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ES Literacy Shared Text Grade 3: Stories

Week 1

Day 1 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title:How Porcupine Got His Quills” (Folklore)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • B torments GO, and F for his own amusement—puts thorns on GO and urges GO to confront B
    • Explains why P have pointy coats of sharp thorns
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Compare and Contrast
    • Discuss how readers gain understanding about characters through contrast.
      • Gray One’s first meeting with Bear in paragraphs 1-4: Bear growls at Gray One and says: “Get out of the way!” Bear is angry because he is forced to slow down. Bear swatted Gray One like a pinecone and he laughs as he does it.
    • Discuss how Bear’s actions change. How does the author use different words and phrases to show that the second interaction is different than the first interaction?
      • Gray One’s second meeting with Bear in paragraphs 16- 20: Bear is wounded by trying to crush Gray One in his path. “Bear groaned as he limped away licking his wounded paw.”

Day 2 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:How Porcupine Got His Quills” (Folklore)
  • Question 1: How is Gray One’s first meeting with Bear different from his second meeting? ○
    • Sample answer: In Gray One’s first meeting with Bear he is pushed out of the way, and in the second meeting Bear moves out of the way.
      • “Bear swatted Gray One off the path like a loose pinecone. Bear’s laughter echoed…”
      • “Bear groaned as he limped away licking his wounded paw.”
  • Question 2: How does fox contribute to the outcome of the story?
    • Sample answer: Fox is important to the story because he helps Gray One transform into Thorny One.
      • “First come down and roll in this mud.”
      • “Now I’m going to decorate that wonderful mud coat of yours… Soon Gray One bristled with a pointy coat of sharp thorns.”

Day 3 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title:The Ostrich’s Horns” (Folklore)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • Clever G challenges prideful O to a race and wins horns
    • Pride can be blinding and make one vulnerable
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Point of View
    • Discuss specific words and phrases stated by the characters as you discuss how the author used dialogue to clearly convey each character’s point of view.
      • “’Get out my way, you silly deer, or I’ll gore you with my lovely horns,’ the ostrich sneered.” This line of dialogue shows the ostrich’s point of view of the deer, as well as her point of view on her horns.

Day 4 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:The Ostrich’s Horns” (Folklore)
  • Question 1: What do paragraphs 2-12 show about the gemsbok and the ostrich? ○ Sample answer: Paragraphs 2-12 show us that the gemsbok and ostrich argue with each other/want to appear better than each other.
      • “Get out of my way, you silly deer, or I’ll gore you with my lovely horns,” the ostrich sneered. (Paragraph 2)
      • “Lovely? Those horns are much too big for your small head. They make you look ridiculous,” the gemsbok snapped. He would have loved horns of his own and was very jealous of the ostrich. (Paragraph 3)
      • “One more insolent word out of you, and I’ll run you through,” the ostrich snapped. (Paragraph 4)
  • Question 2: What lesson is learned from this folktale?
    • Sample answer: The lesson learned from this folklore is that pride can be blinding and make one vulnerable.
      • “Get out of my way you silly deer, or I’ll gore you with my lovely horns.”
      • “The ostrich’s feet were soft and she fell behind.”

Week 2

Day 1 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title:Creating a Symphony of Steel” (Nonfiction)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • Inspiring story of how EM created beautiful instrument—steel drum—from garbage, oil drums
    • EM spread his passion to others
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Text Structure
    • Discuss how the author uses headings to group information and help the reader understand the main idea of each section.
      • “From Noise to Music” helps the reader understand that this section is all about the process or history of how Elliot became inspired to create drums and the history of his career.
      • “A Beautiful Sound” discusses how Elliot continued to innovate to make the music even more beautiful and how he has spread this knowledge.

Day 2 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:Creating a Symphony of Steel” (Nonfiction)
  • Question 1: What is the main idea of paragraph 6?
    • Sample answer: The main idea is that Ellie worked to improve the steel drums throughout his career.
      • “He developed 7 out of 10 of the types of steel drums.”
      • “He invented drumsticks to make the drum sound more like other instruments he admired.”
  • Question 2: Why does the author describe Mannette as “the father of steel drums”? ○
    • Sample answer: Mannette is described as “the father of steel drums” because he invented and improved steel drums.
      • “No one knew that those trash cans would eventually lead him to create a new instrument- the steel drum.”
      • “Ellie Mannette developed 7 of the 10 different types of steel drums used today.”

Day 3 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title:Women Who Dared” (Nonfiction)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • MW and EB trailblazers in business and medicine.
    • Both overcame challenges and opened doors for other women.
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Text Structure
    • Both texts end in similar ways; the author shows how each woman set a precedent for other women, then gives a statistic about women today working in the same field.
      • “Walker encouraged and helped other black women to start their own businesses. Her success helped pave the way for all future businesswomen.
        Today, more than 10 million small businesses in the U.S. are owned by women.”
      • “She later opened two medical colleges for women. Today, nearly 8,000 women in the U.S. graduate from medical school each year.”

Day 4 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:Women Who Dared” (Nonfiction)
  • Question 1: Why is “Women Who Dared” a good title for this text?
    • Sample answer: “Women Who Dared” is a good title for this text because the text is about two women who broke barriers in business and medicine.
      • Madam C.J. Walker encouraged and helped other black women start their own businesses.
      • Elizabeth Blackwell fought for the right to practice medicine. Blackwell was the first U.S. woman to finish medical school.
  • Question 2: How are Madam C.J. Walker and Elizabeth Blackwell similar? ○ Sample answer: Madam C.J. Walker and Elizabeth Blackwell are similar because they both overcame hardships to become very successful.
      • Madam C.J. Walker was able to become a businesswoman even though she was the daughter of poor farmers.
      • Elizabeth Blackwell faced the challenge of going to medical school during a time when only men attended.
      • Both women eventually reached success—Walker as a self-made millionaire, and Blackwell who opened two medical colleges for women.

Week 3

Day 1 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title:The Talebearer’s Lesson” (Folklore)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • M told untrue stories to get attention; R teaches that MT can’t make up for hurt he caused
    • MT and reader learns to be careful with words—slander and gossip can’t be taken back
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Character Traits
    • Discuss how the author describes the talebearer in paragraphs 2-7 by showing his actions and then other characters’ reactions to his actions.

Day 2 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:The Talebearer’s Lesson” (Folklore)
  • Question 1: Why does the rabbi tell Merchant Tovel to collect the feathers? ○ Sample answer: The rabbi tells Tovel to collect the feathers to teach him that gossip or negative words cannot be undone or taken back/to teach him a lesson.
      • The rabbi knows that collecting the feathers will be impossible because they are scattered everywhere.
        • When Tovel is unable to collect the feathers the rabbi then can explain to Tovel how his words cannot be taken back just like the feathers. “You can no more make up for all the hurt your words have caused than you can collect the feathers you have scattered.” (Paragraph 19)
  • Question 2: What do paragraphs 8-9 show about Tovel?
    • Sample answer: Tovel regrets spreading lies or gossip about the rabbi.
      • After spreading the rumors he thinks about what he has done and feels bad because the rumors spread very quickly.
      • He then decides to apologize to the rabbi thinking that he can repair the damage by saying sorry.

Day 3 Focus: Read and Understand the Text

  • Title: “Counting Chickens” (Folklore)
  • Main Idea Jot:
    • F Buys eggs and plans out how he’ll spend money
    • As F’s busy planning, he sits on and breaks the eggs teaching the reader that focusing on the present is the best way to prepare for the future
  • Craft and Structure Focus: Word Choice
    • Discuss the author’s use of specific words to illustrate Farouk’s initial plans for the future and then his crushed dreams.
      • “Farouk had it all planned: with the money from his market stall, he would buy grain and rice. Then he would sell the grain for bread and beer.” (Paragraph 3)
      • “He could see his glorious future stretching out before him.” (Paragraph 5)
      • “He’d learned a lesson, though: look after the present and let the future take care of itself.” (Paragraph 7)

Day 4 Focus: Responding to Literature in Writing

  • Title:Counting Chickens” (Folklore)
  • Question 1: What does the author mean when he says, “Farouk’s dreams lay in smithereens on the ground” in paragraph 7?
    • Sample answer: The author uses the eggs to represent Farouk’s dreams and how by focusing too little on the present he is actually crushing his own dreams. For instance, Farouk had dreams of his eggs becoming chickens. When the chickens made more eggs he would sell them for a goat.
      • “He could see his glorious future stretching out before him: lots of people working for him, farmers renting his land.” (Paragraph 5)
  • Question 2: Why is “Counting Chickens” a good title for this folktale?
    • Sample answer: “Counting Chickens” is a good title for this folktale because Farouk is counting a group of chickens he does not even have yet.
      • “This connects to the idea that Farouk is continuously thinking about the future and not about the present. ‘When these eggs hatch, I’ll have twelve chickens,’ he said to himself.” (Paragraph 2)
      • “He’d learned a valuable lesson, though: look after the present and let the future take care of itself.” (Paragraph 7)

What Else Do I Need?

  • Shared Text Selections:
    • Folklore: “How Porcupine Got His Quills” by B.C. Bond from Jack and Jill Magazine
    • Folklore: “The Ostrich’s Horns” retold by Saviour Pirotta from Around the World in 80 Tales
    • Nonfiction: “Creating a Symphony of Steel” from Appleseeds Magazine
    • Nonfiction: “Women Who Dared” from Scholastic News
    • Folklore: “The Talebearer’s Lesson” retold by Virginia Castleman from Highlights for Children
    • Folklore: “Counting Chickens” retold by Saviour Pirotta from Around the World in 80 Tales

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