Unit of Study:
Imagine That! Important People of a Community
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District
Integrated Social Studies, Grade 3
Unit of Study - 7
Week at a Glance
Week
Instructional Focus
Reading Workshop
Writing Workshop
Revising & Editing
1
Community Heroes
(3.14 A,B)
Digital Writing
Pronoun Usage
2
Writers & Artists (3.15
A,B)
STAAR Connect,
Compare, &
Contrast Genres
3
Scientists & Inventors
(3.16 A,B)
Expository Writing
4
STAAR Testing, Famous
Cy-Fair Citizens
Needs Based
Lessons / Book
Club
Capitalize Proper
Nouns
Adverbs
Review
Punctuation
GENERAL INFORMATION TEACHER NEEDS TO KNOW
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The lessons in this unit are geared toward the 3rd grade TEKS. Teachers are encouraged
to modify these activities as needed and choose resources that best fit their needs.
INSS objectives should be visible. In the Unit Overview, the Bloom’s verbs have been
underlined and critical skills have been color-coded.
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Vocabulary & current events resources are located in iXplore in INSS Resources.
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Lessons should be integrated into the reading/writing workshop schedule during the
following times; poetry, read aloud with accountable talk (20 minutes), independent
reading and writing, group or share time. See the suggested schedule in iXplore.
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You can access Journey’s materials through the Think Central website. Some examples
of materials you can use for read a-louds include; the student e-book, leveled readers,
vocabulary readers, decodable readers, and the write-in reader.
Studies Weekly Free Trail – www.estudiesweekly.com – This site has some great resources to
use for integrated social studies. (username: TXteacher, password: demo)
Grade 3 - Integrated Social Studies Curriculum
Unit 7: Important People of a Community
Conceptual Lens:
Culture
Unit Length:
4 Weeks
Social Studies TEKS:
3.14 (A) identify and compare the heroic deeds of state and national heroes, including Hector P.
Garcia and James A. Lovell, and other individuals such as Harriet Tubman, Juliette Gordon Low,
Todd Beamer, Ellen Ochoa, John “Danny” Olivas, and other contemporary heroes
3.14 (B) identify and analyze the heroic deeds of individuals, including military and first responders
such as the Four Chaplains (tie to 3.11B)
3.15 (A) identify various individual writers and artists such as Kadir Nelson, Tomie dePaola, and Phillis
Wheatley and their stories, poems, statues, paintings and other examples of cultural heritage from
various communities
3.15 (B) explain the significance of various individual writers and artists such as Carmen Lomas Garza,
Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Bill Martin Jr. and their stories, poems, statues, and paintings and other
examples of cultural heritage to various communities
3.16 (A) identify scientists and inventors, including Jonas Salk, Maria Mitchell, and other who have
discovered scientific breakthroughs or created or invented new technology such as Cyrus
McCormick, Bill Gates, and Louis Pasteur
3.16 (B) identify the impact of scientific breakthroughs and new technology in computers (tie to 16AGates), pasteurization (tie to 16A-Pasteur), and medical vaccines (tie to 16A-Salk) on various
communities
Unit Overview:
Students will learn about heroes, writers, artists, and inventors and how they impacted communities.
Literature
Selections:
Teachers may choose a variety of literature for the read aloud selections to develop students’
understanding of the social studies concepts. See Appendix A for suggested titles.
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 1
Community Heroes Overview: Week 1
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations
Guiding/Essential Questions
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How have heroes shaped our community’s culture?
What important role did Hector P. Garcia and James A. Lovell
play in forming our community?
 How have Harriet Tubman, Juliette Gordan Low, Todd
Beamer, Ellen Ochoa, and John “Danny” Olivas, among
others, influenced our state and nation?
 Why are the military and first responders like the Four
 Chaplains important?
Students will . . .
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The student understands the role of heroes in shaping the
culture of communities, the state, and the nation.
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participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding questions.
use primary and secondary sources to gain information about a topic.
understand key vocabulary terms.
identify and compare the heroic deeds of state and national heroes, including Hector P. Garcia and James A. Lovell, and other
individuals such as Harriet Tubman, Juliette Gordon Low, Todd Beamer, Ellen Ochoa, John “Danny” Olivas, and other
contemporary heroes
identify and analyze the heroic deeds of individuals, including military and first responders such as the Four Chaplains (tie to 3.11B)
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Teacher Materials
Horizons Textbook
3rd Grade Biographies-iXplore
Hero Biographies – iXplore
Harriet Tubman Bio-iXplore
Appendix A – Suggested
Literature
Appendix B – Hero Chart (blank
for students & teacher answer
key)
Appendix C – Main Idea & Detail
Graphic Organizer
Grade 3 Unit 7
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Instructional Resources – Week 1
Teacher Notes-Heroes
Assessments (%)
Hector P. Garcia
 Read Aloud discussion and
James A. Lovell
participation
Harriet Tubman
 Written Response to guiding
Juliette Gordon Low
questions
Todd Beamer
 Written response to
Ellen Ochoa
independent reading
John “Danny” Olivas
 Anchor chart participation
The Four Chaplains
 Hero Chart – Appendix B
 Venn Diagram
 Main Idea & Detail chart –
Appendix C
Technology
Discovery Education: Harriet
 Tubman video clip (1:31)
(Discovery Education)
http://www.discoveryeduca
tion.com
Page 2
Community Heroes Pacing Guide: Week 1
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
 Hector P. Garcia
 James A. Lovell
Focus: This week teachers will focus their discussion on important community heroes and their role in shaping the
culture of a community and how their actions affected a nation.
 Vocabulary – start the unit off by having students turn and talk about what they think a hero is. On an anchor
chart, list some of the characteristics of a hero.
 Teachers may choose to focus on one person per day or compare & contrast two heroes.
 Teachers can use the pages in the Horizons textbook, a selection from Appendix A, or the 3rd Grade Biographies
as a read aloud.
 During the read aloud, focus on the guiding questions from the lesson. Have students turn and talk about possible
predictions and answers to the questions. (%)
 Students may also stop and jot answers to the guiding questions in their ISN. (%)
 Teachers may choose to enhance the lesson by using a link or video from the Technology selection.
Suggested Assessment Activities (%):
 Use 3rd Grade biographies and Read Aloud Biographies in iXplore as a read aloud or independent reading
to practice reading workshop skills.
 As a class make a chart (Appendix B) together to determine the importance of each heroes’
accomplishments.
 Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast two community heroes.
 Place the biographies around the room. Have students do a gallery walk. While students rotate through
each hero biography, have them use the main idea/detail chart to record information (Appendix C).
Grade 3 Unit 7
Friday
Holiday
Response
Questions
Who are heroes
that are in the
news today?
Have students
bring in a
newspaper or
online article
about someone
in the
community who
exemplifies
heroic behavior.
Page 3
Writers & Artists Overview: Week 2
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations
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Guiding/Essential Questions
The student understands the importance of writers and artists
to the cultural heritage of communities.
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What have writers and artists done to influence the culture of
our community?
How have stories, poems, statues, paintings, and other
examples of cultural heritage influenced our heritage?
Students will . . .
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
participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding questions.
use primary and secondary sources to gain information about a topic.
understand key vocabulary terms.
identify various individual writers and artists such as Kadir Nelson, Tomie dePaola, and Phillis Wheatley and their stories, poems,
statues, paintings and other examples of cultural heritage from various communities
explain the significance of various individual writers and artists such as Carmen Lomas Garza, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Bill Martin Jr.
and their stories, poems, statues, and paintings and other examples of cultural heritage to various communities
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 4
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Teacher Materials
Horizons Textbook
3rd Grade BiographiesiXplore
Writers & Authors
Biographies – iXplore
Bill Martin Jr. Activities for
Knots on a Counting Rope –
iXplore (there is also a script
of the book)
Appendix A – Suggested
Literature
Appendix C – Main Idea
Appendix D – Writers &
Artists Graphic Organizer
Appendix E – Cause &
Effect Chart
Grade 3 Unit 7
Instructional Resources – Week 2
Writers & Artists
Assessments (%)
Teachers may choose to have
 Read Aloud discussion and
a collection of books from the
participation
campus library In the classroom  Written Response to guiding
for independent reading.
questions
 Kadir Nelson - artist
 Written response to
 Tomie dePaola - author
independent reading
 Phillis Wheatley - poet
 Anchor chart participation
 Carmen Lomas Garza – artist  Main Idea/Detail Chart –
& author
Appendix C
 Laura Ingalls Wilder – author  Writers & Artists Graphic
 Bill Martin Jr. - author
Organizer – Appendix D
 Cause & Effect Chart –
Appendix E
 Important Person Reading
Response - Bill Martin Activity
#4 (iXplore)
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Technology
Various Poems by Phillis
Wheatley:
http://forerunner.com/whea
tley/wheatley.html
Knots on a Counting Rope
by Bill Martin Jr.
http://www.storylineonline.n
et/
Page 5
Writers & Artists Pacing Guide: Week 2
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Writing
Focus: This week teachers will focus their discussion on important writers and artists and their role in shaping the cultural heritage of a
community.
 Teachers can use the pages in the Horizons textbook, a selection from Appendix A, or the 3rd Grade Biographies as a read aloud.
 During the read aloud, focus on the guiding questions from the lesson. Have students turn and talk about possible predictions and
answers to the questions. (%)
 Students may also stop and jot answers to the guiding questions in their ISN. (%)
 Teachers may choose to enhance the lesson by using a link or video from the Technology selection.
Suggested Assessment Activities (%):
 Author Study – assign an author to a group of students, have them read books by that author during independent reading
time and conduct research about the author as well.
 Use Appendix C to write down the main idea important facts about each biography read.
 Use one of Phillis Wheatley’s poems as a poem of the week.
 View the online read aloud video of Knots on a Counting Rope by Bill Martin Jr. Students complete Activity 4 in their ISN.
Review with students that “the Boy’s Grandfather was a very important person in his life” and then instruct them to “Choose
someone from their life that has made an impression on you. Describe and write about this important person and how they
have influenced you.”
 Use Appendix D to record important facts about the writers and artists studied during the week.
 Use Appendix E to show the cause and effect each important person had on a community.
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 6
Scientists & Inventors Overview: Weeks 3
Enduring Understandings/Generalizations
The student understands how individuals have
created or invented new technology and
affected life in various communities, past and
present.
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Guiding/Essential Questions
What is an inventor?
How do inventors help to solve problems and make life easier for people?
Why are inventions made?
What does ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ mean?
Can anyone be an inventor? What kinds of qualities does an inventor
need?
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How do inventors help to solve problems and make life easier for people?
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How the world was different before ___ was invented?
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Do inventions always solve problems or do they have the potential to
create new problems? What kinds of future problems could ___ create for
people?

Why is it important to think about how inventions might affect people or
the environment?
Students will . . .
participate in discussions and express ideas in a written format about the unit’s enduring understandings and guiding questions.
use primary and secondary sources to gain information about a topic.
understand key vocabulary terms.
identify scientists and inventors, including Jonas Salk, Maria Mitchell, and other who have discovered scientific breakthroughs or
created or invented new technology such as Cyrus McCormick, Bill Gates, and Louis Pasteur
identify the impact of scientific breakthroughs and new technology in computers (tie to 16A-Gates), pasteurization (tie to 16APasteur), and medical vaccines (tie to 16A-Salk) on various communities
Grade 3 Unit 7
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Page 7
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Teacher Materials
Horizons Textbook
pp. 386-391
3rd Grade BiographiesiXplore
My Book of Ingenious
Inventors -iXplore
Ingenious Inventors
Matching Game – iXplore
Appendix C – Main Idea
Appendix D – Inventors &
Inventions Graphic
Organizer
Appendix E - Cause & Effect
Graphic Organizer
Grade 3 Unit 7
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Instructional Resources – Week 3
Scientists & Inventors
Assessments (%)
Jonas Salk - vaccines
 Read Aloud discussion and
Maria Mitchell
participation
Cyrus McCormick
 Written Response to guiding
Bill Gates - computers
questions
Louis Pasteur - pasteurization  Written response to
independent reading
 Anchor chart participation
 Inventors & Inventions Graphic
Organizer
 Cause & Effect Graphic
Organizer
 Main Idea Chart
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Technology
Website containing
information and games
about inventors &
inventions:
http://edtech.kennesaw.ed
u/web/inventor.html
Discovery Education Videos:
Louis Pasteur (25:09)
Page 8
Scientists & Inventors Pacing Guide: Week 3
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Read Aloud
Focus: This week teachers will focus their discussion on important scientists and inventors and their role in shaping the culture of a
community and how their actions affected a nation.
 Teachers can use the pages in the Horizons textbook, a selection from Appendix A, or the 3rd Grade Biographies as a read aloud.
 During the read aloud, focus on the guiding questions from the lesson. Have students turn and talk about possible predictions and
answers to the questions. (%)
 Students may also stop and jot answers to the guiding questions in their ISN. (%)
 Teachers may choose to enhance the lesson by using a link or video from the Technology selection.
Suggested Assessment Activities (%):
 Using the Inventors & Inventions Graphic Organizer (Appendix D) that students have been working on, they are to analyze each
invention and discuss how it has impacted communities and lives.
 Students will complete the Cause & Effect Graphic Organizer (Appendix E), which may be placed in their ISN.
 Students will complete a written response in their ISN, answering the questions: What do you think is the most important
invention?
 Students will choose an invention that has been discussed in class and write a paragraph including an explanation of the
inventions, the inventor, and an explanation of why they think it is the most important and how it has impacted lives or
communities.
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 9
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Teacher Materials
Appendix F
Instructional Resources – Week 4
Assessments (%)
Teacher Notes
 This week’s lessons can
 Read Aloud discussion and
include actors, musicians,
participation
authors, inventors, and
 Written Response to guiding
heroes from the Cypress
questions
area.
 Written response to
independent reading
 Anchor chart participation
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Technology
CFISD News Stories
http://www.cfisd.net/newsme
dia/press/2014/0313allen.htm
Danielle Bradbery
Tony Oller
Famous Houstonians Pacing Guide: Week 4
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Getting Ready
to Shine
STAAR Math
STAAR Reading
Thursday
Friday
Read Aloud
Writing
Focus: This week teachers will focus their discussion on important local heroes and
their role in shaping the community.
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page
10
Topic
Writers &
Artists
Scientists &
Inventors
Literature
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I Pledge Allegiance by Bill Martin, Jr. & Michael Sampson
WE ARE THE SHIP: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson
HEART AND SOUL: The Story of America and African-Americans by Kadir Nelson
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine (includes illustrations from Kadir Nelson)
Abe’s Honest Words by Doreen Rapport (includes illustrations from Kadir Nelson)
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Time for Kids: Inventors and Their Inventions
Journeys Leveled Reader: The TV Kid
Journeys Leveled Reader: The Wright Brothers
Journeys Leveled Reader: The Life of George Washington Carver
Journeys Leveled Reader: George Washington Carver
Journeys Leveled Reader: Everyday Inventions
The Real McCoy, Wendy Towle
Philo Farnsworth invents TV, Russell Roberts
So You Want To Be an Inventor?, Judith St. George
Hubert Invents the Wheel, Claire Montgomery
The Kid who Invented the Popsicle, Don Wulffson
The Boy who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth, Kathleen Krull
Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor, Emily McCully
Five Notable Inventors, Wade Hudson
Twenty Inventors, Jacqueline Dineen
Brainstorm!: The Stories of Twenty American Kid Inventors, Tom Tucker
Hooray for Inventors!, Marcia Williams
Inventing Things, Julie Brown
Invention, Lionel Bender
The Inventor’s Times, Dan Driscoll
Louis Daguerre, Don McLeese
African-American Inventors, Fred Amram
Girls Think of Everything, Catherine Thimmesh
Louis Pasteur and Pasteurization, Jennifer Fandel
Louis Braille, Patricia Lantier-Sampon
Imaginative Inventions: The Who, What, Where, When, and why of Roller Skates,
Potato Chips, Marbles, and Pie and More!,
Charise Harper
The Radio, Gayle Worland
The Light Bulb, Marc Nobleman
The Automobile, Julie Sinclair
Totally Absurd Inventions, Ted Vancleave
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Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 1
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Mistakes that worked, Charlotte Jones
Eureka!, Richard Platt
Inventing Things, Julie Brown
Inventions, Glenn Murphy
Inventions & Discoveries, Dee Phillips
Toys!: amazing stories behind some great inventions, Don Wulffson
Weird & Wacky Inventions, Jim Murphy
Inventions We Use for Information and Entertainment, Jane Bidder
What a great idea!, Steve Tomecek
Famous First Facts: A Record of First Happenings, Discoveries, and Inventions in
American History, Nathan Kane
The Story of Jonas Salk and the Discovery of the Polio Vaccine by Jim Hargrove
Louis Pasteur: Young Scientist by Francene Sabin
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http://harcourtschool.com/activity/biographies/
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/aa/all.php
http://www.biographyonline.net/
http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/index-Inventors.html
http://www.notablebiographies.com/
http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_1_search.asp
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Online
Biographies
Consult your campus librarian for related titles that are available at your campus.
LIBRARY RESOURCES
http://www.cfisd.net/dept2/library/library_el.htm
Check your campus library page for online resources to use for social studies content lessons
and read alouds.
Grade 3 Unit 7
Page 2
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix B
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix B
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix C
Name: ____________________________________________________
Inventor:
_______________________
______________________
Invention:
_______________________
Inventor:
_______________________
Inventor:
_______________________
______________________
______________________
Invention:
_______________________
Invention:
_______________________
Inventors &
Inventions
Inventor:
_______________________
Inventor:
_______________________
______________________
______________________
Invention:
_______________________
Invention:
_______________________
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix D
Cause
Effect
(Invention)
(How it changes lives)
Eleven-year-old Jeanie Low invented a step stool
for kids.
Grade 3 Unit 7
The step stool made it easier and safer for small
children to reach what they need.
Appendix E
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix F
Grade 3 Unit 7
Appendix F