Unit Plan 5 (Grade 3 ELA): Setting and Sequence in Stories
Grade 3 reading unit: students describe setting, sequence key events, and explain how scenes build on earlier parts. Includes writing with temporal words and oral summaries.
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 develops readers’ ability to describe setting (where/when) and sequence key events to explain a story’s meaning. Students analyze how authors organize parts of a story (chapters/scenes) and how each part builds on earlier sections. In writing, they practice using temporal words and phrases to keep events in order. By Friday, learners recount a fresh passage with accurate sequence, explain how one part builds on another, publish a short sequenced scene, and share a brief oral summary.
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…
- Identify and describe a story’s setting using text evidence.
- Recount a story by sequencing key events from beginning to end.
- Explain how a chapter or scene builds on earlier parts of the story.
- Write a narrative paragraph that uses temporal words/phrases to signal order.
- Present a clear, brief summary of setting and sequence.
Standards Alignment — CCSS Grade 3
- Reading Literature: RL.3.2 (recount; central message), RL.3.5 (refer to parts; how each builds)
- Writing: W.3.3c (use temporal words/phrases to signal event order)
- Speaking & Listening: SL.3.4 (report clearly in sequence)
Success Criteria — student language
- I can point to words that show the setting.
- I can list the events in order and explain what happened first, next, then, and last.
- I can tell how one scene depends on what happened earlier.
- My writing uses temporal words to keep the story clear.
- I can present a short, organized summary that others can follow.