LAFS.3.RL.1.2Archived Standard

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Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts
Grade: 3
Strand: Reading Standards for Literature
Idea: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts
Cluster: Key Ideas and Details
Date Adopted or Revised: 12/10
Content Complexity Rating: Level 2: Basic Application of Skills & Concepts - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 02/14
Status: State Board Approved - Archived
Test Item Specifications
  • Item Type(s): This benchmark may be assessed using: TM , EBSR , ST , MC item(s)

  • Assessment Limits :
    Items may ask the student to appropriately sequence events. Items may ask the student to determine the central message, lesson, or moral of a passage and how key details support the central message, lesson, or moral.
  • Text Types :
    The items assessing this standard may be used with one or more grade-appropriate literary texts. Texts may vary in complexity.
  • Response Mechanisms :
    The Enhanced Item Descriptions section on page 3 provides a list of Response Mechanisms that may be used to assess this standard (excluding the Editing Task Choice item type). The Sample Response Mechanisms may include, but are not limited to, the examples below.
  • Task Demand and Sample Response Mechanisms :

    Task Demand

    Recount stories, fables, folktales, and myths. 

    Sample Response Mechanisms

    Multiple Choice

    • Requires the student to choose a sequence of events that correctly reflects the passage. 
    Table Match
    • Requires the student to complete a table that sequences events of a passage in the correct order.

    Task Demand 

    Determine a central idea, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in a text.

    Sample Response Mechanisms 

    Selectable Text 

    • Requires the student to select the central idea, lesson, or moral and then identify textual evidence that supports it. 
    EBSR 
    • Requires the student to select the central idea, lesson, or moral and then to select words or phrases from the text to support that choice. 
    Table Match
    • Requires the student to complete a table by matching details with correct explanations for how the details convey a central idea, lesson, or moral.

Related Courses

This benchmark is part of these courses.
5010010: English for Speakers of Other Languages-Elementary (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2022 (course terminated))
5010020: Basic Skills in Reading-K-2 (Specifically in versions: 2014 - 2015, 2015 - 2021, 2021 and beyond (current))
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))

Related Access Points

Alternate version of this benchmark for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Related Resources

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

Lesson Plans

Close Reading: Determining the Theme:

In this close reading lesson, students will read Tops & Bottoms, adapted by Janet Stevens, focusing on the lessons that the characters learn as a result of their actions throughout the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

Poppin' Themes:

Students will learn about theme by exploring classic books such as Where the Wild Things Are and A Chair for My Mother. This will be done using a popcorn and kernels as a guide to how theme works.

Type: Lesson Plan

Roaring for Figurative Language:

In this lesson, students will analyze song lyrics to determine the meanings of figurative language used throughout the lyrics. Students will determine the theme of the song and explain how the examples of figurative language help develop the theme. They will complete various graphic organizers and write an opinion piece to demonstrate their understanding of the skills.

Type: Lesson Plan

Determining the Theme: A Reading of Faithful Elephants:

In this reading lesson, students will work with the teacher and in cooperative groups to read and comprehend Faithful Elephants. Through multiple readings, the students will determine the meaning of words using context clues, discuss questions from the text, and explain the theme of the story by writing an expository paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

Close Reading of The Raft by Jim LaMarche:

In this lesson, students will engage in reading The Raft by Jim LaMarche. Through several close readings and discussions, students will analyze and synthesize how key details and characters' actions and motivations help to determine the author's central message. The lesson begins with a strong "hook" that will also bring closure to the reading and reinforce the students' understanding of the central idea.

Type: Lesson Plan

How to Find a Princess: A Study of The Real Princess by Hans Christian Anderson:

This short text, "The Real Princess," originally told by Hans Christian Anderson, will require students to think deeply, make inferences based on text evidence and learn several new vocabulary words. Students will discuss the components of a fairy tale, play a vocabulary game, and compose an opinion piece of writing about the theme of the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

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.

Type: Lesson Plan

A Journey with Aesop: The Lion and the Mouse:

Students will listen to the teacher read aloud Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Mouse." They will define vocabulary words and discuss the causes and effects of events in the story. These lessons will culuminte with students writing an expository text about how the lion changes throughout the story by providing details and other required components.

Type: Lesson Plan

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.

Type: Lesson Plan

Exploring Theme Using the text My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig:

During this lesson students will write a summary of the text My Secret Bully by Trudy Lidwig, focusing on the details to determine the theme. Students will complete a problem/solution graphic organizer to be used in the summary. This is the first in a series of three lessons using the text My Secret Bully.

Type: Lesson Plan

And the Moral Is . . .:

In this lesson, students will work with partners and individually to read and analyze fables. Students will clarify unknown words using context and dictionaries. Students will identify words or phrases to help them determine the moral/lesson being taught by the fable.

Type: Lesson Plan

Digging Deeper: Developing Comprehension Using Thank You, Mr. Falker:

Good readers demonstrate comprehension of text using a wide variety of strategies. Making personal connections to stories is one way to develop deeper understanding of both character and theme. This teacher read-aloud of Thank You, Mr. Falker and follow-up whole-group instruction provide a basis for improved higher-level reading comprehension. The teacher works with the whole class to model making predictions and personal connections, envisioning character change, and understanding the themes of the book. Response journals can also be used to further student connections to the characters and themes in the book.

Type: Lesson Plan

Theme Worksheets:

This website includes a lesson on identifying themes and worksheets to help students practice.

Type: Lesson Plan

Close Reading of Fairy Tales/Folk Tales:

In this lesson, students will first work with the teacher and their classmates to practice the close reading of "The Burning of the Rice Fields." Through separate close readings of this story, students will practice reading and analyzing the text to identify story elements, will use context clues to determine the meaning of selected vocabulary, will analyze characters in the story and their actions and motivations, and finally, students will determine the lesson or moral of the story. For independent practice, students will conduct the same kind of close reading for the story "The Cat and the Parrot." Throughout the lesson, students will also practice creating questions about a text.

Type: Lesson Plan

Student Center Activities

Comprehension: Retell Recap:

In this activity, students will retell or summarize a story.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Retell Review:

In this activity, students will retell or summarize a story.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Story Element Ease:

In this activity, students will identify and sort story elements (character, setting, problem, solution, theme, plot). They will then compare and contrast the elements of different stories.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Story Pieces:

In this activity, students will answer questions related to story elements (characters, setting, plot, theme) and record their answers on a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Sum Summary!:

In this activity, students will summarize text (narrative and expository) using a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Summary Step-Up:

In this activity, students will summarize narrative text using a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: The Main Events:

In this activity, students will sequence events in a story using a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

Teaching Idea

Why the Manatee-SeaWorld Classroom Activity:

In this activity, the students will use their creativity to create a fable about manatees.

Type: Teaching Idea

Student Resources

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

Parent Resources

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