ELA · Grade 3 · 4 weeks
Main Street Voices
Driving question
How can we share the stories of Hannibal's oldest businesses on the radio and in store windows?
Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.
TAUGHT IN Week 3, activity 3; Week 4, activity 1; Week 4, activity 2; Week 4, activity 3ASSESSED BY Audio Recording and Fluency
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
TAUGHT IN Week 1, activity 1; Week 1, activity 2; Week 1, activity 3; Week 1, activity 4; Week 2, activity 1; Week 4, activity 4ASSESSED BY Listening and Finding Key Details
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
4 parts
- aIntroduce a topic and group related information together; include illustrations when useful to aiding comprehension.
- bDevelop the topic with facts, definitions, and details.
- cUse linking words and phrases (e.g., also, another, and, more, but) to connect ideas within categories of information.
- dProvide a concluding statement or section.
TAUGHT IN Week 2, activity 2; Week 2, activity 3; Week 3, activity 1; Week 3, activity 2; Week 3, activity 3ASSESSED BY Informational Writing
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Third graders explore historic businesses on and near Main Street in Hannibal to learn how long-standing shops help their community. Working in pairs, students listen to audio stories, interview local shop owners or workers, and take notes on key details. They write an informative profile with linking words and an illustration, then practice and record a two-minute radio spot for broadcast on the local station, culminating in storefront window displays organized with the chamber of commerce.
The teacher plays a two-minute community radio profile of a small-town bakery while showing historical and modern photographs of Main Street in Hannibal. Students guess which shops along the street might be the oldest and wonder what daily life was like when those shops first opened.
- Which businesses near Main Street have been open the longest?
- What questions should we ask the owners to learn their history?
- How do we write an informative story that hooks radio listeners?
- How can we read clearly into a microphone so listeners understand us?
Your lessons: 5 a week, 60 minutes.
Week 1
Listen to audio stories and discover Main Street businesses.
Listen to two short local radio stories, identify the main idea and key details on an anchor chart, and discuss what makes an interview interesting.
· 1 lessonExamine a historic map and modern directory of Main Street to list long-running shops, then select one business per pair. Start the walk at the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and work down Main Street toward the riverfront so students see which storefronts are tourist shops and which are not.
· 1 lessonRead aloud a short informational text about Hannibal trade and write down three questions students still have about shop history.
· 1 lessonDraft five polite interview questions in pairs using question starters, focusing on when the shop opened and how it changed over time.
· 2 lessons
Supports
Provide bilingual interview question stems and visual icons for multilingual students, offer pre-printed question choice strips for students with an IEP or 504, and invite advanced students to draft follow-up questions based on potential answers. Give students a question bank sorted into easy openers, follow-ups and 'tell me about a time' prompts, and have them highlight their five before the visit.
Deliverable
A completed question chart with five interview questions and recorded predictions about their chosen business.
Week 2
Conduct interviews and write an informative business profile.
Welcome visiting shopkeepers to the classroom or conduct phone/recorded interviews, jotting down main facts and memories on a note-taking organizer.
· 2 lessonsModel writing an informative paragraph with an introduction, linking words, and a conclusion, using shared notes from a sample business.
· 1 lessonDraft a two-paragraph profile of the business in pairs, grouping facts about its history and what it sells today.
· 2 lessons
Supports
Use graphic organizers with color-coded sentence starters for linking words for multilingual students, allow scribing or speech-to-text for students with an IEP or 504, and encourage fast finishers to include historical quotes from the interviewee.
Deliverable
A first draft of the two-paragraph informational text about the business.
Week 3
Revise the written profile and design an illustrated window card.
Conduct peer feedback using a simple two-stars-and-a-wish protocol, focusing on clear linking words and complete details.
· 1 lessonRevise and edit business profiles into clean final copies suitable for public reading.
· 1 lessonCreate an illustrated window display card featuring a hand-drawn picture, labeled parts of the shop, and a caption highlighting a key fact.
· 2 lessons
Supports
Provide an illustrated checklist of editing marks and a bank of transition words for multilingual students, offer tactile drawing tools and lined templates for students with an IEP or 504, and invite advanced students to create an annotated timeline on their display card.
Deliverable
A polished written text and finished window display poster ready for storefronts.
Week 4
Rehearse, record the radio segment, and celebrate with the community.
Practice reading profiles aloud in pairs, tracking pacing and expression using a fluency rubric.
· 1 lessonRecord the audio stories using a simple microphone and tablet app, re-recording if pace or volume needs adjustment.
· 2 lessonsWalk to Main Street or host a representative from the chamber of commerce to deliver window cards and share recorded audio clips.
· 1 lessonListen to the class radio showcase and write a personal reflection about what they learned regarding Hannibal's history.
· 1 lesson
Supports
Allow partner choral reading or bilingual introductions for multilingual students, provide noise-dampening recording spaces and highlighted scripts for students with an IEP or 504, and invite ready students to record an introductory audio greeting for the entire series.
Deliverable
A clear two-minute audio recording and written reflection.
Session 1 of Week 3
Students exchange drafts with a partner pair using a two-stars-and-a-wish protocol modeled by the teacher, checking that the text explains when the business started and includes linking words like also and because.
Student reflection
Students complete a sentence frame reflection form naming one fact that surprised them about the business and one way their voice sounded better on the final audio recording than in their first rehearsal.
What they make
Students produce a two-minute recorded radio segment about a historic local business and an illustrated display card with their written profile.
Options
Pairs choose whether to record their radio story as a back-and-forth dialogue or a shared story, and they choose whether to illustrate the shop building, a signature product, or a historic tool. Let each team pick their final format: a 90-second radio story, a one-page storefront feature, or an illustrated timeline of the business.
Who sees it
Listeners of the local community radio station hear the audio during Week 4, and visitors on Main Street see the cards in storefront windows starting on the last day of Week 4.
Teams
Pairs formed by the teacher based on complementary reading and speaking strengths.
| Criterion | beginning | developing | proficient | advanced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Informational Writing W.3.2 · individual | The writing names the shop but does not group facts or provide a clear ending. | The writing includes facts about the shop and a conclusion, but lacks linking words between ideas. | The writing introduces the business, groups facts with linking words like also or but, and provides a closing sentence. | The writing introduces the business clearly, organizes detailed facts smoothly with varied transition words, and ends with a thoughtful conclusion. |
Audio Recording and Fluency SL.3.5 · team | The recording is difficult to understand due to an overly fast or hesitant reading pace. | The recording is understandable at times but rushes through sentences or speaks too quietly. | The recording demonstrates fluid reading at an understandable pace and clear volume. | The recording demonstrates fluid, expressive reading with deliberate pacing that highlights key details naturally. |
Listening and Finding Key Details SL.3.2 · individual | Notes identify only a single detail or miss the main idea of the interview. | Notes identify the main idea of the interview but leave out important supporting details. | Notes correctly determine the main idea and capture several supporting details from the interview or audio clip. | Notes clearly explain the main idea and organize several supporting details accurately to prepare for writing. |
Informational Writing
W.3.2 · individualbeginning
The writing names the shop but does not group facts or provide a clear ending.
developing
The writing includes facts about the shop and a conclusion, but lacks linking words between ideas.
proficient
The writing introduces the business, groups facts with linking words like also or but, and provides a closing sentence.
advanced
The writing introduces the business clearly, organizes detailed facts smoothly with varied transition words, and ends with a thoughtful conclusion.
Audio Recording and Fluency
SL.3.5 · teambeginning
The recording is difficult to understand due to an overly fast or hesitant reading pace.
developing
The recording is understandable at times but rushes through sentences or speaks too quietly.
proficient
The recording demonstrates fluid reading at an understandable pace and clear volume.
advanced
The recording demonstrates fluid, expressive reading with deliberate pacing that highlights key details naturally.
Listening and Finding Key Details
SL.3.2 · individualbeginning
Notes identify only a single detail or miss the main idea of the interview.
developing
Notes identify the main idea of the interview but leave out important supporting details.
proficient
Notes correctly determine the main idea and capture several supporting details from the interview or audio clip.
advanced
Notes clearly explain the main idea and organize several supporting details accurately to prepare for writing.
- A street map and business directory showing Main Street in Hannibal.check before use
- Two short audio recordings of community radio profiles suitable for third graders.
- Graphic organizers for note-taking and informational paragraph drafting.
- Microphones and tablet recording applications.
- Cardstock and art supplies for storefront display cards.
- Contact list of historic Main Street business owners willing to be interviewed.check before use