Grade 3 Literacy Calendar Final

Riverfront Elementary School
Florence, New Jersey
Third Grade Reading and Writing Calendar 2010-2011
Reading
Launching Reader’s Workshop:
(2-weeks)
Students develop independent reading lives, learn
routines for selecting books from the classroom
library, etc.
Strategies/Focus: Making connections. Read Aloud:
The Relatives Came, Cynthia Rylant.
UNIT 1 (3-4 weeks)
Late September—Mid October
Literature Study #1 Dr. DeSoto
Strategies/Focus: Students will learn/review a
range of reading strategies.
UNIT 2 (3 weeks)
October
Guided Reading Cycle #1
Strategies/Focus: Using either fiction or nonfiction
texts, the focus of this unit is making connections
and answering open-ended questions.
UNIT 3 (4 weeks)
November-December
Literature Study: Molly’s Pilgrim
Strategies/Focus: Students practice visualization
techniques in order to help them comprehend text.
Through class discussions they learn about immigration,
while learning to appreciate cultural differences.
Twilight Comes Twice (Visualizing)
UNIT 4 (3 weeks)
January
Reader’s Theater/Oral Performance
Strategies/Focus: Students participate in a shared
reading performance. Using leveled reader’s theater
scripts, students will develop reading fluency in
order to comprehend text and participate in an authentic
reading experience.
Writing
Launching Writer’s Workshop
(2 weeks)
Launching The Writer’s Notebook
Strategies/Focus: Students write daily in order to
develop writing stamina and collect seed ideas for
future writing pieces. Introduce paragraph writing
and Writing Workshop procedures.
(Selected lessons from “Notebook Know-How” by
Aimee Buckner.)
UNIT 1 (5 weeks)
October
Poetry Prompt (Trip)
Students learn to craft a story based on a poem.
They integrate elements of story and personal experience.
UNIT 2 (3—4 weeks)
November/December
Expository Writing
Students write in response to a prompt and focus
on narrative elements, including attention-getting
leads, closings, strong word choice, and focus. They
study mentor texts for elements of writer’s craft.
UNIT 3 (4 weeks)
January
Personal Choice Writing
Students choose the genre and topic of this piece
using their Writer’s Notebooks or previous writing
to mine ideas. Minilessons are based on student
needs.
UNIT 4 (4 weeks)
February/March
Speculative Writing
Students learn strategies for crafting narrative
stories based on a prompt. Word choice, openings/
closings, elaboration, focus, strong dialogue, and
figurative language, are stressed. (Writing Binder)

Third Grade Reading and Writing Calendar 2010-2011
Continued
UNIT 5 (2-3 weeks)
February
Literature Study: George Washington’s
Breakfast
Strategies/Focus: The focus of this unit is
questioning and learning from historical figures.
Charlie Anderson or The Happy Prince
(Questioning).
UNIT 6 (3 weeks)
March
Literature Study#3 Talking Eggs and/or
Helen Keller
Strategies/Focus:
Helen Keller: Through class discussions and
reading, students develop empathy skills as
they “walk in the shoes” of Helen Keller.
Talking Eggs: Students concentrate on analyzing
character traits, they compare and contrast
character traits, and learn elements of
the genre of folktales.
UNIT 5 (4-5 weeks)
March
Expository Writing
Students write in response to a prompt and focus
on narrative elements, including attention-getting
leads, closings, strong word choice, and focus. They
study mentor texts for elements of writer’s craft.
April
Poetry Unit
Poetry invites students to understand and view
themselves and their world in new ways. Students
learn that poems come in a variety of
forms and contain specific elements such as
figurative language, and they are crafted with
the sparest of language.
May/June
Roebling Unit — Non-Fiction Writing
Describe Roebling School, the best things about
Roebling School, and what they will miss.
UNIT 7 (4 weeks)
April
Guided Reading Cycle #2
Reader’s Theater
Students participate in guided reading groups
while practicing strategies for the NJASK,
such as answering open-ended questions.
UNIT 8 (4 weeks)
May/June
Grade 3 NJ ASK Testing
Literature Study—Mufaro’s Beautiful
Daughter
Students concentrate on analyzing character
traits, they compare and contrast character
traits, and learn elements of the genre of
folktales. Tough Times (Inferring)

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENTS:
Writing
Week of September 13, 2010
• Speculative Writing Benchmark
“Nervous”
Week of September 13, 2010
• Expository Writing Benchmark
“When I Grow Up”
Week of January 11, 2011
• Speculative Writing Benchmark
“Lost”
Week of January 11, 2011
• Expository Poem Prompt
“Summer Glory”
Reading
May 10— June 10, 2010
• Fountas & Pinnell Informal Reading Assessment