With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
| Name |
Description |
| Water Park Fun Day | This third grade MEA asks students to work as a team to figure out which activities they would like to do at the water park with a given amount of tickets and time. Students will make informed decisions about which activities and food and beverage items on which to spend their allotted tickets. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| 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. |
| Group Singing Lessons | Third grade students will decide which performing arts facility their parents should choose for them to take group singing lessons at. They will apply multiplication, division, and time skills for telling time to the nearest minute and time intervals. Students will work collaboratively as a group to analyze this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), and engage in collaborative discussion that involves higher level critical thinking. They will write argumentation letters on which performing arts facility is the best choice. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| A Reading of The Junkyard Wonders by Patricia Polacco | In this reading of Patricia Polacco's story The Junkyard Wonders, students will identify and analyze character development to help determine the theme, or underlying message, the author wants readers to understand. |
| The Ballad of Mulan: A Close Reading Activity | In this lesson, students will read and reread a classic Chinese folktale, The Ballad of Mulan. They will ask and answer text-dependent questions and will recount the events in the story using a story map. Students will determine the theme of the story and analyze Mulan's character development through her actions, thoughts, and feelings along with their contribution to the sequence of events and, ultimately, the theme of the story. |
| The Journey of a Tiny Turtle | In this lesson, students will read texts about the life cycle of sea turtles. They will gather facts and research sea turtles from various texts in order to write an expository essay and create a brochure about sea turtles. |
| Lizard Lights | Students will use a real-world problem solving situation to determine the best types of light bulbs to maintain an appropriate environment for a captive lizard. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| It's all in the details! Personal Narrative Writing using the Text My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig | The lesson focuses on supporting students as they write personal narratives with character descriptions, interesting details and dialogue using an example from the My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig. This is the last in a series of three lessons using the text My Secret Bully. |
| Spin Beyblades | Students will get to evaluate data and create a process for which bey blade would be the "best" for Mr. Brown's toy store. Data will include customer feedback, price, style and revolutions per minute. Students will apply understanding of division in problem-solving. They will write a letter explaining their procedure using grade-appropriate language conventions. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| This is What I Think! Using Opinion Writing to Respond to the Text My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig | For this lesson, students will read an excerpt from the text My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig. In response to a character's actions in the story, students will work to produce an opinion writing piece using character perspectives as text evidence to support their opinion. This is the second in a series of three lessons using the text My Secret Bully. |
| Healthy Habits | Students will determine what two snacks should be placed in the school vending machines because the district is asking for healthier and tastier snacks. Factors to consider are calories, fat, protein, sugar, student comments, and cost. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| I-SPY Something Important | This lesson is designed to help students identify the central idea and relevant details of a text using the topic of inventions. |
| Nail It with Great Nail Polish! | In teams, students will determine which nail polish works the best for your money. The criteria they will look at will be cost per bottle, strength (chip resistance), and safety (DBP and Toluene Free). Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Favorite Family Traditions | Students use the text The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant as a springboard for discussion about family traditions. After identifying the traditions observed by the relatives, students will meet in small groups to brainstorm new traditions that could arise from the families gathering together during the winter or other time of year. The lesson is concluded by having each student write a personal narrative paragraph about their own favorite family tradition. Students will then share their writing with a partner for peer editing. |
| Spacesuits Unlimited MEA | In this open-ended problem, students will work in teams to determine a procedure for selecting a company from which to purchase spacesuits. Students will make decisions based on a table that includes company, cost per suit, color, durability, materials, and comfort. Students will determine the price per flight, graph the provided information, and write a letter to the client providing evidence for their decisions. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Writing With a Purpose | The class will read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse or Yours Truly, Goldilocks by Alma Flor Ada, or Dr. Mrs. La Rue by Mark Teague as a lead into writing letters. Teacher will share notes from students. Students will organize ideas to write a letter using the informal letter format to someone. |
| Exploring Cause and Effect Using Expository Texts About Natural Disasters | This lesson helps students explore the nature and structure of expository texts that focus on cause and effect. Students begin by activating prior knowledge about cause and effect; the teacher then models discovering these relationships in a text and recording findings in a graphic organizer. Students work in small groups to apply what they learned using related books and then write paragraphs outlining the cause-and-effect relationships they have found. |
| Close Reading Exemplar: "Because of Winn-Dixie" | The goal of this one day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits they've been practicing on a regular basis to absorb deep lessons from Kate DiCamillo's story. By reading and rereading the passage closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will identify how and why the three main characters became friends. |
