Unit Plan 2 (Grade 3 ELA): Asking and Answering Questions About Stories

Grade Level: 3

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This week centers on questioning before, during, and after reading to deepen comprehension of stories. Students learn to pose literal and inferential questions, answer with text evidence, and recount key events to explain what the story is mostly about. Daily fluency work targets phrasing and expression in narrative prose. By Friday, students answer evidence-based questions on a fresh passage, demonstrate one-minute fluent reading, and give a brief listening recount of a teacher read-aloud.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Ask and answer who/what/when/where/why/how questions about a story using evidence from the text.
2. Recount a story (beginning–middle–end) and explain the central message or what the story is mostly about.
3. Listen to a story read aloud and determine main ideas and key details to show understanding.
4. Read aloud with accuracy, phrasing, and expression that fit sentences and dialogue.

Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3

• Reading Literature: RL.3.1, RL.3.2, RL.3.10
• Foundational Skills: RF.3.4a–c
• Speaking & Listening: SL.3.2, SL.3.1d

Success Criteria — student language

• I can write at least one before, one during, and one after question for a story.
• I can answer a question and point to a sentence (or line) that proves my answer.
• I can recount the story in order and tell what it mostly teaches or shows.
• When I listen to a story, I can tell the main idea and two key details from the read-aloud.
• When I read aloud, I pause at punctuation and change my voice for dialogue.