Reading Resources

Introduce THEME to your 3rd graders to foster critical thinking, deepen reading comprehension, and help children make connections between literature and their own lives. Packet includes: reading comprehension passages & questions, graphic organizers, activities , exit slips, standards addressed and book recommendations,. All activities are available in a print and digital format.

This unit is also part of the Reading Mini Units Bundle for 3rd Grade
Click here for the 4th-5th Grade version

What is included?

1. Google Slides/PowerPoint: This is an interactive teaching presentation to teach theme. The Google Slides and PowerPoints help you teach or review the skill. There are three versions included in both PowerPoint & Google Slides. The slide presentation is organized so that you can use the I Do, We Do, You Do method:

• Model the Skill
• Let's Try It! (Active Engagement)
• Independent Practice (Exit Slip)

Version 1: (Teaching Slides) These slides include transitions so that you can discuss the answers before they appear. The answers are also in the notes section of the slideshow.

Version 2: (Student Slides)  These slides can be used if you are teaching virtually or if you want to use this as a review and have students complete on their own.

Version 3: (Answer Key) This slide has all the answers.

2. 3rd Grade Theme Standards

3. Tips for choosing books to teach theme

4. Book Recommendations: chapter books & picture books

5. Graphic Organizers: common themes, multiple themes, themes across stories, theme: finding evidence, step-by-step theme, thinking about theme, revealing the theme

6. Theme Posters: The following theme posters are included: theme, theme topics vs. statements, revealing the theme, common themes. The posters come in different colors: red, teal, black and white)

7. Reading Comprehension Passages & Questions: total of 5 with a focus on theme

8. Exit Slips: There are 5 exit slips with a variety of questioning about theme in multiple choice or short response format. They print 2 per page and are also available in Google Forms.

9. Reading Activities:

• Theme: true or false?
• Could it be a theme?
• Theme or Main Idea?
• Theme: The Case of the Missing Skateboard
• Theme: The Adventures of Carl Caterpillar
• Writing about Theme
• Mr. Thompson’s Haunted House (step-by-step theme)
• Theme Practice
• Theme Match

Boost Comprehension with Essential Text Features Skills! Equip your students to navigate nonfiction like pros with this comprehensive Text Features Mini Unit for 4th-5th Graders. Featuring anchor charts, worksheets, posters, and interactive scavenger hunts, it’s the ultimate resource to make text features engaging and easy to understand.

This unit is also part of the Reading Mini Units Bundle for 4th and 5th Grade

Click here for the 3rd Grade version

What's Included? Topics Covered: Headings, subheadings, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, maps, indexes, glossaries, and more essential text features found in nonfiction texts.

• Teaching Slides (Google Slides/PowerPoint): Three versions—teaching slides, student review slides, and an answer key—lead students from modeling text feature identification to independent practice with exit slips.
• Text Features Scavenger Hunt (two versions): These organizers guide students through a nonfiction text to identify various text features, such as the title page, captions, maps, labels, and more. Students are prompted to note down the page number and provide evidence.
• Text Features Analysis Chart: This organizer allows students to list specific text features they find in a nonfiction text, cite examples from the text, and explain how each feature aids the reader. It encourages deeper comprehension by connecting text features to their purposes.
• Text Features Anchor Chart: Perfect for student handouts, reading center, or teacher reference, this chart features clear definitions and visual examples of key text features.
• 23 Text Features Posters: Each poster highlights a different text feature—such as bold print, bullet points, captions, charts, close-ups, diagrams, footnotes, and more—with a clear definition and visual example. Perfect for reading centers, student handouts, or classroom displays, these posters help students recognize and understand how text features contribute to their comprehension of informational texts.
• 5 Reading Passages + Questions: Each passage includes questions designed to guide students in applying text features to aid comprehension.
  • The Making of a Hurricane
  • Rocks are Everywhere
  • The Amazing Axolotls
  • Our Oceans
  • The Industrial Revolution
• 6 Practice Activities: Five pages dedicated to identifying and using text features in real-world contexts.
• • Labeling Text Features
  • Name that Text Feature
  • Meet the Pangolin Passage and Color Code Q&A
  • Reptiles and Amphibians + Comprehension Questions
• 5 Exit Slips: Quick assessment tools designed to check students' understanding of nonfiction text features. Each exit slip presents a short reading passage with related questions that prompt students to identify and analyze text features, such as diagrams, captions, and maps. These slips provide an effective way for teachers to gauge students' comprehension and reinforce their ability to navigate and interpret informational texts. Perfect for end-of-lesson reviews or quick assessments.
• Recommended Book List: tips and a curated list of books and series to support educators in teaching text features effectively.

Text Features Covered:

• Appendix
• Bold print
• Bullet points
• Caption
• Chart or graph
• Close-up
• Cross-section or cutaway
• Diagram
• Footnote
• Glossary
• Guide words
• Heading
• Illustration
• Index
• Italics
• Labels
• Map
• Photograph
• Sidebar/textbox
• Subheading
• Subtitle
• Table
• Table of contents
• Timeline
• Title page
• Title

Need More Support for Key Reading Skills? This Text Features Mini Unit is part of the full Reading Mini Units Bundle for 4th and 5th Grade. Each unit targets essential reading skills with high-quality materials that equip students for reading success.

✏️ Get the Complete Bundle!

Unlock the full bundle to access even more essential reading skills like Theme, Main Idea, Text Structure, Inferences, and Story Elements. These units make teaching, reviewing, and reinforcing reading strategies simple and effective for your classroom.

This resource includes:

• 36 Task Cards
• Answer Sheets
• Answer Key
• Digital Options (Google Slides and Forms)
  

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect! 

The Literacy Loft Blog

The Literacy Loft on Instagram

The Literacy Loft on Pinterest

The Literacy Loft on Facebook 

Reading Notebook Anchor Charts for skills and strategies at your students' fingertips. This product includes anchor charts for each Reading Informational Standard for 2nd Grade.

Why Reading Notebook Anchor Charts?
The charts in this product are meant to be used inside students’ reading. This is why they are shown two on a page. This way you can save paper and copies! You can also use these to teach students how to use their Reading Notebook as a tool.

If you find yourself making tons of reading anchor charts throughout the year, then this resources is for you. Students will have a reference for each standard and skill. These are also great to send home for parents to use at home.

Since I began using anchor charts inside our Reading and Writing Notebooks, I have noticed my students are able to work better independently. They have the tools they need to support their learning. The charts have also been helpful in planning and presenting my lessons. You have examples and academic language at your fingertips. The charts also help to bring a large and broad topic down to a concrete idea.

What charts are included?

• Wise Readers Ask Questions
• Ask & Answer Questions
• Main Topic
• Determining Importance
• Nonfiction Texts
• Informational Texts
• Sequence
• Cause and Effect
• Cause and Effect (Why did it happen? What happened?)
• Words and Phrases
• Text Features 1 (title, table of contents, index, glossary)
• Text Features 2 (heading/subheading, photograph, illustration, caption)
• Text Features 3 (labels, graph, table, map)
• Text Features 4 (diagram, bold print, bullet points, sidebar/fact box)
• Author’s Purpose
• Author’s Reasons
• Text Images
• Compare and Contrast

**Buy BUNDLED and SAVE!**
This resource is a part of a Reading Notebook Anchor Charts 2nd Grade Bundle!

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

The Literacy Loft Blog

The Literacy Loft on Instagram

The Literacy Loft on Pinterest

The Literacy Loft on Facebook

Reading Notebook Anchor Charts for skills and strategies at your students' fingertips. This product includes anchor charts for each Reading Literature Standard for 2nd Grade.

Why Reading Notebook Anchor Charts?
The charts in this product are meant to be used inside students’ reading. This is why they are shown two on a page. This way you can save paper and copies! You can also use these to teach students how to use their Reading Notebook as a tool.

If you find yourself making tons of reading anchor charts throughout the year, then this resources is for you. Students will have a reference for each standard and skill. These are also great to send home for parents to use at home.

Since I began using anchor charts inside our Reading and Writing Notebooks, I have noticed my students are able to work better independently. They have the tools they need to support their learning. The charts have also been helpful in planning and presenting my lessons. You have examples and academic language at your fingertips. The charts also help to bring a large and broad topic down to a concrete idea.

**Buy BUNDLED and SAVE!**
This resource is a part of a Reading Notebook Anchor Charts 2nd Grade Bundle!

🛑 Are you a member of the TLL Membership? These materials are already included. If you are not a member, click here to learn more. The TLL Membership gives you an all-access pass to hundreds of ELA resources for teachers in Grades 3-5.

Let’s connect!

The Literacy Loft Blog

The Literacy Loft on Instagram

The Literacy Loft on Pinterest

The Literacy Loft on Facebook

Boost Comprehension with Essential Text Features Skills! Equip your students to navigate nonfiction like pros with this comprehensive Text Features Mini Unit for 3rd Graders. Featuring anchor charts, worksheets, posters, and interactive scavenger hunts, it’s the ultimate resource to make text features engaging and easy to understand.

This unit is also part of the Reading Mini Units Bundle for 3rd Grade

Click here for the 4th-5th Grade version

What's Included? Topics Covered: Headings, subheadings, captions, labels, diagrams, charts, maps, indexes, glossaries, and more essential text features found in nonfiction texts.

• Teaching Slides (Google Slides/PowerPoint): Three versions—teaching slides, student review slides, and an answer key—lead students from modeling text feature identification to independent practice with exit slips.
• Text Features Scavenger Hunt (two versions): These organizers guide students through a nonfiction text to identify various text features, such as the title page, captions, maps, labels, and more. Students are prompted to note down the page number and provide evidence.
• Text Features Analysis Chart: This organizer allows students to list specific text features they find in a nonfiction text, cite examples from the text, and explain how each feature aids the reader. It encourages deeper comprehension by connecting text features to their purposes.
• Text Features Anchor Chart: Perfect for student handouts, reading center, or teacher reference, this chart features clear definitions and visual examples of key text features.
• 23 Text Features Posters: Each poster highlights a different text feature—such as bold print, bullet points, captions, charts, close-ups, diagrams, footnotes, and more—with a clear definition and visual example. Perfect for reading centers, student handouts, or classroom displays, these posters help students recognize and understand how text features contribute to their comprehension of informational texts.
• 5 Reading Passages + Questions: Each passage includes questions designed to guide students in applying text features to aid comprehension.
  • All About Clouds
  • The History of Money
  • Porcupines
  • Presidential Elections
  • Wilma Rudolph
• 6 Practice Activities: Five pages dedicated to identifying and using text features in real-world contexts.

• • Labeling Text Features
  • Name that Text Feature
  • Meet the Fennec Fox Passage Color Code Q&A
  • The Moon + Comprehension Questions
• 5 Exit Slips: Quick assessment tools designed to check students' understanding of nonfiction text features. Each exit slip presents a short reading passage with related questions that prompt students to identify and analyze text features, such as diagrams, captions, and maps. These slips provide an effective way for teachers to gauge students' comprehension and reinforce their ability to navigate and interpret informational texts. Perfect for end-of-lesson reviews or quick assessments.
• Recommended Book List: tips and a curated list of books and series to support educators in teaching text features effectively.

Text Features Covered:

• Appendix
• Bold print
• Bullet points
• Caption
• Chart or graph
• Close-up
• Cross-section or cutaway
• Diagram
• Footnote
• Glossary
• Guide words
• Heading
• Illustration
• Index
• Italics
• Labels
• Map
• Photograph
• Sidebar/textbox
• Subheading
• Subtitle
• Table
• Table of contents
• Timeline
• Title page
• Title

Need More Support for Key Reading Skills? This Text Features Mini Unit is part of the full Reading Mini Units Bundle for 3rd Grade. Each unit targets essential reading skills with high-quality materials that equip students for reading success.

✏️ Get the Complete Bundle!

Unlock the full bundle to access even more essential reading skills like Theme, Main Idea, Text Structure, Inferences, and Story Elements. These units make teaching, reviewing, and reinforcing reading strategies simple and effective for your classroom.