- Receiving writing instruction, such as sentence combining
- Increasing the amount of writing, such as writing about self-selected topics or topics chosen in
collaboration with peers, writing to pen pals, and journal writing
In addition, teachers recognize that comprehension of text is highly dependent upon children’s
knowledge of the world, just as it is dependent upon their academic language repertoires and
decoding skills. Thus, content area instruction, including rich hands-on experiences and investigations,
is also a high priority in California’s classrooms. Informational and literary texts read aloud to students,
made available for independent reading, and used for literacy and content instruction are carefully
selected to build on themes and concepts addressed in the grade-three curricula. The curricular
themes/topics addressed in some of the content areas in grade three include the following: - History–Social Science Content, Continuity and Change: Students in grade three learn more
about our connections to the past and the ways in which particularly local, but also regional
and national, government and traditions have developed and left their marks on current society,
providing common memories. Emphasis is on the physical and cultural landscape of California,
including the study of American Indians, the subsequent arrival of immigrants, and the impact
they have had in forming the character of our contemporary society. (California’s History–Social
Science Content Standards). - Science for Grade Three: Students focus on Disciplinary Core Ideas, including from molecules to
organisms: structures and processes; ecosystems: interactions, energy, and dynamics; heredity:
inheritance and variation of traits; biological evolution: unity and diversity; earth’s systems;
earth and human activity; motion and stability: forces and interactions; engineering design;
and Topics, including inheritance and variation of traits: life cycles and traits; interdependent
relationships in ecosystems; weather and climate; forces and interactions; and engineering
design. (California’s Next Generation Science Standards). - Visual and Performing Arts for Grade Three: Students learn about and engage in dance, music,
theatre, and the visual arts, including historical and cultural contexts. (California’s Visual and
Performing Arts Content Standards).
Importantly, teachers also know that motivation and engagement impact meaning making. They
provide students with choices of texts and tasks, ensure they share texts worth reading, and enact the
recommendations presented in figure 4.2 at the beginning of this chapter.
Language Development
Students learn academic language as they engage with texts,
participate in investigations and hands-on experiences, and discuss
ideas and concepts. They are taught to determine the meaning of
words and phrases as they are used in literature and to distinguish
literal from nonliteral language (RL.3.4). They also learn to
determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific
words and phrases in informational texts (RI.3.4).
Students learn the following strategies for determining or
clarifying unknown or multiple-meaning words in the context of
grade-three texts and subject matter:
- Use sentence-level context as a clue to meaning. (L.3.4a)
- Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a
known affix is added to a known word. (L.3.4b)
Grade 3 Chapter 4 | 353