Grade 3 PSSA Language/Conventions

PARTS of SPEECH
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
General / Explain 1) the function of nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs in general and 2) their function in particular sentences. / Brainpop.com
-Parts of Speech
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#30 page 46
Nouns / Form and use regular and irregular (e.g., men, children) plural nouns. (D.1.1.2)
Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood). / Brainpopjr.com
-nouns
-plural nouns
-possessive nouns
Brainpop.com
-nouns

Mentor Text: A Mink, A Fink, and a Skating Rink By Brian Cleary
Additional Grade 3 PSSA
Language Items #1
Irregular Plural Nouns
Additional Grade 3 PSSA
Language Items #2
Possessive Nouns
Pronouns / Unit 1, Lesson 19 Confer: Edit for pronouns and tense / Brainpop.com
-Personal Pronouns
Verbs / Form and use regular and irregular verbs.
Form and use simple verb tenses: past, present, future (e.g., I walked; I walk; I will walk). / Unit 3, Lesson 9 Share: Handling shifts in time and tense / Brainpop.com
-Verbs and Their Tenses
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#31 page 47
Brainpopjr.com
-verbs
Adjectives and Adverbs / Form and use comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs appropriately. / Brainpopjr.com
-Adjectives and Adverbs
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#33 page 49
Conjunctions / Use coordinating (e.g., and, or) and subordinating (e.g., but, for, yet, so) conjunctions. / Unit 2, Lesson 13 Mid-Workshop: Coordinating and subordinating conjunctions / Brainpop.com
-conjunctions
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#34 page 49
AGREEMENT
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
Subject-Verb Agreement / Ensure subject-verb agreement. / Brainpopjr.com
-Subject and Verb Agreement
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#32 page 48
Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement / Ensure pronoun-antecedent agreement.
D.1.1.6 / Unit 2, Lesson 13 Mid-Workshop: Making Pronoun-Antecedent Connections / Additional Grade 3 PSSA
Language Items #3
SENTENCES
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
Types of Sentences / Produce three types of sentences:
  • Simple: Subject-Verb, expresses complete thought
  • Compound: 2 independent clauses connected by coordinator
  • Complex: Independent and dependent clauses, using subordinators like because, since, although, if, when, while, or others
/ Unit 4, Lesson 12 Mini-Lesson: Editing for sentence variety; Conferring: Helping construct complex sentences; Mid-Workshop: Finding examples of types of sentences / Brainpopjr.com
-Types of Sentences
Brainpop.com
-Types of Sentences
Mentor Texts: The Web Files Margie Palatini
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#41 page 54
CAPITALIZATION
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
Titles / Capitalize appropriate words in titles. / Unit 1, Lesson 6 Mid-Workshop / PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#35-6 page 50
PUNCTUATION
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
Commas / Use commas in addresses.
Use commas and quotation marks in dialogue. / Unit 4, Lesson 18 Share: Commas in a series
Unit 1, Lesson 16: Punctuating Dialogue
Unit 2, Lesson 19 Conferring: Using direct quotes from texts / Brainpopjr.com
-Commas and clauses
-Commas with adjectives/lists
Mentor Text: Something Beautiful Sharon Dennis Wyeth
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#37 page 51
Apostrophes / Form and use possessives (e.g., Heidi’s). / Brainpop.com
-Contractions
-Possessives
Brainpopjr.com
-Possessive
PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#38 page 51
SPELLING
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
High-frequency words / Use conventional spelling. / Unit 1, Lesson 6: Create personal lists of words and mnemonics, break words into syllables
Unit 4, Lesson 11 Share: Frequently misspelled words / PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#39 page 52
Adding suffixes / Add suffixes to base words (e.g., sitting, smiled, cries, happiness). D.1.2.5 / Additional Grade 3 PSSA
Language Items #4
Spelling patterns and generalizations / Use spelling patterns and generalizations (e.g., word families, position-based spellings, syllable patterns, ending rules, meaningful word parts). / Unit 3, Lesson 5 Mid-Workshop: Using tools for spellling / PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#40 page 53
WORD USAGE
Topic / PA Core Eligible Content / Units of Study Lessons / How This Might Look in Practice?
Diction / Use words and phrases for effect. / Unit 1, Lesson 19 Mid-Workshop: Checking for sense
Unit 2, Lesson 6 Mid-Workshop: Transition words
Unit 3, Lesson 11 Share: Transition words / PSSA Prelim Item
Sampler 2013-2014
#39 page 52