Grade 3 ELA | FL B.E.S.T. Standard: ELA.3.R.1.2
TEACHER USE ONLY - Please keep secure and do not distribute to students
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | Honesty (or "Telling the truth")
Accept any 1-2 word topic related to honesty or truth-telling. |
| 2 | Telling the truth, even when it's hard, is always the right choice.
Accept variations: "Honesty is the best policy" or "It's important to tell the truth even when you're scared." Must be a complete sentence expressing a lesson. |
| 3 | C. Marco's mom was proud of him for telling the truth.
This detail shows the positive outcome of honesty, directly supporting the theme. |
| 4 | Marco changed from wanting to hide the truth to telling his mom what happened. This shows that being honest leads to feeling better and earning respect.
Accept responses that identify the character change and connect it to the theme. |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | Winning / Competition / Sportsmanship / Kindness
Accept any appropriate 1-2 word topic. |
| 2 | B. Being kind and helping others matters more than winning. |
| 3 | Mia changed from being jealous and mean to Jaylen to becoming his friend. She learned that kindness matters more than winning races. |
| 4 | B. Jaylen stopped to help Mia even though he lost the race.
This action demonstrates the theme that helping others is more important than winning. |
| 5 | B. Everyone has a special talent if they believe in themselves. |
| 6 | Aiden learns that everyone has a talent—he just needed to discover that making people laugh was his special ability. |
| 7 | C. "You just had to believe in what makes YOU special."
This is the most direct statement of the theme from the grandmother. |
| 8 | Working together as a team helps everyone succeed. / Teamwork makes difficult tasks easier. |
| 9 | B. She goes from wanting to work alone to appreciating teamwork. |
| 10 | C. Sofia finished with time to spare after accepting help.
This shows the positive outcome of teamwork. |
| 11 | C. Trying new things can lead to good experiences. |
| 12 | Marcus would tell someone: "Don't be afraid to try new things. Give new places a chance—you might find great friends and fun things to do." |
| 13 | C. Marcus took a chance, played basketball, and made friends.
This action shows the development of the theme—he tried something new and had a positive experience. |
| 14 | Topic: New experiences / Change / Trying new things Theme: Trying new things can lead to good experiences and new friendships. |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | B. Hard work and patience lead to great rewards. |
| 2 | C. All the hard work led to a garden full of delicious vegetables. |
| 3 | A. She goes from disliking the garden to understanding the value of hard work. |
| 4 | B. Being brave and trying is more important than being perfect. |
| 5 | C. "Being brave is more important than being perfect." |
| 6 | Dante learns that facing your fears and trying your best is more important than winning or being perfect. Even though he didn't win, he felt proud because he was brave enough to try. |
| 7 | B. Doing the right thing may be hard, but it's worth it. |
| 8 | B. She was sad to give the dog back, but felt good doing the right thing.
Her mixed feelings show that doing the right thing isn't always easy, but it's still the right choice. |
| 9 | B. Helping others
A topic is 1-2 words. Options A is a theme (complete sentence), C is a summary, and D is a detail. |
| 10 | See rubric and sample response below. |
| Score | Criteria |
|---|---|
| 2 | States the theme as a complete sentence AND provides 2 relevant supporting details from the story |
| 1 | States the theme correctly OR provides only 1 supporting detail OR details don't clearly connect to theme |
| 0 | Incorrect theme, missing details, or response doesn't address the question |
| Topic (1-2 words) | Theme (Complete Sentence) |
|---|---|
| Hard work | Hard work and patience lead to great rewards. |
| Courage/Bravery | Being brave is more important than being perfect. |
| Doing the right thing | Doing the right thing may be hard, but it's worth it. |
| Kindness/Sportsmanship | Being kind and helping others matters more than winning. |
| Teamwork | Working together as a team helps everyone succeed. |
| Self-belief | Everyone has a special talent if they believe in themselves. |