Reading—Grade 3

In third grade, students select and combine skills to read fluently with meaning and purpose. They apply comprehension and vocabulary strategies to a wider variety of literary of literary genres and informational text. Students demonstrate comprehension by participating in discussions, writing responses, and using evidence from text to support their thinking. They read for pleasure and choose books based on personal preference, topic, or author.

EALR 1: The student understands and uses different skills and strategies to read.

1.1.4 Apply understanding of phonics.

• Read words containing complex letter patterns and/or word families (e.g., -ieve, –eive, -ield) in isolation and in context.
• Apply multi-syllabic decoding when reading words in all text.

1.2.1 Apply reference skills to determine word meanings.

• Use glossaries and dictionaries to find and confirm word meanings.

1.2.2 Apply vocabulary strategies in grade-level text.

• Use the meanings of prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviated words to determine the meaning of unknown words in grade-level text.
• Describe how word meanings change as affixes are added to base words (e.g., rest/unrest/restful).
• Re-read to clarify, read on, ask for help, adjust reading rate, and use knowledge of print conventions to determine meaning of unknown words in informational/expository text and literary/narrative text.
• Use prior knowledge, context, pictures, illustrations, and diagrams to predict, clarify, and/or expand word meaning, including multiple-meaning words.

Component 1.3 Build vocabulary through wide reading.

1.3.1 Understand and apply new vocabulary.

• Use new vocabulary from informational/expository text and literary/narrative text, including text from a variety of cultures and communities, in own oral and written communication.

1.3.2 Understand and apply content/academic vocabulary critical to the meaning of the text. W

• Define words and concepts necessary for understanding math, science, social studies, literature, and other content area text.
• Select, from multiple choices, the meaning of words necessary to understand content/academic text.
• Explain that some words have a different meaning in different content/academic texts
  (e.g., area in math and geography).
• Use new vocabulary in oral and written communication.

Component 1.4 Apply word recognition skills and strategies to read fluently.

1.4.2 Apply fluency to enhance comprehension.

• Read aloud familiar grade-level informational/expository text and literary/narrative text accurately, using appropriate pacing, phrasing, and expression.
• Read aloud unpracticed grade-level text with fluency in a range of 110–120+ words correct per minute.

1.4.3 Apply different reading rates to match text.

• Adjust reading rate to match difficulty of texts (e.g., content/academic text) and for different purposes (e.g., pleasure reading vs. reading for information).

EALR 2: The student understands the meaning of what is read.

Component 2.1 Demonstrate evidence of reading comprehension.

2.1.3 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during, and after reading: determine importance using theme, main ideas, and supporting details in grade-level informational/expository text and/or literary/narrative text. W

• State main idea of an informational/expository text passage and give two reasons from the text supporting the choice.
• State the main idea of a literary/narrative text passage and support with two details from the story.
• Select, from multiple choices, the main idea of a passage, poem, or selection.
• Select, from multiple choices, a title that best fits the selection and support the choice with text evidence/details.
• State the theme/message in culturally relevant literary/narrative text and support with text-based evidence with teacher guidance.
• Organize main ideas and supporting details in a teacher-selected graphic organizer to enhance comprehension of text.

2.1.4 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during, and after reading: use prior knowledge/schema.

• Explain connections between self and characters, events, and information occurring within culturally relevant text or among multiple texts.
• Call on prior knowledge about a topic and organize information into a graphic organizer to aid in comprehension of text

2.1.5 Apply comprehension strategies before, during, and after reading: predict and infer

from grade-level informational/expository text and/or literary/narrative text. W

• Predict or infer about text content using prior knowledge, text, and text features in both informational/expository and literary/narrative text. Support with evidence from text (e.g., how a character will act, why a character acts a certain way, why an author includes certain information, and what might happen next).
• Use text to make, confirm, or revise inferences and predictions in both literary/narrative and informational/expository text.
• Select, from multiple choices, a prediction or inference from literary/narrative text (e.g., how a poet or author feels, how a character feels, what a character will do, what is likely to happen next or at the end of the story or poem).
• Select, from multiple choices, a prediction or inference from informational/expository text (e.g., what is likely to happen, or what will happen next).
• Organize information that supports a prediction or inference in a teacher-selected graphic organizer to enhance comprehension.

2.1.6 Apply comprehension monitoring strategies before, during, and after reading: monitor for meaning, create mental images, and generate and answer questions.

• Monitor for meaning by identifying where and why comprehension was lost and use comprehension-repair strategies to regain meaning.
• Generate and answer questions before, during, and after reading.
• Draw, write about, or verbally describe the mental imagery that occurs while reading.
• Organize images and information into a graphic organizer with teacher guidance, to enhance comprehension of text (e.g., add information to a partially completed organizer).

2.1.7 Apply comprehension strategies during and after reading: summarize grade-level literary/narrative text and informational/expository text. W

• Summarize the events or ideas in literary/narrative text, citing text-based evidence.
• Summarize the events, information, or ideas in informational/expository text (e.g., the life cycle of a frog, characteristics of a desert, life events in a biography), citing text-based evidence.
• Summarize the plot/message in culturally relevant literary/narrative text.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that best summarizes the story or informational/expository selection and support the choice with text evidence/details.
• Organize summary information in a teacher-selected graphic organizer to enhance comprehension.

Component 2.2 Understand and apply knowledge of text components to comprehend text.

2.2.1 Understand sequence in informational/expository text and literary/narrative text. W

• Explain story ideas or events in sequential order. (Note: Differences in story telling order exist between cultures. For example, in some cultures the end of the story is told first.)
• Explain steps in a process (e.g., problem solving in mathematics, life cycle of a butterfly).
• Select, from multiple choices, the order of ideas, facts, events (e.g., what happened first, next, last; the order in which ideas or facts were introduced).

2.2.2 Apply knowledge of printed and electronic text features to locate and comprehend text. W

• Identify and use grade-level appropriate text features.
• Explain how certain text features help you understand the selection.
• Interpret information from graphs, charts, diagrams, and tables.
• Identify, from multiple choices, where certain information/ideas might be found in the text.
• Use icons, pull-down menus, key word searches.

2.2.3 Understand story elements. W

• Describe characters’ physical traits and infer personality traits by what they say and do.
• Describe the problem faced by a character and how he/she/it solves the problem.
• Explain how the setting is important to the story.
• Identify the speaker (narrator) in a selection and explain first person point of view.
• Select, from multiple choices, the best description of a character or setting in a story or poem (e.g., character traits, feelings, character’s problem, or importance of character).

2.2.4 Apply understanding of simple text organizational structures.

• Recognize and use previously learned text organizational structures of simple listing and sequential order to aid comprehension.
• Identify and use text written in the text organizational structures of description and compare and contrast to find and organize information and comprehend text.

Component 2.3 Expand comprehension by analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing information and ideas in literary and informational text.

2.3.1 Understand and analyze the relationship between and among informational/expository text and literary/narrative text. W

• Compare and contrast information (e.g., facts and details, literary/narrative elements, different versions of the same story, time period, cultures) within text and between texts.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that describes how specific literary/narrative elements are alike or different in a poem or story (e.g., two characters and/or their feelings, a character and the author, two events, two settings).
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that describes how information is alike or different (e.g., information from two selections).
• Recognize and explain cause and effect relationships in informational/expository and literary/narrative text, using evidence from the text.
• Select, from multiple choices, a sentence that explains the cause of events or the effects of actions.

2.3.2 Apply understanding of systems for organizing information.

• Use alphabetical, numerical, and key word/topic systems to locate information on a specific topic or for a specific purpose in an encyclopedia or dictionary.

2.3.3 Understand literary/narrative devices.

• Explain similes, metaphors, alliterative sentences, and onomatopoeia and identify each in literary/narrative passages.

Component 2.4 Think critically and analyze author’s use of language, style, purpose, and perspective in literary and informational text.

2.4.1 Understand how to draw conclusions and give a response to informational/expository text and literary/narrative text. W

• Generate a personal or text-based response to text using a teacher-generated prompt (e.g., what would be the best/worst part of an event or situation).
• Draw a conclusion from grade-level text (e.g., how the story or information might be useful, to whom the story or information might be useful) and support with evidence from the text.

2.4.2 Understand the author’s purpose for and style of writing in both informational/expository text and literary/narrative text. W

• Decide on the author’s purpose for writing a selection and support the decision with evidence/details from the text.
• Identify simple elements of style (word choice, sentence structure and length, literary devices) (with teacher guidance).

2.4.3 Understand the difference between fact and opinion. W

• Identify facts and opinions and explain the difference between them.
• Select, from multiple choices, a statement that is a fact or an opinion.

2.4.4 Evaluate author’s effectiveness for a chosen audience.

• Read an article and explain whether the author convinced the reader to think or act differently. W

2.4.5 Understand how to generalize from text. W

• Generalize about common characteristics of literary/narrative sub-genres.
• Generalize by comparing characters in similar stories from different cultures (e.g., Cinderella/The Rough-Faced Girl or Little Red Riding Hood/Lon Po Po).

EALR 3: The student reads different materials for a variety of purposes.

Component 3.1 Read to learn new information.

3.1.1 Understand how to select and use appropriate resources.

• Identify two resources and use them to answer a question or solve a problem.

Component 3.2 Read to perform a task.

3.2.1 Understand information gained from reading to perform a specific task.

• Use signs, labels, and instructions to answer questions or complete a task, using grade-level text.
• Interpret information from common environmental print to solve a problem or perform a task (e.g., set up and run a science experiment using steps outlined in text).

3.2.2 Understand a variety of functional documents.

• Explain the information in functional documents that are used in a school setting to communicate information (e.g., notes home to family members, rules, newsletters, schedules).

Component 3.4 Read for literary experience in a variety of genres.

3.4.1 Understand different perspectives of family, friendship, culture, and traditions found in literature.

• Listen to, read, and discuss a variety of literature representing different perspectives of family, friendship, culture, and tradition, generating a personal and/or text-based response.

3.4.2 Understand contemporary and traditional literature written in a variety of genres.

• Explain the characteristics of a variety of genres.
• Respond to literature from multiple genres using teacher prompts appropriate to the text and content.

3.4.3 Understand a variety of literature representing different cultures and traditions.

• Discuss the culture and/or traditions described in a piece of literature and explain how they are similar or different from those of the reader.

EALR 4: The student sets goals and evaluates progress to improve reading.

Component 4.1 Assess reading strengths and need for improvement.

4.1.1 Apply strategies to monitor reading progress.

• Identify reading strengths and weaknesses with teacher assistance and select targets on which to work.
• Track progress in reading achievement with graphs, charts, and checklists.

4.1.2 Understand how to set grade-level appropriate reading goals.

• Set two reading goals and create a plan to meet those goals with teacher assistance.

Component 4.2 Develop interests and share reading experiences.

4.2.1 Evaluate authors and books to select favorites.

• Develop a list of favorite authors and books, including the reason each was selected for the list, and share with others.
• Self-select books to read at an instructional level and an independent level.