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Before I face a blank page, I decide what my writing needs to do. I name my topic, purpose, and audience, and I choose a genre. When narrative fits, I use TRAILS to develop the experience.
Essential Question
How does a writer turn clues and events into a story worth following, and how do we know narrative fits the purpose?
My Week Tracker
Check off each day after you finish that day's work.
How to name topic, purpose, audience, and genre before drafting.
One nonfiction passage about Emsy and the mystery of a traveling shell.
A genre chart, a TRAILS case file, a short narrative, and a reflection.
Where We Are Going
I will move from listening to a mystery to planning and writing my own short narrative. By the end of the week, I will teach someone else how TRAILS develops an experience.
I'll Know I've Got It When...
Check Myself
How I Will Show What I Know
I will show what I know with a genre chart, a TRAILS plan, an independent short narrative, and the Day 5 exit ticket.
My GRADUATE Learning Path
Stage
Day
What I do
Gather
Day 1
I build curiosity about a mysterious object.
Reveal
Day 1
I learn how topic, purpose, and audience lead to narrative and TRAILS.
Attempt
Day 2
I play TRAILS Mystery Case File and sort evidence.
Discuss
Day 3
I explain why narrative fits and how a detail develops an experience.
Use Again
Day 3
I plan and write a short narrative on my own.
Award
Day 4
I name evidence of my growth with two awards.
Target
Day 4
I choose my next step and revise a sentence.
Explain/Educate
Day 5
I teach a TRAILS feature and explain why narrative fits.
These are the exact TEKS this module teaches. Read the code, then say the job in your own words.
3.11A(i):
Plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
3.12A(i):
Compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
Call and Response
Read this together as a class before we start.
Teacher asks: "What do prepared writers do first?"
Class answers: "Name the topic, purpose, audience, and genre!"
One TEKS I want to practice today
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S28-S29
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Get Ready
Before I begin
Before We Begin: What Do I Already Know?
I already know that a writing job gives me a topic, purpose, and audience. I can retell events in order and write a complete sentence.
A connection I can make
Remember It!
One idea I remember
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S32-S34
Ready Check
Watch Out! Common Mix-Up Watch out! The passage may contain historical facts, but that does not mean the response must be informative. The genre depends on the purpose. If the purpose is to let a reader experience a discovery, narrative fits.
Where This Fits in My Writing
Prepared writers first name topic, purpose, and audience. They select narrative when the reader should experience a discovery, then use TRAILS to plan the experience.
Reason: A mysterious object can reveal something about the past. Write one sentence that shows the moment the character's thinking changes. Then explain why that moment matters.
A sentence that shows the clue or discovery
Why it changes the character's thinking
Part 6: Short Narrative
Write six to eight sentences that develop the experience. Include setting, actions, a thought or dialogue, an important moment, and a lasting effect.
My paragraph
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S36
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Words I Need
Tier 1, everyday words
Say each word. Then use one word in a sentence about a discovery.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
decide
dih-SIDE
To make up your mind about what to do.
First I will ______ what my writing needs to do.
choose
CHOOZ
To pick one thing from a group.
I can ______ the genre that fits the job.
reader
REE-dur
The person who will read the writing.
My ______ needs to experience the moment.
notice
NOH-tis
To pay attention to something.
I ______ a detail that begins a mystery.
wonder
WUN-dur
To ask yourself a question.
The shell makes me ______ how it traveled so far.
clue
KLOO
A detail that helps solve a mystery.
Emsy's first ______ was the shell itself.
order
OR-dur
The way events are arranged from first to last.
I put the events in ______ so they make sense.
moment
MOH-ment
A short, important point in time.
The important ______ changes what Emsy understands.
detail
DEE-tayl
A small piece of information.
I add a ______ so the reader can picture the setting.
experience
ik-SPEER-ee-uns
Something that happens to a person.
A narrative helps the reader live the ______.
Use one Tier 1 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S37
Words I Need: Tier 2, academic words
These writing words help you name the job, choose a genre, and plan before drafting. Say each word, then use it with a partner.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
genre
ZHON-ruh
The kind or form of writing.
The ______ that fits this job is narrative.
topic
TOP-ik
What the writing is about.
My ______ is finding a mysterious object.
purpose
PUR-pus
What the writing must do.
My ______ is to let the reader experience the discovery.
audience
AW-dee-uns
The person or people who will receive the writing.
My ______ is the other readers in my class.
narrative
NAIR-uh-tiv
Writing that tells about an experience or story.
I chose a ______ so the reader can follow the character.
informative
in-FOR-muh-tiv
Writing that explains information.
An ______ response would mainly explain the facts.
opinion
uh-PIN-yun
Writing that states a viewpoint.
An ______ response would state what I think is best.
correspondence
kor-uh-SPON-duns
Writing sent directly to a person, such as a letter.
A ______ response would be a letter to the museum.
brainstorm
BRAYN-storm
To think of many ideas before writing.
I ______ possible mystery objects before I plan.
plan
PLAN
To decide the parts before drafting.
I ______ my narrative with TRAILS before I write.
Use one Tier 2 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S38
Words I Need: Tier 3, passage words
These words come from our passages about The Mystery of the Traveling Shell and The Mystery of the Traveling Shell (continued).
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
coastal
KOHS-tul
Near the coast or ocean.
The shell came from a ______ area.
inland
IN-land
Away from the coast.
Poverty Point is ______, far from the ocean.
artifact
AR-tuh-fakt
An object that tells us something about people from the past.
The shell is an ______ from long ago.
trade
TRAYD
Exchanging something a person has for something someone else has.
People used ______ to move goods along the rivers.
scarcity
SKAIR-suh-tee
When there is not an unlimited amount of what people want or need.
______ gave people a reason to trade.
archaeologist
ar-kee-OL-uh-jist
A scientist who studies objects from people of the past.
An ______ discovered copper at Poverty Point.
pattern
PAT-urn
A set of details that repeat or connect.
Several distant objects form a ______.
distant
DIS-tunt
Far away.
The copper came from a ______ place.
museum
myoo-ZEE-um
A place that keeps and displays important objects.
NARRATIVE fits when... and INFORMATIVE fits when...
NARRATIVE fits when...
INFORMATIVE fits when...
the writing job is to develop an experience; the purpose signal is to let the reader follow an event or discovery; genre choice is narrative, then use TRAILS.
the writing job is to explain, state a viewpoint, or address a recipient; the purpose signal is to explain information, state an opinion, or communicate directly to a person; genre choice is informative, opinion, or correspondence, according to the assigned job.
The purpose decides the genre. Facts can appear inside a narrative.
How I Say the Standard!
3.11A(i):
Plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
3.12A(i):
Compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
DOT: Place a small dot above any unfamiliar word. DISCOVER: Find the pronunciation or the meaning. DROP: Erase the dot once the word is understood.
TRACKS Legend
Letter
Category
Definition and Examples
Required Pastel Color
T
Time
Age, era, dates, cultural details, or historical details. Often adjectives.
Pastel Green
R
Reactions
Reactions, solutions, resolutions, or effects. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Purple
A
Actions
Actions, problems, conflicts, or causes. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Yellow
C
Character, Concept, Creature
Names of characters/people/animals, or major concepts as the central idea. Often nouns/proper nouns.
Pastel Yellow
K
Key Knowledge
All other important info needed for the passage's meaning not in another TRACKS category (background knowledge).
Pastel Orange
S
Scenery / Setting
Setting characteristics acknowledged/measured through the five senses.
Pastel Green
TRACKS marks evidence in the passage. Highlight the smallest meaningful phrase. The shapes Circle, Box, and Triangle are used only to analyze the prompt.
Connect It to Our World
Emsy's investigation shows how one small object can connect people across time and place. Communities have always traded resources and shared discoveries.
Background I Need
Emsy visits a museum and notices a seashell that was found far from the ocean. Her investigation connects a coastal shell to inland Poverty Point through evidence of long-distance trade.
Nonfiction passage. Low Stamina. Read every paragraph. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
1Emsy knelt beside the display case at the museum. Inside rested a smooth white seashell.
2"That's strange," she whispered. "Why would a seashell be here?"
3The label said the shell had been found at Poverty Point, far from the ocean.
4Emsy pulled out her notebook. "Mystery number one: How did this shell travel so far?"
5Her first clue was the shell itself. It came from a coastal area, but Poverty Point was inland.
6Her second clue was a map. Emsy traced the distance from the coast to Poverty Point with her finger. "That is much too far for a shell to roll by itself," she said.
7Her third clue was even more interesting. The map showed large rivers, including the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. People at Poverty Point traveled along rivers, which could have helped them move from place to place.
8Then Emsy found her fourth clue. Archaeologists had discovered other materials at Poverty Point, including copper that also came from far away.
Nonfiction passage. Low Stamina. Read every paragraph. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
9"One traveling object could be an accident," Emsy thought. "But several objects from distant places make a pattern."
10She wrote one last question in her notebook: Why would people bring these things so far?
11The answer was scarcity. People did not always have every resource they wanted or needed where they lived. They could trade what they had for valuable goods from other places.
12Emsy smiled and wrote her final claim:
13The seashell probably reached Poverty Point through long-distance trade.
14Underneath, she listed her evidence: the shell came from the coast, Poverty Point was far inland, people traveled along major rivers, and other distant materials had been found there too.
15Mystery solved.
16Emsy looked at the shell again. It was more than an object.
17It was a clue from the past and a story waiting to speak.
Facts can appear inside a narrative. The passage develops Emsy's experience through noticing, questioning, investigating, recognizing a pattern, and understanding the past.
7. Name the Parts
Sentence
My answer
A narrative develops a ______.
A list only names ______.
The topic is what the writing is ______.
The purpose is what the writing must ______.
The audience is who will ______ my writing.
STOP & THINK
Why is a narrative more than an ordered list of events?
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out six TRAILS mats, twelve shuffled evidence cards, seven sequence cards, and the Important Moment marker. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
R: RELATIONSHIP the R in TRAILS. It connects the character to the experience.
T: TOPIC / EXPERIENCE the T in TRAILS. It names the full experience.
I: IMPORTANT MOMENT the I in TRAILS. It changes the character's understanding.
A: ACTIONS, THOUGHTS, DIALOGUE the A in TRAILS. It shows what the character does, thinks, or says.
S: SETTING the S in TRAILS. It establishes where and when.
L: LASTING EFFECT the L in TRAILS. It shows what the character learns or feels.
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out six TRAILS mats, twelve shuffled evidence cards, seven sequence cards, and the Important Moment marker. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
Emsy tries to discover how the shell reached Poverty Point.
A seashell has been found far from the ocean.
The shell creates a connection between Emsy and people from long ago.
Emsy begins to see the artifact as a message from the past.
Emsy pulls out her notebook and writes a question.
"That is much too far for a shell to roll by itself," Emsy says.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out six TRAILS mats, twelve shuffled evidence cards, seven sequence cards, and the Important Moment marker. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
Emsy notices that both the shell and copper came from distant places.
Emsy realizes that several faraway objects form a pattern.
Emsy learns that a small object can reveal a large story.
The shell becomes more than an object; it becomes a clue from the past.
The story begins beside a museum display case.
The investigation connects the museum to inland Poverty Point, the coast, and major rivers.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
ELPS today: 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words
Day 2: Attempt, continued
Our Question for Today: How do I match passage evidence to the right TRAILS element?
1. Play It
Sit with your group. Set out six TRAILS mats. Stack the twelve evidence cards face down.
Draw one evidence card. Think about which TRAILS element it matches best.
Place the evidence card beside its TRAILS match. Explain why it belongs there.
If your group disagrees, discuss and reach agreement before drawing again.
After all cards are placed, check each match against the Self-Check key.
Put every card back in Pocket Practice.
Round
1
2
3
4
5
My partner
My point
2. Talk About It
Say why one evidence card matched one TRAILS element.
My reason
3. Name the Writing Job
Read the practice prompt. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience. Then write the genre.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Explain how Emsy's investigation shows that one small object can reveal a bigger story.
The genre is ______ because the purpose is ______
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words...
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 3: Discuss + Use
I explain my thinking
Our Question for Today
Why does narrative fit when the purpose is to develop an experience?
1. Discuss
Explain your reasoning, not just your answer.
Question
My thinking
Where did you place the shell evidence card, and why?
How is a narrative different from an ordered list?
What does the important moment do in a narrative?
Why does a reader need a setting and an action before the important moment?
What TRAILS element was hardest to find?
My discussion notes
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S50
2. My Personal Connection
Connect a moment of finding something unexpected to Emsy's discovery. Tell which detail made you think of it.
My connection and the detail that made me think of it
Retell how Emsy's investigation turns an ordinary shell into a story about the past.
My retelling
Tell one way a narrative and a list of facts are different.
My comparison
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S50
STOP & THINK
The purpose decides the genre. In the model prompt, what must the writing let the reader do?
My answer
3. Use: Plan Your Narrative
Choose a mysterious object. Plan your narrative with TRAILS before you write.
TRAILS
My plan
T: Topic or Experience
R: Relationship
A: Actions, Thoughts, Dialogue
I: Important Moment
L: Lasting Effect
S: Setting
My genre decision: narrative fits because...
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S50
My Independent Narrative
Write a short narrative about finding a mysterious object. Include setting, actions, a thought or dialogue, an important moment, and a lasting effect.
My narrative
Embedded Check
Did I develop the experience with TRAILS?
One sentence I want to make stronger
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Day 4 • AWARD + TARGET
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words following conventional spelling rules; 4(C)(i) Write using high-frequency words; 4(D)(ii) Write content-area texts using a...
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 4: Award + Target
I notice evidence of my growth
Our Question for Today
What did I write this week that develops the experience for a reader?
1. Award the Best Parts
Read your narrative. Choose two awards from this list: Scene Setter, Character Connector, Action Builder, Character Voice, Moment Maker, Meaning Maker. Point to the sentence that earned the award.
My Two Awards (write them here)
Sentence 1 and Sentence 2
Something I did well, and where I did it
2. Target My Next Step
Choose one specific goal, curiosity, or stress point.
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words following conventional spelling rules; 4(C)(i) Write using high-frequency words; 4(D)(ii) Write content-area texts using a variety of sentence types
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 5: Explain/Educate
I teach someone else
Our Question for Today
How would I teach someone else why narrative fits and how TRAILS develops an experience?
1. Explain to Others
Teach a partner one thing you learned. Use the frames below.
Narrative fits when the purpose is to ____________.
The T in TRAILS stands for ____________.
The important moment changes ____________.
The lasting effect shows ____________.
Before choosing a genre, I name the ____________, ____________, and ____________.
My partner taught me...
2. Educate with Author-Educator Circles
Share your writing, explain why you chose narrative, and teach one TRAILS feature using your own words as evidence. When you listen, give a specific response about what you could picture or understand.
Author-Educator Card: title
Author-Educator Card: experience
Author-Educator Card: selected passage
Author-Educator Card: TRAILS feature
Author-Educator Card: reason for including it
Author-Educator Card: effect on the reader
Listener Cards: setting, character, important moment, ending, or a question
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Write a short narrative about finding a mysterious object somewhere it does not belong. Let the reader experience the discovery.
My genre decision
My short narrative (include setting, action, important moment, lasting effect)
Check My Exit Ticket
STOP & THINK
I can name the writing job, choose narrative when the purpose fits, and develop an experience with TRAILS.
My final Day 5 thought
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S62-S63
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Write More
Plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
My Writing Assignment
Write a short response to this prompt:
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Write a short narrative about finding a mysterious object somewhere it does not belong. Let the reader experience the discovery.
My Plan
Name the writing job. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Choose the genre: narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence.
Plan with TRAILS: experience, relationship, actions, important moment, lasting effect, setting.
Write your narrative. Include a thought or dialogue and a clue that changes understanding.
Two TRAILS details from my narrative
The important moment I will slow down is...
TRAILS Parts I Can Use
Topic or Experience, Relationship, Actions/Thoughts/Dialogue, Important Moment, Lesson or Lasting Effect, Setting.
My narrative opening starter
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S71
My Draft
Use my shaped prompt and my plan. Write a clear response.
Draft, page 1
A sentence I want to keep
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S72
Revise, Edit, and Share
Revise
Edit
My improved sentence
Share
Choose one: read to a partner, share in author's chair, join a gallery walk, or add your prompt to a class booklet.
My sharing plan
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 1 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(i) • S51-S53,S64
Before I Turn It In
Read each line. Check it when I can show it in my work.
Part
I can show...
Check
Genre decision
I named topic, purpose, audience, and genre.
TRAILS plan
I planned with all six TRAILS elements.
Narrative
My writing develops an experience, not just a list.
Conventions
I used complete sentences and capital letters.
Study the Samples
Read the three responses to this prompt. Notice what improves from Low to Medium to High.
Write a short narrative about finding a mysterious object. Let the reader experience the discovery.
Low I found a key. It was old. I gave it to my teacher. What is missing: setting, thought or dialogue, and an important moment that changes understanding are missing.
Medium After recess, Maya found a rusty key under the garden bench. She picked it up and looked at it. There was a tag on it. She gave it to her teacher and learned it opened a cabinet. What is missing: the important moment is not slowed down. Thought or dialogue and a lasting effect need development.
High After recess, Maya spotted a rusty key beneath the garden bench. She called her friend Eli and knelt to brush away the dirt. "Why would a key be hiding here?" she asked. Eli turned it over and noticed a tiny metal tag marked Room 12. Maya's eyes widened because Room 12 was their classroom. They carried the key to their teacher and learned that it opened an old supply cabinet. Maya had not found treasure, but she had discovered that one small object could begin a very big mystery. Why it works: the response develops the experience with all six TRAILS elements. The clue changes what the characters understand.
How does a writer turn clues and events into a story worth following, and how do we know narrative fits the purpose?
The answer A writer names the topic, purpose, and audience before choosing a genre. When the purpose is to let a reader experience a discovery, narrative fits. TRAILS develops the experience with setting, character, actions, an important moment, a lasting effect, and thoughts or dialogue, so the reader follows the story instead of just reading a list.
My Final Thinking (in my own words)
What Changed in My Thinking?
At first I thought...
Now I think...
Try It Another Way
Use a new writing task. Name the topic, purpose, and audience. Choose a genre. Then explain why it fits.
Build a full narrative from one writing task: Write a short narrative about Emsy's next museum visit. Use TRAILS to develop a new mystery and show how Emsy's thinking grows.
Plan the narrative with TRAILS in the box below.
T: write the full experience.
R: write the relationship or connection.
A: write an action, thought, or dialogue.
I: write the important moment that changes understanding.
L: write the lasting effect.
S: write the setting.
Present your narrative to the class. Read it from the beginning.
My plan: experience, relationship, actions, important moment, lasting effect, setting
My TRAILS Builder Challenge
Write your full TRAILS plan in the box below. Label each part T, R, A, I, L, S.
Choose one card to talk about with someone at home. End with a conversation, not a worksheet.
Name the Writing Job Read a writing task with someone at home. Circle the topic, box the purpose, and underline the audience. Together decide which genre fits best. Write one sentence: The best genre is ____________ because ____________. Ask them: when have you told someone about a discovery instead of just listing facts?
Family member signature: ____________________
Follow the Clues Think of a time you found something interesting or out of place. Tell the story to someone at home. Include where you were, what you did, and what you understood by the end. Ask them: what is the most surprising thing you have ever found?
Family member signature: ____________________
Teach TRAILS Teach someone at home what TRAILS stands for. Pick one letter and explain what it means using your own narrative. Ask them: which TRAILS letter do you think makes a story worth following?
Family member signature: ____________________
My Family Conversation Notes
What did I teach? What did my family member remember?
Every time I get a score or a grade on my work in this module, I write it here. This can be an exit ticket, a short answer, or a rubric score from my teacher.
Date
What I did (for example exit ticket, short answer, rubric)
My score
My next goal
Why This Helps Me
This chart shows how my scores change over the whole module, not just on one day.
Add a new row every time I get feedback, a score, or a grade on my work.
I am a prepared writer. Before I draft, I decide what my writing needs to do. I name my topic, purpose, and audience, and I choose the genre that fits. When narrative fits, I use purposeful craft so my reader experiences the story.
Essential Question
How does a writer make the reader experience a story instead of simply hearing what happened?
My Week Tracker
Check off each day after you finish that day's work.
How purpose and audience guide the genre, and how purposeful craft develops an experience.
One narrative about Emsy and a seashell found far from the ocean.
A Narrative Growth Laboratory sheet, a TRAILS plan, a complete narrative, awards, a target, and a Museum of Mystery Narratives placard.
Where We Are Going
I will move from comparing two versions of the same moment to writing my own complete narrative. By the end of the week, I will explain the exact craft choice I made and how it helps my reader.
I'll Know I've Got It When...
Check Myself
How I Will Show What I Know
I will show what I know with my Narrative Growth Laboratory sheet, my TRAILS planner and complete narrative, three award statements with a target, and my Museum of Mystery Narratives placard and explanation.
These are the exact TEKS this module teaches. Read the code, then say the job in your own words.
3.11A(i):
TEKS says: 3.11A plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
How I say it: I first confirm topic, purpose, audience, and genre, then choose freewriting or mapping to plan.
3.12A(i):
TEKS says: 3.12A compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
How I say it: I develop TRAILS with precise actions, useful thought and dialogue, slower pacing, and a meaningful ending.
Call and Response
Read this together as a class before we start.
Teacher asks: "What decides the genre?"
Class answers: "The purpose and the audience!"
One TEKS I want to practice today
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S28-S29
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Get Ready
Before I begin
Before We Begin: What Do I Already Know?
I already know that a writing job has a topic, a purpose, and an audience. I learned in Module 1 how to choose a genre and plan a short narrative with TRAILS. I can write a complete sentence with a subject and a verb.
A connection I can make
Remember It!
One idea I remember
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S32-S34
Ready Check
Watch Out! Common Mix-Up Watch out! More detail does not automatically mean better craft. An added detail must help the reader see or understand, reveal the character or move the narrative, or strengthen the important moment or meaning.
Where This Fits in My Writing
Prepared writers confirm the writing job, choose a genre, and then plan. When narrative fits, purposeful craft develops the experience for the intended reader. Revision adds one purposeful idea, and editing checks the assigned conventions.
This shows my teacher what I already know. It is not for a grade. Work on your own. You may reread the passage in Read and Interact as often as you want.
Part 1: Name the Writing Job
Read the writing task. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Write a complete narrative about a character who finds an object where it does not belong and follows clues to discover how it got there, who it belonged to, or what it means.
Writing job part
My answer
Topic: what the writing is about
Purpose: what the writing must do
Audience: who will read the writing
Part 2: Genre Decision
Which genre fits this writing job? Write narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence, and explain why.
Genre
Why it fits
Part 3: Narrative Sequence
Number these four sentences 1, 2, 3, 4 to show the order they belong in a narrative.
Number
Sentence
____
The character notices something out of place.
____
The character gathers clues and asks questions.
____
A clue changes what the character understands.
____
The character carries away a lasting meaning.
Part 4: Setting and Character
Write the first sentence of a narrative. Include where the character is and what the character notices.
My first sentence
Part 5: Important Moment
Purposeful craft makes a reader experience a story. Write one sentence that shows the moment the character's thinking changes. Then explain in one sentence how that moment helps the reader.
A sentence that shows the clue or discovery
Why it changes the character's thinking
Part 6: Complete Narrative
Write six to eight sentences that develop the experience. Include setting, relationship, actions, a thought or dialogue, an important moment, and a lasting effect.
My narrative
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S36
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Words I Need
Tier 1, everyday words
Say each word. Then use one word in a sentence about something you noticed.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
reader
REE-dur
The person who will read the writing.
My ______ should picture the museum setting.
detail
DEE-tayl
A small piece of information.
I added a ______ that helps my reader see the shell.
picture
PIK-chur
To see something in your mind.
The pearly shell helps my reader ______ the display case.
moment
MOH-ment
A short, important point in time.
I slowed the ______ when Emsy saw the pattern.
add
AD
To put in something new.
I will ______ a thought that shows what Emsy is thinking.
grow
GROH
To become fuller or deeper.
Purposeful details help my narrative ______.
voice
VOYS
The way a character or writer sounds.
Dialogue gives Emsy a curious ______.
clue
KLOO
A detail that helps solve a mystery.
Each ______ led Emsy closer to her claim.
feeling
FEE-ling
An emotion a character has.
The ______ of wonder stays with the reader at the ending.
choice
CHOYS
A decision the writer makes.
I can explain a craft ______ and its effect.
Use one Tier 1 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S37
Words I Need: Tier 2, academic words
These writing words help you name the job, choose the genre, and explain your craft. Say each word, then use it with a partner.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
purpose
PUR-pus
What the writing must do.
My ______ is to let my reader experience the discovery.
audience
AW-dee-uns
The person or people who will receive the writing.
My ______ is the other students in my class.
craft
KRAFT
The purposeful choices a writer makes to shape the writing.
One craft ______ made the important moment feel real.
characteristic
kair-uk-tur-IS-tik
A feature that belongs to a genre.
A narrative ______ is a setting the reader can picture.
sequence
SEE-kwuns
The order in which events happen.
My clues follow a clear ______ from first to last.
dialogue
DY-uh-log
The words characters say.
The ______ shows what Emsy is thinking.
setting
SET-ing
Where and when the narrative happens.
My ______ is the school garden after science club.
perspective
pur-SPEK-tiv
The point of view from which a story is told.
I checked for a consistent ______ in my narrative.
freewrite
FREE-ryt
To write ideas quickly without stopping to plan.
My ______ helped me gather clues before I drafted.
mapping
MAP-ing
Planning by connecting ideas in a visual web or chart.
My ______ shows how one clue leads to the next.
Use one Tier 2 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S38
Words I Need: Tier 3, passage words
These words belong especially to our passage. Say each word, then use it when you talk about the mystery.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
coastal
KOHS-tul
Near the coast or ocean.
The shell came from a ______ environment.
inland
IN-land
Away from the coast.
Poverty Point was located ______, far from the ocean.
artifact
AR-tuh-fakt
An object that tells us something about people from the past.
The shell is an ______ that became a clue from the past.
scarcity
SKAIR-suh-tee
When there is not an unlimited amount of what people want or need.
______ gave people a reason to exchange resources.
exchange
iks-CHAYNJ
To give one thing and receive another.
People used ______ to move goods from place to place.
transportation
trans-por-TAY-shun
Ways people and goods move.
Rivers supported ______ long before highways existed.
pattern
PAT-urn
A set of details that repeat or connect.
The shells and the copper formed a ______.
evidence
EV-uh-duns
Details that support an idea or claim.
Emsy organized her ______ before she wrote her claim.
Purpose and audience decide the genre. Once narrative is chosen, purposeful craft develops the experience. Every added detail must help the reader see or understand, reveal the character or move the narrative, or strengthen the important moment or meaning.
DEVELOP Setting and characterPRECISE ActionsREVEAL Thought and dialogue
SLOW THE IMPORTANT MOMENT Across more than one sentence
MEANINGFUL ENDING AND LASTING EFFECT
A narrative develops an experience. A list only names events.
Confirm the Genre, Then Test the Detail
Mark
What it means
Red circle
TOPIC, what the writing is about.
Yellow box
PURPOSE, what the writing must do.
Green underline
AUDIENCE, who will read the writing.
Choose narrative when the intended reader should experience an event or a discovery. Then keep only the details that perform a job for that purpose and audience.
the purpose is to let a reader experience an event or a discovery; uses TRAILS to develop setting, character, actions, an important moment, and a lasting effect.
the purpose is to explain information; uses a thesis (central idea), reasons, and evidence to inform the reader.
The purpose decides the genre. Facts can appear inside a narrative.
How I Say the Standard!
3.12A(i):
I can compose a personal narrative using the characteristics of the genre.
3.12A(ii):
I can compose a personal narrative using purposeful craft.
HOW questions ask about the way something works or the way parts fit together.
Level
Symbol
Hidden Question
Student Thinking
Thinking Focus
Reflective (Level 5, Blue) • Blue
Why does purposeful craft matter?
The student explains why craft makes a reader experience a story.
Universal Purpose
Independent (Level 4, Green) • Green
How can this move support a new narrative?
The student applies the craft move independently.
Personal Application
Visible (Level 3, Yellow) • Yellow
How does it help the reader here?
The student explains how the detail develops the experience.
Effect on the Reader
Emergent (Level 2, Orange) • Orange
Why was it added?
The student explains the job the detail performs.
Purpose of Craft
Foundational (Level 1, Red) • Red
What did the writer add?
The student names the added detail.
Craft and Detail
The Difference Between WHAT, WHY, and HOW
Prompt type
What it asks me to do
Example
WHAT
Identify or name something in the text.
What genre fits this writing job?
WHY
Explain a reason, a purpose, or why something matters.
Explain why narrative fits a writing job when the purpose is to let the reader experience a discovery.
HOW
Analyze how parts work together or how something happens.
Explain how purposeful craft makes a reader experience a story instead of simply hearing what happened.
Purpose and audience decide the genre first. When the purpose is to let the reader experience a discovery, narrative fits. Purposeful craft then helps the narrative do its job. Naming a detail is not the same as explaining what the detail does for the reader.
DOT: Place a small dot above any unfamiliar word. DISCOVER: Find the pronunciation or the meaning. DROP: Erase the dot once the word is understood.
TRACKS Legend
Letter
Category
Definition and Examples
Required Pastel Color
T
Time
Age, era, dates, cultural details, or historical details. Often adjectives.
Pastel Green
R
Reactions
Reactions, solutions, resolutions, or effects. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Purple
A
Actions
Actions, problems, conflicts, or causes. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Yellow
C
Character, Concept, Creature
Names of characters/people/animals, or major concepts as the central idea. Often nouns/proper nouns.
Pastel Yellow
K
Key Knowledge
All other important info needed for the passage's meaning not in another TRACKS category (background knowledge).
Pastel Orange
S
Scenery / Setting
Setting characteristics acknowledged/measured through the five senses.
Pastel Green
TRACKS marks evidence in the passage. Highlight the smallest meaningful phrase. The shapes Circle, Box, and Triangle are used only to analyze the prompt.
Connect It to Our World
Emsy uses maps, rivers, coastal shells, distant copper, and scarcity to build a careful claim about how people exchanged resources long ago. Communities with different resources exchanged what they had for what they needed.
Background I Need
Emsy studies a small, pearly seashell in a museum display at Poverty Point, which is inland, yet the shell came from a coastal place. Maps, rivers, copper, and scarcity help her build a careful claim that the shell probably arrived through long-distance trade.
Narrative passage. Medium Stamina. Read every paragraph. Use Dot, Discover, Drop. Notice where the story slows down.
1Emsy leaned over the glass display case until her nose almost touched it. Inside rested a small, pearly seashell. It looked ordinary at first, but the museum label made Emsy straighten immediately. [2] Found at Poverty Point, Louisiana. [3] Emsy blinked. "That cannot be right," she whispered. [4] She had studied the map hanging beside the exhibit. Poverty Point was far inland, nowhere near the ocean. So how had this one traveled hundreds of miles? [5] Emsy pulled a miniature notebook from her backpack. She loved mysteries, especially those that required observation instead of guessing. [6] At the top of a clean page, she wrote: The Mystery of the Traveling Shell. [7] "Clue number one," she murmured. "The shell itself." [8] The label explained that the shell came from a coastal environment. Poverty Point, however, was located inland. Emsy sketched a tiny shell beside the word coastal and drew a question mark. [9] Her second clue was the map. [10] She studied the coastline, located Poverty Point, and traced the distance between them with one finger. Then she checked the map scale. The shell had been discovered far from the place where it could have formed naturally. [11] "So it probably did not roll here by accident," Emsy said.
12Blue lines curved across the map. They represented rivers, including the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. The information panel explained that people connected with Poverty Point traveled along major waterways. Rivers were transportation routes long before highways or airplanes existed. [13] Emsy imagined wooden boats moving along the water while travelers carried baskets, tools, food, stones, and other valuable materials. [14] "Interesting," she said. "If people could travel, objects could travel with them." [15] Still, one shell was not enough evidence. [16] Then Emsy discovered clue number four. [17] Another museum panel described copper objects found at Poverty Point. The copper had also come from distant regions. Emsy's eyebrows lifted. [18] "Now we have a pattern." [19] She wrote quickly: Seashells came from far away. Copper came from far away. Both were discovered here. [20] That changed everything. [21] Perhaps people at Poverty Point had traveled enormous distances themselves, or perhaps objects had moved from community to community through repeated exchanges. Either way, the artifacts suggested communication and connection between people who lived far apart. [22] Emsy moved to the next display, where an illustration showed people exchanging resources.
Narrative passage. Medium Stamina. Read every paragraph. Use Dot, Discover, Drop. Notice where the story slows down.
23The word scarcity appeared in bold letters. [24] She read the explanation carefully. Scarcity happens when people do not have unlimited amounts of everything they want or need. One region might have plenty of stone but no seashells. Another community might have shells but need materials found somewhere else. [25] "That makes sense," Emsy whispered. "You trade what you have for something you cannot easily get." [26] Suddenly, the mysterious shell did not seem misplaced at all. [27] It was evidence.
28Emsy returned to her notebook and organized her clues. [29] First, the shell originated near the coast, while Poverty Point was inland. [30] Second, the map showed that the shell had traveled a considerable distance. [31] Third, people at Poverty Point used major rivers for transportation and communication. [32] Fourth, archaeologists had discovered other materials, including copper, that also came from distant locations. [33] Finally, scarcity gave people a reason to exchange resources.
34Emsy stared at the list. A strong conclusion needed more than imagination; it needed evidence that fit together logically. [35] She drew a box around her final claim. [36] The seashell probably reached Poverty Point through long-distance trade.
37For a moment, Emsy pictured the shell beginning its journey near the coast. Perhaps one person exchanged it with another community. Later, someone traded it again. Slowly, the shell might have traveled from one place to another until it eventually arrived at Poverty Point. [38] No one could ask the original travelers exactly what had happened, but the artifacts could still communicate information.
39Emsy closed her notebook and looked once more at the quiet shell behind the glass. [40] When she had first seen it, she thought it was simply a pretty object in the wrong place. [41] Now she understood something different. [42] Artifacts were clues. Maps were clues. Rivers were clues. Even distance could become evidence. [43] And sometimes, Emsy realized, the smallest object could reveal an enormous story about how people traveled, traded, solved problems, and connected with one another long ago. [44] Mystery solved.
A writing job has a topic, a purpose, and an audience. Use these shapes to see each part before I choose a genre.
Shape
Word
Question I ask myself
Red circle
Topic
What is the writing about?
Yellow box
Purpose
What must the writing do?
Green underline
Audience
Who will read the writing?
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Write a complete narrative about a character who finds an object where it does not belong and follows clues to discover how it got there, who it belonged to, or what it means.
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 1: Gather + Reveal
I compare two versions and learn the five growth moves
Our Question for Today
Which version creates a clearer picture in your mind, and what did the writer add?
1. Gather: Compare Two Versions
Read both versions of the same museum moment. Then tell your partner what the writer added.
Basic version
Developed version
Emsy knelt beside the display case at the museum. Inside rested a smooth white seashell.
Emsy leaned over the glass display case until her nose almost touched it. Inside rested a small, pearly seashell.
What the writer added, and what it helps me picture
2. Gather: Same Topic, Different Job
One topic can be written in different ways. When the purpose or the audience changes, the writing job changes too.
Writing job
What the writing does
Narrative
Lets the reader experience the discovery.
Informative
Explains information about the shell.
Opinion
States a viewpoint about the museum display.
Correspondence
Sends a direct message to the museum.
One added detail I would keep, and the job it performs
Read the passage in four chunks. First [1] to [11], the opening and the map. Next [12] to [21], rivers, travel, and copper. Then [22] to [36], scarcity, exchange, and the claim. Last [37] to [44], the final reflection. Pause after each chunk and name one place where the story grew.
4. Reveal: WHAT GREW?
These are the five growth moves. Each one performs a job for the reader.
Growth move
The job it performs
Develop setting and character
Helps the reader picture where the story happens and who is in it.
Use precise actions
Lets the reader follow the investigation step by step.
Reveal thinking through dialogue
Shows what the character is thinking and moves the investigation.
Slow the important moment
Gives the reader time to experience the discovery.
Create a meaningful ending
Shows what the character understands or carries away.
5. The Purposeful Detail Test
Before I keep a detail, I ask three questions. Does it help the reader see or understand? Does it reveal the character or move the narrative? Does it strengthen the important moment or the meaning?
Growth moves 1 and 2: compare kneeling beside the display case with leaning over the case until her nose almost touched it. Then compare tracing a distance with studying the coastline, locating Poverty Point, tracing the distance, and checking the map scale. Precise actions connect the character to the setting.
Growth move 3: in [14] the dialogue reveals Emsy's reasoning and moves the investigation forward. Growth move 4: in [18] to [20] the discovery receives several sentences and a short pause at "That changed everything." Growth move 5: compare the basic ending with [43]. The developed reflection shows how Emsy now understands the shell and the people connected to it.
Precise action in [10]
What the action does
studied the coastline
shows her method
located Poverty Point
shows her focus
traced the distance
shows the size of the journey
checked the map scale
shows she verifies her thinking
One precise action I can explain
7. Connect Purposeful Craft to TRAILS
Letter
TRAILS part
What it means
T
Topic or Experience
The object, discovery, or experience the narrative develops.
R
Relationship
Connections among characters, an object, a mystery, or the past.
A
Actions, Thoughts, and Dialogue
What the character does, thinks, and says.
I
Important Moment
The discovery, decision, or turning point, developed across several sentences.
L
Lesson or Lasting Effect
What changes or stays with the character.
S
Setting
Where and when the narrative happens.
8. Model a Narrative with Maya
The model narrative starts with a rusty key beneath a school-garden bench. It includes a thought about why the key is there, a call to Ben, dirt rubbed from a G-7 tag one mark at a time, and an ending in which the key opens a story rather than a treasure box.
STOP & THINK
If I only prefer the longer version, what did the added words actually do for the reader?
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out five Growth Labels, ten excerpt cards (L1-L5 and M1-M5), six base sentence cards, and seven craft move cards. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
GROWTH LABEL A
GROWTH LABEL B
GROWTH LABEL C
GROWTH LABEL D
GROWTH LABEL E
L1: Knelt beside a display case; smooth white seashell.
M1: Leaned until her nose almost touched it; small, pearly shell.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
GROWTH LABEL B Reaction, voice, and stronger questioning.
GROWTH LABEL A Precise action and description.
GROWTH LABEL D Slower pacing at the important moment.
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out five Growth Labels, ten excerpt cards (L1-L5 and M1-M5), six base sentence cards, and seven craft move cards. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
M2: Blinking, whispering that it cannot be right, asking how it traveled hundreds of miles.
L3: Rivers as routes.
M3: Blue curved lines and imagined wooden boats carrying resources.
L4: Objects forming a pattern.
M4: Dialogue, written comparison of shells and copper, and "That changed everything."
L5: Clue from the past.
M5: The smallest object revealing a story of travel, trade, problem solving, and connection.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
Match with M3 and Growth Label C.
Growth B: reaction, voice, and stronger questioning.
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out five Growth Labels, ten excerpt cards (L1-L5 and M1-M5), six base sentence cards, and seven craft move cards. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
Base sentence card. Grow it with a craft card.
Base sentence card. Grow it with a craft card.
Base sentence card. Grow it with a craft card.
Base sentence card. Grow it with a craft card.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
Base sentence card. Grow it with a craft card.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
Cut on the dashed lines. Set out five Growth Labels, ten excerpt cards (L1-L5 and M1-M5), six base sentence cards, and seven craft move cards. Store all cards in your Pocket Practice.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
Craft move card. Explain the reader effect.
Craft move card. Use this move to grow a base sentence.
ELPS today: 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 2: Attempt
I match moments and grow a base sentence
Our Question for Today: What did the writer add, and how does it help the reader?
1. Genre Transform
Sit with your group. Draw one content card and one purpose and audience card. Transform the content out loud, then name the genre before the laboratory begins.
The genre we chose, and why it fits
2. Play It: Narrative Growth Laboratory
Round One: match each story moment with the growth that belongs to it, then name what grew.
Round Two: draw one base sentence card and one craft move card, then grow the sentence.
Explain what the writer added and how it helps the reader.
Check every answer against the Self-Check key on the back of the cards.
Put every card back in Pocket Practice.
3. Round One Matches
Basic moment
Developed moment
What grew
Knelt beside a display case. A smooth white shell.
Leaned until her nose almost touched it. A small, pearly shell.
A: precise action and description
Asks why a seashell is here.
Blinks, whispers that it cannot be right, and asks how it traveled hundreds of miles.
B: reaction, voice, and stronger questioning
Rivers were routes.
Blue curved lines and imagined wooden boats carrying resources.
C: setting, imagery, and explanation
Objects form a pattern.
Dialogue, a written comparison of shells and copper, and "That changed everything."
D: slower pacing at the important moment
A clue from the past.
The smallest object reveals a story of travel, trade, and connection.
Draw one base sentence card. These are the six base sentences in the deck.
Card
Base sentence
B1
Sam saw a coin.
B2
He looked at the old tree.
B3
He asked his friend for help.
B4
He found letters on the coin.
B5
He understood the clue.
B6
He left the playground.
5. Round Two: Craft Move Cards
Draw one craft move card. The craft card tells you which growth move to use.
Card
Craft move
What it must do
C1
clear setting
show where and when
C2
precise actions
show exactly what happens
C3
useful thought
show what the character is thinking
C4
revealing dialogue
show what the character says
C5
character relationship
show how two characters connect
C6
slowed important moment
give the reader time inside the discovery
C7
lesson or lasting effect
show what stays with the character
6. Teacher Model: B4 with C6
Base sentence: He found letters on the coin. Craft move: slowed important moment. Model expansion: Sam rubbed the dirt from the coin. First one letter appeared. Then another. His breath caught when he read his own last name.
My expansion, the move I used, and its effect on the reader
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S50
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words...
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 3: Discuss + Use
I explain my thinking, then write on my own
Our Question for Today
Where does my important moment need more space?
1. Discuss: Purposeful Detail or Random Detail
Compare the two coin sentences. One helps the reader experience the discovery. The other adds words that do little. Explain what the added words do for the reader.
Coin sentence
What it does for the reader
During morning recess, Sam spotted a dull silver coin wedged between the roots of the oldest tree on the playground.
Develops the setting, a precise action, and a meaningful location.
Sam saw a nice, pretty, wonderful coin.
Adds three vague describing words with no job.
Question
My thinking
Which coin sentence helps you experience the discovery, and why?
What is missing from the rushed sentence "Sam found letters on the coin and solved the mystery"?
How is "Then Sam went home. The end." different from an ending that shows understanding?
What does the important moment do in a narrative?
Which growth move was hardest for your group to explain?
My discussion notes
2. My Personal Connection
What discovery from your own life helps you understand Emsy's curiosity? Tell which detail made you think of it, and how you could help a reader experience that moment.
My connection and the detail that made me think of it
Tell one way a narrative and a list of facts are different.
My comparison
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S50
STOP & THINK
Before I add a detail, what three questions do I ask?
My answer
3. Use: Plan My Complete Narrative
Choose your own object, or choose one from this choice board: a key under a garden bench, a shell in a classroom cabinet, a coin between roots, a feather in a book, a photograph behind a museum display, a tiny map in a coat pocket, a button beneath a stage, a carved stone by a river, a note in an old lunchbox, or your own object.
Part
My plan
Topic: what my writing is about
Purpose: what my writing must do
Audience: who will read my writing
Genre: narrative
narrative fits because the reader should experience the discovery
Planning strategy: freewriting or mapping
4. Use: My TRAILS Planner
TRAILS
My plan
T: Topic or Experience
R: Relationship
A: Actions, Thoughts, Dialogue
I: Important Moment
L: Lesson or Lasting Effect
S: Setting
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S50
My title
My Complete Narrative
Write a complete narrative. Include a title, a specific setting, your main character and a relationship, at least three connected actions or clues, useful thought and dialogue, a slowed important moment, and a lasting effect. Mark your important moment with a small star and reread it.
My narrative
Embedded Check
Did I develop the experience with TRAILS?
One thin sentence I want to make stronger
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Day 4 • AWARD + TARGET
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S50
ELPS today: 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words following conventional spelling rules; 4(C)(i) Write using high-frequency words; 4(D)(ii) Write content-area texts using a...
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 4: Award + Target
I notice evidence of my growth
Our Question for Today
What did I write this week that develops the experience for a reader?
1. Award My Growth
Read your complete narrative. Choose three badges and mark the exact words that earned each one. Explain how each choice helps your reader.
My Three Awards (write them here)
Award 1, Award 2, and Award 3
An award I earned, the exact words, and the effect on my reader
2. Target My Next Craft Move
Choose a specific goal, a curiosity, or a stress point. A vague goal such as writing better is not a target. A specific target sounds like this: slow the important moment by showing three small actions before the discovery.
Target section
My thinking
New Goal
Curiosity
Stress Point
Next Step
3. Revise One Thin Sentence
Add one purposeful idea to a thin or abrupt sentence in your narrative. Then reread for complete simple sentences, subject-verb agreement, singular nouns, common nouns, and high-frequency spelling.
My thin sentence, before and after
STOP & THINK
What does my character understand or feel differently at the end?
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words following conventional spelling rules; 4(C)(i) Write using high-frequency words
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 5: Explain/Educate
I teach someone else
Our Question for Today
How would I teach someone else why narrative fits and which craft move most improved my writing?
1. Explain to Others
Teach a partner one thing you learned. Use the frames below.
Narrative fits when the purpose is to ____________.
The T in TRAILS stands for ____________ and the I stands for ____________.
My important moment changes ____________.
My lasting effect shows ____________.
Before choosing a genre, I name the ____________, ____________, and ____________.
My partner taught me...
2. Teach the Choice and the Craft
Read your opening, your important moment, and your ending. Show the exact words of one deliberate choice, then explain its effect.
Setting: where the narrative happens.
Character: who is in the narrative.
Important moment: what changes.
Lasting effect: what the character carries away.
Craft decision: what the writer chose to do.
A question about the author's choice.
The exact words of my deliberate choice and its effect
Today your narrative becomes an exhibit, and you are the expert beside it. Read your opening, your important moment, and your ending. Show the exact words of one deliberate choice and explain its effect.
Complete each part on your own. A writer wants classmates to experience a mysterious coin discovery. Use Sam saw a coin as the base sentence.
Item 1: Which genre fits? (2 points)
Mark one
Genre
My justification
[ ]
NARRATIVE
[ ]
INFORMATIVE
Item 2: Grow the base sentence. (4 points)
Grow Sam saw a coin with a clear setting and a purposeful action.
My grown sentence
Item 3: Craft explanation. (2 points)
Underline one detail you added and explain how it helps the reader.
The detail and its effect on my reader
Item 4: Transfer. (2 points)
Name one small action that could slow the coin discovery.
My small action
Check My Exit Ticket
STOP & THINK
I can confirm the genre, use purposeful craft, and develop a complete narrative with all six TRAILS characteristics.
My final Day 5 thought
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S62-S63
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Write More
Plan, draft, revise, edit, and share
My Writing Assignment
Write a complete narrative about a character who finds an object where it does not belong and follows clues to discover how it got there, who it belonged to, or what it means.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Write a complete narrative about a character who finds an object where it does not belong and follows clues to discover how it got there, who it belonged to, or what it means.
My Plan
Name the writing job: topic, purpose, audience.
Confirm that narrative fits, and choose freewriting or mapping.
Plan all six TRAILS parts.
Draft a complete beginning, developing middle, and meaningful ending.
Add one purposeful idea, then check the conventions.
One connected clue I will use, and the clue that follows it
One purposeful detail I plan to add, and its job
The Details I Kept, and Their Jobs
Every detail has a job: it helps my reader see or understand, reveals my character or moves the story, or strengthens my important moment or meaning. If a detail has no job, I take it out.
One purposeful detail I plan to add
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S71
My Draft
Use your plan. Write a complete beginning, a developing middle, and a meaningful ending. Mark your important moment with a small star and reread it.
Draft, page 1
A sentence I want to keep
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S72
Revise, Edit, and Share
Revise
Edit
My improved sentence
Share
Read your narrative to a partner. Your partner names one deliberate craft choice and explains its effect on the reader.
The craft choice my partner named, and its effect
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S51-S53,S64
Before I Turn It In
Read each line. Check it when you can show it in your work.
Part
I can show...
Check
Genre and planning
I named the topic, purpose, audience, and genre, and I used a plan.
Complete TRAILS
My narrative develops a complete beginning, middle, and ending.
Purposeful craft
My details, clues, thought, and dialogue have clear jobs.
Meaningful ending
My ending shows what my character understands or carries away.
Study the Samples
Read the first two responses to this prompt. Notice what improves from Low to Medium.
Write a complete narrative about a character who finds an object where it does not belong and follows clues to discover how it got there, who it belonged to, or what it means.
Low Maya found a key under the bench. She tried it in a door. It opened. There were seeds inside. She planted them. What is missing: setting, thought, dialogue, a slowed important moment, and a lasting effect.
Medium After science club, Maya found a rusty key under the garden bench. "Ben, look at this," she said. The key had a tag that read G-7. They went to the greenhouse and the key opened the door. Inside was a cabinet with old seeds and a note. Maya thought it was special. What is missing: the important moment is rushed, and the ending tells that it was special without showing meaning.
What improves from Low to Medium?
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 2 • Write More
TEKS 3.12A(ii) • S53
Study the High Sample
This is the target. Notice how every part of the narrative has a job for the reader.
High Wind pushed dry leaves across the school garden as Maya waited for her grandmother after science club. She sat on the wooden bench and noticed something shining beneath it. When she knelt and moved the leaves aside, she found a small brass key covered with dirt. "Ben, come look at this," Maya called to her friend. Ben crouched beside her. "Maybe it opens a treasure box." Maya turned the key over in her palm. A tiny metal tag hung from it. Someone had scratched two marks into the tag: G-7. Maya looked around the garden. Seven wooden signs marked the planting beds. The last sign read Garden Plot 7. They hurried to the plot and searched around the tomato plants, but they found no lock. Then Ben pointed toward the old greenhouse at the edge of the garden. "There is a seven on that door," he said. Maya's heart began to beat faster. She pushed the key into the rusty lock. At first, it would not move. She brushed more dirt from the teeth of the key and tried again. Click. The door opened. Inside, they found an old wooden seed cabinet. Their teacher, Ms. Ortiz, joined them before they opened it. The bottom drawer contained several packets of seeds and a note written by a class from many years earlier. Plant these for the students who come after you. Maya stared at the note. The key had not opened a chest of gold. It had opened a promise from one group of students to another. The next week, Maya and Ben planted the seeds in Plot 7. Each time Maya passed the garden, she remembered that even a small key could connect people who had never met. Why it works: the narrative develops all six TRAILS elements, and the clue changes what the characters understand.
High Sample TRAILS Key
TRAILS
Evidence from the High sample
Why it works
T: Topic or Experience
Maya finds and investigates an old key.
The mystery gives the narrative a clear focus.
R / A: Relationship and Actions
Maya and Ben connect with earlier students; Maya notices, kneels, calls, turns, searches, pushes, and brushes.
The relationship and precise actions develop the experience.
I: Important Moment
The key opens the greenhouse and reveals the cabinet and the note.
Small actions, a pause, and the click slow the discovery.
L / S: Lasting Effect and Setting
A small object connects groups across time; the setting is the school garden after science club.
The lasting effect grows from a specific place and experience.
One sentence in my own narrative I want to make stronger
How does a writer make the reader experience a story instead of simply hearing what happened?
The answer Purpose and audience guide the genre choice first. Once narrative is chosen, purposeful craft makes the experience clear, vivid, and meaningful. The writer develops the setting, the relationship, precise actions, useful thought and dialogue, a slowed important moment, and a meaningful ending, so the reader lives the story instead of only hearing a list of events.
My Final Thinking (in my own words)
What Changed in My Thinking?
At first I thought...
Now I think...
Try It Another Way
Use a new writing task. Name the topic, purpose, and audience. Confirm the genre. Then write one sentence and explain its job for your reader.
Keep one topic and change the audience: Keep the museum topic but change the audience. Write an opening for a group of classmates, a museum message for a curator, and an informative opening for a visitor guide. Explain what stayed the same and what changed.
Write a narrative opening for your classmates.
Keep the topic and write a museum message for a curator.
Keep the topic and write an informative opening for a visitor guide.
Explain what stayed the same and what changed.
Read your three openings to the class.
What stayed the same, what changed, and why
My Audience Switch Plan
Write your three openings in the box below. Label each with its audience and genre.
At-Home Connection
Choose one card to talk about with someone at home. End with a conversation, not a worksheet.
Name the Writing Job Name a topic from your day with someone at home. Tell the purpose (what the writing must do) and the audience (who will read it). Then choose narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence, and explain why it fits. Write one sentence: The best genre is ____________ because ____________. Ask them: when have you told someone a small moment as a story instead of just saying what happened?
These are the exact TEKS this module teaches. Read the code, then say the job in your own words.
3.11A(i):
Plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
3.12A(i):
Compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
Call and Response
Read this together as a class before we start.
Teacher asks: "What do prepared writers do first?"
Class answers: "Topic, purpose, audience, genre, and plan."
One TEKS I want to practice today
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S28-S29
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Get Ready
Before I begin
Before We Begin: What Do I Already Know?
I recognize when narrative fits a writing job, name topic, purpose, and audience, recognize the six TRAILS characteristics, use DOT and TRACKS, and write a complete simple sentence.
A connection I can make
Remember It!
One idea I remember
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S32-S34
Ready Check
Watch Out! Common Mix-Up Planning tools are not interchangeable worksheets, and the audience is not always my teacher. I name a real audience and give a reason the selected tool helps my writing job.
Where This Fits in My Writing
The planning record makes the route into a draft visible. Choose narrative because the purpose is to let another third-grade reader experience Beth's changing thinking. Select brainstorming, freewriting, or mapping, then develop the important moment with TRAILS instead of listing events.
What I want to remember before I start
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Get Ready • Where I Am Starting
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S28-S30
Where I Am Starting
This fixed section runs before Day 1. It is prerequisite retrieval, not another lesson.
DOT: Place a small dot above any unfamiliar word. DISCOVER: Find the pronunciation or the meaning. DROP: Erase the dot once the word is understood.
TRACKS Legend
Letter
Category
Definition and Examples
Required Pastel Color
T
Time
Age, era, dates, cultural details, or historical details. Often adjectives.
Pastel Green
R
Reactions
Reactions, solutions, resolutions, or effects. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Purple
A
Actions
Actions, problems, conflicts, or causes. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Yellow
C
Character, Concept, Creature
Names of characters/people/animals, or major concepts as the central idea. Often nouns/proper nouns.
Pastel Yellow
K
Key Knowledge
All other important info needed for the passage's meaning not in another TRACKS category (background knowledge).
Pastel Orange
S
Scenery / Setting
Setting characteristics acknowledged/measured through the five senses.
Pastel Green
TRACKS marks evidence in the passage. Highlight the smallest meaningful phrase. The shapes Circle, Box, and Triangle are used only to analyze the prompt.
Connect It to Our World
Careful decisions consider information, different needs, and respectful participation.
Background I Need
Beth enjoys recess and invites Lily to jump rope. After Max and Ava propose longer recess, Mrs. Green guides the class to gather information before voting. Lily suggests an extra movement break; Beth begins to recognize more than one reasonable solution.
The Recess Question. High Stamina. Read every numbered line. Use DOT and TAP the TRACKS.
[1]The bell rang. [2] "Recess!" Beth shouted. [3] Chairs scooted back. Sneakers hurried across the floor. A moment later, Beth and her classmates spilled onto the playground. [4] The sun felt warm on Beth's face. A light wind moved through the trees beside the fence. On the blacktop, basketballs went bounce, bounce, bounce. Near the swings, children called to one another. [5] "Push me higher!" [6] "Catch me!" [7] "Race you to the slide!" [8] Beth smiled. Recess was one of her favorite parts of the school day. [9] She ran toward the jump ropes where her friend Ava was waiting. [10] "Want to jump?" Ava asked. [11] "Of course!" Beth said. [12] Ava and Beth began turning the rope together. [13] "Ready?" Ava called. [14] Their friend Max jumped into the middle. [15] "One, two, three, four!" [16] Max jumped higher each time the rope came around. [17] Then Beth noticed someone sitting alone near the fence. [18] It was Lily. She had joined their class only a few days earlier. [19] Beth stopped turning the rope. [20] "What's wrong?" Ava asked. [21] "I think Lily might need someone to play with," Beth said. [22] Beth walked over to her. [23] "Do you want to jump rope with us?" Beth asked. [24] Lily looked surprised. [25] "Really?" [26] "Really," Beth said.
The Recess Question. High Stamina. Read every numbered line. Use DOT and TAP the TRACKS.
[27]Soon Lily was jumping while Beth and Ava turned the rope. [28] Lily missed the rope on her first try. [29] Then she missed again. [30] On the third try, she made it over. [31] Everyone cheered. [32] "I did it!" Lily yelled. [33] Beth laughed. [34] For a few minutes, the playground seemed full of nothing but running feet, swinging ropes, bouncing balls, and happy voices. [35] Then the whistle blew. [36] Recess was over. [37] "Awww!" several children groaned. [38] As the class lined up, Max said, "Recess always feels too short." [39] "I think we should have a longer recess," Ava said. [40] Beth nodded. "Me too." [41] Their teacher, Mrs. Green, heard them. [42] "Why do you think recess should be longer?" she asked. [43] "Because we get to move," Max said. "We sit a lot in class." [44] "And we get to play with our friends," Ava added. [45] Beth looked at Lily. [46] "Sometimes recess gives us time to get to know someone new," she said. [47] Mrs. Green smiled. [48] "Those are thoughtful reasons," she said. "Recess can give children time to move, play games, talk with friends, and take a break from classroom work."
The Recess Question. High Stamina. Read every numbered line. Use DOT and TAP the TRACKS.
[49]Max grinned. [50] "So can we have recess all afternoon?" [51] Mrs. Green laughed. [52] "Not quite." [53] "Why not?" Max asked. [54] "Because a school community has many needs," Mrs. Green explained. "We need time to read, write, learn mathematics, study science and social studies, and do many other important things." [55] "So longer recess might mean less time for something else?" Beth asked. [56] "That could happen," Mrs. Green said. [57] Beth thought about that as they walked back to the classroom. [58] She loved recess. She liked running outside and feeling the wind on her face. She liked laughing with Ava and Max. Most of all, she was glad she had asked Lily to join them. [59] But now there was more to think about. [60] When everyone was seated, Mrs. Green wrote a question on the board: [61] Should our recess be longer? [62] "People in a community do not always agree," she explained. "Sometimes one person wants one thing while someone else wants something different. Good citizens listen to one another, consider the reasons, and make decisions respectfully." [63] Mrs. Green drew three columns on the board. [64] Longer Recess [65] Keep Recess the Same [66] Another Solution [67] "We are not going to vote yet," she said. [68] Max raised his hand. "Why not?" [69] "Because a good decision should not be based only on what we want," Mrs. Green replied. "First, we need information. We should consider the advantages and disadvantages of each choice." [70] The class began making a list. [71] Under Longer Recess, they wrote: [72] • more time for physical activity [73] • more time with friends [74] • more opportunities to include someone new [75] • a longer break from sitting and working [76] • Under Keep Recess the Same, they wrote: [77] • enough time for all school subjects [78] • more classroom learning time [79] • time for other activities during the school day
The Recess Question. High Stamina. Read every numbered line. Use DOT and TAP the TRACKS.
[80]Then Lily raised her hand. [81] "What if we could have another short movement break instead of making recess a lot longer?" [82] Mrs. Green smiled. "That is exactly why we have a third column." [83] Beth liked Lily's idea. [84] Mrs. Green added it to Another Solution. [85] "People have been making group decisions for a very long time," Mrs. Green continued. "Thousands of years ago, some citizens in Athens, a city in ancient Greece, gathered to discuss important questions and vote. Their ideas about citizens participating in decisions helped influence democratic governments that came much later." [86] "So voting is really old?" Max asked. [87] "The idea certainly is," Mrs. Green said. "Today, voting is still one way groups make decisions." [88] Ava looked at the board. [89] "Can we vote now?" [90] "Almost," Mrs. Green said. "First, everyone gets a chance to explain a point of view. You may disagree with someone, but you must listen respectfully." [91] Beth listened as her classmates spoke. [92] Max still wanted longer recess. [93] Ava agreed with him. [94] One student thought recess should stay exactly the same. [95] Lily explained her idea for an extra movement break. [96] No one shouted. No one laughed at another person's answer. They asked questions and listened.
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary
STUDENT WORKBOOK
DAY 1 | GATHER + REVEAL | 15 MINUTES
One source can support several writing jobs
Day 1: Gather + Reveal
Standard
Focus
TEKS
3.11A(i) genre and planning strategy; 3.12A(i) narrative characteristics
ELPS
4(F)(i) purposeful writing with detail; 4(C)(ii) content-area vocabulary
Gather
You will keep the recess topic the same while you try different writing jobs. Listen for a moment to develop, information to explain, a viewpoint to support, and someone who could receive a message.
Read The Recess Question and notice moments, information, viewpoints, and possible recipients of messages. DOT unfamiliar words and TAP the TRACKS.
Cut on the dashed lines. Keep the two role cards face up and the six writing-job cards in a stack. Rotate roles after each writing-job card. Store all cards in Pocket Practice.
Reader
Purpose Finder
Genre Defender
Planner
Develop Beth's experience from the recess whistle through recognizing more than one reasonable solution. Audience: another third-grade class.
Explain how Mrs. Green's class gathers information and listens to perspectives before voting. Audience: students learning about group decisions.
Each answer sits behind its own card. Flip a card over after you name the purpose, audience, genre, and planning strategy and give a reason for each choice.
Purpose Finder Name the job and audience.
Reader Read the card aloud to the group.
Planner Choose a thinking tool and justify it.
Genre Defender Justify the form and explain its fit.
Cut on the dashed lines. Keep the two role cards face up and the six writing-job cards in a stack. Rotate roles after each writing-job card. Store all cards in Pocket Practice.
Support the position that an extra movement break is a practical compromise. Audience: classmates.
Write a respectful message thanking Mrs. Green for allowing every student to share a viewpoint. Audience: Mrs. Green.
Develop Lily's experience from sitting alone to contributing an idea. Audience: a school anthology reader.
Explain why respectful listening matters in a community decision. Audience: a younger grade.
Each answer sits behind its own card. Flip a card over after you name the purpose, audience, genre, and planning strategy and give a reason for each choice.
ELPS today: 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 2(E) Use comprehensible language to explain information orally with increasing specificity and detail
STUDENT WORKBOOK
DAY 2 | ATTEMPT | 15 MINUTES
Genre Route Relay
Day 2: Attempt
Standard
Focus
TEKS
3.11A(i) justify genre and planning strategy for a particular writing job
ELPS
2(E) explain orally with specificity and detail; 4(D)(iii) connecting words
Assigned Roles
Role
Action
Reader
Read a card.
Purpose Finder
Name the job and audience.
Genre Defender
Justify the form.
Planner
Explain the route.
Relay Routine
Round
1
2
3
4
5
6
My partner
My point
The purpose, audience, genre, and planning strategy I can justify
The writer needs to ___ for ___, so ___ fits. I will plan by ___ because ___.
Card
Purpose and audience
Genre and reason
Planning strategy and reason
1
2
3
4
5
6
Challenge
Keep recess as the topic and change the audience. Explain whether the genre changes and why.
My changed choice after stronger reasoning
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words...
Say the purpose out loud first. What do you need your response to do for its reader?
Question
My thinking
Which purpose or audience detail resolved a disagreement?
Why can the same recess topic support different responses?
When did another person's idea change the options a group considered?
My reason for a genre and planning choice
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
Independent PREPARE Planning Record
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that lets them experience Beth's changing thinking about the recess decision.
Decision
My record and reason
Topic
Purpose
Audience
Genre and justification
Planning strategy and reason
Visible Plan
Before
Important Moment
After
Where the plan should shape my draft
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
My Independent Narrative
Draft with all six TRAILS features. Develop the important moment, add one useful idea to a sentence, and edit the surrounding paragraph.
My narrative
Planning and Draft Check
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Day 4 • AWARD + TARGET
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(D)(ii) Write content-area texts using a variety of sentence types
STUDENT WORKBOOK
DAY 4 | AWARD + TARGET | 15 MINUTES
Recognize evidence and act on a precise next step
Day 4: Award + Target
Standard
Focus
TEKS
3.12A(ii) narrative craft; 3.11C(i) add an idea to improve sentence structure
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 2(E) Use comprehensible language to explain information orally with increasing specificity and detail
STUDENT WORKBOOK
DAY 5 | EXPLAIN + EDUCATE | 15 MINUTES
PREPARE Coach
Day 5: Explain + Educate
Standard
Focus
TEKS
3.11A(i) explain planning decisions; 3.12A(i) teach a narrative characteristic
ELPS
2(E) explain orally with specificity and detail; 4(C)(ii) content vocabulary
Teach the Five Decisions
Teach your partner the five decisions: topic, purpose, audience, genre, and plan. Show where your plan influenced your draft and explain one TRAILS feature. Then listen and ask a clarification question before you switch roles.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that lets them experience Beth's changing thinking about the recess decision.
Exit check item
My response
Genre decision using purpose and audience
Planning strategy, why it fits, and one completed planning move
The developed important moment
One specific way the plan influenced the draft
Return to the Citizenship Connection
Explain how respectful listening helped Beth consider a solution beyond simply lengthening recess.
My final explanation
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S62-S63
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Write More
Plan and Draft
Additional Writing Opportunity
Use the prepared-writer sequence to choose a route before drafting, then develop the experience through TRAILS.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that lets them experience Beth's changing thinking about the recess decision.
My Plan
Topic: Beth's changing thinking about the recess decision.
Purpose: develop an experience.
Audience: other third-grade readers.
Genre: narrative; explain its fit.
Plan: choose and justify brainstorming, freewriting, or mapping; center the important moment.
My genre and planning justifications
Where my plan should shape the draft
TRAILS Parts I Can Use
Topic or clear experience; Relationships; Actions, thoughts, and purposeful dialogue; Important moment; Lesson or lasting effect; Setting.
My model opening: When the whistle blew, Beth was certain: recess should be longer.
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S71
Drafting Space
Write the narrative so a reader experiences Beth's changing thinking.
Draft, page 1
A sentence where my plan influenced my draft
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S72
Revise, Edit, and Share
Revise
Edit
My revised sentence with one useful idea
Share
Teach a partner the five decisions: topic, purpose, audience, genre, and plan.
The planning decision and TRAILS feature I will teach
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S51-S53,S64
Before I Turn It In
Keep the visible planning record paired with the narrative. Show a justified genre and strategy, a developed important moment, all six TRAILS characteristics, and a plan-to-draft connection.
Part
I can show...
Check
Writing job and genre
I name topic, purpose, and audience and justify narrative.
Planning strategy and visible plan
I justify a fitting tool and complete a plan that shapes the draft.
TRAILS development
All six features develop a connected experience.
Important moment and lasting effect
I slow Beth's change and connect it to new understanding.
Revision and explanation
I add a useful idea and explain a specific plan-to-draft connection.
Study the Samples
Distinguish a list, a partly developed narrative, and a developed important moment.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that lets them experience Beth's changing thinking about the recess decision.
Low Beth wanted longer recess. Then Mrs. Green talked about it. Beth changed her mind. The class voted. No setting detail, thought, dialogue, or developed important moment. The vote statement goes beyond the supplied excerpt. The response summarizes instead of letting the reader experience Beth's thinking.
Medium At recess, Beth was sure recess should be longer. In class, Mrs. Green made a chart with three columns. Max wanted longer recess, but Lily suggested a movement break. Beth thought that was a good idea. She realized there could be more than one answer. The important moment is told quickly without showing Beth's inner change. Have the writer slow the moment with Beth's thoughts and a classroom detail.
What the Low and Medium responses still need
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 3 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S53
Study the High Sample
This narrative develops Beth's changing thinking with TRAILS.
High When the whistle blew, Beth was certain: recess should be longer. She had felt the wind on her face and laughed with Ava, and she had even helped Lily jump rope for the first time. Back in class, Mrs. Green wrote three columns on the board and asked the class to list advantages and disadvantages before voting. Beth's pencil slowed. "Longer recess might mean less time for something else," she thought. Then Lily raised her hand and suggested a short movement break instead. Beth sat up. Maybe the answer was not simply longer or the same; maybe there was a third path. For the first time, Beth understood that a good decision in a community means listening to reasons, not only wanting what feels best. The narrative develops setting, relationships, thought, dialogue, the important moment, and a lasting effect. A plan-to-draft connection should be verified with the planning record.
Secure Response: Important Moment and Lasting Effect
Response Part
Text from the Secure Model
Why It Works
Important moment
Beth sat up. Maybe the answer was not simply longer or the same; maybe there was a third path.
Slows and develops Beth's shift toward considering another solution.
Lasting effect
For the first time, Beth understood that a good decision in a community means listening to reasons, not only wanting what feels best.
Connects the experience to Beth's new understanding.
One sentence in my narrative I want to make stronger
How does a writer choose a clear route before drafting, so the plan matches the topic, purpose, audience, and genre?
The answer Writers use the topic to know what they are writing about, the purpose to know what the writing must accomplish, and the audience to know who needs the response. Those decisions guide the genre choice; brainstorming, freewriting, or mapping then gives the writer a route into the draft. For this task, narrative lets third-grade readers experience Beth's changing thinking; the plan identifies the important moment and supports all six TRAILS characteristics.
My Final Thinking about the writing job and planning route
Change in Thinking
My Monday explanation
My Friday explanation
Try It Another Way
Use a new writing task. Name the topic, purpose, and audience. Choose a planning tool. Then explain why it fits.
How purpose, audience, and genre make the plans different
Same recess topic; three writing jobs: Use the same recess topic to build a narrative map, informative concept map, and opinion brainstorm. Explain why the plans differ even though the source passage stays the same.
Name purpose and audience for a narrative experience, an informative explanation, and a supported opinion.
Build a narrative map, informative concept map, and opinion brainstorm using the same recess topic.
Explain why the plans differ even though the source passage stays the same.
Share the plans and identify how each artifact fits its writing job.
My three writing jobs and planning choices
My Three Planning Artifacts
Use the space to compare a narrative map, informative concept map, and opinion brainstorm.
Choose one short task to rehearse the prepared-writer habit at home. Each needs a few minutes, no special materials, and a conversation rather than a worksheet.
Name the Writing Job Name topic, purpose, and audience for an everyday writing idea, then choose narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence and explain why. Which planning tool helped the writer and why?
Family member signature: ____________________
Tell the Experience Tell a small moment with setting, actions, one thought or line of dialogue, and what the moment meant. What makes an important moment feel important?
Family member signature: ____________________
The TRAILS Frame Use the word bank Setting, Important Moment, Lasting Effect. Tell someone at home a complete story about finding something, and listen for each of the three words in your own telling. Ask them: which TRAILS part made the story worth following?
Family member signature: ____________________
My Family Conversation
Which planning tool helped the writer and why? What makes an important moment feel important?
Independence is knowing which tool to choose and why. I name the topic, purpose, and audience, choose a genre, and explain my decision to another writer.
Essential Question
How does a prepared writer independently choose the right genre for a writing job, develop it well, and explain the decision to another writer?
My Week Tracker
Check off each day after you finish that day's work.
These are the exact TEKS this module teaches. Read the code, then say the job in your own words.
3.11A(i):
TEKS says: 3.11A plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
How I say it: I select a genre for the job, choose a planning strategy, develop a narrative with craft, add a useful idea during revision, and check complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, nouns, and spelling.
3.12A(i):
TEKS says: 3.12A compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
How I say it: The lesson plan isolates singular nouns, common nouns, and high-frequency words for this module. Full standard wording: Texas Education Agency, §110.5(b)(11)-(12).
Call and Response
Read this together as a class before we start.
Teacher asks: "What does a prepared writer name before choosing a genre?"
Class answers: "The topic, the purpose, and the audience!"
One TEKS I want to practice today
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S28-S29
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Get Ready
Before I begin
Before We Begin: What Do I Already Know?
I already know how to read a grade-level narrative and identify a change in a character's thinking. I can write a complete sentence with subject-verb agreement.
A connection I can make
Remember It!
One idea I remember
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Get Ready
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S32-S34
Ready Check
Watch Out! Common Mix-Up Watch out! Facts inside a passage do not mean the response must be informative. The genre depends on the purpose. If the purpose is to let a reader experience Beth's change, narrative fits.
Where This Fits in My Writing
Genre selection begins with purpose and audience. Once I justify narrative, TRAILS helps me develop Beth's experience. My decision record, plan, draft, revision, editing check, and teach-back show the whole process.
This shows my teacher what I already know. It is not for a grade. Work on your own. You may reread the anchor passage in Read and Interact as often as you want.
Part 1: Name the Writing Job
Read the writing task. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that allows them to experience the moment Beth recognizes that a community problem can have more than one reasonable solution.
Part 2: Genre Decision
Which genre fits this writing job? Write narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence, and explain why.
Reason: Beth changes her thinking after listening to her classmates. Write one sentence that shows the moment Beth's thinking changes. Then explain in one sentence why that moment matters.
A sentence that shows the moment Beth's thinking changes
Why that moment matters
Part 6: Short Narrative
Write six to eight sentences that develop Beth's change. Include setting, actions, a thought or dialogue, the important moment at the ballot, and a lasting effect.
My paragraph
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S36
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Words I Need
Tier 1, everyday words
Say each word. Then use one word in a sentence about a writing decision.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
choose
CHOOZ
To pick one thing from a group.
I ______ the genre that fits the job.
reason
REE-zun
Why you think or do something.
My ______ for choosing narrative is that readers can follow Beth's change.
decide
dih-SIDE
To make up your mind.
First I ______ the purpose and audience.
plan
PLAN
To decide the parts before drafting.
I ______ my route before I write.
draft
DRAFT
A first version of writing.
I use my plan to write my ______.
change
CHAYNJ
To make something different.
I ______ one sentence to make it clearer.
check
CHEK
To look closely to make sure.
I ______ my sentences during editing.
teach
TEECH
To help someone understand.
I ______ my partner how I decided.
tool
TOOL
Something used to do a job.
I choose the right ______ for the writing job.
proof
PROOF
Evidence that supports a choice.
My justification gives ______ for my genre.
Use one Tier 1 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S37
Words I Need: Tier 2, academic words
These academic words help you justify a choice and describe your revision and editing. Say each word, then use it with a partner.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
select
si-LEKT
To choose carefully from options.
I ______ narrative because the purpose is to develop an experience.
justify
JUS-tuh-fy
To give reasons that support a choice.
I can ______ my genre with evidence.
effective
ih-FEK-tiv
Working well to do a job.
Narrative is the most ______ genre for this task.
revise
ri-VYZ
To improve a draft by changing ideas or sentences.
I ______ by adding a useful idea.
sentence structure
SEN-tuns STRUK-chur
The way words are put together in a sentence.
I improved my ______ by adding an idea.
subject-verb agreement
SUB-jikt VURB uh-GREE-munt
Matching the subject and verb in a sentence.
I checked my ______ during editing.
singular noun
SING-gyuh-lur NOWN
A noun that names one person, place, or thing.
I used the correct ______ here.
common noun
KOM-un NOWN
A general, not specific, naming word.
I checked each ______ in my draft.
high-frequency word
HY FREE-kwun-see WURD
A word used very often in reading and writing.
I spelled each ______ correctly.
reflection
ri-FLEK-shun
Careful thinking about what you learned.
My ______ names what I can do independently.
Use one Tier 2 word in a sentence
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Words I Need
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S38
Words I Need: Tier 3, passage words
These words connect to the passage and to making decisions as a group. Use them to explain how Beth's thinking changes.
Word
Say it
What it means
Sentence frame
perspective
per-SPEK-tiv
A person's way of seeing an issue.
Each classmate shared a ______.
ballot
BAL-ut
A paper used to cast a vote.
Each student placed a ______ in the box.
community
kuh-MYOO-nuh-tee
A group of people who live, learn, or work together.
A ______ makes decisions together.
compromise
KOM-pruh-myz
A solution where each side gives a little.
Lily's movement break was a ______.
democratic
dem-uh-KRAT-ik
Making decisions as a group, often by voting.
Voting is a ______ way to decide.
respectful
ri-SPEKT-ful
Treating others with care.
The class listened in a ______ way.
solution
suh-LOO-shun
An answer to a problem.
There can be more than one ______.
decision
dih-SIZH-un
A choice a group or person makes.
The class made a group ______.
information
in-fer-MAY-shun
Facts used to make a good choice.
We gathered ______ before we voted.
citizen
SIT-uh-zun
A member of a community who takes part in decisions.
Narrative lets readers experience Beth's change; informative writing teaches the steps before voting.
Opinion / Correspondence
Support a viewpoint / Address a specific reader
Opinion supports a recess solution; correspondence proposes a change to the principal.
The purpose decides the genre. Facts can appear inside a narrative.
How I Say the Standard!
3.11A(i):
TEKS says: 3.11A plan a first draft by selecting a genre for a particular topic, purpose, and audience using a range of strategies such as brainstorming, freewriting, and mapping.
How I say it: I select a genre for the job, choose a planning strategy, develop a narrative with craft, add a useful idea during revision, and check complete sentences, subject-verb agreement, nouns, and spelling.
3.12A(i):
TEKS says: 3.12A compose literary texts, including personal narratives and poetry, using genre characteristics and craft.
How I say it: The lesson plan isolates singular nouns, common nouns, and high-frequency words for this module. Full standard wording: Texas Education Agency, §110.5(b)(11)-(12).
Use the five thinking levels to name the demand of a task and the evidence in a student response. Preserve the symbol and color labels as instructional references.
Level
Symbol
Color Label
Thinking Stage
Description
Level 1
● circle
Red
Foundational
Student follows directions or repeats information exactly as taught with little independent thinking.
Level 2
■ square
Orange
Emergent
Student begins trying ideas independently but may be uncertain or inconsistent.
Level 3
▽ inverted triangle
Yellow
Visible
Student connects ideas directly to textual evidence or proof from the passage.
Level 4
△ triangle
Green
Independent
Student combines evidence with personal inference, applying understanding to self or deeper meaning.
Level 5
◆ diamond
Blue
Reflective
Student connects evidence to the world, morals, lessons, themes, or broader life understanding.
Each level has a color label: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue.
Module progression: Recall names the decision chain and TRAILS; Skill selects genre and planning tool; Strategic defends a genre against a plausible alternate; Extended completes the evidence set and teaches the decision.
Level
Hidden Question
Student Thinking
Thinking Focus
Foundational (Red)
What does the job require?
Student names topic, purpose, and audience.
Recall / Identify
Emergent (Orange)
Which tool fits?
Student selects a genre and planning strategy.
Skill / Categorize
Visible (Yellow)
What evidence supports the choice?
Student uses purpose and audience evidence.
Strategic / Connect
Independent (Green)
Can the whole process be completed independently?
Student plans, drafts, revises, and edits.
Extended / Analyze and Revise
Reflective (Blue)
How would a new purpose change the response?
Student teaches the decision and explains transfer.
DOT: Place a small dot above any unfamiliar word. DISCOVER: Find the pronunciation or the meaning. DROP: Erase the dot once the word is understood.
TRACKS Legend
Letter
Category
Definition and Examples
Required Pastel Color
T
Time
Age, era, dates, cultural details, or historical details. Often adjectives.
Pastel Green
R
Reactions
Reactions, solutions, resolutions, or effects. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Purple
A
Actions
Actions, problems, conflicts, or causes. Often verbs/adverbs.
Pastel Yellow
C
Character, Concept, Creature
Names of characters/people/animals, or major concepts as the central idea. Often nouns/proper nouns.
Pastel Yellow
K
Key Knowledge
All other important info needed for the passage's meaning not in another TRACKS category (background knowledge).
Pastel Orange
S
Scenery / Setting
Setting characteristics acknowledged/measured through the five senses.
Pastel Green
TRACKS marks evidence in the passage. Highlight the smallest meaningful phrase. The shapes Circle, Box, and Triangle are used only to analyze the prompt.
Connect It to Our World
Beth's class shows how a community listens to different perspectives before deciding. Long ago, some citizens in Athens, a city in ancient Greece, discussed important questions and voted.
Background I Need
Beth joins a class discussion about recess. Mrs. Green records three solutions, Lily proposes an extra movement break, and the class votes by ballot. The vote result is not announced.
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[1]The bell rang. [2] "Recess!" Beth shouted. [3] Chairs scooted back. Sneakers hurried across the floor. A moment later, Beth and her classmates spilled onto the playground. [4] The sun felt warm on Beth's face. A light wind moved through the trees beside the fence. On the blacktop, basketballs went bounce, bounce, bounce. Near the swings, children called to one another. [5] "Push me higher!" [6] "Catch me!" [7] "Race you to the slide!" [8] Beth smiled. Recess was one of her favorite parts of the school day. [9] She ran toward the jump ropes where her friend Ava was waiting. [10] "Want to jump?" Ava asked. [11] "Of course!" Beth said. [12] Ava and Beth began turning the rope together. [13] "Ready?" Ava called. [14] Their friend Max jumped into the middle. [15] "One, two, three, four!" [16] Max jumped higher each time the rope came around. [17] Then Beth noticed someone sitting alone near the fence. [18] It was Lily. She had joined their class only a few days earlier. [19] Beth stopped turning the rope. [20] "What's wrong?" Ava asked. [21] "I think Lily might need someone to play with," Beth said. [22] Beth walked over to her. [23] "Do you want to jump rope with us?" Beth asked. [24] Lily looked surprised. [25] "Really?" [26] "Really," Beth said.
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[27]Soon Lily was jumping while Beth and Ava turned the rope. [28] Lily missed the rope on her first try. [29] Then she missed again. [30] On the third try, she made it over. [31] Everyone cheered. [32] "I did it!" Lily yelled. [33] Beth laughed. [34] For a few minutes, the playground seemed full of nothing but running feet, swinging ropes, bouncing balls, and happy voices. [35] Then the whistle blew. [36] Recess was over. [37] "Awww!" several children groaned. [38] As the class lined up, Max said, "Recess always feels too short." [39] "I think we should have a longer recess," Ava said. [40] Beth nodded. "Me too." [41] Their teacher, Mrs. Green, heard them. [42] "Why do you think recess should be longer?" she asked. [43] "Because we get to move," Max said. "We sit a lot in class." [44] "And we get to play with our friends," Ava added. [45] Beth looked at Lily. [46] "Sometimes recess gives us time to get to know someone new," she said.
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[47]Mrs. Green smiled. [48] "Those are thoughtful reasons," she said. "Recess can give children time to move, play games, talk with friends, and take a break from classroom work." [49] Max grinned. [50] "So can we have recess all afternoon?" [51] Mrs. Green laughed. [52] "Not quite." [53] "Why not?" Max asked. [54] "Because a school community has many needs," Mrs. Green explained. "We need time to read, write, learn mathematics, study science and social studies, and do many other important things." [55] "So longer recess might mean less time for something else?" Beth asked. [56] "That could happen," Mrs. Green said. [57] Beth thought about that as they walked back to the classroom. [58] She loved recess. She liked running outside and feeling the wind on her face. She liked laughing with Ava and Max. Most of all, she was glad she had asked Lily to join them. [59] But now there was more to think about.
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[60]When everyone was seated, Mrs. Green wrote a question on the board: [61] Should our recess be longer? [62] "People in a community do not always agree," she explained. "Sometimes one person wants one thing while someone else wants something different. Good citizens listen to one another, consider the reasons, and make decisions respectfully." [63] Mrs. Green drew three columns on the board. [64] Longer Recess [65] Keep Recess the Same [66] Another Solution [67] "We are not going to vote yet," she said. [68] Max raised his hand. "Why not?" [69] "Because a good decision should not be based only on what we want," Mrs. Green replied. "First, we need information. We should consider the advantages and disadvantages of each choice." [70] The class began making a list. [71] Under Longer Recess, they wrote: [72] more time for physical activity [73] more time with friends [74] more opportunities to include someone new [75] a longer break from sitting and working [76] Under Keep Recess the Same, they wrote: [77] enough time for all school subjects [78] more classroom learning time [79] time for other activities during the school day [80] Then Lily raised her hand. [81] "What if we could have another short movement break instead of making recess a lot longer?" [82] Mrs. Green smiled. "That is exactly why we have a third column." [83] Beth liked Lily's idea. [84] Mrs. Green added it to Another Solution.
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[85]"People have been making group decisions for a very long time," Mrs. Green continued. "Thousands of years ago, some citizens in Athens, a city in ancient Greece, gathered to discuss important questions and vote. Their ideas about citizens participating in decisions helped influence democratic governments that came much later." [86] "So voting is really old?" Max asked. [87] "The idea certainly is," Mrs. Green said. "Today, voting is still one way groups make decisions." [88] Ava looked at the board. [89] "Can we vote now?" [90] "Almost," Mrs. Green said. "First, everyone gets a chance to explain a point of view. You may disagree with someone, but you must listen respectfully." [91] Beth listened as her classmates spoke. [92] Max still wanted longer recess. [93] Ava agreed with him. [94] One student thought recess should stay exactly the same. [95] Lily explained her idea for an extra movement break. [96] No one shouted. No one laughed at another person's answer. They asked questions and listened. [97] Finally, Mrs. Green handed each student a small paper ballot. [98] "Now you have heard several perspectives," she said. "Choose the solution you believe would work best for our class."
Narrative passage. Very High Stamina. Read both parts. Use Dot, Discover, Drop.
[99]Beth looked at the three choices. [100] At first, she had been certain that longer recess was the only good answer. [101] Now she was not so sure. [102] She thought about running and jumping. [103] She thought about Lily's smile. [104] She thought about all the things they needed to learn during the school day. [105] Then Beth made her choice. [106] One by one, the students placed their ballots in a box. [107] Mrs. Green did not announce the result immediately. [108] "Whatever the class decides," she said, "the most important thing is what we just practiced." [109] "What was that?" Max asked. [110] "We looked at a problem. We gathered information. We considered different solutions. We listened to one another. Then we used voting to help make a group decision." [111] Beth looked out the window at the empty playground. [112] The swings moved gently in the wind. [113] Recess had started as something simple. [114] Now it had become a question about choices, communities, and how people make decisions together. [115] Beth smiled. [116] She had a lot to think about.
A writing job has a topic, a purpose, and an audience. Use these shapes to see each part.
Shape
Word
Question I ask myself
Red circle
Topic
What is my writing about?
Yellow box
Purpose
What must my writing do?
Green underline
Audience
Who will read my writing?
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that allows them to experience the moment Beth recognizes that a community problem can have more than one reasonable solution.
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 1: Gather + Reveal
I read the anchor and reveal the decision chain
Our Question for Today
How does a prepared writer choose the right genre for a writing job?
1. Gather: Read and Notice
Read the complete anchor, "The Recess Question." Use DOT for unfamiliar words and TRACKS to mark evidence. Notice what Beth and her classmates do and say.
What I notice about Beth and her class
2. Reveal: Name the Writing Job
A prepared writer names the topic, purpose, and audience before choosing a genre. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
3. Reveal: The Complete Decision Chain
READ THE TASK, NAME TOPIC, NAME PURPOSE, NAME AUDIENCE, SELECT GENRE, CHOOSE PLAN, DRAFT, REVISE, EDIT, EXPLAIN.
The near-miss task: Explain the steps the class uses before voting. A narrative can mention voting, but informative writing more directly explains the steps.
7. Match TRAILS to the Anchor
TRAILS letter
What I found in the anchor
T: Topic or Experience
Beth's changing understanding of the recess decision
R: Relationship
Beth, Lily, Ava, Max, and Mrs. Green influence the experience
A: Actions, Thoughts, Dialogue
What Beth does, thinks, and says
I: Important Moment
The ballot, when Beth considers several solutions
L: Lasting Effect
Beth understands that a community problem can have more than one answer
S: Setting
Playground and classroom details
STOP & THINK
Why is a narrative more than an ordered list of events?
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
GENRE ADVOCATE Defend the strongest genre with evidence.
TASK READER Read the whole task and identify topic, purpose, and audience.
EVIDENCE JUDGE State a verdict matching the exact purpose and audience.
ALTERNATE ADVOCATE Test another plausible genre and explain why it is less direct for this job.
This page prints on the back of the card page. Each answer sits behind its own card, so flip a card over to check yourself. Keep the cards in Pocket Practice when you finish.
ELPS today: 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 2(E) Use comprehensible language to explain information orally with increasing specificity and detail
Day 2: Attempt, continued
Our Question for Today: How do I defend a genre with purpose and audience evidence?
1. Play It: Genre Court
Sit with your group. Choose a role: Task Reader, Genre Advocate, Alternate Advocate, or Evidence Judge.
Read the whole writing task. Name the topic, purpose, and audience.
The Genre Advocate defends the strongest genre with evidence, not preference.
The Alternate Advocate tests another plausible genre and explains why it is less direct.
The Evidence Judge states a verdict that matches the exact purpose and audience, then names a planning tool.
Case
Writing job
Genre to defend
Case 1
Lily's experience, for a school story collection.
Narrative
Case 2
The class process, for a younger class.
Informative
Case 3
A solution that balances movement and learning.
Opinion
Case 4
A respectful change, for the principal.
Correspondence
Case 5
Beth's inner change, for third-grade readers.
Narrative
2. Talk About It
Say why one genre matched one writing job. Use purpose and audience evidence, not preference.
My reason
3. Name the Writing Job
Read the practice prompt. Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience. Then write the genre.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Explain the steps the class uses before voting.
The genre is ______ because the purpose is ______
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(D)(iii) Write content-area texts using a variety of transition words; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(B)(ii) Spell words...
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 3: Discuss + Use
I explain my thinking
Our Question for Today
Why does the genre need evidence from the purpose and audience?
1. Discuss
Explain your reasoning, not just your answer.
Question
My thinking
What evidence in the purpose and audience helped you defend your genre in Genre Court?
Which part of a task carries the most weight when you choose a genre?
How is a narrative different from an ordered list of events?
What does the important moment do in a narrative?
Why do readers need a setting and actions before the important moment?
My discussion notes
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
2. My Personal Connection
Connect a time you changed your mind after listening to another perspective to Beth's experience. Tell which detail made you think of it.
My connection and the detail that made me think of it
Retell how Beth moves from certainty about longer recess to considering several solutions.
My retelling
Tell one way a narrative and an informative response are different.
My comparison
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
STOP & THINK
The purpose decides the genre. In the model prompt, what must the writing let the reader experience?
My answer
3. Use: Plan Your Narrative
Record your decision. Then plan with TRAILS before you draft.
My decision
My answer
Topic
Purpose
Audience
Genre and my justification with purpose and audience evidence
Planning strategy: brainstorming, freewriting, or mapping
Why this planning strategy helps
The genre fits because...
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Day 3 • DISCUSS + USE
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
My Independent Narrative
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that allows them to experience the moment Beth recognizes that a community problem can have more than one reasonable solution. Use all six TRAILS characteristics. Slow the important moment at the ballot.
My narrative
Embedded Check
Did I develop the experience with TRAILS?
One sentence I want to make stronger
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Day 4 • AWARD + TARGET
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S50
ELPS today: 4(D)(i) Write using a variety of grade-appropriate sentence lengths; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 4(E)(ii) Write formal or informal text using grammatical structures; 4(B)(ii) Spell words following conventional spelling
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 4: Award + Target
I notice evidence of my growth
Our Question for Today
What did I write this week that shows I can prepare, draft, revise, edit, and explain my decision?
1. Award the Complete Process
Read your evidence set: decision record, plan, draft, revision, and editing check. Choose two strengths and point to the work that proves each one.
My Two Awards (write them here)
The evidence I point to
Something I did well, and the evidence that shows it
2. Target My Next Step
Choose one precise part to practice: reading purpose, identifying audience, selecting genre, planning, craft, revision, or editing.
ELPS today: 4(C)(ii) Write using content-area vocabulary; 4(F)(i) Write to narrate, describe, explain, respond, or persuade with detail in the content areas; 2(E) Use comprehensible language to explain information orally with increasing specificity and detail
STUDENT WORKBOOK
Day 5: Explain/Educate
I teach someone else
Our Question for Today
How would I teach another writer how I chose my genre and developed a narrative?
1. Explain to Others
Teach a partner your complete decision chain. Use your own evidence set.
My topic is ____________.
My purpose is ____________.
My audience is ____________.
The genre that fits is ____________ because ____________.
One TRAILS detail I used is ____________.
My planning strategy was ____________ because ____________.
One convention I checked was ____________.
My partner taught me...
2. Educate: The Genre Expert Fair
Show your partner each part of your evidence set. Then read a narrative section and name its TRAILS feature.
One decision my listener asked me to explain further
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that allows them to experience the moment Beth recognizes that a community problem can have more than one reasonable solution.
My selected genre and my justification with purpose and audience evidence
My planning strategy, and the genre for a younger class, with reasons
Check My Exit Ticket
STOP & THINK
I can name the writing job, choose and justify a genre, develop a narrative with TRAILS, and explain a changed-purpose genre choice.
Circle the topic. Box the purpose. Underline the audience.
Develop a narrative for third-grade readers that allows them to experience the moment Beth recognizes that a community problem can have more than one reasonable solution.
My Plan
Name the topic, purpose, and audience.
Select a genre and justify it with purpose and audience evidence.
Choose brainstorming, freewriting, or mapping and explain why it helps.
Plan the experience and the relationships.
Plan actions, thoughts, and purposeful dialogue from the anchor.
Slow the important moment at the ballot.
Connect a lasting understanding to the ending and add setting details.
Two possible reasons from the passage
The stronger reason is...
Color Words I Can Use
Thesis (central idea) and reasons, Green. Evidence, Yellow. Explanation, Red or Pink. Reflective thinking, Blue.
My thesis (central idea) starter
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S71
My Draft
Use my shaped prompt and my plan. Write a clear response.
Draft, page 1
A sentence I want to keep
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S72
Revise, Edit, and Share
Revise
Edit
My improved sentence
Share
Choose one: read to a partner, share in author's chair, join a gallery walk, or add your prompt to a class booklet.
My sharing plan
Grade 3 • Cluster PREPARE • Module 4 • Write More
TEKS 3.11A(i) • S51-S53,S64
Before I Turn It In
Check each line when I can show it in my work.
Part
I can show...
Check
Genre decision
I named the topic, purpose, audience, and genre.
Study the Samples
Develop a narrative that lets third-grade readers experience Beth's change.
Low Beth wanted longer recess. The class talked and voted. Beth learned there can be more than one answer. What is missing: setting, thought or dialogue, and a developed moment.
Medium At recess, Beth was sure recess should be longer. Back in class, Mrs. Green made three columns and the class listed advantages and disadvantages. Lily suggested a movement break. Beth thought about it and voted. She realized a problem can have more than one solution. What is missing: the important moment is brief.
High When the whistle ended recess, Beth was certain: recess should be longer. She had felt the wind, laughed with Ava and Max, and watched Lily land her first jump. But back in class, Mrs. Green drew three columns and asked the class to weigh advantages and disadvantages before voting. Beth's certainty wobbled. "Longer recess might mean less time for something else," she admitted to herself. Then Lily raised her hand and offered a third path: a short movement break. When Mrs. Green handed out the ballots, Beth held her pencil above the three choices for a long moment. She thought about running and jumping, about Lily's smile, and about everything the class needed to learn. For the first time, Beth understood that a community problem does not always have a single right answer; sometimes the best decision comes from listening, weighing, and choosing together. She made her mark, dropped her ballot in the box, and looked out at the quiet playground with a lot to think about.
How does a prepared writer independently choose the right genre for a writing job, develop it well, and explain the decision to another writer?
The answer A prepared writer reads the writing job closely, names the topic, purpose, and audience, selects the genre that can accomplish that job most effectively, chooses a planning strategy, drafts with the characteristics and craft of the genre, revises and edits the response, and can explain the reasoning to another writer.
My Final Thinking (in my own words)
What Changed in My Thinking?
At first I thought...
Now I think...
Try It Another Way
Use a new writing task. Name the topic, purpose, and audience. Choose a genre and justify it with evidence. Then explain how a different purpose would change the genre.
Keep the same topic and change the purpose. Write a short narrative about a decision Beth makes at school. Use TRAILS to develop the experience and show how Beth's thinking changes.
Keep the same anchor and the same topic.
Change the purpose to explaining the class's decision-making process.
Change the audience to a younger class.
Choose the genre that fits the new job.
Plan the alternate response with a visible planning artifact.
Write only the opening.
Compare your opening with your narrative and tell what changed because the job changed.
My alternate plan: same topic, new purpose, new audience, genre, and opening
My Alternate-Purpose Plan
Write your alternate plan in the box below. Label the topic, the new purpose, the new audience, and the genre.
Choose one card to talk about with someone at home. End with a conversation, not a worksheet.
Name the Writing Job Pick a daily-life topic, purpose, and audience. Justify whether narrative, informative, opinion, or correspondence fits best. Ask someone at home: which genre fits best, and what in the purpose or audience tells you so?
Family member signature: ____________________
Tell the Experience Tell a small-moment story with a setting, actions, one thought or spoken line, and a lasting meaning. Ask someone at home: what did my story leave with you, and why?
Family member signature: ____________________
The TRAILS Frame Use these words: Setting, Important Moment, and Lasting Effect. Tell someone at home about finding something and name those elements. Ask someone at home: the setting is ___. The important moment is ___. The lasting effect is ___.
Family member signature: ____________________
My Family Conversation Notes
What did I teach? What did my family member remember?
Every time I get a score or a grade on my work in this module, I write it here. This can be an exit ticket, a short answer, or a rubric score from my teacher.
Date
What I did (for example exit ticket, short answer, rubric)
My score
My next goal
Why This Helps Me
This chart shows how my scores change over the whole module, not just on one day.
Add a new row every time I get feedback, a score, or a grade on my work.