Day
Read Aloud
“The Shot Heard ‘Round
the World”
1
Key Idea Paul Revere and William Dawes warn the colonists that the British are
coming. The next morning, a skirmish occurs between the two forces at Lexington.
Learning Focus
RI.3.2
Students listen closely to determine the main idea of a text and recount key details, explaining
how the details support the main idea.
3 minutes
Previewing the Text
Today I’m going to read a text aloud to you. Listen as I read the title and then read the first part
of the text. Who can share what’s is going on in this text so far?
The Shot Heard ’Round the World
The colonists are hot! Not hot because it’s summer and they feel warm, but hot because they
are angry. The King of England has been taxing them unfairly. Colonists have been forced to keep
British troops in their homes.
This is an outrage!
It is the night of April 18, 1775. Dr. Joseph Warren is a colonial leader in Boston. He hears
about a planned march by the British to come seize weapons from the colonists. He knows he has
to alert the colonists. He summons his best men, Paul Revere and William Dawes. He tells them of
the British plans and sends them out into the night.
Who can add to this?
Close Listening to the Text
7 minutes
When I read an informational text like this, I think about the main idea of each section. I look for
key details that support the main idea. One good way to make sure we understand the main
ideas in a text is to summarize, or retell, the main points after we finish each section. Let’s think
about this as I read this next part.
Revere tells his friend at the Old North Church in Boston to hang two lanterns in the church’s
steeple. That is the signal to the countryside that the British are coming by sea. Then he gets into
a rowboat. Smartly, he wraps the oars in petticoats and rows silently under the British Navy ships.
Once he lands, he finds a horse and thunders toward Lexington. Along the way, he stops and
pounds on every door he finds. “The Regulars are coming out!” he shouts, referring to the British.
Probably hoarse, he arrives in Lexington several hours later.
Mondo Bookshop Grade 3 • Theme 1 1
Let’s talk about some of the key details in this part. I noticed there was a part about how Paul
Revere asked a friend to hang the two lanterns in the steeple of Old North Church. Who can
share another detail they noticed?
What do these two details have in common?
That’s right. We can tell from these details that the main idea of this section is how Paul Revere
warned the colonists about the British.
As you listen, keep thinking about the key details you notice. We can use them to help us figure
out the main ideas of the text. I noticed that William Dawes also helped to warn the colonists.
What details did you notice?
Meanwhile, Dawes leaves Boston by the main road and runs into a British patrol and
roadblock. Daringly, he waves to the patrol and starts joking with them. He walks right through
the roadblock at the bridge with the patrol. Then he races away on his horse to warn the
countryside. Several hours later, he too arrives in Lexington.
Those are some important details. Let’s listen for more as I finish reading this text.
Behind the two riders, bells toll and drums beat, and colonial militiamen arrive in Lexington.
They line the green in the center of town, ready to face the British.
The British arrive, marching through the early morning spring fog. The platoon stops about 16
yards away from the men lined up on the green. A British officer yells through the mist, “Lay down
your arms!” A shot is fired by one of the armies. Many called it the “shot heard ‘round the world.”
And it is known as the shot that started the Revolutionary War. To this day no one knows who shot
first, the British or the colonial militiamen.
Discussing the Text
10 minutes
Let’s talk about the main ideas of each section, including the last part I read. The first section
was mainly about what was going on in the colonies right before the war started. The colonists
were angry. Can someone discuss what the second section was mainly about?
That’s right. And now let’s think together about the third section.
Let’s remember the last section now. This is the part where the British arrived. Who can share
details you heard in this part of the text?
Let’s see if we can use all of these details to construct a summary of this text. Who would like
to start us off?
2 How America Began
Day
Read Aloud
“The Shot Heard ‘Round
the World”
2
Learning Focuses
RI.3.2, RI.3.6
Students read closely to distinguish their own points of view from that of the author of the text.
They continue to determine the main idea of the text and recount key details, explaining how
the details support the main idea.
3 minutes
Reflecting on the Text
Let’s review what I read to you in our last session. Who can share what “The Shot Heard ‘Round
the World” was mostly about?
I like how you used information from the summary we constructed in our last session to talk
about the text now.
7 minutes
Close Listening to the Text
Sometimes in an informational text, we can find clues that tell us about the author’s point of
view, or how the author feels about the subject he or she is writing about. As I reread the first
section, see if you can find any clues that tell us about this author’s point of view.
The Shot Heard ’Round the World
The colonists are hot! Not hot because it’s summer and they feel warm, but hot because they
are angry. The King of England has been taxing them unfairly. Colonists have been forced to keep
British troops in their homes.
This is an outrage!
I noticed that the author said that the king of England had been taxing the colonists unfairly.
That tells me that she felt that the taxes were unfair. That’s her point of view. Who noticed
something else about how the author feels?
I think you’re right. I also like how you used exact words from the text to support your answer.
As I reread this next section, let’s keep thinking about the key details we notice. We’ll think
about what they tell you about the main idea of the text.
Mondo Bookshop Grade 3 • Theme 1 1
It is the night of April 18, 1775. Dr. Joseph Warren is a colonial leader in Boston. He hears
about a planned march by the British to come seize weapons from the colonists. He knows he has
to alert the colonists. He summons his best men, Paul Revere and William Dawes. He tells them of
the British plans and sends them out into the night.
Revere tells his friend at the Old North Church in Boston to hang two lanterns in the church’s
steeple. That is the signal to the countryside that the British are coming by sea. Then he gets into
a rowboat. Smartly, he wraps the oars in petticoats and rows silently under the British Navy ships.
I noticed that Dr. Joseph Warren heard about the British plans and knew he had to warn the
colonists. That seems like an important detail. Who else noticed something?
Listen to the next section. Keep thinking about how the key details contribute to the main idea
of the text.
Once he lands, he finds a horse and thunders toward Lexington. Along the way, he stops and
pounds on every door he finds. “The Regulars are coming out!” he shouts, referring to the British.
Probably hoarse, he arrives in Lexington several hours later.
Meanwhile, Dawes leaves Boston by the main road and runs into a British patrol and
roadblock. Daringly, he waves to the patrol and starts joking with them. He walks right through
the roadblock at the bridge with the patrol. Then he races away on his horse to warn the
countryside. Several hours later, he too arrives in Lexington.
Behind the two riders, bells toll and drums beat, and colonial militiamen arrive in Lexington.
They line the green in the center of town, ready to face the British.
There were a lot of interesting details in this section. Who would like to share something you
noticed?
That’s right. We heard right in the text that they lined the green in the center of town, ready to
face the British. Let’s listen to the end of the text again.
The British arrive, marching through the early morning spring fog. The platoon stops about 16
yards away from the men lined up on the green. A British officer yells through the mist, “Lay down
your arms!” A shot is fired by one of the armies. Many called it the “shot heard ‘round the world.”
And it is known as the shot that started the Revolutionary War. To this day no one knows who shot
first, the British or the colonial militiamen.
Discussing the Text
10 minutes
Let’s think more about the author’s point of view. Did anyone notice any clues that told us how
the author felt about something?
It’s helpful that you referred to what the author stated to support your answer.
Now I’d like you to think about your own point of view. Is it similar to the author’s point of
view? Who would like to share?
Remember, it can help our understanding of an informational text if we think about the author’s
point of view and how our own points of view might be similar or different.What’s
Next?
2 How America Began