Lesson
1
:

Learning Grit from Literature

Grade

Grade 3

UNIT

2

Grit

Last Updated:

June 5, 2025

In Unit 2, Lesson 1, “Learning Grit from Literature,” students will learn examples of grit from a classic work of children’s literature. Students will also create their own sentences demonstrating their comprehension of the word grit. Finally, students will practice reading and conversation skills by sharing sentences with classmates.

SUGGESTED TIME:

20 minutes

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

  • Listen to a read aloud to improve understanding of English sentence structure and comprehension 
  • Ask and answer questions to understand the meaning of a text 
  • Determine the central message, lesson, or moral of a story and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text
  • Demonstrate understanding of standard English sentence structure and grammar  
  • Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

VOCABULARY:

  • Grit: I keep trying to reach my goals even when it is hard. I don’t give up.

ELA COMMON CORE STANDARDS MET

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.1

Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.2

Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.3

Describe characters in a story (e.g., their traits, motivations, or feelings) and explain how their actions contribute to the sequence of events

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.10

By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poetry, at the high end of the grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.3.D

Read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4

Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.3.4.A

Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1

Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 3 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.B

Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.C

Ask questions to check understanding of information presented, stay on topic, and link their comments to the remarks of others.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1.D

Explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.3

Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering appropriate elaboration and detail.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.6

Speak in complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation in order to provide requested detail or clarification.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.C

Use abstract nouns (e.g., childhood).

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1.D

Form and use regular and irregular verbs.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.2

Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.3

Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.

CHARACTER AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL (CSED) NATIONAL STANDARDS MET

Performance Character A5

Define grit (e.g., perseverance and passion for a long-term goal)

Performance Character B5

Provide an example of a role model who demonstrates grit (perseverance and passion for a long-term goal)

Self-Awareness A3

Explain the ways in which you use and practice your personal strengths (e.g., your willingness to help others, your positivity)

Social-Awareness A1

Use “I-statements” to let others know that you have heard them

Social-Awareness A4

Explain a time when you put yourself in “someone else’s shoes” in order to understand their perspective and point of view

Responsible and Ethical Decision-Making A1

Write and share with your classmates an ethical principle you wish everyone in the world would follow all the time (e.g., all people are created equal, be honest, be kind)

LESSON PROCEDURE

  1. Write grit on the board.
  2. Ask students what grit means.
  3. Give students the definition: grit means we keep trying to reach our goals even when it is hard. We don’t give up.
  4. Let’s do an activity where you have to show grit for your team to win. Take kids outside to have a tug of war. 
  5. Ask students how many of them have seen the movie The Wizard of Oz.
  6. For those who haven’t seen it, let’s watch a version of it cut down to 5 minutes. Play the video: The Wizard of Oz in under 5 min by Debi Profeta
  7. Read the book: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Penguin Young Readers, Level 4), by Deborah Hautzig (Adapter), L. Frank Baum
  8. Ask students to complete the questions on their worksheet. 
  9. Have students read their sentences to a partner.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES - SUGGESTIONS

  • Talk with your students about times you have seen examples of people demonstrating grit. You could give examples of family, friends, and/or historical or current public figures.
  • Talk with your students about times in your life when you have demonstrated grit, despite hardships.

GRADE 3 UNIT 2 WORKSHEET 1: LEARNING GRIT FROM LITERATURE

Grit: I keep trying to reach my goals even when it is hard. I don’t give up.

ACTIVITY: 

  1. Who are this story's 4 main characters, and what did they use their grit to seek?

  1. What is the story’s main message about grit?

  1. What in this story could be an ethical principle that everyone in the world could follow all the time?

Prohuman K-12 Curriculum © 2025 by Prohuman Foundation is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

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