Third Grade - ELA
1: Environment
Unit 1: Tornado
Lesson 1
Weather on the Farm
Students are prompted by an adult to write three factual sentences about tornadoes after drawing one, to write a short paragraph describing what they would enjoy about farm life, to complete a Venn diagram comparing their life to farm life, and to write a daily farm schedule in a journal. Many prompts are presented as adult-led directions (e.g., "ask your child" and review questions), indicating that students receive guidance while producing these written pieces. Students are also asked to discuss factual versus nonfactual information, which supports composing accurate content.
Lesson 2
The Storm
Students are asked to keep a daily journal and write a 3–4 sentence summary of each chapter (Activity 4), which requires them to plan what to include and produce a written draft. The teacher/adult models revising for coherence by showing a choppy paragraph and then a revised version that uses time transition words, and students practice inserting transition words on the Activity 3 page. The adult is directed to prompt, read aloud with the child, and compare the child's summary to a model summary, providing scaffolding and support.
Lesson 3
The Tornado
Students are asked to use the Hamburger Paragraph Organizer or Paragraph Organizer to plan their paragraph, providing direct practice with planning. Students practice revising word choice in the "The Doghouse: Choosing Words" activity by underlining descriptive words and creating their own descriptions, and the assessment instructs an adult to point out places that could be more interesting and ask the student to rewrite sentences. Students are prompted to write a journal summary using transition words, which reinforces planning and organization of ideas.
Lesson 4
A Card Trick
Students are asked to write and illustrate a chapter summary in a journal (Activity 1), which requires composing a short piece of writing. Students practice editing conventions explicitly by adding end punctuation to provided sentences (Activity 3, Option 1) and by composing declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences (Activity 3, Option 2). An adult-led wrapping up activity has students identify appropriate end punctuation aloud with adult feedback.
Lesson 5
Turtles
Students use graphic organizers (Story Map and My Own Myth) to plan their writing by outlining setting, characters, problem, events, and solution. Students write a draft of an original myth, read their story aloud, self-assess idea development using given criteria, and are prompted to make changes and rewrite. Students receive adult support such as help locating research, spelling assistance, dictation support, and suggestions for improvement while revising.
Lesson 6
The Best Pet Award
Students are asked to write and illustrate a chapter summary in a journal, which requires planning and composing a short piece of writing. In the World's Best Pet Award activity students plan and design a badge and write multiple sentences on ribbons, with Option 1 providing sentence starters to scaffold organization and Option 2 prompting students to produce specific examples from the story. Instructions are given to a caregiver to prompt and discuss with the child, indicating guidance from an adult during the writing tasks.
Lesson 8
The End of the Storm
Students are asked to use a "Happy or Sad Fishbone" graphic organizer to plan a paragraph, identifying a main sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence (Activity 5). Students write and illustrate a chapter summary in their journal (Activity 1) and copy ideas from the fishbone into paragraph form. An adult prompts students to choose stronger words and to reread text to record the author's descriptive phrases (Activity 2 and 3), and the parent-led instructions ask the adult to remind the child about paragraph indentation and sentence order.
Lesson 9
Plot
Students are directed to write the story title, to describe the problem in one sentence, and to list major events on a Story Plot Diagram, including using time-transition words to reinforce order. Option 2 asks students to reread chapter summaries, write one sentence for each summary on strips of paper, and arrange them on a diagram, which requires them to organize and plan the sequence of their writing. The materials also instruct an adult to "provide assistance as needed," indicating that students complete these tasks with guidance from adults.
Final Project
Think-Tac-Toe
Students are asked to use the Hamburger Paragraph Organizer to arrange their thoughts before writing, which shows explicit planning. For projects that involve writing, students are instructed to write a draft and then a final copy and to make improvements to each project. Adults are prompted to discuss projects with students, explain tasks, and provide suggestions if students have no ideas, indicating guided support for revision.
Unit 2: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students are prompted to plan a book cover and title (think of two adjectives, draw a cover, explain design) and to gather information (color map, list six facts for each state) before writing. Students are asked to write two five-senses poems about Kansas and Maine, which requires composing written drafts. An adult is explicitly directed to guide and ask questions throughout the activities, and the lesson points out capitalization of important words in a title and formation of comparative and superlative adjectives.
Lesson 2
Story Elements
Students plan writing by creating a Story Pyramid and by selecting characters, settings, and problems from a provided list to prepare a narrative. Students write a creative short story (or dictate it) with adult assistance as needed, and are prompted to use time transition words and include a theme. The lesson offers guided options for adult support (help with organization, recording dictated ideas) while students complete the writing tasks.
Lesson 3
The News
Students are asked to write a first-person journal entry as Anna and to use time transition words to show event order, which prompts planning and drafting. Students make a list of descriptive words before writing the advertisement and fill a structured 'WIFE WANTED' template, providing a prewriting scaffold. Option 1 gives a provided paragraph structure and the text notes that assistance can be provided, indicating adult support during writing.
Lesson 4
The Letters
Students are asked to brainstorm descriptive words and to use the Hamburger Paragraph Organizer to plan a topic sentence, three details, and a conclusion, which shows explicit planning support. An adult is directed to read aloud, discuss responses, and let the child dictate or write the letter while indicating ending punctuation, demonstrating adult guidance. The lesson instructs students to include a greeting, closing, and signature and reminds them that writers should use complete sentences, good grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Lesson 6
Life on the Prairie
Students are asked to produce multiple pieces of writing: a journal entry describing Anna's thoughts, an original song about farm life, and pages for a Wildflower Field Guide that require researching and recording information. The text repeatedly instructs an adult to "encourage," "ask," or "explain to your child," indicating adult guidance during writing activities. The field guide activity requires planning steps (finding information about five flowers, choosing five, and creating pages), which engages students in prewriting and organization.
Lesson 7
The Dune
Students are asked to write a journal entry reflecting on Chapter 5 and to illustrate or write about an outdoor excursion, which requires producing written work. Students practice correct spelling by writing a list of spelling words five times, practicing them over several days, and then spelling them independently on dictation. The Skills section explicitly lists "Write structured, informative narratives" and "Practice the correct spelling of words," linking student writing and convention practice.
Lesson 9
Writing
Students plan their writing by completing the "Ideas" graphic organizer where they record three reasons and supporting details before drafting. Students revise by reading their draft aloud, using the provided Self-Editing Checklist to evaluate contents, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and choice of words, and making recommended changes. Students practice conventions through explicit skill prompts (capitalization, punctuation, paragraphs, subject/predicate/modifier), use of a beginning dictionary for spelling, and instruction on correct punctuation in addresses.
Lesson 10
Neighbors
Students are asked to produce written work: Activity 1 directs the child to write Anna's journal entry about the visit, and Activity 3 asks the child to list five things they would miss or to write a song or poem in their journal. An adult is positioned to support student work through guided discussion prompts (e.g., asking questions, reviewing setting, and encouraging the child).
Lesson 11
Squall
Students are asked to write Anna's journal entry and to write words/phrases describing characters, providing opportunities to produce written work. Students practice editing and revising at the sentence level by underlining subjects, circling verbs, and rewriting pairs of short sentences by combining them with and. An adult is directed to discuss the text and prompt the child to explain comma usage and to write sentences that do and do not need a comma, providing guided support.
Lesson 12
The End of the Storm
Students are asked to write a journal entry about Anna's feelings (Activity 1), which has them produce a written draft. Students create a Story Plot Diagram and a Theme graphic organizer (Activities 2 and 3), which require them to plan and organize story elements before or during writing. The lesson instructs students to reread their journal entries for each chapter to recall events, which supports reviewing their written work.
Final Project
Welcome To Kansas
Students plan the party using the ‘Welcome to Kansas' planning pages (invitation, decorations paragraph, recipe, activities, game directions) and compose rough drafts (Step 5 letter, paragraph, recipe, game directions). Students are prompted to revise by reading drafts aloud and use a provided Self-Editing Checklist that asks about contents/ideas, misspellings, and punctuation. An adult is directed to help locate sources and to lead the preparation stages, and students are instructed to use a beginning dictionary or reference materials to correct spelling before producing a final copy.
Unit 3: Who Was Helen Keller?
Lesson 1
Helen's Early Years
Students are asked to answer chapter questions in complete sentences and record answers in a journal, with the option to write some answers and discuss others with an adult. Students plan and produce short pieces such as drawing and writing book covers, writing titles for one fiction and two nonfiction books, and adding two or three important events to a timeline after reading each chapter. Students practice conventions by recording spelling words in their journal, writing each word three times, looking up unknown words in a dictionary, and using each word aloud in a sentence with adult support.
Lesson 3
Helen's Challenges
Students are asked to generate ideas and plan writing using prompts and a Hamburger Paragraph Organizer and to write a descriptive paragraph, song lyrics, or a gift explanation. Students read their drafts aloud, make changes, and are explicitly directed to think about word choice and to remove inappropriate sensory words. Students receive adult feedback and are guided to check and correct capitalization, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, sentence completeness, and word order during revision and editing.
Lesson 5
Annie
The lesson asks students to write responses to comprehension questions and to add events to a timeline, which requires composing short pieces of writing. The Skills section explicitly states students will "write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization," and the "Before and After" activity has students write three adjectives and compose a 'before' and 'after' sentence about Helen. The Braille activity has students punch and glue their name and simple words in Braille, which involves producing written representations.
Lesson 6
Helen Leaves Home
Students are asked to plan what to include on a personal timeline and to "record his ideas on paper before putting them on the timeline," which shows explicit planning. Students practice punctuation editing: they are shown what a comma looks like, asked to insert commas into five sentences, and to write two original sentences that use commas, with the adult demonstrating and guiding the activity. The lesson repeatedly directs an adult to ask questions and work with the child (e.g., "Ask your child...", "Show your child...", "Encourage your child..."), providing adult support during planning and editing tasks.
Lesson 7
More Learning
Students are asked to write a bio poem for Helen and to write a poem about themselves using a provided multi-line template, which guides ideas and organization. A skills statement says students will "write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization," and directions repeatedly tell an adult to "encourage" and to provide assistance locating information. Instructions ask the student to copy her bio poem onto a final sheet and to decorate it, indicating a drafted-to-final product step.
Lesson 8
All Grown Up
Students create a personal timeline of events from their life (Activity 1) and choose one event to write about, which provides a planning/prewriting step. Students read mentor texts and two example passages, read them aloud, and answer guided questions about voice, giving them modeling and reflective prompts before writing (Activity 2 and 3). An adult is prompted to evaluate the student's writing using specific reader-response questions (e.g., "Do I want to keep reading?" "Do I hear you in the writing?"), which provides some guided feedback.
Final Project
Scrapbook or Interview
Students are asked to record ideas and compose first drafts for each scrapbook page or interview question, and to do a draft before making a final copy. Students are instructed to reread drafts for meaning and revise, and to make changes where needed with feedback on content and grammar. The skills list and instructions explicitly tell students to attend to spelling, mechanics, capitalization, punctuation, paragraphs, and to create a readable final product; rubrics and parent/sibling support are provided to guide revisions and presentation.
2: Change
Unit 1: Morning Girl
Lesson 1
Background Information
The Skills section explicitly lists that students will "write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization," and Activity 2 provides an outline worksheet for students to use to summarize information and create a short report about the Bahamas. Activity 4 asks students to record facts in a journal and to write an acrostic poem using the letters in TAINO, giving practice in composing a focused piece. Activity 5 directs students to write one sentence for each artifact describing materials and use, providing multiple short writing tasks.
Lesson 2
Point of View
Students are asked to produce multiple pieces of writing: journal entries recording character thoughts and events (Activity 1), point-of-view riddles that the student composes (Activity 2), short character descriptions (Activity 3), and personal accounts of an outing written independently (Activity 5). The lesson directs students to answer questions in complete sentences and to reread and discuss their accounts aloud with an adult or partner, offering an opportunity for oral feedback. The Comparing Accounts activity has students organize and compare multiple written perspectives using a four-part Venn diagram, which supports comparing and refining ideas across drafts.
Lesson 3
The News
Students are asked to plan story structure when they are reminded that stories have a beginning, middle, and end and elements like characters, a problem, and a solution. Students practice drafting by recording an island short story orally using required vocabulary words and by writing journal entries that record feelings and events. Students also write three phrases or sentences describing each family member in Activity 3, producing multiple short written pieces.
Lesson 4
The Rock
Students are asked to write in a journal for Activity 1, recording three feelings, three phrases, and two events from chapters using Star Boy's and Morning Girl's voices. Activity 4 directs students to list family members and write a sentence beneath each name describing what they might do to comfort that person. The pronouns activity requires students to rewrite given sentences replacing nouns with pronouns and to compose three original sentences that each contain two pronouns, with instructions delivered by an adult.
Lesson 5
Let's Write
Students use a prewriting "Ideas and Rough Draft" organizer to plan two first-person paragraphs (planning). Students write rough drafts and are given an "Editing Rubric" to guide revision for ideas, voice, and grammar (revising). Students are prompted to look for grammatical changes, use a dictionary/reference to check spelling, edit for punctuation and spelling, and then produce a final copy to share with family (editing and publishing). The Skills section explicitly lists editing toward standard grammar and usage, including subject-verb agreement, pronoun agreement, and appropriate verb tenses.
Lesson 6
The Storm
Students are asked to write answers to reading questions in a journal and/or discuss them with an adult, and are reminded to answer in complete sentences. An adult is prompted to discuss differences between verbal and written answers and to tell the child to be more careful about grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Activity 1 requires students to record characters' feelings, thoughts, words, and events in writing.
Lesson 7
Visitors
Students are asked to write journal entries (Activity 1) and a Name Poem (Activity 2), producing initial written work. Students are prompted to use a "Morning Girl/Visitor Organizer" to outline thoughts before writing, which provides an explicit planning step. Parents are instructed to read aloud, discuss chapters, and remind or encourage the child, which provides adult guidance and support during writing.
Final Project
Poetry Night
Students plan and produce written work by gathering examples from the activity page and Encounter to create a mini-fold book that organizes positive, negative, and mixed effects. Students write two structured "before and after" poems (one from a Native American perspective and one from Columbus's perspective) with five before-and-after phrases each, and use sample poems as models. An adult is prompted to encourage, read aloud with, and guide the child through folding, categorizing, and writing activities. Students prepare to read their poems aloud, record the reading, listen to the playback, receive discussion about ways to improve the reading, and re-record.
Unit 2: Communities and Culture
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students complete an organizer in Activity 1 where they record "What I already know," "What I want to learn," and "What I have learned," which guides their gathering and planning of information. In Activities 2 and 3 students write sentences using proper nouns and are instructed to capitalize and punctuate them, and an adult is told to check their capitalization and punctuation. The scavenger hunt and sentence tasks require students to produce written sentences and then have those sentences reviewed for conventions.
Lesson 3
The King
Students complete a Venn diagram comparing a king and a president and then write a paragraph in their journal explaining their preference, which shows planning from graphic organizer to written product. Students look up vocabulary words, write definitions on note cards, use words in sentences, and create a short story using the vocabulary, which supports gathering and organizing ideas before writing. Students read their recorded story aloud and check that vocabulary words make sense in context, which provides an opportunity for oral review and informal revision with adult support.
Lesson 5
A Day in Egypt
Students brainstorm and plan their writing using the "A Day in Ancient Egypt" planning page and the "A Day in My Life" schedule, which prompt them to organize events and include details. Students use the "Hamburger Paragraph Organizer" to structure a paragraph comparing ancient and modern life. Students are asked to produce a rough draft, read it aloud, and "make any editing changes that need to be made," and adults are instructed to prompt and encourage revisions.
Lesson 6
Middle Ages
Students are asked to write two sentences about the Middle Ages that must include at least one concrete and one abstract noun (Activity 2). Students are instructed to write a first-person journal entry from the point of view of a peasant describing daily work and feelings, and are told to review point of view and re-read source pages to support their writing (Activity 3). Students complete a written compare/contrast organizer listing at least three similarities and three differences between laborers in ancient Egypt and peasants in the Middle Ages (Activity 4). Parents are prompted to listen, prompt complete sentences, and review student responses, providing adult support during writing tasks.
Lesson 9
Writing About History
Students plan by recording a time period, listing interesting cultural details, and selecting a focus on the "Getting Started" organizer. Students draft both a factual paragraph and a fictional paragraph using the "Rough Draft: Fact and Fantasy" prompts or by composing in a journal. Students revise and edit by using an editing rubric to check content, voice, capitalization of proper nouns, sentence-ending punctuation, and common-word spelling, then produce a final copy and receive scored feedback.
Final Project
Elements of Change
Students plan their writing by choosing three cultural elements and completing the "In My Book" organizer, including filling in Ancient Egypt, Middle Ages, and Today and sketching illustration ideas. Students write sentences on the "Book of Change" and "Through the Ages" pages, composing descriptions for each element and time period. Students revise and edit by writing in pencil, reading through their sentences to make changes in grammar and spelling, and checking that each sentence has a subject and verb, begins with a capital letter, and ends with correct punctuation before tracing in pen.
Unit 3: American Heroes
Lesson 1
Heroes
Students are prompted to plan by listing eight adjectives that describe a hero (Activity 1) and to choose a specific hero and list adjectives before writing (Activity 2). Students write sentences using each selected adjective and complete a sentence about how the hero changed the world, showing drafting of ideas. An adult is directed to prompt and remind the child (e.g., asking questions and encouraging deeper exploration), and the teacher/parent reminder that proper nouns should begin with capital letters provides a specific convention to apply.
Lesson 3
Heroes of Freedom
The lesson asks students to write: a free-verse journal poem about their childhood, to fill out hero cards, and to use a "Planning My Journey" page to design secret signs and a route map. The Skills list explicitly includes "Use published pieces as models for writing," "Write to discover, develop, and refine ideas," and "Write to record ideas and reflections," indicating students will produce and develop written work. The instructions also ask an adult to "Help your child to interpret the words" and let the child read the poem aloud, providing some adult guidance during the writing activity.
Lesson 5
Recent Heroes
Students are asked to write answers to comprehension questions about Walt Disney and Jesse Owens, which requires composing short written responses. Students fill out hero cards and record names and birth dates on a timeline, and they complete an 'Adjectives Describe Nouns' activity that directs them to write two sentences using nouns with adjectives. Students also choose an Imagineer task that asks them to describe a new character or ride in writing, with directions given aloud by an adult.
Lesson 6
African-American Heroes
Students are asked to plan and write a letter in Activity 2, with Option 1 providing a structured writing page that prompts an introduction, three reasons, an example, and a conclusion. The lesson instructs an adult to "Tell your child" to write the letter and to "let your child develop her own simple letter" in Option 2, indicating adult guidance and support during the writing task. Other activities (Hero Cards, Scientific Discovery) require students to generate written responses and record information, which supports initial drafting and planning of ideas.
Lesson 7
Female Heroes
Students are asked to plan and produce writing: they create hero cards and record dates on a timeline (Activity 1) and write an acrostic poem about a woman they admire, choosing a subject and composing descriptive lines (Activity 3). Students practice composing different sentence types and are given examples to model declarative, interrogative, and exclamatory sentences about Susan B. Anthony and Sandra Day O'Connor (Activity 2 and the Student Activity Page). The lesson also directs an adult to "discuss appropriate use of punctuation," which provides some attention to conventions.
Final Project
My Life Story
Students plan their writing by completing a Pre-Writing Organizer that prompts birth information, three life events, and ideas for two paragraphs. Students compose a first draft using the organizer and are instructed to include at least five adjectives, three adverbs, one exclamatory and one interrogative sentence. Students revise and edit by using an Editing Rubric that checks organization, content, and grammar, by using a beginning dictionary to correct spelling, and by discussing scoring and improvement with an adult reviewer.
3: Cycles
Unit 1: Poppy
Lesson 2
Mr. Ocax
Students are asked to write a paragraph about what they have in common with a character and to support their opinion with evidence from the story and their own life, with instruction to answer in complete sentences. An adult is directed to prompt, encourage, and discuss the work, providing guidance and support during reading and writing. Students practice revision-like work by combining short sentences into longer ones using conjunctions; they make a list of conjunctions, generate sentences for each conjunction, and complete structured sentence-combining exercises.
Lesson 3
The Emergency Meeting
Students are asked to write a short summary of Chapters 3 and 4 in their journals and to answer comprehension questions in complete sentences for both verbal and written responses. Students analyze paragraph structure by underlining topic and concluding sentences, cutting paragraphs apart and reassembling them, and identifying the central idea of each paragraph. An adult is instructed to read passages, review paragraph divisions, and assist the child, indicating some guided support during these activities.
Lesson 4
Standing Before Mr. Ocax
Students practice writing dialogue and are explicitly told to use quotation marks around spoken words and to identify quotation marks in the text (Activity 2). Students write a speech to their parents, present it to an audience, and receive oral feedback from adults about what was effective and what could be improved (Activity 3). The skills list instructs students to write structured presentations and narratives with help and to use correct punctuation in their own writing.
Lesson 5
Poppy and Poppa
Students are asked to write journal entries connecting events in the chapters to real life, which requires planning and producing written responses. The lesson tells students to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences and to use a thesaurus on the "Choose the Right Word" page, prompting them to select stronger or more precise words. Students complete synonym/antonym and word-choice activities that ask them to revise word choices for specificity and tone. An adult (parent) is addressed throughout as guiding the child, implying adult support during activities.
Lesson 8
On the Way to New House
Students are asked to write a summary of Chapters 13 and 14 in their journal, and they are reminded to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences. Students are instructed to copy dialogue and write play-script lines with the character name followed by a colon, and an adult is prompted to ask and encourage these activities. The lesson also prompts an adult to provide assistance for the vocabulary crossword if the child needs help.
Lesson 9
The Truth at Last
Students are asked to write journal entries using a provided format ("In Chapters 15-16, Poppy wanted...But...So...") so they plan and record story information. The activities require students to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences and to record textual evidence (Activity 3) about Poppy and Mr. Ocax. The prefix/suffix exercises include writing prompts that ask students to write a word with a given affix and use it in a sentence, prompting composition practice.
Lesson 11
Writing Project
Students plan their writing using the provided Paragraph Organizer to outline introductory sentences, supporting ideas, and concluding sentences for three paragraphs. Students compose a first draft using those plans and use the Paragraph Rubric to evaluate organization, topic sentences, supporting evidence, and required features (quotation marks, combined sentences with conjunctions, suffixes/prefixes, vocabulary). Students revise and edit by reading paragraphs aloud, checking for misspellings with a beginning dictionary or reference materials, making additions or changes based on rubric responses, and producing a final draft that is checked again and read to family.
Lesson 12
A New Beginning
Students are asked to write epitaphs in their journal (about four to five lines) and a short speech after planting a tree, with an adult suggested format provided for the epitaph if help is needed. An adult is instructed to remind the child to answer written questions in complete sentences and to discuss tone and themes, which provides adult guidance during writing tasks. Students also complete the Story Tree and the '________'s Tree' activities that require planning content to represent literary elements and personal items.
Final Project
Poppy
Students are asked to create planning artifacts (a plot diagram, plans for a card or mouse house) and to produce multiple written pieces (a journal entry, paragraph about theme, poems, dialogue) that require composing. Students are asked to record rules for adding -ed and -ing and to write dialogue using quotation marks, which practices specific language conventions. Adults are instructed to review student work, recommend areas to check or improve, and let students make changes, which supports revision and editing with adult guidance.
Unit 2: Charlotte's Web
Lesson 1
Getting Started
Students brainstorm and plan writing using a bubble map to list characteristics of friendship and use plot flow charts and character description pages to organize main events and character traits chapter-by-chapter. Students are prompted to write in a journal about a special pet and to write sentences using new vocabulary words, with the parent asking questions and providing page references. The lesson repeatedly instructs the adult to prompt, encourage, and remind the child to answer questions in complete sentences, providing adult guidance during writing tasks.
Lesson 2
Charlotte
Students are asked to locate information about spiders and then write a poem from Wilbur's point of view using that research, which shows planning and drafting based on gathered information. Students are asked to fill in a plot flow chart, write character descriptions, and create schedules, which function as organizational and prewriting activities. The skills section states students will "write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization," and many prompts instruct an adult to "encourage" or "ask" the child, indicating adult guidance and support.
Lesson 3
Bad News
Students are asked to plan writing by completing a Plot Flow Chart and Character Descriptions, deciding what to include in written products. The skills list explicitly states students will "Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products" and "Write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization." Students are guided to brainstorm sensory words (Option 2) or use a provided word bank (Option 1) before writing a sensory paragraph, and adults are prompted to encourage, ask, and discuss the writing tasks with the child.
Lesson 4
Some Pig
Students are asked to fill in a Plot Flow Chart and write Character Descriptions, which requires them to plan and organize ideas about the text. The lesson asks the child to answer Friendship Scenarios in a journal, providing guided opportunities to produce written responses with adult support. Option 2 asks students to rewrite sentences and add adverbs, an activity that has them revise existing sentences. The parent-facing directions (e.g., "Encourage your child," "Let her write," "Ask your child") explicitly position an adult to provide guidance and support.
Lesson 6
The Fair
Students are asked to plan writing by filling in a Plot Flow Chart and by making lists and materials for a fair booth, showing explicit planning and organizational work. Students revise writing by rewriting provided paragraphs (Activity 2) and by composing and improving a personal-paragraph in Activity 3, with prompts to vary sentence beginnings, lengths, and use conjunctions. The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to encourage, help, or discuss with the child, providing the guidance/support element (e.g., "encourage your child," "help her to gather the materials").
Lesson 7
The End
Students write character descriptions, complete a plot flow chart, and fill out "Characters Change" tables, which require drafting short written responses about story events and development. Students plan and organize a "Spiders Around the World" research project, writing one or two sentences in each section of a spider graphic organizer and composing an oral report that must have a main idea and supporting information. Students are instructed to have a teacher or parent check their work and are explicitly reminded to review proper punctuation in addresses (including a comma between city and state).
Final Project
Charlotte's Web
The lesson asks students to compose first drafts using planning and drafting, rereading for meaning, revising to clarify, and refining writing with guided discussion. Students are instructed to write a rough draft (book review or advertisement), to edit drafts for ideas, sentences, spelling, and grammar, and to use a beginning dictionary or reference materials to correct spelling. Day 2 directions explicitly instruct an adult to help the child edit and revise the rough draft and then write a final copy. Rubrics and checklists require students to self-assess sentence variety, spelling of common words, and whether paragraphs include required content.
Unit 3: The Family Under the Bridge
Lesson 1
Pre-Reading
The Setting: Paris activity gives students a divided activity sheet and prompts to use research to complete categories and write a paragraph, providing a clear planning scaffold. Directions repeatedly tell an adult to "help your child" and "tell your child," indicating students will work with adult guidance while completing the tasks. The Economic Cycles page asks students to list examples in each part of the cycle, providing spaces for prewriting and organization. The Types of Punctuation activity asks students to record punctuation marks they know and to use each one in a sentence, giving practice with conventions.
Lesson 2
The French Man
Students are asked to answer reading questions in complete sentences and to write character information on the "Meeting Characters" sheets after each chapter, demonstrating regular written responses. Students compose new sentences for vocabulary words in the Vocabulary Webs and use a dictionary to select appropriate definitions and usages. Students practice editing punctuation by adding commas on the "Commas" activity page and receive adult support and examples for comma placement.
Lesson 3
A Discovery
Students are asked to write two diary entries (Armand and Suzy) using provided sentence starters and dates, which supports initial planning of their writing. The Skills section and directions remind students to "compose sentences and use the appropriate punctuation" and to answer in complete sentences, which directs attention to sentence-level conventions. Activity 3 has students read a punctuation lesson and write questions and exclamatory sentences in their journals, giving explicit practice with question marks and exclamation points.
Lesson 4
A Day in the City
Students are instructed to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences and to fill in a "Meeting Characters" page, which requires composing written responses. Students complete a Venn diagram and short-answer questions comparing Christmas in France and America, which requires organizing information and writing. Students practice editing conventions by inserting colons and semicolons in provided sentences and by writing their own sentences that use those punctuation marks. Adult support is indicated by directions such as "Tell your child" and "Remind your child," which frame the activities as guided.
Lesson 5
Singing
Students are asked to use the "A Letter or Speech for Armand" graphic organizer to plan a persuasive letter or speech that includes three reasons and supporting details, showing explicit planning. The lesson instructs an adult to help the student come up with the first reason and support, indicating guidance and support during writing. In Activity 3 students locate and copy quoted sentences from the book and are told to notice that commas and periods go inside ending quotation marks, giving practice with a specific convention.
Lesson 6
The Shoe
The lesson instructs the child to answer verbal and written questions in complete sentences, which requires composing written responses. Activity 2 has the child identify dashes, hyphens, and ellipses in text and write a sentence that omits a phrase and inserts an ellipsis, giving direct practice with punctuation in writing. The lesson is designed to be carried out with adult guidance (e.g., "Tell your child," "Show your child"), indicating support during writing tasks.
Lesson 7
Among Friends
Students practice editing punctuation for possession in Activity 4 by adding apostrophes to sentences and by writing their own sentences that use apostrophes to show ownership. In Option 2 students cut and combine words to form possessive phrases and write three sentences using those words. The lesson directions repeatedly instruct an adult to "tell" and "encourage" the child, indicating guidance and support while students complete these editing and sentence-writing tasks.
Lesson 8
Christmas Eve
Students are asked to brainstorm a list of contractions, record each contraction with the two words that form it, and write five sentences using different contractions related to the book (Activity 4). Students are prompted to answer verbal and written comprehension questions in complete sentences and to write about personal experiences with worship if applicable (Introduction, Activity 2). The Skills section explicitly targets use of more complex capitalization and punctuation (proper nouns, abbreviations, commas, apostrophes, and quotation marks), and the lesson includes a review of apostrophes for ownership and contractions.
Lesson 9
Saying Goodbye
Students are given a Quinzaine Poem structure guide and sample poems to study, which directs them to plan and draft poems with specified syllable counts (7-5-3). Students complete a Parentheses activity in which they write words to fit parentheses and place parentheses around removable phrases, practicing punctuation and editing for that specific convention. Students are prompted to answer discussion and journal questions in complete sentences and to use the Culture Commentary pages to organize notes, which supports planning of written responses.
Lesson 10
A Home at Last
Students are prompted by an adult to answer chapter questions in complete sentences and to write in a journal about a time they gave up something to help someone. Students create a flip book and add descriptive phrases or sentences under illustrations, and they choose between writing a paragraph describing why a home is important or writing a letter explaining a housewarming gift and a singing telegram. The lesson includes adult-led discussion prompts (e.g., "Tell your child..." and "Discuss...") that accompany these writing tasks.
Final Project
Reader's Theater
Students choose a scene and use planning supports (boxes for Characters and Props and a lined script page) to prepare their script, and they are instructed to reread the novel passage aloud to gather material for dialogue. Students write a script of at least twenty lines and are told to think about how characters speak and act before writing, with a rubric provided to review criteria. Students receive adult/family support (a note to provide assistance if the child struggles), practice reading lines several times, perform and record the drama, and then watch the video and receive feedback using the rubric, which explicitly checks punctuation (colons, question/exclamation marks, parentheses, apostrophes) and script elements.
4: Relationships
Unit 1: One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest
Lesson 2
Morning in the Rain Forest
Students are asked to record answers in a journal for selected chapter questions, providing opportunities to write responses about the text. Students fill in the Rain Forest Animals Chart and the Daily Activities chart, composing written entries that classify animals and describe relationships and events. Students look up vocabulary words, record definitions, alphabetize the words, and use each word in a sentence, producing written work with adult support suggested in directions.
Lesson 4
Butterfly Search
Students are asked to write a paragraph describing which type of animal scientist they would like to be, using a provided outline or writing independently. The activities ask students to write journal responses to selected reading questions and to write about two relationships the butterfly has with a plant or animal. The Skills section explicitly lists that students should 'Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products,' and adult prompts are included to guide discussion and selection of journal questions.
Lesson 5
Rain Forest Relationships
Students are prompted to plan and compose responses: they answer journal and discussion questions about Chapters 4 and 5, sketch the butterfly from the author's description, and add animals and relationships to a "Rain Forest Animals Chart" and "Daily Activities" sheet. The lesson's Skills section explicitly lists "Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products" and "Increase oral and written vocabulary by listening, discussing, and composing texts," indicating students practice planning and composing with adult involvement through parent prompts.
Lesson 6
Law of the Jungle
Students are prompted to predict and record ideas about how characters will search for the butterfly, which requires prewriting and planning. Students are asked to illustrate or describe three examples in a journal before composing, providing an explicit planning/preparation step. Students are instructed to write a free-verse poem of five to ten lines titled "The Law of the Jungle," which requires drafting a piece of writing.
Lesson 7
Helping a Friend
Students are asked to write dialogue lines and full scripts for the tree-climbing scene (Activity 2, Option 2) and to decide props and stage directions, which requires composing and organizing written material. Students may be given lines to order and assign to characters and can add additional lines (Option 1), and an adult is prompted to review script formatting with the child. The activity asks students to use script conventions (character name: line; stage directions in parentheses).
Lesson 8
Persuasive Writing
Students are guided to plan their writing using a three-paragraph organizer (introductory sentence, reasons/details, concluding sentence) and an advanced organizer that requires a supporting sentence for each idea. Students write a rough draft of the three paragraphs after completing the organizer, with explicit instruction about paragraph structure (opening, supporting, concluding sentences). Students revise and edit by reading their draft four times with a focused Editing and Revising Rubric (capitalization, punctuation, paragraph organization, spelling), using different colored pencils for each pass and consulting a beginning dictionary to check spelling, then produce a final copy and read it aloud.
Lesson 9
A Close Call
Students are asked to organize and plan story events by selecting important events from their "Daily Activities" page and completing a Plot Diagram that lists the problem, climax, falling action, and resolution. Students record information and describe relationships on the "Rain Forest Animals Chart" and transfer counts to a bar graph, demonstrating organization of ideas before presenting them. Adult guidance is implied throughout (instructions directed to "your child," prompts to ask and discuss), supporting student work while they compose metaphors and similes and complete graphic organizers.
Final Project
Field Guide or Documentary
Students use graphic organizers (Field Guide and Documentary Organizer) to plan research and scripts, and are prompted to generate ideas through prewriting techniques such as drawing and listing. The skills list explicitly requires students to develop drafts, revise selected drafts to improve audience awareness and word choice, and edit for grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Students review a rubric with an adult, receive specific feedback, and discuss places to improve their finished product.
Unit 2: The Whipping Boy
Lesson 1
Medieval Times
Students are asked to write sentences and journal entries (Activity 1, Activity 3 Option 2, Activity 5) where they list what they know about medieval times, list disadvantages of a monarchy, and describe personal relationships. Students plan and produce a multi-day comic-strip project (Activity 6) that requires them to decide which events to illustrate as they read each chapter. Adult support is explicitly suggested throughout (questions, discussion prompts, and a note that the parent may need to provide assistance for Activity 2).
Lesson 2
Jemmy and Prince Brat
Students plan and compose content when they create a comic strip—illustrating important events from each chapter and writing a sentence or dialogue for each panel. Students write sentences for vocabulary practice by copying the sentence from the book and composing a new sentence that uses the word in context. Students write diary/journal entries from Jemmy's and Prince Brat's points of view, using scaffolded prompts (Option 1) or composing original entries (Option 2), with an adult directed role in assigning questions and discussing responses.
Lesson 5
Disagreements
Students are asked to answer comprehension questions in a journal and discuss some responses with an adult, showing adult-supported writing and reflection. Students fill in boxes on a comic strip page for each chapter, which has them sequence and represent story events (planning a visual/structured retelling). Students rewrite hyperboles into non-exaggerated sentences and create hyperboles, which requires them to revise and rephrase sentences.
Lesson 6
In the Woods
Students are asked to answer directed journal questions after reading Chapters 13–15 and to add scenes to a comic strip, which requires composing and organizing content. Activity 2 asks students to make a list in their journal about what friends do and to choose between writing a letter to a close friend or designing a "Best Friend Award," both of which require written composition. The lesson repeatedly instructs an adult to discuss prompts with the child (e.g., "Let your child explain...", "Discuss...", "Ask your child to..."), indicating guided support while students produce writing.
Lesson 7
The Rescue
Students plan their writing by using the provided "At Home" student activity pages: a five-sentence paragraph organizer (Option 1) and an advanced outline that prompts an introduction, three reasons with supporting details, and a concluding sentence. Students are prompted to organize their thoughts on the page and then write the paragraph in their journal, and adults are instructed to discuss, encourage, and prompt the child as they write. Students are asked to create a ballad with a specified rhyme pattern and to sing or perform it, which involves drafting a short poetic text and preparing it for presentation.
Lesson 8
Friends
The Skills section explicitly tells students to "Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products" and to "Write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization." Activity 1 directs students to complete their comic strip and "read through the entire comic strip to see if she thinks that it makes sense," which prompts students to review and refine their composition for coherence. Activity 3 provides scaffolded journal-entry prompts for Prince Horace and Jemmy, guiding students as they plan and draft perspective-based writing.
Final Project
A Monologue
Students are given planning supports (sentence starters and an outlined structure) and a rubric to guide what to include in their monologues, enabling them to plan and organize their writing. Students are instructed to read their monologues aloud, make changes to improve interest and believability, and check that they covered rubric criteria, which guides revision. Students practice delivering the monologues, receive constructive feedback, and review video recordings to discuss and implement improvements, showing guided support for strengthening their writing and performance.
Unit 3: Iggie's House
Lesson 1
The Move
Students are asked to plan and compose written products: they make a five-characteristics list with sentences in a journal, complete a reactions chart with character and personal responses, and choose between writing a letter to a friend or a descriptive paragraph about missing a friend. The Skills section explicitly lists 'Plan and make judgments about what to include in written products,' and instructions direct an adult to 'Show your child' and to 'Ask your child,' indicating adult guidance during writing tasks. Option 1 explicitly reviews the proper form of addressing an envelope and reminds the child that a comma is included between the city and state, which gives a direct convention-focused prompt.
Lesson 2
Meeting the Neighbors
Students are prompted to write answers in a journal for chapter questions and to complete a "Reactions Chart," showing opportunities to produce written responses. Students read and respond to four racial-relationship scenarios and are asked to create their own scenario, providing guided writing practice. In the "Fact or Opinion" activity students write two factual and two opinion sentences, and Option 2 asks students to rewrite sentences by changing facts to opinions and vice versa, which requires them to revise wording.
Lesson 3
The Softball Game
Students write responses to chapter questions and journal prompts (e.g., answer questions about Winnie and describe the softball game). Students produce sentences in the Subject/Verb Agreement activity by combining subject and verb fragments and by creating sentences using specific verbs (hop, write, run). Students practice conventions by circling correct irregular verb forms on the Irregular Verbs page and by writing sentences that use past-tense irregular verbs.
Lesson 4
A New Dog
Students are asked to "develop drafts" in the Skills section and to write a paragraph on the "My Pet" activity page, providing space for writing and a drawing. Students complete guided exercises on past, present, and future tense where they fill in verb forms and write sentences in each tense, and the lesson discusses that verbs must match the subject and time of the action. The lesson directs an adult to select reading questions for the child to answer in a journal and to discuss other questions, creating opportunities for adult-supported written responses.
Lesson 7
The Swim Club
Students are prompted by an adult to write sentences in Activity 2 (Friendship House) by numbering windows/door and writing a sentence describing each friendship. Students are asked in Option 1 to use selected contraction cards in sentences and in Option 2 to write six journal sentences about characters/events that each include a contraction. Adults are instructed to ask questions, read aloud with the child, and play the contractions game with the child, indicating guided support during writing and language activities.
Lesson 8
Moving
Students are asked to identify and correct inconsistent verb tense in Activity 3 by rewriting a provided paragraph in past tense and composing a paragraph in future tense (Option 1 and Option 2). The materials instruct adults to "explain to your child" about keeping verb tense consistent and to "discuss" verb errors, indicating adult guidance during editing. The Skills section notes students will "write structured, informative presentations and narratives when given help with organization," which supports guided development of writing.
Lesson 9
A Letter
Students plan their letter using the provided "Planning My Letter" pages that prompt a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence for each of three paragraphs. Students write a first draft in their journal (Part 2) and then perform multiple focused read-throughs for editing: first for capitalization and ending punctuation, second for subject/verb agreement, and third for spelling, using colored pencils to mark corrections. Students use a Letter Rubric to guide revisions and receive adult feedback, and they consult reference materials (a beginning dictionary) to check and correct spelling before producing a final copy.
Lesson 10
I Have a Dream
Students are asked to answer questions in their journal after reading Chapter 9 and to complete a Reactions Chart, providing opportunities to produce written responses. Students are directed to write sentences with singular and plural nouns, make up sentences using a list of verbs, circle the subject and underline the verb, and assemble subject/verb wheels, which practices grammatical conventions. The I Have a Dream activity asks students to read an excerpt aloud, answer comprehension questions (including "What can you do to help King's dream come true?"), and illustrate their dream, giving additional opportunities for students to generate ideas in writing or drawing.
Final Project
Character Interviews
Students are asked to write interview questions for multiple characters and to create character responses, using the Reactions Chart and journal entries to inform their writing, which demonstrates planning. Adults are instructed to discuss characteristics of good interview questions and to role-play as reporters, providing guidance and support during question development and practice. The rubric prompts students to self-assess whether they developed good questions, used story events in their writing, and whether their answers were easy to understand, which evaluates aspects of writing development.