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Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
  1. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
  2. Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known affix is added to a known word (e.g., agreeable/disagreeable, comfortable/uncomfortable, care/careless, heat/preheat).
  3. Use a known root word as a clue to the meaning of an unknown word with the same root (e.g., company, companion).
  4. Use glossaries or beginning dictionaries, both print and digital, to determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
Standard #: LAFS.3.L.3.4Archived Standard
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: English Language Arts
Grade: 3
Strand: Language Standards
Cluster: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
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
Assessed: Yes
Related Courses
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
  • Point of View: Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg # During these lessons, students will delve deep into the text Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. After identifying the point of view in the story, they will answer comprehension questions about the story by playing a small group game. Students will have the opportunity to rewrite the story from a completely different point of view.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Character Traits: A Close Reading of The Sweetest Fig by Chris Van Allsburg # In this close reading lesson, students will delve deep into the text, The Sweetest Fig, by Chris Van Allsburg. Students will practice reading comprehension, vocabulary, and identifying character traits. They will determine the traits of a character based off of the character's actions and language. Students will also gain practice responding to text-based questions both orally and in writing, providing evidence from the text to support their claims.
  • 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.
  • Our Amazing World – Informational Reading # Students will write a summary of the text Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest by Steve Jenkins. In doing so, students will focus on identifying the central idea and relevant details in the text. Students will participate in vocabulary development activities to aid in the understanding of the informational text.
  • Can You Find a Clue? # In this lesson students will be working with a new, non-fiction text to identify unknown words and determine their meaning using context clues.
  • Multiple Meaning Words # In this lesson, students will explore the concept that many words have multiple meanings. The students will be engaged in activities where they will use reference materials to look up the various definitions of the words and identify their parts of speech, as well as understand how the meaning of the words change depending on the context of the sentence. Students will compose sentences for words with multiple meanings. Students will work independently, as well as with their peers, to gain a better understanding of multiple meaning words and how to identify their correct meanings using reference materials and context clues.
  • Building Strong Verbs with Patricia Polacco and Thunder Cake # Students will engage in a close reading of Patricia Polacco's Thunder Cake, (ATOS 3.5; Lexile 630L) as a mentor text, to examine the author's usage of strong verbs. This lesson is the second of a two part lesson in which students will take a previously written text addressing the prompt listed below, and revise their written piece by incorporating strong verbs into their writing.
    Prompt: Do you believe that the little girl in the story demonstrated bravery? Why or Why not? Use specific details from the story to support your opinion.
  • 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.
  • 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.
Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) STEM Lesson
  • Physical Science Unit: Properties Lesson 21 Model Eliciting Activity: Entertaining Animals # In this MEA, students will have the opportunity to apply what they learned about physical properties and measuring linear lengths to a realistic problem. Students will be asked to design a prototype toy for Florida panthers housed at the CPALMS Rehabilitation and Conservation Center. Students will need to describe the physical properties (color, shape, texture, hardness, length) of the toy while explaining the rationale behind their design choices. In the optional twist, students will need to design a prototype toy suitable for a Florida panther with an injured leg.  This is a lesson in the Grade 3 Physical Science Unit on Properties. This is a themed unit of SaM-1's adventures at the CPALMS Rehabilitation and Conservation Center.  To see all the lessons in the unit please visit https://www.cpalms.org/page818.aspx .
Original Student Tutorials
  • Lesson 21 Video: MEA Entertaining Animals Part 2 # In this video, SaM-1 introduces a part 2 twist to the Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) challenge. In the optional twist, students will need to design a prototype toy suitable for a Florida panther with an injured leg. This first video provides background information on why and how animals need to be entertained.
  • Lesson 21 Video: MEA Entertaining Animals # In this video, SaM-1 introduces a Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) challenge for the students. This video provides background information on why and how animals need to be entertained. Students will have the opportunity to apply what they learned about physical properties and measuring linear lengths as they are asked to design a prototype toy for Florida panthers housed at the CPALMS Rehabilitation and Conservation Center. In the optional twist, students will need to design a prototype toy suitable for a Florida panther with an injured leg. The optional twist also has a SaM-1 video to introduce the twist challenge.
Student Center Activities
  • Vocabulary: Homograph Hitch # In this activity, students will identify the meanings of homographs by playing a matching game.
  • Vocabulary: Rooting for Meaning! # In this activity, students will identify the meaning of roots while playing a match game. As an extension activity, students will use roots to create words.
  • Vocabulary: Affix Game # In this activity, students will make words containing affixes and use them in a sentence to show meaning while playing an affix game.
  • Vocabulary: Affix Match # In this activity, students will match affixes to their meanings by playing a memory game.
  • Vocabulary: Make it Meaningful # In this activity, students will determine and record the meanings of words with affixes. They will then sort them by affix meaning.
  • Vocabulary: Word Dissect # In this activity, students will segment words into base words and affixes to determine the meaning.
  • Vocabulary: Meaningful Affixes # In this activity, students will make words to match meanings by combining base words and affixes.
  • Vocabulary: Affix Concentration # In this activity, students will match affixes to their meanings by playing a memory game.
  • Vocabulary: Affix Action # In this activity, students will produce words with affixes to complete sentences while playing a board game.
  • Vocabulary: All For One # In this activity, students will produce the multiple meanings of words and use the words in sentences that demonstrate understanding of the multiple meanings.
  • Vocabulary: Ask-A-Word # In this activity, students will demonstrate a deeper understanding of the meaning of words by completing a questionnaire.
  • Vocabulary: Ask-Explain-List # In this activity, students will demonstrate understanding of words by applying them to a variety of contexts.
  • Vocabulary: Build-A-Word # In this activity, students will add affixes to base words to make new words, then use the new words in sentences.
  • Vocabulary: Choice Meanings # In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words in context.
  • Vocabulary: Cloze Encounters # In this activity, students will choose words based on meaning to complete sentences in a cloze passage.
  • Vocabulary: Context Clues # In this activity, students will read sentences containing context clues and sort by the type of context clue.
  • Vocabulary: Defining Depictions # In this activity, students will depict words by drawing pictures that relate to their meaning.
  • Vocabulary: Dictionary Cube #
    In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words and word-related information using a dictionary.
  • Vocabulary: Dictionary Digs # In this activity, students will look up target words in a dictionary and record specific information.
  • Vocabulary: Get a Clue! # In this activity, students will determine the meanings of unknown words using context clues.
  • Vocabulary: Getting to the Root of It # In this activity, students will identify words with common roots and related meanings and sort them on a sorting board.
  • Vocabulary: Inside Information # In this activity, students will write simple definitions, sentences, and examples of target words in a graphic organizer.
  • Vocabulary: Know or No # In this activity, students will sort words based on their understanding of the words' meanings. They will then determine the meanings of the words and record them.
  • Vocabulary: Looking for Meaning # In this activity, students will determine the meanings of unknown words and rewrite sentences from text to demonstrate their understanding.
  • Vocabulary: Meaning Exchange # In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words in context by playing a matching game.
  • Vocabulary: Meaning Extender # In this activity, students will demonstrate their understanding of words by applying them to a variety of contexts.
  • Vocabulary: Meaning Maker # In this activity, students will identify unknown words, determine their meaning, and rewrite sentences to demonstrate their understanding.
  • Vocabulary: Meaning Map # In this activity, students will identify attributes of words and record them on a graphic organizer.
  • Vocabulary: Multiple Meaning Match # In this activity, students will identify the multiple meanings of words in context.
  • Vocabulary: Oh My Word! # In this activity, students will write simple definitions, sentences, and synonyms of words on a recording sheet.
  • Vocabulary: Root-A-Word # In this activity, students will identify and sort words containing the same root.
  • Vocabulary: Root-O! # In this activity, students will produce words containing the same root and identify their meanings.
  • Vocabulary: Undercover Meanings # In this activity, students will write simple definitions, sentences, and examples of target words in a graphic organizer.
  • Vocabulary: What Do You Mean? #
    In this activity, students will match words to their meanings.
  • Vocabulary: What-A-Word # In this activity, students will identify words to complete text.
  • Vocabulary: Word Clues #
    In this activity, students will use reference materials to develop clues about target words. They will provide the clues to a partner until the target word is identified.
  • Vocabulary: Word Express # In this activity, students will identify the meaning of words in context.
  • Vocabulary: Word Filler # In this activity, students will identify words to complete sentences.
  • Vocabulary: Word Share # In this activity, students will find, discuss, record, and define selected words in a text.
  • Vocabulary: Word Web # In this activity, students will identify the multiple meaning of words by constructing a web.
  • Vocabulary: Word Winner # In this activity, students will use strategies to identify the meanings of unknown words in context.
  • Vocabulary: Word Wise # In this activity, student will determine the meaning of words. NOTE: To fully meet the expectations of the aligned standards, students will need to identify unknown words in text they are reading and use strategies to determine the meanings of the unknown words.
  • Vocabulary: Word Wrap # In this activity, students will describe a target word using a graphic organizer.
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