3rd Grade
Reading Literature Florida State Standards Included: 3.RL.2.6 2 passages each with their own organizer for students to dis4nguish the feelings of the character from their own.
Reading Literature 3.RL.2.6 Craft and Structure Distinguish their own point of view from that of the narrator or those of the character.
The Birthday Surprise
Talia wanted a pet ever since she could remember. She wanted a cat, but her dad was allergic. She wanted a dog, but her mom said no one was home to take care of it. She asked for a rabbit, a hamster, and a gerbil. “No” was always the answer. One day she asked for a fish. “You wouldn’t be happy with a fish,” said Talia’s mom. “They don’t do anything.” “Sure they do. They swim around,” argued Talia. “At least I’d have something to talk to.” If Talia couldn’t have a pet, she could have stuffed animals. Every year on her birthday, her mom and dad gave her a new special animal. She took good care of the animals. She brushed them and read to them. Sometimes she talked to them. She loved them, but they weren’t the same as a real pet. Talia was about to turn ten and hoped that her parents would give her a special stuffed animal for her birthday. She had been eying a life-sized golden retriever at the toy store. She thought a big animal like that might feel more like a real dog. Talia secretly named him Goldie and blew him a kiss through the window every time she walked by the store. Talia made sure her mother knew how much she loved that special dog. When Talia said she wanted a pet like that for her birthday, her mother gave a knowing smile. When her birthday came around, Talia’s parents took her out to dinner at her favorite restaurant. As the waiters all gathered around to sing “Happy Birthday,” Talia’s mom slipped a small box wrapped in silver paper onto the table in front of her. Talia looked at the box and tried not to show her disappointment. Clearly, it wasn’t Goldie in the box. Her parents must have decided she was too old for stuffed animals. Maybe they got her jewelry instead. “Go ahead, open it,” urged Talia’s father. “Good things come in small packages,” encouraged her mom. Talia braced herself as she untied the ribbon and slowly removed the wrapping. Inside was just a small slip of neatly folded paper. She unfolded it carefully. It read: This coupon entitles you to one pet. She read the sentence twice before she understood the meaning. “Wow! Is this for real?!” Talia exclaimed. “I can have a pet? A real pet?” “Yes, that’s what it means,” said her mom, laughing. “We’ll take you to the pet store on Saturday to pick out what you want. You have to agree to take care of it all by yourself . . . and no dogs.” “And no cats,” added her dad. Talia’s head swam. After all these years, her dream was about to come true. Deciding what pet to get was a big decision. When she got home, she went online to look at different types of pets. This is what she found.
After reading about all the animals, Talia narrowed down her choices to either a guinea pig or a rabbit. Her parents asked her why she picked those two animals. “Well, they’re both social, and they are awake during the day, so I can play with them. They also won’t keep me up at night.” “Sounds like you’ve done your homework,” said her dad. Talia couldn’t wait for Saturday to come. She was worried that the pet store wouldn’t have any guinea pigs or rabbits, so her mom called ahead to make sure. She worried that she wouldn’t like any of the animals at the pet store. Or what if she liked all of them? How would she choose just one? What if she found a pet that didn’t like her? “Don’t be silly,” her mom told her when she expressed this concern on the drive to the pet store. “Pets always love the person who takes care of them.” When Talia got to the pet store, she raced to the cages with the guinea pigs and rabbits. She was surprised at how small some of the rabbits were, “Those are dwarf rabbits,” the sales clerk told her. “They only grow to be two or three pounds.” One of the rabbits looked at her. “Take me home,” it said with its eyes. “Is that a girl or a boy?” Talia asked. “That is a boy,” said the sales clerk. “He’s a very happy little guy, so we’ve named him Happy.” “Hi, Happy,” said Talia, peering into the cage at the little bunny. Happy stared back at her. “I’m happy, too. Would you like to come home with us?”
A Birthday Surprise Directions: Using evidence from the text, explain how the main character thinks or feels about the topic. Then identify how you think or feel about the same topic. Name: ______________________________
Date: __________________________
What is Talia’s point of view
What is Talia’s point of view on
on having a pet?
the best type of animal to choose for a pet?
Topic
Having a Pet
Explain why you agree or disagree with Talia’s point of view on having a pet.
Explain why you agree or disagree with Talia’s point of view of the best type of animal to choose for a pet.
Ellie and the Elephant “Why don’t you like them? Is it because you have the same name?” “You know that’s not true, Scott! My name is Elizabeth,” Ellie said angrily. “I didn’t mean to make you angry,” Scott said. “I meant it as a compliment. I like elephants almost as much as I love my sister, Ellie.” Ellie was trying hard not to smile. It was very hard to stay angry at Scott. Her big brother was always kind to her. He was much, much older than she was. He was able to drive when she was in first grade. Ellie finally smiled and took his hand. “I’ll go to the circus. I’ll watch the clowns and the other animals, but I will NEVER ride an elephant. I still think they’re big and scary,” Ellie said firmly. “That’s my girl. Well, come on, then! We’ll go now,” said Scott. An ad came on the car radio for the circus while they were on their way. Ellie shivered when the elephants were mentioned. Since she was a small child, she was afraid of them. She imagined them, large and crazy, breaking free and chasing their handlers. She could see them smashing through the circus tents. Ellie would never accept a stuffed elephant or read a book with one as a character.
“I prefer dogs,” she said to her brother after the ad. He looked at her, confused. “To what?” “Elephants. A dog won’t hurt you if it steps on your foot,” she responded. Scott laughed. They arrived at the circus, and Ellie’s pouting turned to joy as she smelled the popcorn and cotton candy. This circus had rides, too, and Scott went on all of them with her. She rode fast ones, slow ones, tall ones, short ones, ones that spun, and ones that went upside-down. She laughed riding all of them. Then Scott took her hand and walked her toward a large open field. “Where are we going?” she asked. “There is a ride here that you are going to love. But it’s a surprise. I want to cover your eyes,” he said. Ellie shook her head. “No way!” “Come on, Ellie. How much fun will a ride in the dark be?” Scott said. He raised his eyebrows and shook a small handkerchief he had taken from his pocket. Ellie sighed and let him blindfold her, more out of curiosity than anything else. She could hear people talking near the ride. She smelled grass and something strange, like sweat. Scott helped her climb up a ladder that went straight up. That was odd because usually rides have ramps and steps, not ladders, she thought. Scott helped her into her seat and buckled her in. He put her hands on a round handle and told her to hang on. Another man said something she didn’t understand, and the ride started to move. It rocked slowly from side to side as it went forward. Ellie snuck her hand to the seat. It was soft, like leather, but warmer. She thought she also felt hair on the seat. The seat must have torn, she thought. The hair had to be stuffing. The ride circled around and must have returned to the ladder, because Ellie felt Scott grab her arm. “This was not a carnival ride,” she said. Suddenly, the world went from dark to bright, and she couldn’t see anything for a few seconds. Finally, her eyes adjusted to the world without the blindfold, and Ellie nearly fell from the ladder. She had just ridden on an elephant. She scrambled down the ladder to get away and, when Scott caught up to her, she yelled at him. “That was mean!” she said. “I was trying to help you get over your fear!” Scott said, smiling. “And you did! You rode an elephant!” “It doesn’t count if I don’t do it myself!” she shouted back. “I suppose you’re right,” Scott said, disappointed. “What do you want to do now?” he asked. Ellie looked at him, trying to make the angriest face she could, but she just couldn’t be mad at Scott. She couldn’t even pretend to be. “I want to try that again with my eyes open. But you never get to say ‘I told you so.’ Got it?” she said with a half-grin. “Done!” said Scott as they went back to the ladder together.
Ellie and the Elephant Directions: Based on the topic of the story, use text evidence to help you identify the characters point of view. Then explain your point of on the same topic.
TOPIC: Facing Your Fears Name: ________________________________
Scott’s Point of View
Text Evidence
Date: ___________________________
Ellie’s Point of View
Text Evidence
Your Point of View
Explain Your Answer
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