Third Grade Writing
Course Description
Writing is a meaning-making process that requires the synthesis of skills to effectively communicate. K-5 students are immersed in daily opportunities to explore, inquire, practice and apply writing strategies and skills in a variety of genres. Cultivating writers who write with the reader in mind is guided by the connection between reading and writing process to convey authentic messages. Self-selected writing topics guided by positive, specific feedback ignite the joy and passion to grow as lifelong communicators.
The third-grade units of study take into account that many third-graders are writing on full sheets of notebook paper and in writers' notebooks for the first time. The opening unit, Crafting True Stories, extends students’ work with personal narrative while engaging them more fully in the complete writing process, with increasing emphasis on drafting and revising their work. In the second unit, The Art of Information Writing, youngsters write chapter books that synthesize a wide variety of information and learn to section their topics into subtopics. They are supported in this challenging work because they are writing about topics on which they have firsthand personal knowledge: dogs, soccer, gymnastics. Changing the World: Persuasive Speeches, Petitions, and Editorials rallies third-graders to use their newfound abilities to gather and organize information to persuade people about causes the children believe matter: stopping bullying, recycling, saving dogs at the SPCA. The final unit in third grade, Once Upon a Time: Adapting and Writing Fairy Tales, uses familiar fairy tales to explore techniques of fiction writing such as writing in scenes, employing an omniscient narrator to orient readers, using story structure to create tension, and crafting figurative language to convey mood.
Grade Level(s): Third Grade
Related Priority Standards (State &/or National): Â K-5 Missouri Learning Standards & ELA Priority Standards
Essential Questions
- How does a writer know his/her writing is clear?
- What makes an interesting narrative?
- How do authors begin & end their stories?
- How do authors convey sequence?
- How do writers organize their ideas to aid comprehension?
- Who is the audience and why does it matter?
- How does an author's choice of voice, tone and mood affect the audience's perception/understanding?
- Why does one write an argumentative piece?
- Why is my argumentative writing worth reading?
- How do my experiences impact my opinions?
- Where do ideas for writing come from?
- How do writers organize their ideas?
- What makes an effective argument?
- How does a writer know his/her writing is clear?
- Why does one write an informational/explanatory text?
- When does one write an informational/explanatory text?
- How do writers choose relevant facts?
- What determines accurate information?
- How does one know a source is credible?
- How does one know an author is credible?
- How does an author's choice of voice and register affect the audience's perception/understanding?
Enduring Understandings/Big Ideas
- Writing clearly is essential to effective communication.
- Details enhance a narrative.
- Appropriate transitions enhance continuity.
- Narratives have a variety of organizational structures.
- Narratives are written in a variety of forms.
- Audience and purpose influence a writer's choice of organizational pattern, language, and literary techniques.
- Expressing an opinion is a right that is to be valued and respected.
- As our experiences change, so can our opinions.
- Researched evidence supports a strong opinion.
- Appropriate transitions enhance the continuity of writing.
- Informational text is characterized by a formal style.
- Well-chosen facts are specific to the topic, relevant to the audience and logically presented.
Course-Level Scope & Sequence (Units &/or Skills)
- Unit 1: Crafting True Stories
- Unit 2: The Art of Informational Writing
- Unit 3: Changing the World
- Unit 4: Writing About Research
* The above adjustments to scope and sequence are pending Board approval on August 22, 2022.
Course Resources & Materials
- Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing: A Workshop Curriculum
- Sonday System Essentials
- Heggerty Phonemic Awareness
Date Last Revised/Approved: 2013