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Name ____________________________________________________________

Grade 3 Reading Unit #1:

Choices and Lessons Learned

In this unit, you will interact with a variety of characters to describe

their feelings, traits, and motivations. You will analyze the choices

characters make and how those choices fuel the plot, leading to

uncovering a message or lesson within the text.

Learning Targets:

I can use text details to support my ideas

I can read closely to gain new understanding about characters

and texts

I can describe character’s traits, motivations, and feelings at

various points in a text

I can explain how characters’ actions, feelings, and

motivations influence events in the plot

I can explain how characters actions across a text lead the

reader to an overall message of theme

Unit Texts

Title Author

Text 1 Sylvester and the Magic

Pebble

William Steig

Text 2 Excerpts from The Stories Julian

Tells

“Pudding Like the Night on the

Sea”

“Catalogue Cats”

“Gloria who Might be my Best

Friend”

Ann Cameron

Text 3 Teachers Choice

Choose any text from

this unit.

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Text 4 Fox Margaret Wild

Text 5 “Things” Eloise Greenfield

TEXT 1: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble

Lessons 1 and 2- Thinking about Character Feelings

Use the graphic organizer below to describe the characters in the

text and collect evidence that supports your thinking.

Character Feelings Across the Text

Who is the

character?

How is the character

feeling?

How do you know? Pull some evidence from the text!

QUICK WRITE (PRE-ASSESSMENT) What problem does Sylvester face? What lesson does he learn?

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Lesson 3- Thinking About the Character Sylvester

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Lesson 1-3 Supplemental Materials

Word Bank Below are some of the emotion words that William Stieg uses in his text.

Confused

Perplexed

Puzzled

Bewildered

Helpless

Hopeless

Frantic

Miserable

QUICK WRITE Pick a character from the text. Describe how the character’s feelings

change across the text. Be sure to include details from the text.

Challenge yourself to use at least one word from the Word Band

above.

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TEXT 2: The Stories Julian Tells

“Pudding Like the Night on the Sea”

Lesson 4- Discussion: Tracking Character Feelings and Reactions

Below, describe Julian, Huey and Father’s feelings and reactions in

the text. Use your notes to support your ideas in a class discussion.

Pages Character Feelings

How is the character

feeling?

Reactions

What does the

character do?

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TEXT 2: The Stories Julian Tells

“Catalog Cats”

Lesson 5- Discussion: Character Motivation and Obstacles

Use the chart below to track what characters want and the obstacles in

their way. Use your notes to support your ideas in a class discussion.

Character Motivation

What does the

character want?

Obstacles

What is in the character’s

way of getting what he/she

wants?

Huey

Father

Julian

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Lesson 5- Supplemental

Use the sentence frame below to help you think and write about

character motivation and obstacles that are in their way.

Character Motivation and Obstacles

Motivation- What a character wants

The character _________________________, wants

__________________________. I know this because

_____________________________________.

Obstacles- What gets in the way of the character getting

what he or she wants

The character, _____________________, is facing an

obstacle. The obstacle is _______________________________

________________________________________________________.

I know this because _____________________________________

_________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________.

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TEXT 3: Teacher’s Choice

Lesson 6- Character Feelings

The text is _______________________________________________________.

As you read, determine character feelings at different points in the

text.

Character Feelings Across the Text

Who is the

character?

How is the character

feeling?

How do you know? Pull some evidence from the

text!

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Lesson 7- Character Traits

What a character does, says or thinks gives readers important clues

about what kind of a person the character is. Use the chart below to

record your thinking.

What the character is

saying, doing, or

thinking…

Text Evidence

What this makes me

think…

Inference

A character trait

word that sums it up!

What kind of person

says, does, or thinks

these things?

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Lesson 8- Character Motivation

All characters want things and make decisions based on what they

want. We call that “character motivation.” Below, you will think

deeply about what a character wants and how you know it.

Character Motivation

The character, _____________________________, wants

______________________________________________

____________________________________________

I know this because there are moments in the text that give

me important clues. One example is ______________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________

Another example is _________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________

______________________________________________

____________________________________________

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TEXT 2: The Stories Julian Tells

“Gloria Who Might Be My Best Friend”

Lessons 9-12- Close Reading

For the next three lessons, you will be doing a close read of another

chapter from The Stories Julian Tells. You will work on determining

how Julian changes across the text.

When I read closely, I…

Read with my pencil in hand, marking up the text as I go

Read the text multiple times, each time with a new purpose

Read, write, and talk about the text… a lot!

Phase 1- What the Text Says…

Reading for the Gist

What we know about

JULIAN

What we know about

GLORIA

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Phase 2- How does the text work?

Lens: Character Motivation

The author uses a lot dialogue (character talk) in this text. Reread

the dialogue between Julian and Gloria. Jot down evidence that

shows what each character wants.

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Phase 3- What does the text mean?

New understanding.

Why do Julian and Gloria make a kite? What effect does it have on

their relationship?

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Written Response

How does Julian change from the beginning to the end of the text?

What events contribute to that change? Use details from the text

and ideas from the three phases of close reading in your response.

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TEXT 5: Teacher’s Choice

Lessons 13 and 14- Analyzing Character Choices

Text: _______________________________________________________

Use the chart below to analyze the choices the characters make by

asking, “Did this have a positive effect? Did this have a negative

effect? Why?” Then, think about the life lessons the characters

learned.

Character

Choice

What kind

of an

effect? Positive,

negative?

Circle one.

Describe the

effect.

Life Lesson

What does this

teach us about

life?

Teacher Model

POSITIVE

NEGATIVE

Guided Practice

POSITIVE

NEGATIVE

Independent Practice

POSITIVE

NEGATIVE

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TEXT 6: Fox

Lessons 15-17- Close Reading

For the next three lessons, you will be doing a close read of a new

text, Fox, by Margaret Wild. You will examine the characters in the

text closely, paying special attention to Magpie. This close read will

prepare you for the final task of the unit.

For Phase 1, use the graphic organizer below to capture information

about the characters in Fox.

Phase 1- What the Text Says…

Reading For the Gist

What do you know about the characters?

DOG

MAGPIE

FOX

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For Phase 2, reread the text, annotating all of the important details

you can find about Magpie. Use the graphic organizer below to

record your thinking.

Phase 2- How does the text work?

Lens: Text Details about Magpie

What We Know About

Magpie

How do we know it?

Write down specific

lines from the text.

Traits

What words describe Magpie?

Motivations

What does Magpie want?

Obstacles

What stands in Magpie’s way?

Choices

What choices does Magpie

make?

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Phase 3- What does the text mean?

New understandings!

What might be some lessons that Magpie learned in Fox? How did

the events in the story help her learn these lessons? Capture your

ideas below.

Effects

What are the effects of

Magpie’s choices?

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Final Task

We have spent the last few weeks thinking deeply and growing

ideas about characters. As readers, we have described character

feelings, traits, and motivations. We have analyzed the choices

characters make to overcome their obstacles, leading us to uncover

a message or lesson learned. All of this work has prepared you for this

final task.

After reading Fox, by Margaret Wild, write an essay that explains a

lesson Magpie learned. Use several details from the text to support

your response.

What do you know about the character Magpie?

What lesson does Magpie learn?

Be sure include evidence about how the character’s feelings,

traits, choices, and story events contributed to the lesson.

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FINAL TASK

After reading Fox, by Margaret Wild, write an essay that explains a

lesson Magpie learned. Use several details from the text to support your

response.

What do you know about the character Magpie?

What lesson does Magpie learn?

Be sure include evidence about how the character’s feelings,

traits, choices, and story events contributed to the lesson.

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