Standards Alignment Guide: Grade3 Reading Literature and Informational Text

Reading Literature:

Key Ideas and Details
RL 1:Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there enough substance to ask comprehension questions? For example: A poem may be purely descriptive and there may not be a sense of a beginning, middle, and end and therefore, one would not talk about key ideas and details. / Questions to Ask Students:
•Who finished the race first? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer?
•What is so special about Mario? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer?
•Where does the story take place? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer?
•When did Tiesha try out for the play? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer?
•Why did Tyrone get an “A” on his test? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer?
•How is John different from Paul? Which sentence(s) from the story supports your answer? / Students will be able to:
•Make, test and revise predictions as they read
•Use the combination of background knowledge and explicitly stated information to answer questions they have as they read
•Demonstrate an understanding of the text when answering questions about the text
•Refer explicitly to the text as a basis for answering questions about the text
RL 2: Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it isconveyed through key details in the text.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there text that has substance to be summarized or retold?
Is there a lesson or moral that is worth identifying?
Are there enough key details in the text to explain the central message, lesson or moral? / Questions to Ask Students:
•What happens in this ___ (story/fable/folktale/myth)?
•Place each event in a box to show the order in which it happens in the _____ (story/fable/folktale/myth).
•What lesson does the author hope the reader learns from the story? What key details in the story help the reader understand this lesson?
•What lesson does Jose learn in the story? What key details in the story help the reader understand this lesson?
•What lesson does this folktale teach? What key details in the folktale help teach this lesson?
•What is the moral of this fable? What key details in the fable help teach this moral?
•What lesson is this myth trying to teach? What key details are used to convey this lesson? / Students will be able to:
•Recount/retell (or graphically represent) key details from literary texts, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures
•Determine central message, lesson or moral
•Explain how key details show a central message, lesson or moral
•Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine their central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text
RL 3: Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Were the characters developed (text reveals their traits, motives, or feelings) If so…
Do/does the character(s) face challenges?
Can the reader explain how a character’s actions contribute to the sequence of events? / Questions to Ask Students:
•Explain how the boy smiling changes the story.
•Explain how the girl feels when she learns what happened. How does that affect what she does next?
•Explain what the dog does to find his owner. What does that show the reader about the dog?
•Explain why the main character changes during the story. How does that influence what happens next in the story?
•Describe ____ (a character in the story). How does his/her actions contribute to the sequence of events in the story?
•Explain how the actions of ___ (a character in the story) influence what happens next. / Students will be able to:
•Identify the key ideas and events in a story or play
•Sequence the key ideas and events in a story or play
•Identify the characters in a story or play (e.g., traits, motivations, feelings)
•Describe or graphically represent characters (their thoughts, words and actions) and events in a story or play, drawing on specific details from the text
•Describe and explain how characters’ actions relate to the sequence of events
•Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events
Craft and Structure
RL 4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language.(See grade 3 Language standards 4–6 for additional expectations.)
Should I use this text for this standard?
Can the students determine the meaning of words and phrases from the text using context clues?
Does the text present an opportunity for students to differentiate between literal and non-literal language?
Does the text contain multiple meaning words?
Does the text contain words with affixes?
Does the text contain words with common roots that can be used to determine the meaning of a word? / Questions to Ask Students:
•What is the meaning of ______on page 2?
•Which words help the reader understand the meaning of _____ in paragraph 5?
•What is meant by the phrase, “Put on your thinking cap,” in paragraph 6? / Students will be able to:
•Read and reread other sentences and non-linguistic images (e.g., illustrations) in the text to identify context clues
•Use context clues to help unlock the meaning of unknown words/phrases
•Determine the appropriate definition of words that have more than one meaning
•Differentiate between literal and non-literal meaning
•Identify and interpret figurative language and literary devices
•Describe how figurative language, literary devices, and other language choicescreate and clarify meaning
•Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from non-literal language
RL 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.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the text allow the teacher to refer to parts of stories, dramas, or poems in terms of chapter, scene, and stanza?
Does the text allow the reader to determine how one part builds on earlier parts of the text? / Questions to Ask Students:
•Explain how the second chapter of the story helps the reader understand the setting of the story. Use examples from the story in your explanation.
•Explain how scene 2 builds suspense. Use examples from the drama in your explanation.
•Explain how the last stanza in the poem brings the ideas presented together. Use examples from the poem in your explanation. / Students will be able to:
•Use the term chapter when referring to parts of a story
•Use the term stanza when referring to parts of a poem
•Use the term scene when referring to parts of a drama
•Describe how each successive part of a story, drama, or poem builds on earlier sections by using terms such as chapter, scene, or stanza
•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
RL 6: Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the characters.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Does the text allow the reader to identify a point of view?
Is there an opportunity for the reader to distinguish his/her point of view from that of the narrator or characters? / Questions to Ask Students:
•Who is telling the story?
•How does Lawanda feel about the trip? How is that different from how you would feel?
•How does the narrator feel about Frank getting a new dog? How is that different from how you would feel? / Students will be able to:
•Identify the author’s purpose for writing a text
•Identify the view point of characters in a text
•Identify the view point of the narrator in a text.
•Identify the reader’s personal point of view
•Distinguish between a character’s or narrator’s view point and the reader’s view point
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL 7: Explain how specific aspects of a 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).
Should I use this text for this standard?
Do the illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in the text?
Do they help to create mood?
Do they help to emphasize aspects of the character or setting? / Questions to Ask Students:
•Explain how the illustration helps the reader understand the setting of the story. Use examples from the story and illustration in your explanation.
•Explain how the illustrations make the reader feel. Why?
•Explain how the illustration helps the reader understand the main character in the story. Use examples from the story and illustration in your explanation. / Students will be able to:
•Describe howillustrations contribute to a story
•Determine specific aspects of a literary text’s illustrations that create mood or emphasize aspects of a character or setting
•Explain how specific aspects of a text’s illustrations contribute to what is conveyed by the words in a story
RL 8: (Not applicable to literature)
RL 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).
Should I use this text for this standard?
Has the author written other stories with the same or similar characters?
Can the books be compared in terms of themes, setting, and plot?
Has the author written a series of books? / Questions to Ask Students:
•How are the themes/plots/settings in Kevin Henke’s books ______(title) and______(title) alike and different? / Students will be able to:
•Identify and describe the settings of two or more texts
•Identify and describe character(s’) traits in two or more texts
•Retell the plot of two or more texts
•Identify the themes in two or more texts
•Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots of stories written by the same author about the same or similar characters

Reading Informational Texts:

Key Ideas and Details
RI 1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there enough substance about which to ask comprehension questions? For example: Some sections of a text may have a superficial and/or brief description of a topic.
Can the students use the text as the basis for their answers? / Questions to Ask Students:
•Who invented electricity? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer?
•What gave Edison the idea for his invention? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer?
•Where was the first soccer game played? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer?
•When do birds fly south for the winter? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer?
•Why was a written language started? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer?
•How are insects and mammals alike and different? Which sentence(s) from the article supports your answer? / Students will be able to:
•Make, test and revise predictions as they read
•Use the combination of explicitly stated information, and background knowledge, to answer questions they have as they read
•Demonstrate an understanding of the text when answering questions about the text
•Refer explicitly to the text as a basis for answering questions about the text
•Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers
RI 2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there enough substance to determine a main idea?
Is there enough substance to determine key details?
Is there a connection between key details and the main idea? / Questions to Ask Students:
•What is the main idea of the article? What key details support this main idea?
•What are the key details in the article? How do the key details support the main idea?
•What is ____ a good title for the article? How do the key details support the selection of this title? / Students will be able to:
•Determine the main idea of an informational text
•Recognize how ideas are organized in an informational text
•Describe or graphically represent the relationship between main idea and details.
•Explain how the main idea is supported by key details
•Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details
RI 3: Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures ina text, using language that pertains to time, sequence,
andcause/effect.
Should I use this text for this standard?
Is there a clear connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text?
Is there language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect? / Questions to Ask Students:
•What caused the plant to grow? What information from the article supports your answer?
•What is the effect of not getting enough sleep? What information from the article supports your answer?
•Why is it important to sand the wood before it is painted? What information from the article supports your answer?
•Explain how a bird makes its nest. Use information from the article in your explanation.
•Explain the relationship between _____, _____, and _____ (series of historical events). Use information from the article in your explanation.
•Explain the relationship between ______and _____ (scientific concepts/ideas). Use information from the article in your explanation.
•Explain the steps in ____ (a technical procedure). Use information from the article in your explanation. / Students will be able to:
•Identify the events, key ideas/ concepts, steps in informational texts
•Identify and describe how informational and technical texts are structured
•Identify words that signal relationships in informational texts
•Explain how ideas, events, steps are connected
•Use text-structurelanguage to describe or graphically represent relationships between and among ideas, events, or steps/procedures in informational texts
Craft and Structure
RI 4: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area.(See grade 3 Language standards 4–6 for additional expectations.)
Should I use this text for this standard?
Are there words to know where meanings can be determined from…
a)sentence level context?
b)affixes?
c)root words?
d)glossaries and dictionaries?
Are there words in the text for which you can ask students to distinguish between literal and non-literal meanings?
Are there words in the text for which you can ask students to provide real-life instances when the word can be used?
Are there words that require the reader to distinguish between shades of meaning among related words that describe states of mind or degrees of certainty?
Is there a vocabulary worth knowing with context clues? (Language standards 4-6)
Are there any roots, affixes, or compound words that are worth knowing?
Are there general academic and domain specific words worth knowing?
Are there words that signal spatial and temporal relationships? / Questions to Ask Students:
•What does the word _____ mean in paragraph 2?
•Which words help the reader understand the meaning of _____ in paragraph 5?
•What does ___ (a general academic word/phrase) mean as it is used in this article? How does it help the reader’s understanding of the information presented?
•What does ___ (a domain-specific word/phrase) mean? / Students will be able to:
•Read and reread other sentences and non-linguistic images in the text to identify context clues
•Use context clues to help unlock the meaning of unknown words/phrases
•Determine the appropriate definition of words that have more than one meaning
•Describe how language choices create and clarify meaning
•Differentiate between literal and non-literal meaning