

Key Ideas & Details (KI):

1. Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text (e.g., making basic inferences and predictions), referring explicitly to details from the text as the basis for the answers. 

Essential Vocabulary:

• Infer

• Predict

• Text 

2. Determine the author’s purpose, message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text; summarize stories in correct sequence, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures. 

Essential Vocabulary:

• Paraphrase

3. Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events (e.g., creating or solving a problem). 

Craft & Structure (CS):

4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal meanings from use of figurative language (e.g., exaggeration in tall tales). 

5. Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Use the knowledge of the genre to form expectations of the text. 

Essential Vocabulary:

• Genre

6. Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters. 

Integration of Knowledge & Ideas (IK):

7. Explain how specific aspects of text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story (e.g., create mood, emphasize aspects of a character or setting). 

8. (Not applicable to literature). 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Follow more than two written steps or directions to complete a task. 

9. Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters (e.g., in books from a series). 

Range of Reading & Level of Text Complexity (RR):

10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend a range of literature from a variety of cultures, within a complexity band appropriate to Grade 3 (from upper Grade 2 to Grade 4), with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. 

Reading Standards: Foundational Skills for K-5*

Print Concepts:

1.  (Applicable to Grade 1 only). 

Phonological Awareness:

2.  (Applicable to Grade 1 only). 

Phonics & Word Recognition:

3.  Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

a. Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.

b. Decode words with common Latin suffixes.

c. Decode multi-syllable words.

d.     Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. 

Fluency:

4.  Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. 

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding.

b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings.

c.     Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. 

Speaking & Listening Standards*

Comprehension & Collaboration:

1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 3 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

a. After learning a protocol (e.g., Socratic method), come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion.

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

c. Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

d. Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Take simple notes from oral sources. 

2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Record basic notes (main idea, supporting details) from oral presentation or other media. 

3. Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration or explanations and detail. 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Write a simple, dictated

• sentence 

Presentation of Knowledge & Ideas:

4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. 

5. Create audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; use techniques that engage the listener (e.g., inflection, different voices); and add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details. 

6.  Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification (see Grade 3 Language standards 1 and 3 for specific expectations). 

FNSBSD Additional Objectives:

• Share reading experiences with others. 

* Alaska English/Language Arts Standards, June 2012

These word lists were derived from the Fry High Frequency Word Lists and are designed to be one component of your instructional practices. They can be used as an assessment tool to inform and guide your teaching. Mastery of these words contributes to your students’ reading success by improving fluency and comprehension. Instant Recognition Words are words that students can read within 3 seconds by the completion of the grade level. 

500 Words (includes 300 2nd grade I.R.W.) 

No Excuse Spelling Words are those words that students are expected to master in all aspects of their everyday writing at each grade level. All prior lists should be practiced at subsequent grade levels. These word lists are intended to be only one component of a comprehensive Word Study Program. 

These grade level No Excuse Spelling Words were derived from Rebecca Sitton’s 1200 High-Frequency Writing Words; words that appear in 89% of everyday writing.