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By Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas Smith

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The students will use this as a foundational reading for informational writing. It will be used as an introduction to the topic of Black History, where the students will get further reading resources to eventually write an expository text on the topic. The students will use this reading along with other informational texts and articles to gather factual information and write expository essays with the help of Guided Writing activities.

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ELA Standard(s): ELA.3.C.1.4: Write expository texts about a topic, using one or more sources, providing an introduction, facts and details, some elaboration, transitions, and a conclusion.

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Transitional to Fluent Writers

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Read aloud link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nDLp7u26cI

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By Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers

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Students will use this book to identify the arguments that the crayons are making to Duncan. Many different arguments are being made by the crayons and will expose the students to the many different types of arguments that can be made and that they can make in their own argumentative writing. They will use these skills as a foundation for a future persuasive writing lesson.

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ELA Standard(s): Argument ELA.3.R.2.4: Identify an author’s claim and explain how an author uses evidence to support the claim.

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Transitional Writers

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PDF Copy Link: https://www.coundonprimary.com/wp-content/uploads/The-day-the-crayons-quit.pdf

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By Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake

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Using the readings as an introduction to figurative language and new vocabulary words for the students. This book is packed with different examples of figurative language, and the narrator, Matilda, is often spewing new vocabulary words that will be useful for the students in their future writings. Students will also participate in writing activities where they express their opinions on different parts of the Matilda story. With these activities, students will pull from their personal experiences and the story that was read aloud to write opinions on topics like "What makes a good parent?" and "What makes a good teacher?", which are topics that are relevant to their lives and can be pulled from the story that is being read.

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Fluent Writers

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ELA Standard(s): ELA.3.R.3.1: Identify and explain metaphors, personification, and hyperbole in text(s).

ELA.3.C.1.3: Write opinions about a topic or text, including reasons supported by details from one or more sources, use transitions, and provide a conclusion.

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PDF Copy Link: https://www.learnwithliann.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Matilda-Full-Book.pdf

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The story is very engaging, even having a recent animated film that can be shown to the students after their read-along. They are also likely to connect the themes to their lives as growing kids and as students who likely care about their environment. These readings can also be connected to some of their science lessons, which will keep them further engaged. Students will participate in a read-along (students listen as the teacher reads aloud and follow along in their personal copies), and as they read through the book, they will create a group anchor chart with the different characters. The entire class will participate in identifying the different characters, their perspectives, and their motivations. This anchor chart will be set up as a shared writing activity, where the teacher writes what the students suggest should be written down. At the end of the read-along, the students will compare and contrast the characters' perspectives and opinions at the beginning of the book to their perspectives and opinions at the end of the book.

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ELA Standard(s): Perspective and Point of View ELA.3.R.1.3: Explain different characters’ perspectives in a literary text.

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Early to Transitional Writers

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PDF Copy Link: https://www.southwold.hackney.sch.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2021/03/The-Wild-Robot-By-Peter-Brown-Book.pdf

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By Lily Williams, illustrations by Lily Williams

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Students will identify the cause and effect of losing honey bees, and put it in their own words rather than taking the sentences directly from the book. They will also write about the importance of honeybees and how they affect their lives in a free write. This will be an informal writing activity that keeps them engaged and ready to strengthen their expository writing and connect it to their personal lives in a way that they find interesting and engaging. This lesson can also be tied to their science lesson and which can be supplemental to their learning and engagement in the topic.

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ELA Standard(s): Structure 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.

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Transitional Writers

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Read aloud link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyUwskIcsk0

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By Jon Scieszka, illustrated by Lane Smith

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Before reading this book, students will be refreshed on the original story of The Three Little Pigs. Students will then compare and contrast both stories and use an argumentative essay outline, created as a class as part of an interactive writing activity, and write about whose story they believe most. In these essays, they will need three pieces of strong reasoning and evidence supported by the two readings that they completed. This activity will be an introduction to argumentative writing that keeps the students engaged in the topic, while creating the space for them to learn about the necessary and crucial aspects of their future argumentative writing activities.

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ELA Standard(s): Argumentative Writing ELA.3.C.1.3: Write opinions about a topic or text, include reasons supported by details from one or more sources, use transitions, and provide a conclusion.

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Transitional to Fluent Writers

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PDF Copy Link

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By Sonia Sotomayor, illustrated by Rafael López

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Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You

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Just Ask! Be Different, Be Brave, Be You

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Students will engage and relate to the characters in the story and connect to the story, which will make the students much more engaged and interested in the reading and topics that will be discussed. Students will gather for a group read-aloud, and then participate in a discussion of how the characters in the story all relate to each other and how they personally relate to the characters as well. This discussion of personal connections to your peers will lead to two different activities. First, students will identify the story structure and proceed to create a chronological retelling showing where all the characters in the story connect. Then, the students will participate in a group activity where they do what the kids in the story did with their peers in the classroom, and use the same chronological structure they used for the first activity, but using the students in the class instead of the kids in the book. The writing will consist of a sentence and a drawing that identifies the connection from student to student.

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ELA Standard(s): Theme ELA.3.R.1.2: Explain a theme and how it develops, using details, in a literary text. Structure 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.

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Early Writers

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Digital Copy Link: https://anyflip.com/xhyxz/fmpd/basic

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By E.B. White, illustrated by Garth Williams

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This classic will likely keep the students engaged with the iconic characters and the memorable ending. Students will also have the opportunity to watch the movie version of the book, which can often be something that continues to keep them engaged. Students will participate in a read-along (where they follow along with the teacher's reading with their own copies of the novel) and keep notes on the characters of the stories. At the beginning of the readings, the students will write about the characters' opinions and perspectives and predict what the characters will go through and how they will change throughout the story. Then, when the reading is complete, they will look back at the writing that they did with their assumptions, and then further write about how they were right or wrong with their assumptions, how the characters changed, and why. This will get them to look back at their old writing and see how they have progressed while they do it, with the purpose of seeing whether they were right or wrong. This is an opportunity for them to reflect on their writing and even improve on it.

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ELA Standard(s): Literary Elements ELA.3.R.1.1: Explain how one or more characters develop throughout the plot in a literary text. Perspective and Point of View ELA.3.R.1.3: Explain different characters’ perspectives in a literary text. Improving Writing ELA.3.C.1.5: Improve writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing with guidance and support from adults and feedback from peers.

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Fluent Writers

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PDF Link: https://fliphtml5.com/jozwk/fsgh/basic

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By David Shannon, illustrated by David Shannon

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Students will be engaged with the interesting and colorful art and connect with the main character's struggles with conformity. It will let the students further connect with the main character and make connections to their personal life, which heightens engagement and keep them connected with the theme that can be connected to their personal lives. After participating in a read-aloud of the book, students will use graphic organizers to organize to break the story into chronological parts. They will use sentences and drawings to show their understanding of the plot and retell the story. They will then discuss within their table groups what they believe is the theme and main idea of the story. This will serve as one of many reading activities where students work to practice theme-identifying strategies.

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ELA Standard(s): Literary Elements ELA.3.R.1.1: Explain how one or more characters develop throughout the plot in a literary text. Theme ELA.3.R.1.2: Explain a theme and how it develops, using details, in a literary text.

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Transitional Writer

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Digital Copy Link: https://online.flipbuilder.com/fdyv/tglx/

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By Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Harry Bliss

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Students will be engaged as they connect their lives to those of the worms as they participate in the diary entry activity. This book is also likely very humorous for students of this age and will likely keep them very engaged in the activity and lesson. Students will read the story as a class at the start of the week as a kick-off for a week-long writing project. The students will take the entire week to write in a journal every day, like the work in the story does. They will follow the same structure that worm in the book uses, using the date before every entry, using drawings and pictures of the events, and including interactions with their friends and families as part of their entry. This is an activity that will serve as a way to vary the forms of writing that can be used for their personal narratives in logical sequences, with descriptions, dialogue, and proper spelling and grammar.

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ELA Standard(s): Narrative Writing ELA.3.C.1.2: Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events, appropriate descriptions, dialogue, a variety of transitional words or phrases, and an ending.

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Early to Transitional Writers

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Digital Copy Link: https://fliphtml5.com/zcjyw/fcva/basic

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By Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Rob Bolster

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Blue Whale vs. Mosquito (Who Would Win? #29)

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Blue Whale vs. Mosquito (Who Would Win? #29)

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Students at this level are enamoured with the silly, and I think that pitting a blue whale against a mosquito is one of the silliest things I've seen in a long time. They are likely to be engaged with the information as well, since students at this age are often very interested in animal facts. This lesson can also be adapted to any of the books in the 'Who Would Win?' book series, which makes it that much more flexible and engaging for different class groups. The students will read this story and take notes on the facts and information that the writing gives on the whale and the mosquito. The activities that the students will partake in will be a combination of a narrative writing piece and an argumentative writing piece. Then they will keep these notes as they head back to their desks and get ready to write a narrative piece, like the one at the end of the story, where the whale and the mosquitoes face off. The story that they write, while creative, must be in some way supported by the information that we've gathered, which is where the notes and argumentative writing come in. The students will also have an opportunity to find further facts and information using the internet to add to their fact paper. Who they decide to win does not matter, and can be the mosquitoes or the whale; what matters most is that it has a beginning, middle, and end, and that it includes facts from the book to support the animal's actions. This is an opportunity for students to get silly and creative with writing their endings and with who wins, but also making sure to use facts for their characters in the story.

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ELA Standard(s): Narrative Writing ELA.3.C.1.2: Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events, appropriate descriptions, dialogue, a variety of transitional words or phrases, and an ending. Argumentative Writing ELA.3.C.1.3: Write opinions about a topic or text, include reasons supported by details from one or more sources, use transitions, and provide a conclusion.

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Fluent Writers

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Read Aloud Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_RZ2rk8YNg

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By Natalia Diaz and Melissa Owens, illustrated by Kim Smith

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Students will remain engaged with learning new things about the world, and are likely to make connections to their own culture and roots, learning more about the countries that they are connected to, which will continue to keep them engaged and is likely to become an interest for them. Students will read the story and learn about different countries in the world, and then prepare to take part in a research activity. The students will split into groups of two and choose a country that they will write about. The group will research facts about the country and write an expository piece with the information as the first part of the activity. Then, when they are done with the expository writing activity, they will use large chart paper to draw and create an informational poster resembling the ones that were shown in the book. They will write information, draw pictures, and print pictures to use for the chart and then later present to their peers.

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ELA Standard(s): Researching and Using Information ELA.3.C.4.1: Conduct research to answer a question, organizing information about the topic from multiple sources. Expository Writing ELA.3.C.1.4: Write expository texts about a topic, using one or more sources, providing an introduction, facts and details, some elaboration, transitions, and a conclusion.

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Transitional to Fluent Writers

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Digital Copy Link: https://fliphtml5.com/wgdru/jfmp/basic

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By Anika Aldamuy, illustrated by Paola Escobar

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Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

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Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré

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Students are likely to make connections to libraries that they have visited and connect to the main character of the story, learning about history and important figures that have shaped the world in which they live. Students will identify and write about the literary elements of the story after participating in a read-aloud. After reading the story, the students will use a story map graphic organizer to write about the characters, the setting, the chronological order of events, the problem and solution, and the theme. In each box of the graphic organizer, the students will write a minimum of two sentences and include a drawing whenever possible and appropriate.

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ELA Standard(s): Literary Elements ELA.3.R.1.1: Explain how one or more characters develop throughout the plot in a literary text. Paraphrasing and Summarizing ELA.3.R.3.2: Summarize a text to enhance comprehension. a. Include plot and theme for a literary text. b. Use the central idea and relevant details for an informational text.

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Transitional Writers

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Read Aloud Link: https://youtu.be/CRPyDbPbzmg

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Written and illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

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Students will have an opportunity to relate to the main character and have a creative activity that involves teamwork and multimodal activities that are often hyper-engaging for students at this level. Students will participate in a read-aloud and discussion of what their school has and what is necessary for a school to have. After this discussion, they will split off into groups and work to write about the things that they would include if they built a school themselves. This assignment will include writing and drawing aspects on a large anchor chart paper, to then be presented to the class. Then, after everyone has presented their schools, explaining the different and added aspects, the students will decide which of the schools should be built, and then individually write about why they chose that school.

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ELA Standard(s): Multimedia ELA.3.C.5.1: Use two or more multimedia elements to enhance oral or written tasks. Oral Presentation ELA.3.C.2.1: Present information orally, in a logical sequence, using nonverbal cues, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation.

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Emergent to Early Writers

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Digital Copy Link: https://fliphtml5.com/ngnmc/lvyr/If_I_Built_a_School/

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By Matt de la Peña, illustrated by Christian Robinson

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The students will participate in a read-aloud and discuss what Milo does on the train. They will then think back to the last time they observed a person in their area and wondered what they were doing. Once they can think of an instance, they will head back to their seats and get ready to do what Milo does in the story and write about what they imagine they have going on in their lives. They will give these characters names and create a story with a beginning, middle, and end. They will also draw pictures like Milo does in the story as a supplement to their narrative writing. It serves as a good introduction and jumping point to writing a fictional narrative.

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ELA Standard(s): Narrative Writing ELA.3.C.1.2: Write personal or fictional narratives using a logical sequence of events, appropriate descriptions, dialogue, a variety of transitional words or phrases, and an ending.

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Early to Transitional Writers

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PDF Copy Link: https://www.belleville-school.org.uk/data/dynamic/spaw/documents/Milo%20Imagines%20the%20World%20Y3%20Y4%20Y5%20Y6.pdf