ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 17 :

17. Use grade-level academic and domain-specific vocabulary in writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 22 :

22. Describe literary elements within a story, including setting, plot, characters, and themes.

a. Describe in detail the characters' behavior, emotions, and traits and explain how their actions influence events in the story.

b. Explain how the characters' actions and dialogue contribute to the meaning of the story.

c. Identify the central message, theme, or moral in a story, including myths, fables, and folktales, and explain the meaning conveyed in the passage.

d. Compare and contrast the themes, settings, and plots from two texts.

[ELA2021] (3) 34 :

34. Write informative or explanatory texts about a topic using sources, including an introduction, facts, relevant details with elaboration, and a conclusion.

[ELA2021] (4) 15 :

15. Analyze in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

a. Identify and explain attitudes and influences of multiple characters within a text.

b. Explain how the main character changes throughout the story, using explicit evidence from the text.

c. Make an inference about a character's behavior, the setting, and/or specific events, using explicit details from the story.

[ELA2021] (4) 36 :

36. Write informative or explanatory text about a topic using sources, incorporating academic vocabulary, and including an introduction, facts, details with elaboration, and a conclusion.

[ELA2021] (5) 23 :

23. Determine and analyze themes of various culturally-diverse literary texts, supporting analysis with textual evidence.

a. Analyze common themes of diverse texts with support from textual evidence.

b. Summarize a story or drama, describing how the plot unfolds and how characters respond to challenges or change their thoughts and actions and citing textual evidence.

[ELA2021] (5) 35 :

35. Write informative or explanatory texts using multiple sources to examine a topic, conveying ideas and information clearly and incorporating a strong organizational structure, relevant details, and elaboration.

In this interactive lesson supporting literacy skills, students watch video dramatizations of Percy Julian's struggles with racism and how he refused to let it limit his possibilities in life. Students develop their literacy skills as they explore English language arts and focus on understanding character. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities.

This resource guides students as they analyze the character of Percy Julian and provides students with the opportunity to identify key details and learn new vocabulary.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 17 :

17. Use grade-level academic and domain-specific vocabulary in writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 33 :

33. Write personal or fictional narratives with a logical plot (sequence of events), characters, transitions, and a sense of closure.

[ELA2021] (3) 36 :

36. Demonstrate knowledge of the rules of standard English grammar including punctuation, capitalization, sentence formation, and spelling appropriate for third grade.

a. Use articles a, an, and the correctly.

b. Identify the role of a noun, verb, adjective, adverb, pronoun, preposition, and conjunction within a sentence and explain the type of the information it conveys.

c. Form plural nouns, verbs, and possessives, including irregular plural nouns and verbs.

d. Use simple abbreviations, including days of the week, months of the year, titles, units of metric and customary measurement, street names, and state names.

This teaching guide features discussion questions and writing activities for The Giving Tree; Don’t Bump the Glump!; A Giraffe and a Half; Lafcadio, the Lion Who Shot Back; Where the Sidewalk Ends; and Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros? Each story includes classroom discussion and suggested teaching activities. 

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 13 :

13. Utilize new academic, content-specific, grade-level vocabulary to make connections to previously learned words and relate new words to background knowledge.

a. Make connections to a word's structure using knowledge of phonology, morphology, and orthography of the word to aid learning.

[ELA2021] (3) 17 :

17. Use grade-level academic and domain-specific vocabulary in writing.

[ELA2021] (4) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (4) 32 :

32. Respond in writing to literature and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts, both independently and with support, demonstrating grade-level proficiency.

[ELA2021] (5) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (5) 14 :

14. Write using grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases accurately, including those that signal contrasting ideas, additional information, and other logical relationships.

[ELA2021] (5) 41 :

41. Write using grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases accurately, including those that signal contrasting ideas, additional information, and other logical relationships.

During this lesson, students are introduced to the concept of working dogs and how they help society. Students read a variety of texts, learn relevant vocabulary, participate in purposeful writing, and are encouraged to share their perspectives. An inquiry model called POWER is used, in addition to a vocabulary strategy called Word Storms, which is designed to help students speak and write critically about the texts they read. Most of the resources for the lesson are found online.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 14 :

14. Describe word relationships and nuances in word meanings, including relating them to their opposites and distinguishing shades of meaning in similar or related words, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives.

a. Determine meaning of words using synonyms in context.

b. Determine meaning of words using antonyms as a clue.

c. Describe the similarities and differences between related words.

d. Use knowledge of homophones to determine appropriate use of words.

e. Interpret figurative language.

f. Identify relationships and nuances in word meanings to determine real-life connections between words and their use.

Examples: Discuss relationships in words related to home (house, residence, habitat) and give reasons for choosing a particular word in speaking or writing.
Distinguish shades of meaning in words related to bad (terrible, awful, horrible) and give reasons for choosing a particular word in speaking or writing.
Distinguish shades of meaning in words related to talk (yell, scream, bellow) and give reasons for choosing a particular word in speaking or writing.

[ELA2021] (3) 17 :

17. Use grade-level academic and domain-specific vocabulary in writing.

[ELA2021] (4) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (4) 10 :

10. Interpret words and phrases, including figurative language, as they are used in a text.

a. Explain how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

b. Explain how figurative language contributes to the meaning of text, including simile, metaphor, alliteration, personification, hyperbole, and idioms.

c. Use the relationships between synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to increase understanding of word meanings.

[ELA2021] (5) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (5) 12 :

12. Interpret the meaning of words, phrases, and patterns as they are used in texts, including domain-specific and academic vocabulary and figurative language.

a. Locate similes, metaphors, personification, hyperbole, imagery, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and idioms and interpret their meanings in context.

b. Explain the meanings of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.

c. Use the relationships between synonyms, antonyms, and homographs to increase understanding of word meanings.

d. Explain how an author's vocabulary and style influence the tone and mood of a text and support his/her purpose for writing.

e. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meanings of words.

Students' vocabulary is expanded and their writing is enriched when they are encouraged to use a variety of adjectives to help readers "see, taste, and feel" what they've written. In this unit for grades 3 through 5, picture books are used as a springboard for helping students define, identify, and practice using adjectives and synonyms. They develop webbed lists and then put their new vocabulary skills to use by writing form poems.