Cluster 3: Integration of Knowledge and IdeasArchived

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General Information
Number: LAFS.3.RI.3
Title: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
Type: Cluster
Subject: English Language Arts - Archived
Grade: 3
Strand: Reading Standards for Informational Text

Related Standards

This cluster includes the following benchmarks.

Related Access Points

This cluster includes the following access points.

Access Points

LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.7a
Use illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) in informational texts to answer questions.
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.7b
Identify information learned from illustrations and information learned from the words in an informational text .
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.7c
Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why and how key events occur).
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.7d
Within informational texts, locate or identify evidence in the text or graphics to support the central ideas.
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.8a
Identify signal words that help determine the text structure in an informational text.
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.8b
Describe the connection between sentences and paragraphs in a text (order, comparison, cause/effect).
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.9a
Compare the similarities of two or more texts or adapted texts on the same topic or by the same author.
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.9b
Contrast the differences of two texts or adapted texts on the same topic or by the same author.
LAFS.3.RI.3.AP.9c
When researching a topic, compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two informational texts on the same topic.

Related Resources

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

Lesson Plans

Amazing Dolphins:

In this close reading lesson, students will explore vocabulary, answer text-dependent questions, and identify the key details and main idea of an informational text about dolphins. They will then compare the text, "Dolphins" with the text, "Winter's Tail." The students will write an informative essay to explain the similarities and differences between the two texts.

Type: Lesson Plan

Close Reading: Comparing and Contrasting Washington and Lincoln:

In this close reading lesson, students will identify the key details and main idea of two informational texts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They will then compare and contrast the two presidents using a graphic organizer and write an informative essay to explain the presidents' similarities and differences.

Type: Lesson Plan

"The Most Interesting Animal" Campaign:

Students will analyze the text "Extreme Animals," identifying key details, main ideas, and author's claims. After learning about select animals within the text, students will choose one animal to present as "The Most Interesting Animal." The facts from the text will be used to prepare a campaign poster to advertise why their chosen animal is the most interesting.

Type: Lesson Plan

In Order to Understand, You Must First Understand the Order!:

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

Type: Lesson Plan

States of Water Part 2:

Students will be able to describe water as it changes state through boiling, evaporation, and condensation.

Type: Lesson Plan

Exploring the States of Water:

This is a week long lesson which helps children explore the three states of water: solid, liquid, and gas. Students will explore examples of where and what conditions the states of matter occur and investigate how to collect observations on the various states of water.

Type: Lesson Plan

Non-fiction with Reptiles:

In this lesson, the 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 key details in the text. Using the text features and key details, students will work to identify main idea. The students will then create a Reptile Poster using the main ideas, key details, and text features.

Type: Lesson Plan

Compare and Contrast Signals:

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

Type: Lesson Plan

What a Contrast!:

Students will learn to compare and contrast using texts about the properties of matter. They will learn the signal words for compare and contrast and how to use a compare and contrast graphic organizer.

Type: Lesson Plan

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.

Type: Lesson Plan

Field Trip Fundraiser:

This 3rd grade MEA asks students to work as a team to figure out which product would be the best choice for their fundraiser for their field trip. They will compare two vendor's products and make a decision about which product would be the best option for their school.

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.

Type: Lesson Plan

Which Do You Prefer? Understanding an Author's use of Text Features in a Non-Fiction Text:

This lesson focuses on helping students identify text features, understand their purpose, and apply this knowledge to understand the non-fiction text Great Migrations Elephants by Laura Marsh (770L) by asking and answering text-based questions.

Type: Lesson Plan

Lesson Study Resource Kit

Exploring Diversity and Evolution: A Lesson Study Resource Kit for Grades 3-5:

This resource kit provides teachers engaged in lesson study with exemplary content background, unit and lesson plans, assessment items and tasks, and informational texts, related to the teaching and learning of diversity and evolution in grades 3-5. Complete with links to activities and lessons as well guiding questions, this resource kit contains all of the materials that a team would need to construct a unit of instruction that fully aligns to the academic standards for science, while supporting the informational text component of the standards for English language arts.

Type: Lesson Study Resource Kit

Student Center Activities

Comprehension: Cause and Effect Match:

In this activity, students will match causes and effects. NOTE: This is an introductory level activity. It will need to be extended using grade-appropriate text to meet the complexity of the aligned standards.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Cause and Effect Organizer:

In this activity, students will identify cause and effect relationships in text and record them on a graphic organizer.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Compare and Contrast:

In this activity, students will identify similarities and differences between two topics. NOTE: The activity will need to compare and contrast information from two texts on the same topic to fully meet the aligned standards.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Detail Delight:

In this activity, students will identify the topic and key details in informational text. As an extension, students may also compare and contrast the important details presented by two texts on the same topic.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Text Feature Find:

In this activity, students will locate text features and explain how they help the reader understand the text.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Text Structure Reflection:

In this activity, students will identify text structures and complete corresponding graphic organizers. Multiple graphic organizers are provided, and a reference sheet is also provided that includes an explanation, signal words, and graphic organizer templates for each text structure.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Text Structure Sort:

In this activity, students will sort sentences based on their text structures. As an extension activity, students can write about a topic using each text structure.

Type: Student Center Activity

Comprehension: Write Cause or Effect:

In this activity, students will identify the relationship between cause and effect. NOTE: This is an introductory activity for cause and effect. Students will need to extend their learning using text containing a cause/effect text structure to fully meet the expectations of the aligned standards.

Type: Student Center Activity

Teaching Ideas

Native American Living Then and Now:

This teaching idea describes a project third grade students participated in after studying Native Americans. Students created their own illustration page and described the artwork with descriptive paragraphs.

Type: Teaching Idea

National Symbols:

This teaching idea from the California Court's "California on My Honor" lesson plan program supports the introduction of national symbols, landmarks and monuments and what they stand for. The teaching idea calls for students to be given the task of developing a flag to represent their classroom.once they begin to understand the abstract representation of symbols.

Type: Teaching Idea

Unit/Lesson Sequence

Using Science Texts to Teach the Organizational Features of Nonfiction:

Science captures even the most reluctant readers and writers. Students are naturally drawn to the colorful photographs and layouts of nonfiction science texts. This lesson supports students in grade 3 as they explore the organizational features of nonfiction texts, such as labels, captions, headings, fonts, and so on. Students then have an opportunity to work together with their classmates to create a two-page spread using those features to present information about their local environment.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

Student Resources

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Parent Resources

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