ELA.3.R.2.1

Explain how text features contribute to meaning and identify the text structures of chronology, comparison, and cause/effect in texts.
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts (B.E.S.T.)
Grade: 3
Strand: Reading
Date Adopted or Revised: 08/20
Status: State Board Approved

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5010030: Functional Basic Skills in Communications-Elementary (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
5010044: Language Arts - Grade Three (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
7710014: Access Language Arts - Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2018, 2018 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
5011030: Library Skills/Information Literacy Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2016 - 2022, 2022 - 2023, 2023 and beyond (current))
5010024: Basic Skills in Reading 3-5 (Specifically in versions: 2021 and beyond (current))
5010103: Introduction to Debate Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2020 - 2022, 2022 and beyond (current))
5010014: English for Speakers of Other Languages Grade 3 (Specifically in versions: 2022 and beyond (current))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
ELA.3.R.2.AP.1: Identify the text structures of chronological order, comparison and cause/effect in texts.

Related Resources

Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Lesson Plans

Father of the Constitution: A Story about James Madison: Timeline to the Constitution:

This is lesson #4 in the text unit series for Father of the Constitution, A Story about James Madison by Barbara Mitchell. Students will use a timeline to sequence the events in James Madison’s life that led to the ratification of the US Constitution, consider how Madison is named the father of the constitution, and discuss why he is an individual that represents the United States.

This unit of study is about the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Through this unit, students will follow the life of James Madison, creating a timeline of events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the democratic government system still in use today. Students will research, develop an argumentative debate, and vote, as they read the text. Students will realize that his process prepared Madison for the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Students will engage in the expository writing process to construct a Classroom Constitution that aligns with the school’s vision and mission statements.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

Abraham Lincoln: Life of Honesty: Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation:

This is lesson #6 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie.

This lesson is meant for students to look closely at the events, and their cause and effect relationships, that led to the abolision of slavery in the United States. Students will complete a graphic organizer and write a summary explaining their findings.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

Vote: Lesson 3 Basics of Voting:

Students will connect how school and classroom rules are similar to the United States Constitution in this 3rd lesson in the text unit. When discussing Vote! by Eileen Christelow, students will use the vocabulary words they learned throughout the reading of the text. Students will then complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast school and classroom rules. Students should make the connection that voting is making your choice heard. The lesson will end with students explaining the importance of voting.

This unit will explain voting in the United States. Unit lessons include duties of responsible citizens for voting, the voting process, responsibilities of candidates, and voting outcomes. Teacher will utilize a read aloud over several lessons incorporating text structure, text features, figurative language, and the use of multimedia in presentations. Teachers will facilitate research to help students create a presentation.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Great Seal of the State of Florida: Then and Now (Lesson 2):

In this integrated lesson students will choose to either create a Double Bubble Map or a Venn Diagram in PowerPoint to compare and contrast the 1846 version and the current version of the Great Seal of the State of Florida.  This is part 2 in a multipart unit on the great seal of Florida that will culminate in a student created SCRATCH project.

Type: Lesson Plan

Celebrate Constitution Day, Part 1:

Students will listen to and discuss information on the writing and content of the United States Constitution, in this lesson plan. They will organize summary information into a useful order that will help them create the coding for a Scratch program. This is part 1 of a 2-part series that integrates Civics, English Language Arts, and Computer Science. 

Type: Lesson Plan

The Branches of Government Work Together:

Students will conduct research to identify two to three relevant details that support a given central idea about the three branches of the U.S. government. Students will gather information through text and text features utilizing informational texts and/or teacher given websites about how each branch is organized and operates. Students will then compile the information in order to summarize the main idea and relevant details into a multimedia project comparing and summarizing the three branches.

Type: Lesson Plan

The Amazon Rainforest:

In this lesson, students will read an informational article about the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest. Students will identify and describe the cause/effect structure used throughout the article. Students will write an expository paragraph about events occurring in the Amazon Rainforest.

Type: Lesson Plan

A River of Words: Chronological Text Structure:

In this lesson, students will work with the teacher and in cooperative groups to read and summarize A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant. Through the reading of the text, students will sequence the events and use text features and text structure to understand the text. Students will then write to summarize William Carlos Williams' story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Understanding Chronological Order:

In this lesson, students will learn how to effectively read a timeline text feature and understand its purpose within a text. Students will also be able to create a timeline by extracting relevant details from a grade-level text on a given topic.

Type: Lesson Plan

Cause and Effect: Practicing the Skill with Picture Books:

In this lesson, students will listen to picture books and then use a graphic organizer to explain the cause-and-effect relationships in the picture books. Students will create their own storybook using cause-and-effect relationships.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using Text Features to Learn About Reptiles:

In this lesson, students will identify and use text features to learn about reptiles while reading the book REPTILES by Melissa Stewart. As the students practice identifying and using text features, they will also identify relevant details in the text. Using the text features and relevant details, students will identify the central idea. The students will then create a Reptile Poster using central ideas, relevant details, and text features. This lesson will use the text Reptiles by Melissa Stewart. However, this lesson can be done with any reptile-based book.

Type: Lesson Plan

Compare and Contrast Signals:

An interactive third grade lesson introducing the key words that signal a comparison or contrast in a text. This lesson is designed to be used with an interactive whiteboard, although pieces of it can be used without one.

Type: Lesson Plan

Finding the Central Idea and Details Using Informational Texts:

In this lesson, students read informational texts to determine the text’s central idea and the relevant details that support the central idea. Students use a graphic organizer to record a central idea and details and then write a paragraph summary. This lesson is written in a generalized way so that any type of informational text can be used.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using a Biography for Sequencing, Central Idea and Details:

Students use biographies to practice finding the central idea, relevant details, and putting events in chronological order/sequence. To do this, students in small groups will read a biography of Amelia Earhart and then create a timeline of the major events of her life using the information in the book. They will also complete a biographical outline.

Type: Lesson Plan

Cause and Effect Relationships in Historical Fiction:

In this lesson, students will identify multiple causes and effects in a work of historical fiction. The lesson features the text Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco.

Type: Lesson Plan

Understanding an Author's use of Text Features in a Non-Fiction Text:

This lesson focuses on helping students identify text features in order to better understand author’s purpose. Students will apply this knowledge to understand the informational text Great Migrations Elephants by Laura Marsh.

Type: Lesson Plan

Original Student Tutorials

Cause and Effect in the Deep, Blue Sea:

Help Noah learn how to identify examples of cause and effect in informational text in this ocean-themed, interactive tutorial. You will also learn how to match events and ideas in informational text that have a cause and effect relationship.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Exploring Sequencing in Text:

Learn how to identify the sequence of events or ideas in a text and make connections between the events or ideas.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Original Student Tutorials for Language Arts - Grades K-5

Cause and Effect in the Deep, Blue Sea:

Help Noah learn how to identify examples of cause and effect in informational text in this ocean-themed, interactive tutorial. You will also learn how to match events and ideas in informational text that have a cause and effect relationship.

Exploring Sequencing in Text:

Learn how to identify the sequence of events or ideas in a text and make connections between the events or ideas.

Student Resources

Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.

Original Student Tutorials

Cause and Effect in the Deep, Blue Sea:

Help Noah learn how to identify examples of cause and effect in informational text in this ocean-themed, interactive tutorial. You will also learn how to match events and ideas in informational text that have a cause and effect relationship.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Exploring Sequencing in Text:

Learn how to identify the sequence of events or ideas in a text and make connections between the events or ideas.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Parent Resources

Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this benchmark.