Answering Questions Fiction Reading Unit With Centers THIRD GRADE

This 10-day standards-based reading unit includes two PowerPoints, interactive notebook activities, centers, worksheets, original passages, plus a mid-unit checkpoint and end-of-unit assessment to teach asking and answering questions in fiction texts. The resources will help students to practice basic comprehension skills and respond with restating to text-dependent questions using evidence from the text.

The unit was created to be used toward the beginning of the third-grade school year. The questions do not require inference and answers can be found explicitly in the text. Students are really working on writing answers in a complete sentence by restating part of the question, answering all parts, and using text evidence. The less complex questions make the answering strategy easier to focus on. Questions will get more challenging as the units progress.

The unit is intended to be used over 10 days, but this can easily be adjusted to meet your needs.

This unit does not correlate with one particular reading curriculum, but it has been designed to supplement any materials or routines that you already have in place.

The resource was designed for third graders. It may also be appropriate for some second or fourth-grade classes.

Included

• Teacher Directions & Tips
• 2 PowerPoint lessons to explicitly teach the standards
• 2 Interactive Notebook Activities
• 5 Centers (Including reading response) in printable and digital formats
• 4 Worksheet Activities
• Multiple Original Passages
• Mid-unit Checkpoint Assessment
• End-of-unit Assessment
• Teacher Binder Cover
• Student Notebook Cover
• BONUS- a set of RACE posters

How to Use in the Classroom:

Follow our 10-day structured sequence or modify to meet your classroom needs:

• Day 1: PowerPoint to teach the skill
• Day 2: Interactive notebook activity
• Day 3: Worksheet to practice the skill
• Day 4: Worksheet to use with the text of your choice
• Day 5: Checkpoint passage with questions
• Day 6: PowerPoint to review and reinforce the skill
• Day 7: Interactive notebook activity
• Day 8: Worksheet
• Day 9: Tri-fold review activity
• Day 10: Assessment

PowerPoint

The Day 1 PowerPoint slide show is designed to be used as an introduction to the skill. The Day 6 PowerPoint reviews the skill and focuses on deeper application. They are short enough to be used as a mini lesson prior to your reading groups. The slides get students to participate and discuss the skill.

Interactive Notebook Activities

This unit includes two interactive notebook activities. You might choose to do one of these as a whole group activity, or you might choose to use them in small groups or centers.

The activities have very simple cuts so that precious time is not wasted in class.

The first activity is designed to be a reference and review from the PowerPoint mini lesson. The second activity is more challenging and asks students to use the skills they have learned to demonstrate understanding.

Students will need a notebook (spiral or composition), scissors and glue.

BONUS: If you also use my grammar units, one notebook will easily fit all of the grammar and reading notebook activities. I included a cover and dividers for this.

Centers

The unit includes FIVE centers and one student recording book. The answers to all five centers can be written into the one recording book. The recording book takes two sheets of paper.

This resource includes both printable and digital centers.

These centers include text, matching, task cards and color coding activities.

The final center is a reading response activity. Students will need access to some fiction picture books. The center will require that they read two different books and respond to a question relating to the unit skill. You can allow them to use read alouds, choose books from your classroom library or choose from a basket of books that you have preselected. You could even have them use a story from your basal.

The centers include student friendly directions and were intended to be clear enough for students to complete independently while still providing adequate practice of the reading skill.

I highly recommend putting all five centers out and allowing your students to complete the center activities in any order that they wish.

There are color and blackline versions included. Labels for the centers are also included.

These centers take four sheets of paper. I do recommend cardstock and lamination for durability. Depending on the size of your groups, you might want to print more than one copy of each center.

I made the centers with the plan that students would complete them in two weeks. This will somewhat depend on how much center time you have scheduled. If students finish early, I would recommend having them choose a book and read to themselves.

Assessments/Passages

This unit includes a mid-unit checkpoint assessment as well as an end-of-unit assessment.

Use the mid-unit checkpoint to gauge student understanding on day 5 of this unit. You can also use this data to form small groups. The end-of-unit assessment will assess students’ mastery of the standard.

Students have multiple opportunities to practice the skill using the included original passages and on a story of your choosing.

BONUS: RACE Strategy Posters

Students will be learning the RACE strategy for responding to text-dependent questions.

R- Restate part of the question

A- Answer all parts

C- Cite evidence

E- Explain your evidence

(Explain the evidence will be introduced, but not required by students until later units.)

I have included posters for this strategy so that you can display them in your classroom if you choose.