D1. Developing Ideas and Organizing Content
In Grade 3, students continue to strengthen and develop their ability to come up with ideas to write about, become more skilled at gathering information, organizing their ideas, and continue to build their understanding of why they are writing and how to consider their audience.
Students should have many opportunities throughout the day to write. These opportunities should be varied to include topics chosen by students but should also include opportunities to write about the topics that they are learning about in content areas (e.g. Science, Social Studies, etc.).
Students should be explicitly taught the strategies for brainstorming and for collecting information from a variety of sources, including the use of graphic organizers and note taking skills.
The curriculum expectations between Grade 2 and Grade 3 in this strand do not differ significantly, though we have noted specifics that pop up for the first time in Grade 3.
During Grade 2, the focus was on:
Continuing to consolidate learning from Grade 1, plus:
- Identifying the topic, purpose, and audience for various simple texts they plan to create
- Generating and developing ideas about given and chosen topics using simple strategies and drawing on various resources including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
- Gathering information and content relevant to a topic should include three or more sources.
- Sorting and sequencing ideas and information, taking into account the text form and genre to be used
- Identifying the strategies that helped them to develop ideas for texts
New for Grade 3:
Continuing to consolidate learning from Grade 2, plus:
- Identifying the topic, purpose, and audience for various simple texts they plan to create and describe how the chosen text form and genre will help communicate their intended meaning
- Generating and develop ideas about given and chosen topics using various strategies and drawing on various resources including their own lived experiences, and learning from other subject areas
- Sorting and sequencing ideas and information, using appropriate strategies and tools, taking into account the text form and genre to be used
- Identifying the strategies that helped them to develop ideas for texts and organize content.
As foundational language skills develop the use of more complex multisyllabic words and vocabulary should be reflected in writing.
Note: This is not an exhaustive list of all expectations in this strand. For a more detailed view, please see the official Ontario curriculum.
Further Reading
- See Further Readings on the D. Composition page
Suggested Resources
- See Suggested Resources on the D. Composition page
