Portfolio Assessment - Teacher Notes

GRADE THREE
READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Grade Three Introduction
NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards for Grade Three
Reading
Read Aloud
Shared Reading
Guided Reading
Independent Reading
Writing
Shared Writing
Independent Writing
Word Study/Vocabulary
Viewing
Grade Three Reading and Writing Assessments

GRADE THREE
READING AND LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY
Language is a social contract that allows people to communicate with one another. Our
primary goal, then, is to ensure that every child is given the opportunity to discover him or herself
in relation to others and the world we live in through language. Thus, we have chosen to break
the intermediate literacy curriculum into the following areas:
• Reading
• Writing
• Speaking
• Viewing
This mirrors the NJ Core Content Curriculum Standards, which are part of the Table of
Contents, with one exception. Listening, for purposes of this curriculum, is integrated into the
other areas.
Keeping the curriculum manageable while including the components of a balanced
literacy program is no easy feat. Clearly, hundreds of solid activities are possible. With that in
mind, notice the link to the NCTE website www.read/write/think.org.
What is essential, however, is that the component parts of a balanced literacy program all
play a role in the Grade Three classroom. Indeed, our primary goal of meeting each child at the
place of his or her needs cannot be accomplished without such a balance.
A Table of Contents containing these component parts is book marked to the left of this
page. Each will lead to a single page on which the student outcome is delineated; the desired
activity is described—both in general and for grade level—and the materials needed to
accomplish that goal and the expected assessment/evaluation are noted. Included as well in the
Contents are a Reading List for Grade Three, with Required and Suggested titles noted as such,
all of the assessments in the Grade Three Portfolio, and a Glossary of terms that have been
italicized throughout the curriculum.
Finally, readers will notice a lot of white space on each of the pages. The space is there
because we are approaching this document as a draft that will be in constant revision. We would
love, therefore, for you to occasionally print out a page. If you are new to the profession, we
would love for you to jot notes regarding clarity and completeness in those open spaces. If you
are one of our seasoned veterans, we would love for you to make more substantive suggestions.
These may be turned in to the Reading Specialist at your school for annual consideration during
our review of these materials.

NJ Core Curriculum Content Standards
for
Language Arts Literacy
Grade Three
3.1 READING
A. CONCEPTS ABOUT PRINT
1. Recognize that printed materials provide specific information.
2. Recognize purposes for print conventions such as end-sentence punctuation, paragraphing, and
bold print.
3. Use a glossary or index to locate information in a text.
B. PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS (Includes Phonemic Awareness)
1. Demonstrate a sophisticated sense of sound-symbol relationships, including all phonemes (eg.,
blends, digraphs, diphthongs)
C. DECODING AND WORD RECOGNITION
1. Know sounds for a range of prefixes and suffixes (e.g., re-, ex-, -ment, -tion).
2. Use letter-sound knowledge and structural analysis to decode words.
3. Use context to accurately read words with more than one pronunciation.
D. FLUENCY
1. Recognize grade-level words accurately and with ease so that a text sounds like spoken
language when read aloud.
2. Read longer text and chapter books independently and silently.
3. Read aloud with proper phrasing, inflection, and intonation.
E. READING STRATEGIES (Before, During, and After Reading)
1. Set purpose for reading and check to verify or change predictions during/after reading.
2. Monitor comprehension and accuracy while reading in context and self-correct errors.
3. Use pictures and context clues to assist with decoding of new words.
4. Develop and use graphic organizers to build on experiences and extend learning.
F. VOCABULARY AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
1. Spell previously studied words and spelling patterns accurately.
2. Point to or clearly identify specific words or wording that are causing comprehension difficulties.
3. Infer word meanings from taught roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
4. Use a grade-appropriate dictionary with assistance from teacher.
5. Use pictures and context clues to assist with meaning of new words.
G. COMPREHENSION SKILLS AND RESPONSE TO TEXT
1. Recognize purpose of the text.
2. Distinguish cause/effect, fact/opinion, main idea/supporting details in interpreting texts.
3. Interpret information in graphs, charts, and diagrams.
4. Ask how, why, and what-if questions in interpreting nonfiction texts.
5. Recognize how authors use humor, sarcasm, and imagery to extend meaning.
6. Discuss underlying theme or message in interpreting fiction.
7. Summarize major points from fiction and nonfiction texts.
8. Draw conclusions and inferences from texts.
9. Recognize first-person “I” point of view.
10. Compare and contrast story plots, characters, settings, and themes.
11. Participate in creative responses to texts (e.g., dramatizations, oral presentations).

3.2 WRITING
12. Read regularly in materials appropriate for their independent reading level.
13. Read and comprehend both fiction and nonfiction that is appropriately designed for grade level.
14. Use information and reasoning to examine bases of hypotheses and opinions.
H. INQUIRY AND RESEARCH
1. Use library classification systems, print or electronic, to locate information.
2. Draw conclusions from information and data gathered.
3. Read a variety of nonfiction and fiction books and produce evidence of understanding.
A. WRITING AS PROCESS (Prewriting, Drafting, Revising, Editing, Postwriting)
1. Generate possible ideas for writing through recalling experiences, listening to stories, reading,
brainstorming, and discussion.
2. Examine real-world examples of writing in various genres to gain understanding of how authors
communicate ideas through form, structure, and author’s voice.
3. Use graphic organizers to assist with planning writing.
4. Compose first drafts from prewriting work.
5. Revise a draft by rereading with meaning, narrowing the focus, sequencing, elaborating with
detail, improving openings, closings, and word choice to show voice.
6. Participate with peers to comment on and react to each other’s writing.
7. Build awareness of ways authors use paragraphs to support meaning.
8. Begin to develop author’s voice in own writing.
9. Use reference materials to revise work, such as a dictionary or internet/software resource.
10. Edit work for basic spelling and mechanics.
11. Use computer word-processing applications during parts of the writing process.
12. Understand and use a checklist and/or rubric to improve writing.
13. Reflect on own writing, noting strengths and areas needing improvement.
B. WRITING AS A PRODUCT (Resulting in a formal product or publication)
1. Write a descriptive piece, such as a description of a person, place, or object.
2. Write a narrative piece based on personal experience.
3. Write a nonfiction piece and/or simple informational report across the curriculum.
4. Present and discuss writing with other students.
5. Apply elements of grade-appropriate rubrics to improve writing.
6. Develop a collection of writings (e.g., a literacy folder or portfolio).
C. MECHANICS, SPELLING, AND HANDWRITING
1. Use Standard English conventions that are developmentally appropriate to the grade level:
sentences, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
2. Use grade-appropriate knowledge of English grammar and usage to craft writing: singular and
plural nouns, subject/verb agreement, appropriate parts of speech.
3. Study examples of narrative and expository writing to develop understanding of paragraphs and
indentation.
4. Develop knowledge of English spelling through the use of patterns, structural analysis, and high
frequency words.
5. Write legibly in manuscript or cursive to meet district standards.
D. WRITING FORMS, AUDIENCES, AND PURPOSES (Exploring a variety of forms)
1. Write for a variety of purposes (e.g., to inform, entertain, persuade) and audiences (e.g., self,
peers, community).
2. Develop fluency by writing daily and for sustained amounts of time.
3. Generate ideas for writing in a variety of situations and across the curriculum.
4. Write to express thoughts and ideas, to share experiences, and to communicate socially.
5. Write the events of a story sequentially.
6. Produce writing that demonstrates the use of a variety of sentence types, such as declarative,
interrogative, exclamatory, and imperative.
7. Respond to literature through writing to demonstrate an understanding of the text.
8. Write narrative text (e.g., realistic, humorous, etc.)
9. Write non-fiction text (e.g., reports, procedures, and letters).

3.3. SPEAKING
A. DISCUSSION
1. Listen and follow a discussion in order to contribute appropriately.
2. Stay focused on topic.
3. Take turns.
4. Support an opinion with details.
B. QUESTIONING (Inquiry) AND CONTRIBUTING
1. Develop appropriate questions to explore a topic.
2. Contribute information, ideas, and experiences to classroom inquiry.
C. WORD CHOICE
1. Use vocabulary related to a particular topic.
2. Adapt language to persuade, explain, or seek information.
3. Use new vocabulary and figurative language learned from literature and classroom experiences.
D. ORAL PRESENTATION
3.4 LISTENING
1. Use pictures to support an oral presentation.
2. Attempt to revise future presentations based on feedback from peers and teacher.
3. Use appropriate strategies to prepare, rehearse and deliver an oral presentation: word choice,
expression, eye contact and volume.
A. ACTIVE LISTENING
1. Connect messages heard to prior knowledge and experiences.
2. Exchange information through verbal and nonverbal messages.
B. LISTENING COMPREHENSION
1. Follow two- and three-step directions. ∗
2. Listen to a story read aloud and/or information from television or film, and summarize main
ideas.
3. Paraphrase information shared by others.
3.5 VIEWING AND MEDIA LITERACY
A. CONSTRUCTING MEANING
1. Begin to demonstrate an awareness of different media forms and how they contribute to
communication.
2. Identify the central theme and main ideas in different media.
B. VISUAL AND VERBAL MESSAGES
1. Recognize the effects of visual arts on one’s mood and emotions.
2. Begin to explore and interpret messages found in advertisements and other texts.
∗ Standard 3.4.B1 applies to all discipline areas and classroom practices. As such, it is not keyed into the curriculum
proper; rather, it is an overarching expectation.

GRADE THREE
READING
Outcome: Students will develop awareness of concepts of print, fluency, and new vocabulary, as well as
improved listening skills.
Read Aloud
ACTIVITIES
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.1.A1-2, E1-4, G1-11, G14; 3.3.A1-2, B1-2, C1-3; 3.4.A1-2, B2
Reading aloud is first and foremost a modeling strategy. It is teacher-centered, in that the teacher reads and the students
listen. The teacher also pauses at significant points and asks the students to interact with the reading by inviting students
to comment, ask/answer questions, and by generally eliciting discussion of the text. The teacher also models his/her own
thinking, especially as that thinking relates to comprehension, in order to demonstrate how experienced readers interact
with text as they read.
Reading should not be interrupted too frequently or for too long a period of time or fluency will be lost.
At this level, Read Aloud should be planned carefully as an introduction to new material or as a scaffold for difficult
material.
MATERIALS
See Grade Three Reading List, especially Quality Literature titles for this grade level.
Observation (including written notes):
• Responses to Question/Answer
• Willingness to contribute
Tiered Assignments
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

GRADE THREE
READING
Outcome: Students will develop awareness of concepts of print, fluency, retelling and other
comprehension strategies, as well as improved listening skills.
Shared Reading
ACTIVITIES
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.1.A3, E1-4, G1-11, G13-14; 3.3.A1-4, B1-2, C1-3; 3.4.A1-2, B3
Shared Reading attempts to build a level playing field through whole-class instruction. The teacher reads the text aloud,
while students are expected to follow along in the text as it is read.
This is the place where Think Aloud becomes most effective and the teacher can demonstrate—and then invite students
to reveal—those strategies they use to make meaning of text.
At this level, Shared Reading addresses:
• awareness of text conventions
• similarities and differences between fiction and nonfiction
• developing a sense of story or content
• fluency and phrasing
• comprehension through retelling
• comprehension through reading strategies
At this level, Shared Reading should occur only between the teacher and students who are known to be good oral
readers. Struggling readers’ mispronunciations and miscues can have a deleterious effect on the entire group.
MATERIALS
See Grade Three Reading List, especially Quality Literature titles
Easel
Chart Paper
Other paper—including drawing and writing
Markers
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION (See Portfolio)
Observation (including written notes):
• Evidence that individual students are using particular reading strategies
• Willingness to contribute
Tiered Assignments

GRADE THREE
READING
Outcome: Students will demonstrate understanding of genre, more sophisticated concepts of print, and
appropriate use of reading strategies.
ACTIVITIES
Guided Reading
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.1.A3, D1-3, E1-4, F2, F5, G1-11, G13-14; 3.3.A1-4, B1-2, C1-3; 3.4.A1-2, B3
Pulls together students with similar reading behaviors so that the instruction they receive is tailored to needs.
Before reading: The teacher introduces the book or passage for guided reading and provides a scaffold for reading by
connecting students’ prior knowledge and experiences to the text. Next, the teacher states clearly the skill or strategy the
lesson will focus on (the goal of the lesson).
While reading: Students read independently in small voice, attempting to meet the goals as stated. As students read, the
teacher responds individually to each of the students, taking a running record not only on the stated goal but on all
aspects of the reading that deal with basic concepts of print, decoding, and comprehension. The correspondence of
running records should be one student for each lesson.
After reading: Students discuss and reflect on the reading process and problem-solving strategies. The teacher then
provides small group instruction through a mini-language lesson and/or interactive word work. Finally, students practice
the concept, skill, or strategy using paired reading, independent reading, sequencing activities, cloze with the same story,
written responses to the ending, written reflection on the reading process/goals, or comprehension reinforcement through
interpretation—art, music, or drama.
At this level, Guided Reading should be used only with students who come to class able to read.
Leveled books
Easel
Chart Paper
Clipboard
Other paper—both for drawing and writing
Markers
MATERIALS
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
QRI
Observation and conferencing based on independent reading
Practice exercises
Formal tests from basal program—Scholastic Unit Tests
Story maps

GRADE THREE
READING
Outcome: Students will practice reading strategies, expand reading experience based on interest, develop
fluency, and become self-confident readers by reading and rereading texts.
ACTIVITIES
Independent Reading
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.1.E1-4, G12
Independent Reading is time set aside to reinforce all those skills and strategies students have practiced.
Independent Reading may be addressed through D.E.A.R. time, Buddy Reading, and Poetry Books.
It is essential that students be discouraged from reading above grade level during Independent Reading.
MATERIALS
Individual book baskets, boxes, or bags containing leveled books in all genres
Classroom library with a choice of books categorized by author, theme, and/or genre/Accelerated readers
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
Note: Although D.E.A.R. and Sustained Silent Reading were once viewed as times when the teacher should
not interact with students, current pedagogy suggests that teachers should interact with individual
students during Independent Reading time.
QRI
Observation and conferencing based on independent reading
Reading journal

GRADE THREE
WRITING
Outcome: Students will develop awareness of how text is produced, revised, and edited.
Modeled/Shared Writing
ACTIVITIES
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.2.A1-3, A7, B1-6, C3; 3.3.A1-4, B1-2, C1-3; 3.4.A1-2, B3
Teacher and students collaborate to write text.
At this level, Modeled/Shared Writing addresses:
• understanding of concepts of print
• writing strategies
• understanding of writing styles
• improvement of sentence structure
• the effect of word choice on writing
Modeled/Shared Writing also supports reading development because it produces text that students can read
independently.
MATERIALS
Easel
Chart Paper
Markers
Books—both classroom and library—and computer for researching topics of interest
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
Observation (including written notes) regarding how individual students are responding during Modeled/Shared Writing.
(For example, when students contribute, is it clear that the contribution follows from what has gone before or that some
other strategy—like revision—is at the heart of the contribution?)

GRADE THREE
WRITING
Outcome: Students will begin writing with an eye toward producing text in their personal voices.
Independent Writing
ACTIVITIES
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.1.H1-3; 3.2.A1, A3-6, A8-13, B1-6, C1-2, C5, D1-9
Students compose their own text.
Like Independent Reading, Independent Writing fosters the understanding that learning is a personal commitment.
Independent Writing gives students practice in generating ideas and organizing these into an outline or other graphic
organizer before writing.
Practice on own or peer writing follows minilessons on sentence structure, usage, and mechanics.
Workshop format allows for independent, peer, and conferencing work to go on simultaneously.
MATERIALS
Various kinds of paper, lined and unlined
Pencils
Pens, markers
Crayons for illustrations
Story starters
Student writing folders
Graphic organizers, semantic maps, or structured overview to help organize and clarify relationships before writing
Picture books to teach particular elements of writing
Conferencing
Portfolio
Author’s Chair
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

GRADE THREE
WORD STUDY/VOCABULARY
Outcome: Students will continue to develop both common and lesson-based vocabulary.
ACTIVITIES
NJCCCS Addressed: 3.1.B1, C1-3, F1, F3-4; 3.2.C4; 3.3.C1-3
Word Meaning: At this level, students will
• infer relationships between object pairs (analogies)
• recognize and use word opposites (antonyms)
• decode new words phonetically
• use context clues to determine definitions of new words
• use and spell common homophones/homographs correctly
• demonstrate understanding of multiple meanings of words
• use prior knowledge to build vocabulary by learning and using words with similar meanings (synonyms)
• use syntactic structures (e.g., appositives, adjective phrases) to determine definitions of new words
• learn to use a thesaurus to locate more precise vocabulary for papers/themes
Word Structure: At this level, students will
• identify root words
• manipulate word meaning using prefixes and suffixes
Dictionaries, thesauruses, and other reference works
Wall charts and lists
Graphic organizers to represent vocabulary words
MATERIALS
Samples of student writing
Standardized test results
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION

GRADE THREE
VIEWING
Outcome: Students will develop awareness of how illustrations and charts/graphs affect text, and will begin
to retell and interpret messages encountered in electronic media.
MEDIA
NJ CCCS Addressed: 3.5.A1-2, B1-2
ACTIVITIES
Statistics vary on the amount of mass media with which the average American citizen—and more specifically, American
children—are bombarded.
Recognition of the role that print media (including illustrations and charts/graphs) and electronic media play on the
development of a student’s linguistic ability shifts from being the domain of the teacher to the responsibility of the
student who needs to develop awareness of how subtle messages influence his or her thinking and response to the world
at large.
MATERIALS
Media samples from newspapers, magazines, and Internet appropriate to age/reading level
ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
Observation (including written notes):
• Responses to Question/Answer
• Willingness to contribute