Researching to Build Knowledge and Teach Others: Adaptations and the Wide World of Frogs
In this module, students will use literacy skills to become experts—people who use reading, writing, listening, and speaking to build and share deep knowledge about a topic. The module begins with students reading poetry and pourquoi tales about different kinds of frogs to generate “why” questions. At the end of the unit, they write their own fictional pourquoi narratives to attempt to answer some of their “why” questions. In Unit 2, students research to find out the real answers to their frog questions and write paragraphs to communicate their research.
In Unit 3, students will form research groups to become experts on various “freaky” frogs—frogs that have unusual adaptations that help them to survive in extreme environments throughout the world. Students will build their reading, research, writing, and collaborative discussion skills through studying their expert frog. Throughout the module, students will consistently reflect on the role of literacy in building and sharing expertise. They will demonstrate their expertise through a Freaky Frog book and trading card to educate students in grades 2 and 3.
Foundational Reading Students will follow the scope and sequence for Project Read Quarter One, Lessons 24-29.
Essential Questions
How does the author engage a reader in a narrative?
How do experts build knowledge and share expertise about a topic?
Reading Literature RL.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text. RL.3.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language. RL.3.5 Refer to parts of stories, dramas, and poems when writing or speaking about a text, using terms such as chapter, scene, and stanza; describe how each successive part builds on earlier sections. RL 3.10 Comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2–3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. RI.3.1Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. RI.3.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 3 topic or subject area. RI. 3.5 Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently. RI. 3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). RI.3.8 Describe the logical connection between particular sentences and paragraphs in a text (e.g., comparison, cause/effect, first/second/third in a sequence). RI.3.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Foundational Reading RF.3.3 Know and apply grade-‐level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.
RF.3.4 Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Read on-‐level text with purpose and understanding.
Read on-‐level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings
Use context to confirm or self-‐correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary.
Writing W.3.2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Introduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
Use linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
Provide a concluding statement or section.
W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Establish a situation and introduce a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally.
Use dialogue and descriptions of actions, thoughts, and feelings to develop experiences and events or show the response of characters to situations.
Use temporal words and phrases to signal event order.
Provide a sense of closure
W.3.4 With guidance and support from adults, produce writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task and purpose. Grade-‐specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above. W.3.5 With guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, and editing. Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grade 3. W.3.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic. W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. W.3.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-‐specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Language L 3.1 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
Form and use the simple (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk) verb tenses.
Use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
Produce simple, compound, and complex sentences
L. 3.3 Demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings.
Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context (e.g., take steps).
L 3.4 Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning word and phrases based on grade 3 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
L.3.6 Acquire and use accurately grade-‐appropriate conversational, general academic, and domain-‐ specific words and phrases, including those that signal spatial and temporal relationships (e.g., After dinner that night we went looking for them.).