For Teachers This 3 rd Grade Winter Activity Packet is designed to provide learning opportunities in reading during the winter break. These activities will allow your students to continue to build on the skills they have learned at school during the 2 week break. Review this packet with your students prior to sending it home. Discuss a daily reading goal for the Reading Challenge and encourage them to complete the activities and reading log every week during winter break. This packet contains the following activities: o 2 Reading selections with multiple choice and extended response questions o What s your favorite Hot Chocolate? Activity o Reading Challenge o A Reading Log to encourage daily reading o Recommended Websites o The book The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate! (History of Fun Stuff) o Warm Up with a Good Book bookmark
Answer Key: Answers are highlighted in bold print. Directions: Use the selection to answer questions 1-8 1. Read this sentence from paragraph 1. People scoot around a tiny chocolate store. What is the meaning of scoot as it is used in Passage 1? A. to help B. to disagree C. to enjoy D. to move around quickly * (1 point) 2. Which paragraph in Passage 1 could be used to help the reader know when cacao beans were first made into chocolate drinks? A. Paragraph 2 * (1 point) B. Paragraph 5 C. Paragraph 9 D. Paragraph 11
3. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A What is the main idea of Passage 1? A. Cacao has a special way of being prepared. B. All people prepare chocolate drinks in the same way. C. Cacao was very important in the Mayan culture. * D. Everyone loves hot chocolate. Part B Which sentence helps develop the main idea in Part A? A. Cacao was a special food for the Maya. (paragraph 6) B. The tools and taste have changed over time. (paragraph 1) * C. It is often said that chocolate was an ancient medicine. (paragraph 11) D. The rich smell of them roasting maybe inspired the people to try something new. (paragraph 3) (Students must have the correct response for Part A and Part B to get 2 points)
4. Read this sentence from paragraph 29. Working conditions are poor. What is the meaning of the word conditions as it is used in the sentence? A. orders B. shapes C. not rich D. settings * (1 point) 5. Which section from Passage 2 could be used to help the reader know where most cacao beans are grown? A. Ivory Coast s Forests Are In Danger * (1 point) B. Cacao Farmers are Poor C. Trees Slowly Disappeared D. Cocoa Traders and Farmers Have a Problem
6. Which detail from Passage 2 tells what will happen if deforestation does not end? A. The top chocolate companies said they want to use beans grown the right way. (paragraph 24) B. Cutting down trees is called deforestation. (paragraph 16) C. Some cocoa beans are grown in areas where rain forests should be. (paragraph 15) D. The group said Ivory Coast's forests could be gone by 2030. (paragraph 20) * (1 point) 7. Based on Passage 2, what challenge do some cacao farmers face when they want to sell their crop? Example: (1 point) Some cacao farmers face challenges when they want to sell their crops. They have cut down trees to grow their crop. These areas are protected, and cacao traders are not allowed to buy beans from protected areas. If they don t buy these beans, the farmers will have no way of making money and supporting their families. (0 points) The response does not meet the criteria required to earn one point. The response indicates inadequate or no understanding of the task and/or the idea or concept needed to answer the item. It may only repeat information given in the test item. The response may provide an incorrect solution/response and the provided supportive information may be irrelevant to the item, or, possibly, no other information is shown. The student may have written on a different topic or written, I don t know.
Writing Prompt 8.Hot chocolate and chocolate candy are a few of the many products made from cacao beans. Write a multi-paragraph response that explains: A. The history of cacao beans and how they were used. B. Why the environment where cacao beans are grown is in danger. C. What farmers need to do to protect this plant. Use information from the sources to support your response. As you write your response, be sure to: Review the sources Create clear, organized paragraphs Draw information from both sources Use evidence from the sources to support your points Pay attention to the grammar, structure, and mechanics of your sentences Be sure to include: An introduction Information from the passages to support your explanation A conclusion Write your multi-paragraph response on the lines provided on the following pages.
Scoring Guidelines 103
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Winter Break Activities 3rd Grade
3 rd Grade Winter Activity Packet Dear Parents, When children can explore new ideas, and enjoy books with you, it sends a powerful message: Reading and Learning are fun, and happen everywhere- not just at school. This 3 rd Grade Winter Activity Packet provides your child with opportunities to practice reading and writing skills they have learned at school during the 2 week break. Review this packet with your child. Discuss the goal for the Reading Challenge and encourage your child to complete the activities and reading log every week during winter break. This packet contains the following activities: o 2 Reading selections with multiple choice and extended response questions o What s your favorite Hot Chocolate? Activity o Reading Challenge o A Reading Log to encourage daily reading o Recommended Websites o The book The Sweet Story of Hot Chocolate! (History of Fun Stuff) o Warm Up with a Good Book bookmark
Directions: Read the selection. Passage 1: Story of modern chocolate is an old and bitter tale By Smithsonian Institute, adapted by Newsela staff Grade Level 3 09/29/2016 Word Count 417 An example of a pot used by the ancient Maya. 1 It is a sunny morning in San Francisco, California. People scoot around a tiny chocolate store. They are checking ovens and sorting cacao beans. This is the home of Dandelion Chocolate. The tools and taste have changed over time. But the way of turning cacao beans into chocolate hasn't changed. It was almost the same thousands of years ago. 2 The ancient Olmec people were in Mexico. They lived near the Aztecs and Maya. The Olmec s were probably the first to roast cacao beans. They made them into chocolate drinks. They may have done this more than 3,500 years ago.
Cacao Seeds Don't Taste Like Modern Chocolate 3 Plain cacao seeds taste bad. They don't taste like chocolate. How would you think to take the seed... and roast it? says Hayes Lavis. He works at a museum. Maybe someone was eating the fruit. Then they spit the seeds into the fire. The rich smell of them roasting maybe inspired the people to try something new. 4 The bad taste of cacao was still in early Maya drinks. 5 Rarely did they add any sweetener, says Joel Palka. He is a professor. He studies ancient peoples. The Maya used herbs and spices to change cacao's taste. Some flavors were chili, vanilla and magnolia. For the Maya, Cacao Was Special 6 Cacao was a special food for the Maya. You would have to get together to prepare the chocolate, Palka said. In Mexico, some people still grow chocolate with their family. 7 Cacao drinks were often part of celebrations. Ancient paintings show cacao in stories. It was even used in weddings. Sometimes a woman had to prove she could make cacao the right way. 8 Cacao beans were also used as money. 9 Palka thinks chocolate became so important because it is hard to grow. It can't grow just anywhere. Cacao needs a certain kind of dirt. It also needs rain and lots of shade.
Cacao Played a Big Role 10 Cacao was a big part of ancient people's lives. 11 It is often said that chocolate was an ancient medicine. The Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes wrote about chocolate. He describes it as a drink that builds strength. Another explorer wrote that one Aztec king, Moctezuma, drank 50 cups a day of chocolate. 12 These are probably just stories. I don t think any living person could drink 50 cups of cacao, says Hayes Lavis. The Maya probably didn't think chocolate was medicine either. It was just part of their food, Lavis said, and they knew it was good for them.
Directions: Read the selection. Passage 2: The world loves chocolate, but that love is hurting rain forests By Ruth Maclean, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff Grade Level 3 09/20/2017 Word Count 486 People work at a cocoa sorting center in March 2017, in Sobre. Ivory Coast, the world's largest cocoa producer. Photo: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images 13 The world loves chocolate. Unfortunately, this love is hurting rain forests in Africa. 14 Nestlé, Hershey and other big companies make chocolate. Chocolate is made from cocoa beans. 15 Some cocoa beans are grown in areas where rain forests should be. A rain forest is a thick forest that gets heavy rainfall. Rain forests have amazing plant and animal life. Cocoa farmers have been cutting down these forests. 16 Cutting down trees is called deforestation.
17 Some forests are protected. It is against the law to cut down trees in protected forests. Ivory Coast's Forests Are in Danger 18 Most of the world s cocoa beans come from two countries in West Africa. These countries are Ivory Coast and Ghana. 19 Ivory Coast and Ghana also have the biggest problems with deforestation. 20 Mighty Earth is a group that works to protect the environment. It worries what will happen if nothing changes. The group said Ivory Coast's forests could be gone by 2030. Trees Slowly Disappeared 21 Salam Sawadougou is a cocoa farmer in Ivory Coast. His farm is in the Mount Tia protected forest. His farm has no more big trees. Only gray tree stumps remain. 22 I burned it little by little, Sawadougou says. He said he needed full sun to grow his plants. Farmers think cocoa will grow better in the dirt where trees were cut down. They cut trees one by one. They plant more cocoa as they go. 23 Scientists say farmers will miss the trees. Their shade would have protected the plants from dry seasons. Without trees, the sun will be too strong for the plants. 24 The top chocolate companies said they want to use beans grown the right way. They also want to end deforestation. They hope this can happen by 2020. That is just a few years away.
Cocoa Traders and Farmers Have a Problem 25 Nestlé is a company that makes chocolate. It said deforestation is "one of the worst environmental challenges facing the world. 26 It is a hard problem to solve. Many farmers have grown cocoa in protected areas for many years. Where would these farmers go? How will they make a living? 27 Cocoa traders are people who buy cocoa beans from the farmers. Then, they sell the beans to companies that make chocolate. It is against the law for cocoa traders to buy beans from protected forests. They rarely get in trouble for it. Cocoa Farmers Are Poor 28 In Ivory Coast, government workers are supposed to protect forests. Some are not doing their jobs honestly. Officials have accepted money to ignore people who break the law. This is how they are able to stay out of trouble. 29 Farmers know they are breaking the law. Sadly, they do not have many choices. They do not earn much money. The big chocolate companies make a lot of money. Working conditions are poor. Many farmers are paid too little. 30 Unfortunately, most cannot even afford to buy a bar of chocolate.
Directions: Use the selection to answer questions 1-8 1. Read this sentence from paragraph 1. People scoot around a tiny chocolate store. What is the meaning of scoot as it is used in Passage 1? A. to help B. to disagree C. to enjoy D. to move around quickly 2. Which paragraph in Passage 1 could be used to help the reader know when cacao beans were first made into chocolate drinks? A. Paragraph 2 B. Paragraph 5 C. Paragraph 9 D. Paragraph 11
3. This question has two parts. First, answer Part A. Then, answer Part B. Part A What is the main idea of Passage 1? A. Cacao has a special way of being prepared. B. All people prepare chocolate drinks in the same way. C. Cacao was very important in the Mayan culture. D. Everyone loves hot chocolate. Part B Which sentence helps develop the main idea in Part A? A. Cacao was a special food for the Maya. (paragraph 6) B. The tools and taste have changed over time. (paragraph 1) C. It is often said that chocolate was an ancient medicine. (paragraph 11) D. The rich smell of them roasting maybe inspired the people to try something new. (paragraph 3)
4. Read this sentence from paragraph 29. Working conditions are poor. What is the meaning of the word conditions as it is used in the sentence? A. orders B. shapes C. not rich D. settings 5. Which section from Passage 2 could be used to help the reader know where most cacao beans are grown? A. Ivory Coast s Forests Are In Danger B. Cacao Farmers are Poor C. Trees Slowly Disappeared D. Cocoa Traders and Farmers Have a Problem
6. Which detail from Passage 2 tells what will happen if deforestation does not end? A. The top chocolate companies said they want to use beans grown the right way. (paragraph 24) B. Cutting down trees is called deforestation. (paragraph 16) C. Some cocoa beans are grown in areas where rain forests should be. (paragraph 15) D. The group said Ivory Coast's forests could be gone by 2030. (paragraph 20) 7. Based on Passage 2, what challenge do some cacao farmers face when they want to sell their crop? Write your answer in the space provided.
Writing Prompt 8. Hot chocolate and chocolate candy are a few of the many products made from cacao beans. Write a multiparagraph response that explains: a. The history of cacao beans and how they were used. b. Why the environment where cacao beans are grown is in danger. c. What farmers need to do to protect this plant. Use information from the sources to support your response. As you write your response, be sure to: Review the sources Create clear, organized paragraphs Draw information from both sources Use evidence from the sources to support your points Pay attention to the grammar, structure, and mechanics of your sentences Be sure to include: An introduction Information from the passages to support your explanation A conclusion Write your multi-paragraph response on the lines provided on the following pages.
Student Writing Checklist After you finish your multi-paragraph essay, you will need to review, revise, and edit the essay. Use the checklist below to make sure all of the necessary parts of the essay are included. If there are parts that are not included, revise or edit your essay to make sure they are included. I have a topic sentence. I clearly communicated my thoughts on the topic. I included a beginning, middle, and end. I included transitional words like first, next, then, and finally. I included a balance of simple and complex sentences. I included text evidence to support my ideas. I included key words from the text to support my answer. I used correct spelling. I used correct capitalization. I used correct punctuation.
What s your Favorite Hot Chocolate? When the weather gets cold, a nice way to warm up is by enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Hot chocolate is enjoyed by people all over the world. With a parent, follow the recipes for making Mexican Hot Chocolate and American Hot Chocolate. After making both, think about how they are similar and how they are different. Fill in the graphic organizer to show how both drinks are the same and how they are different. Then, choose which one was your favorite. Complete the Describe Hot Chocolate graphic organizer about your favorite hot chocolate.
Mexican Hot Chocolate Cook Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4 cups Ingredients: 4 cups whole milk 6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips 3 Tbsp. sugar or more if you have a sweet tooth 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg 1 pinch cayenne pepper 3/4 tsp vanilla Directions: 1. In a medium saucepan, bring milk to a low simmer over medium heat. 2. Whisk in sugar, nutmeg and pepper. 3. Slowly add chocolate chips, whisking constantly until melted. 4. Remove chocolate from heat and whisk in vanilla. 5. Pour into mugs and add whipped cream. Enjoy!! American Hot Chocolate Cook time: 7 minutes Servings: 2 Ingredients: 2 cups of milk 2 tablespoons cocoa powder 2 tablespoons sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: 1. Warm the in a small saucepan, then whisk in the cocoa powder, sugar, and vanilla extract. 2. Whisk well to remove any lumps from the cocoa. 3. Pour into mugs and serve warm.
What s your Favorite Hot Chocolate? Mexican Hot Chocolate Both American Hot Chocolate
Name Date Hot Chocolate Smells Like Feels Like Describe Hot Chocolate Tastes Like Looks Like Sounds Like
What s your Favorite Hot Chocolate? Write a multi-paragraph response that explains why Mexican Hot Chocolate or American Hot Chocolate was your favorite. Include information from the recipes and the graphic organizers to describe 3 reasons with supporting details that support your point of view.
Name Date!! Winter Break Reading Challenge Due We!all!know!how!important!reading!is,!so!it!is!important!to!maintain!good!reading!habits!even!on!a!break.!Choose!at! least!10!different!marshmallow!reading!challenges.!when!you!complete!the!challenge,!glue!it!to!your!mug.!the!length! of!each!challenge!should!be!the!number!of!minutes!in!our!goal.!finally,!decorate!your!mug!in!a!creauve!way.!! #2013#More#Than#a#Worksheet# Reading Goal! Each!!!!!!!!!!!!=! minutes!!
Read while wearing your mittens Read in front of the fireplace Read with your friend Read with your brother or sister Read the newspaper Read online articles Read at night Read in the afternoon Read a comic book Listen to a book on tape #2013#More#Than#a#Worksheet# Read in your pajamas Read with your pet Read outside Read on the couch Read an e-book Read in bed Read to your stuffed animal Read on a plane Read in a chair Read something for fun Read with your parents Read to the mirror Read with a scarf on Read on the floor Read to learn something Read with a grandparent Read a magazine Read on New Year s Day Read poetry Read recipes Read with an aunt or uncle Read a chapter book Read on New Year s Eve Read song lyrics Read under the table Read in the car Read picture books Read in the morning Read in the kitchen Read something again Winter#
Name: My Reading Log Date Title Author My Reaction www.thecurriculumcorner.com
Name: My Reading Log Date Title Author My Reaction www.thecurriculumcorner.com
Recommended Websites www.infohio.org - INFOhio provides equitable access to quality resources and cost-effective instructional and technical support for each student, educator, and parent in Ohio. Username: ccs Password: ccs Example of resources on INFOhio: Book FLIX - Book FLIX pairs classic video storybooks with related nonfiction e-books. The combination of readaloud stories with read along nonfiction builds a love of reading while improving reading skills World Book Kids - World Book Kids Early World of Learning was developed especially for young students. This tool provides resources for research and reading informational text. www.storylineonline.net - This website has famous actors and actresses reading quality children s fiction. You get to see all the pictures, just as if you were listening to a live read aloud. This is a great way to expose students to quality readalouds. www.bookadventure.com- Children create their own book lists from over 7,000 recommended titles, take multiple choice quizzes on the books they've read, and earn points and prizes for their literary successes. www.giggleoetry.com - This site has hundreds of poems for kids to read and rate. It s a great way to get kids excited about reading! http://abcya.com - Children can listen to short stories read aloud to them as they follow along with the highlighted text. ABCya! has a variety of educational games in addition to the featured stories. Free resources and materials are available for grades K through 5. www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents - This site provides parents with effective, research-based strategies and activities to help build and strengthen your child s literacy skills in the following areas: print awareness, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing. For Parents