unit 6/week 2 at a glance - benchmark education

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LITERACYB E N C H M A R K

LITERACYLITERACYFix-Up Monitoring/ Distinguish and Evaluate Fact and Opinion

Unit 6/Week 2 at a Glance

Day Mini-Lessons

ONE •IntroducetheGenre:Persuasive Letters •BuildGenreKnowledge •ReadandAnalyzeaPersuasiveLetter

TWO •ReviewtheGenre:Persuasive Letters •ReadandAnalyzeaPersuasiveLetter •IntegrateKnowledgeandIdeas:Compare and Contrast Persuasive

Letters

THREE •ReadandSummarizeaLongerPersuasiveLetter

FOUR •RereadandAnalyzeaPersuasiveLetter

FIVE •ReflectonGenreKnowledge:Persuasive Letters •WritetoSources:Opinion/Argument

Teacher’s Guide Grade3•Unit6

Day One

Benchmark Literacy • Grade 3 • Unit 6/Week 2 ©2014 Benchmark Education Company, LLC2

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Create a Persuasive Letters anchor chart to demonstrate their prior knowledge.

• Discuss and analyze “Eat a Salad!”

• Build academic oral language and vocabulary as they engage in partner and whole-group discussion.

Related Resources

• Persuasive Letter Poster 1 (BLM 1)


• Texts for Close Reading, page 81

• Grade 3 Writing to Sources, page 14

• BenchmarkUniverse.com

Read-Aloud (10 minutes)

Select a favorite fiction read-aloud from your classroom or school library with which to model the metacognitive strategy “Fix-Up Monitoring.” Use the sample read-aloud lessons and suggested titles in the Getting Started Guide.

Mini-Lessons (20 minutes)

Introduce the Genre: Persuasive Letters SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c

Before this lesson, conceal the “Features of a Persuasive Letter” web on the right side of the “Focus on the Genre: Persuasive Letters” poster and gather several examples of persuasive letters. These can be texts in your Unit 6 class set, examples of letters to the editor from a local newspaper, or letters previous groups of students have written.

Display Persuasive Letter Poster 1. Show students examples of persuasive letters and ask them to share any persuasive letters they have read or written.

Say: Last week we learned that strong readers use many kinds of fix-up strategies to help them understand a text. We also learned how to differentiate between facts and opinions in a text. Those strategies will be very important this week as we focus on reading persuasive letters.

Read each question on the poster and encourage volunteers to share their knowledge of the genre. As needed, review your rules for group discussions and remind students to follow them during whole-, partner-, and/or small-group discussions throughout the week.

Record students’ ideas on Poster 1. Based on students’ prior knowledge, provide additional genre background information as needed to fill in the answers to each question.

Persuasive Letters Poster 1 (BLM 1)

Persuasive Letters Poster 2 (BLM 2) Texts for Close Reading, page 81

Day One

©2014 Benchmark Education Company, LLC Benchmark Literacy • Grade 3 • Unit 6/Week 2 3

Build Genre Knowledge SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c

Uncover the “Features of a Persuasive Letter” web.

Say: We’ve seen how every genre has specific characteristics, and so do persuasive letters. Imagine yourself writing a letter to persuade someone about something. What features would your letter include?

Invite volunteers to name features of persuasive letters. Together, decide which ones, if any, to record on Poster 1. As necessary, prompt students with the following questions:

• Why do you write a persuasive letter? What are you trying to communicate when you write one?

• What kind of information would help you persuade someone?

• Would you be writing your letter to everyone or to a specific person or persons?

• How might you end your persuasive letter?

Make Content Comprehensible for ELLs

BeginningRole-play what it means to persuade someone to think or do something. Invite a volunteer to play the role of a parent, and you play the role of a young person.

Say to the volunteer: Please can we go to the park, [Mom or Dad]? I want to go to the park so badly! It is sunny out and I want to play with my friends on the swings. Please take me to the park!

Show English learners a letter.

Say: Sometimes we write letters to friends to say “hi.” Other times we write letters to ask for something. For example, if you believe recess should be longer, you might write a letter to the principal giving reasons to convince, or persuade, him or her to make recess longer.

Intermediate and Advanced Pair English learners with fluent English readers during independent reading of the persuasive letter.

All LevelsIf you have students whose first language is Spanish, share the English/Spanish cognates: persuade/persuadir.

Challenge Advanced ReadersMake available more complex persuasive texts for students to read. Invite pairs or small groups of readers to discuss teacher-approved questions during small-group time as they read the letters. Suggested texts: Organic Farming, Old Oak Park from Benchmark Education Company, or selected letters to the editor from local and national news publications or websites. Sample discussion questions: What is the writer’s point of view? What evidence does the writer present to support his or her point of view? Is your point of view the same as or different from the writer’s, and why?

Persuasive Letters Poster 1, sample annotations

Day One


Read and Analyze a Persuasive Letter: “Eat a Salad!” RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.10, RF.3.4a, RF.3.4c, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d, SL.3.2

Set a purpose for close reading. Say: Today we’re going to read a short persuasive letter called “Eat a Salad!” As you read, pay attention to the features we just listed on our web. Which of those features are present in this letter? Note: You may wish to supply students with self-stick notes so that they can write annotations in the margins as they read.

Read the persuasive letter. Ask students to turn to page 81 in their Texts for Close Reading and read “Eat a Salad!” independently or with a partner. Remind them that strong readers pay attention to when they stop understanding the text, and they go back and use fix-up strategies to help themselves. Note: If you feel your students need more scaffolding, you may also provide a fluent read-aloud first, and then have students read independently or in pairs. Support English learners as needed using the strategies provided.

Listen to a fluent reading. Display the text on Persuasive Letters Poster 2 and read aloud the text to students in a fluent, expressive voice (or play the talking interactive whiteboard version), asking students to listen carefully to identify the key ideas, details, and opinions in the text.

Summarize key ideas and details (think/pair/share). Invite students to discuss the text briefly with a partner to identify what the letter is mostly about. Ask pairs of students to share their ideas.

Discuss craft and structure. Ask students to point out specific genre features they noted in “Eat a Salad!” Students should be able to reference specific places in the text where they found the features. Refer to Poster 1 during the discussion. You may wish to use the text-dependent questions below to begin your discussion.

• Who is this letter directed to, and how do you know?

The writer is addressing the people of Springfield. We know this because he begins, “Dear People of Springfield”

• What is his letter mostly about? What clues help you know that?

Answer: The letter is mostly about eating well to stay healthy. Sample Clues: Paragraph 1: “I want everyone to live a long, healthy life . . .” Paragraph 3: “Many sicknesses come from bad eating habits . . .” Paragraph 4: “Trips to the hospital could be avoided if people had well-balanced diets.”

• Reread paragraph 5. What solutions to unhealthy eating does this author recommend? Summarize his ideas in your own words.

The writer’s recommendation is that the people of Springfield should eat more salad, consume less sugar and salt, avoid fatty foods, and get more exercise.

Close Reading Support for ELLs

BeginningRead the text with students in a small group, and explain the meaning and most important parts to the students. Use some or all of the following strategies to support comprehension.

• Directly teach key vocabulary words in the text, such as exercise, habits, and healthy.

Intermediate and AdvancedPair English learners with fluent English readers during the independent reading of the persuasive letter.

All LevelsDisplay images of healthy foods, including a salad, to build visual context for the poster. Demonstrate exercise by doing jumping jacks or other activities. Invite students to show exercises they know. If you have students whose first language is Spanish, share these English/Spanish cognates: habit/el hábito; hospital/el hospital; problem/el problema; salad/la ensalada.

Make Connections Across Text TypesTo compare the facts and opinions in “Eat a Salad!” to a suggested healthy diet, visit http://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/ for information about different food groups.

Comprehension Quick-CheckObserve which students do or do not actively contribute to the discussion of the persuasive letter genre. The students who do not contribute may not have as much experience with the genre and may need additional support throughout the week.

Day One


Say: Today, we learned the key features of persuasive letters and we discussed the important ideas and details in “Eat a Salad!” Tomorrow, we’ll read and analyze another persuasive letter, and then we’ll draw conclusions about the letters to deepen our understanding.

Small-Group Reading Instruction (60 minutes)

Based on students’ instructional reading levels, select titles that provide opportunities to focus on persuasive letters, or select titles or pairs of titles with which to distinguish and evaluate fact and fiction. See the Leveled Text Titles chart provided at the back of this Teacher’s Resource System.

Use the instruction provided in the Teacher’s Guide for each title to introduce the text.

Individual Student Conferences (10 minutes)

Ask students to reflect on what they have learned about the persuasive letter genre. Use the Individual Reading Conference Form on page 32 of Informal Assessments for Reading Development to help guide your conferences.

Word Study Workshop (20 minutes)

Use the Day 1 instruction provided in Grade 3 Word Study Unit 17.

Home/School Connection: Writing to Sources W.3.3, W.3.4, W.3.10

Narrative Writing Assign students the Week 2 Narrative writing prompt for “Eat a Salad!” from Grade 3 Writing to Sources, page 14.

Support Special Needs LearnersThroughout the week, use these strategies to help students with learning disabilities access the content and focus on genre studies and text-dependent comprehension.

• Project the reading texts on the whiteboard. Allow students to come to the whiteboard and circle, underline, or highlight features of the genre and textual evidence.

• Provide opportunities for active involvement. Invite partners to play the role of the writer who feels strongly about a topic and the read whom the writer is trying to convince. Partners can use details from the text to role-play their parts.

• Provide repeated opportunities for students to analyze the features of persuasive letters. Find examples in text examples from read-alouds, small-group, and independent reading. Chart the features on graphic organizers and post them in your classroom.

• Encourage students to look in magazines and newspapers for persuasive letters they can relate to.

Day Two


Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Review features of persuasive letters.

• Read and analyze a persuasive letter.

• Compare and contrast two persuasive letters using a graphic organizer.

Related Resources



• Texts for Close Reading, pages 81–82



Select a favorite fiction read-aloud from your classroom or school library with which to model the metacognitive strategy “Fix-Up Monitoring.” Use the sample read-aloud lessons and suggested titles in the Getting Started Guide.


Review the Genre: Persuasive Letters SL.3.1d

Invite students to briefly summarize what they learned on Day 1 about persuasive letters. Display and review the “Features of a Persuasive Letter” anchor chart.

Read and Analyze a Persuasive Letter: “Don’t Smoke!”RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.6, RI.3.8, RF.3.4a, RF.3.4c, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Set a purpose for close reading. Say: Today we’re going to read a short persuasive letter called “Don’t Smoke!” As you read, pay attention to what reasons this writer gives to defend his opinion that people should not smoke. Note: You may wish to supply students with self-stick notes so that they can write annotations in the margin as they read.

Read the persuasive letter. Ask students to turn to page 82 in their Texts for Close Reading and read “Don’t Smoke!” independently or with a partner. Remind them that strong readers use fix-up monitoring strategies as they read. Note: You may also provide a fluent reading first to support struggling readers.

Listen to a fluent reading. Display the same text on Persuasive Letter Poster 3 and read aloud the text to students in a fluent voice, asking them to listen carefully to the important arguments and support in the letter.

Discuss key ideas and details/craft and structure. Ask students the text-dependent questions below to ensure their understanding of the text and guide them to reread specific sections to find information, clues, and evidence to support their answers and inferences.

• Reread paragraph 2. What reason does the author give in this paragraph for why you shouldn’t smoke?

She discusses the unpleasant effects of cigarette smoke: it “smells terrible,” “makes your clothes stink,” “makes your friends’ clothes reek,” makes your “lips and teeth yellow,” and causes people to cough.

Persuasive Letters Poster 3 (BLM 3) Texts for Close Reading, page 82

Persuasive Letters Poster 4 (BLM 4)

Day Two


• Now reread paragraph 3. The author has a second reason for condemning cigarette smoking. Restate her main idea in your own words.

Smoking causes terrible diseases.

• Show me where in the letter Min Wah Quo explains why she feels so strongly about people not smoking. Let’s find and reread that part.

Paragraph 5: Her grandma died of lung cancer from smoking cigarettes.

• How does knowing about her grandmother affect your point of view as a reader?

Students’ answers will vary, but discuss the idea that by revealing her personal experience of losing a grandparent, the writer adds power to her own point of view. She is speaking from personal experience, and this adds credibility to her opinions.

Integrate Knowledge and Ideas: Compare and Contrast Persuasive Letters RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.9, RF.3.4a, RF.3.4c, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Ask students to turn to page 81 in their Texts for Close Reading and silently reread “Eat a Salad!”

Display Persuasive Letter Poster 4.

Say: We can compare and contrast persuasive letters to see how they are alike and different. We can analyze the points of view, the structure of each persuasive letter, and the arguments and opinions. To compare/contrast the persuasive letters, we will look for information in both texts.

Use the questions on the poster to launch students’ analysis. Record students’ ideas on Persuasive Letter Poster 4, using the sample annotations to guide you. Require students to support their comparisons and contrasts with information directly from the two texts. After recording your findings, pose the question below to encourage deeper thinking about the two texts. (Note: If time does not allow, you may also have students discuss the question during workstation time and briefly report their ideas the following day.)

• Both of these letters addressed the important topic of being healthy. Which letter, in your opinion, did the more effective job of convincing you to follow the writer’s call to action? Tell me why you think so, referring to specific information from the texts.


BeginningRead “Don’t Smoke!” with students in a small group, and support students’ comprehension in the following ways:

• Show images of people smoking cigarettes and images of healthy people doing physical activities such as jogging or exercising. Point to the images of people smoking and say, “unhealthy” and then role-play coughing and wheezing. Then point to the images of healthy activities and say, “healthy” and then raise your arms and show your muscles.

Intermediate and Advanced• Clarify the meaning of difficult words,

such as ache and rot, in the text.

• Pair English learners with fluent English readers during the independent reading of “Don’t Smoke!”

All Levels• If you have students whose first

language is Spanish, share these English/Spanish cognates: cancer/el cancer; cigarette/el cigarillo.

Day Two


Connect and Transfer Say: Today, we compared and contrasted two persuasive letters. We found similarities and differences between the opinions they presented, the reasons they gave, and the solutions they posed. Remember that all persuasive letters are designed to express a strong point of view about something. And it’s up to you, as a reader, to decide whether or not the writer has made a strong enough case for you to agree.


Continue small-group reading instruction from the previous day. Use the instruction provided in the Teacher’s Guide for each text.


Confer with individual students to discuss their understanding of genre and comprehension strategies. Use the Individual Reading Conference Form on page 32 of Informal Assessments for Reading Development to help guide your conferences.



Comprehension Quick-CheckNote whether students can identify the writer’s point of view and facts to support it. If they need additional support, review the features of a persuasive letter using Poster 1. Then circle facts and underline opinions about smoking on Poster 3 using a write-on/wipe-off marker.

Say: In a persuasive letter, the writer uses facts to support and strengthen his or her opinion, or point of view.Have students circle and underline additional facts and details on the poster with you.

Workstation Extension: Peer Writing Review W.3.3a, W.3.3b, W.3.3c, W.3.3d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.10

Narrative WritingHave pairs of students peer-check each other’s narrative writing (the homework assignment from Day One) and provide supportive feedback and suggestions based on the Student Writing Checklist: Narrative Writing (see Grade 3 Writing to Sources, page 24).

Home/School Connection: Revise and Edit W.3.3a, W.3.3b, W.3.3c, W.3.3d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.10

Narrative WritingAsk students to revise and edit their narrative writing based on their peer review and their own ideas. Students should have a final draft for submission on Day 3.

People of Springfield

Poor eating habits of the community

Smokers and anyone who is thinking about smoking

Smoking is bad for you.

Being unhealthy feels terrible and makes problems. Sicknesses come from bad eating habits. Hospitals and doctors cost money.

We do not always do the best for our bodies.

Eat healthy foods and cut back on sugar, salt, and fatty foods.

Yes. The author shows what can happen if we don’t eat good foods. I don’t want to end up in the hospital.

Smoking is one of the deadliest habits. Cigarette smoke turns things yellow. You can get diseases from smoking. Author’s grandma died from lung cancer brought on by smoking.

Don’t kill yourself. Cigarette smoke smells terrible. Cancer is a horrible way to die.

Stop smoking.

Yes. The paragraph about her grandmother and the pictures of the grandmother’s lungs.

Day Three


Texts for Close Reading, pages 83–86

Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Read and summarize a longer persuasive letter.

• Answer text-dependent comprehension questions to demonstrate their understanding of key ideas.

• Build oral language and vocabulary through whole-group and partner discussion.

Related Resources




Select a favorite nonfiction read-aloud from your classroom or school library with which to model the metacognitive strategy “Fix-Up Monitoring.” Use the sample read-aloud lessons and suggested titles in the Getting Started Guide.


Read and Summarize a Longer Persuasive Letter: “Clean Up City Park!” RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c

Set a purpose for close reading. Say: Today’s reading is a longer persuasive letter. As you read it, ask yourself, “What is this letter mostly about?” After reading, we will summarize the letter’s key ideas together.

Note: You may wish to supply students with self-stick notes so that they can write annotations in the margins as they read.

Read the persuasive letter. Invite students to read the text independently or with a partner. Based on the needs of your students, you may choose to conduct a fluent read-aloud before students read the text. Remind students that strong readers use fix-up monitoring strategies as they read to help them comprehend.

Listen to a fluent reading. Read aloud the text to students in a fluent voice (or play the talking e-book on your interactive whiteboard). Ask students to listen carefully to understand the important facts and details, and to identify and try to define difficult words using context clues.

Find and discuss text evidence. Draw from the text-dependent questions to engage students in orally identifying the key ideas in the text. Require students to support all of their answers to questions by citing specific information, clues, or evidence from the text. (Note: a second close read on Day 4 will take students beyond the key ideas to focus on the writer’s point of view and how he supports it.)

• Look closely at the first paragraph and the ending of this letter. Who is the audience? Who is the writer?

Students should recognize that the audience is the mayor of a city, and the writer is a boy named Jason Bolton who lived in that city.

• What is the topic of this letter? How do you know?

Answer: The topic of the letter is the state of City Park and what should be done about it. Evidence from paragraph 1: “. . . City Park is a mess. The baseball fields need repair. Trash is all over the ground. Garbage is floating in the lake . . . If something isn’t done, no one will want to go there anymore.”


Make Connections Across Text TypesHave students view the National Park Foundation’s mission statement: http://www.nationalparks.org/ about-us to compare it to Jason Bolton’s goal of cleaning up City Park.

Day Three


• Reread paragraphs 2–4. The writer compares and contrasts City Park in the past and in the present. How has it changed?

In the past: the park “used to be beautiful” and “people would swim, fish, and have picnics.”

In the present: The “baseball fields are dangerous” (p. 83) and the lake “is filled with garbage” (p. 84)

• Look closely at the photographs of City Park. How do these pictures contribute to your understanding of how the park has changed?

Encourage students to discuss how this visual information provides a level of detail the text itself does not. It contributes to readers’ understanding of how people have failed to maintain the park.

• Reread paragraph 1 on page 85. How does this paragraph contribute to your understanding of the park’s situation?

Students should understand that the bad conditions in the park are “effects,” and the “cause” of these effects is lack of funds to pay for park maintenance.

Connect and transfer. Say: Today, we read a letter about terrible conditions in a city park. Tomorrow, we’re going to reread this letter and look more closely at the writer’s opinion, or point of view, about the park and the evidence he gives to support his point of view.


Continue small-group reading instruction from the previous day. Use the instructions provided in the Teacher’s Guide for each text.


Confer with individual students to discuss their developing understanding of genre and comprehension strategies. Use the Individual Reading Conference Form on page 32 of Informal Assessments for Reading Development to help guide your conferences.




BeginningRead the text with students in a small group, and support students’ comprehension in the following ways:

• Point to the photographs in the letter and name the items using a simple sentence frame, such as “I see the ______.” Build vocabulary including the words garbage, lake, park, trash.

• Discuss things you can do in a park. Use a simple sentence frame such as “We can ______” to concepts like fish, swim, play baseball, have a picnic, etc. Use pantomime to support understanding.

Intermediate and AdvancedPair English learners with fluent English readers during independent reading of the persuasive letter.

All LevelsIf you have students whose first language is Spanish, share these English/Spanish cognates: baseball/el béisbol; lake/el lago; park/el parque; picnic/el picnic.

Comprehension Quick-CheckNote whether students can discuss the persuasive letters in a way that demonstrates understanding.

• Can students identify the writer of the letter and audience for the letter?

• Do they understand the writer’s purpose for writing a letter to the mayor?

• Can students articulate what the problems are in City Park?

Home/School Connections: Writing to Sources W.3.2a, W.3.2b, W.3.2c, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.10

Informative/Explanatory WritingAssign students the Week 2 Informative/Explanatory writing prompt for “Eat a Salad!” and “Don’t Smoke!” from Grade 3 Writing to Sources, page 14.

Day Four



Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Reread and analyze a persuasive letter.

• Analyze the reasons and evidence an author uses to support specific opinions in a persuasive letter.

• Build oral language and vocabulary through whole-group and partner discussion.

Related Resources




Select a favorite nonfiction read-aloud from your classroom or school library with which to model the metacognitive strategy “Fix-Up Monitoring.” Use the sample read-aloud lessons and suggested titles in the Getting Started Guide.


Reread and Analyze a Persuasive Letter: “Clean Up City Park!” RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.10, RF.3.4a, SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Set a purpose for the close rereading. Say: Remember, this letter is written to the mayor of a town from a concerned citizen. As we discussed yesterday, he’s written to the mayor about the conditions in City Park. Today as you read the letter again, pay attention to how the writer supports his point of view with evidence—facts, details, and examples. Note: You may wish to supply students with self-stick notes so that they can write annotations in the margins.

Reread the persuasive letter. Based on the needs of your students, either reread aloud the set of letters as students follow along or have them peer-read with a partner or read independently. Remind students that context clues such as direct definitions, descriptions, synonyms, and antonyms can help them figure out the meaning of unfamiliar words as they read.

Identify and analyze the author’s point of view. Guide a discussion about the author’s position and evidence using the text-dependent questions below and/or your own questions to challenge students to analyze, infer, and evaluate the text. As students cite clues and evidence, create a chart like the sample shown here. Remind students to quote accurately from the text as they support their text analyses. See the sample chart for the opinions/evidence for each question below. In the course of your discussion, point out that this author has used firsthand observations, personal experiences, examples, photographs, and historical information (from his father) as proof that his opinions about the park are valid.

• The letter writer, Jason Bolton, states some strong opinions about City Park. Read paragraph 3 on page 83 and paragraph 1 on page 84. What opinion does he state here? What evidence does he give to support his opinion?

• Now reread paragraphs 2 and 3 on page 84. Who does the writer hold responsible for the garbage in the park? How does he support his claim?

• The writer believes people would use the lake if it were not so dirty. How does he support this opinion?

• This writer proposes a solution to the problem in City Park. Show me where he makes his recommendation?


Day Four



BeginningWork with students in a small group. Point to the photographs on pages 83 and 85. Name the places in the images (City Park and City Lake) using the sentence frame “ I see ______.” Ask students to use the sentence frame with you to talk about City Park. Have students draw a picture of what City Park looks like now, and what City Park would look like if the volunteers were to clean it up. Encourage students to tell you about their drawings.

Intermediate and AdvancedPair English learners with fluent English readers as they search the text to identify how the writer supports his opinions with evidence.

Comprehension Quick-CheckTake note of whether students are able to link specific opinions to supporting evidence.

• Can students identify the writer’s opinions?

• Are students able to articulate exactly what evidence the writer has used to support the opinion?

• Can students distinguish their own point of view from that of the writer?

• Do students support their points of view in meaningful, thoughtful ways?

Think/Pair/Share. Say: Now turn to a partner. Discuss whether or not the writer supported his opinions effectively. If you were the mayor, would the letter make you take action? Why or why not?

Point out that as students evaluate the effectiveness of a writer’s argument, they must consider their own point of view. Is their point of view the same as the writer’s or is it different?

Invite a few students to share their ideas. Make sure that each speaker has a reason to support his or her point of view.

Opinion/Point of View Text EvidenceCity Park is dangerous. “. . . the baseball fields are

dangerous. . . . The grass is really high. One player . . . hurt his knee. He tripped on a weed . . .” (pages 83–84)

People are contributing to the park’s condition by not removing their garbage.

“We saw two teenagers throw soft-drink cans into the lake. I saw a little kid drop his candy wrapper. A man and woman left a plastic bag of garbage under a tree.” (page 84)

More people would use the lake if it weren’t so dirty.

“. . . The water is brown. You can see garbage floating in it.” (page 84) The writer’s photo is proof. (page 85)

The city should organize a park cleanup once a month.

“Volunteers could work in teams. They would pick up trash. They would cut the grass.” (page 85)

“We could put up posters around the town to advertise the cleanup effort . . . My baseball team and I would make posters.” (page 85)

Day Four


Connect and transfer. Say: Today, we analyzed how writers use reasons to support an argument. When you read an opinion piece or a persuasive letter, look for the facts and opinions that the writer uses. Ask yourself, “Are the facts and opinions convincing? Do they rely on facts or just more opinions?” Thinking carefully about the reasons will help you distinguish your own point of view.




Confer with individual students to discuss their developing understanding of genre and word-solving strategies. Use the Individual Reading Conference Form on page 32 of Informal Assessments for Reading Development to help guide your conferences.



Workstation Extension: Peer Writing Review W.3.2a, W.3.2b, W.3.2c, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.10

Informative/Explanatory WritingHave pairs of students peer-check each other’s informative/explanatory writing (the homework assignment from Day 3) and provide supportive feedback and suggestions based on the Student Writing Checklist: Informative/Explanatory Writing.

Home/School Connection: Revise and Edit W.3.2a, W.3.2b, W.3.2c, W.3.2d, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.10

Informative/Explanatory WritingAsk students to revise and edit their informative/explanatory writing based on “Don’t Smoke!” using the feedback from their peer review and their own ideas. Students should have a final draft for submission on Day 5.

Day Five



Lesson Objectives

Students will:

• Review and summarize features of persuasive letters.

• Build academic oral language and vocabulary through small-group and whole-group discussions.

• Write an opinion/argument.

Related Resources




Revisit the week’s read-alouds to make text-to-text connections and provide opportunities for reader response. Use the suggested activities in the Getting Started Guide or implement ideas of your own.


Reflect on Genre Knowledge: Persuasive Letters SL.3.1a, SL.3.1b, SL.3.1c, SL.3.1d

Display the “Focus on the Genre: Persuasive Letters” poster you completed on Day 1. Say: We have read and analyzed three persuasive letters together this week. How has your understanding of the genre changed as a result of our readings? What new insights do you have about the genre? What new questions do you have? Encourage students to cite specific text examples to support their new understandings.

Write to Sources: Opinion/Argument RI.3.1, RI.3.3, W.3.1a, W.3.1b, W.3.1c, W.3.1d, W.3.1e, W.3.4, W.3.5, W.3.6, W.3.10

Display the following writing prompt and read it aloud with students:

Review “Eat a Salad!,” “Don’t Smoke!,” and “Clean Up City Park!” In your opinion, which letter writer did the best job of supporting his or her point of view? Use specific details and examples from more than one letter to support your position.

Display the following Student Writing Checklist for a good opinion/argument, and discuss each checklist item with students. As needed, review specific elements of a strong opinion piece by referring back to the text examples from the week. A blackline master version of this checklist is available on page 24 of Grade 3 Writing to Sources.


Opinion/Argument

__ I stated a strong opinion, position, or point of view.

__ I used well-organized reasons to support my opinion.

__ I supported my reasons with facts and details.

__ I linked my opinions and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses.

__ I wrote a conclusion that supports my position.

__ I reviewed my writing for good grammar.

__ I reviewed my writing for capitalization, punctuation, and spelling.

Day Five


Give students time to begin their opinions/arguments during whole-group time. Provide additional time during small-group workstation rotations. At that time, students may wish to collaborate with a partner to peer-check their writing. Allow students to complete their opinions/arguments as homework.

If your students will be using computers to draft, edit, and revise their work, consider these ways to support online collaboration and digital publishing:

• Google Docs facilitate collaboration and allow teachers and peers to provide real-time feedback on writing pieces.

• Wikis enable students to share their writing around a common topic.

• Audio tools enable students to record their works (podcasts) for others to hear on a safe sharing platform.

• Blogs can be used as digital journals where students engage in short-form, interest-based writing that provides peer and teacher feedback. Blogs can also be developed and extended into essays, opinion pieces, and research papers.

• Student writing can be enriched with images, audio, and video, and shared with a wider audience via numerous web 2.0 technologies.

Connect and transfer. Say: This week we read and analyzed persuasive letters. And today we used our understanding of the authors’ opinions and evidence to write and support our own opinion. Whenever you read, ask yourself, “What is the writer’s point of view, and does the writer support that point of view well enough?”




Ask students to reflect on what they have learned about the persuasive letter genre. Use the Individual Reading Conference Form on page 32 of Informal Assessments for Reading Development to help guide your conferences.



Writing Support for ELLs

BeginningAllow beginning English learners to participate as active listeners in their groups. Provide sentence frames to help them contribute to their groups’ discussions. For example: One feature of persuasive letters is ______.

Intermediate and Advanced As students write independently, confer with them and give them opportunities to orally rehearse what they plan to write. Provide language structure support as needed to get students started.

Support Language ConventionsBased on your observations of students’ needs, select appropriate brief mini-lessons from the Grade 3 Writing to Sources to support grade-level Conventions of English language expectations.

unit 6/week 2 at a glance - benchmark education

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